Code-swapper Christian Leopard opens up about his love of football, as cricket goes on the backburner.
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Auckland FC's coach and CEO reflect on the end of their season
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Code-swapper Christian Leopard opens up about his love of football, as cricket goes on the backburner.
NOW PLAYING • Inside the Rovers: The Running Man
Code-swapper Christian Leopard opens up about his love of football, as cricket goes on the backburner.
– For the past three years Napier City Rovers has been the only provincial-based football team to qualify for New Zealand Football’s elite National League.
– Some of their rivals provide top players contracts to coach their junior teams on deals worth more than the entire first-team budget Napier City Rovers operates on.
– As they chase a fourth successive qualification, coach Bill Robertson opens up on a remarkable sporting underdog success story.
Napier City Rovers might not have the big bucks of their rivals for league silverware.
And they certainly don’t have a playing roster featuring some players who are paid enough by their respective football clubs to coach junior players so they can forget about having to do a day job.
Napier City Rovers’ playing stocks include two painters, two ice truck drivers, a plumber, a builder, an outdoor pursuits trainer, and several teacher aides.
What they also have is a record of making the most of what they have and defying the odds in taking on their big-city rivals.
Since 2022 – when they ended a 20-year absence from New Zealand Football’s (NZF) National League – they have been the only provincial-based club to make the top-tier domestic football competition.
From 2022-24, the Jim Hoyle-captained team is one of only five clubs to have made the 10-team league over the three successive seasons.
Napier City Rovers head coach Bill Robertson, (left), and the side's goalkeeping coach Kyle Baxter. Photo / Neil Reid
The National League during that period has been made up of: the top four finishers in the Northern League; the Wellington Phoenix Reserves and the top three from the Central League; and the Southern League’s top two sides.
To make Napier City Rovers’ achievement even more profound, one of the five other clubs – the Wellington Phoenix Reserves – are guaranteed a National League spot regardless of where they finish in the Central League via their participation agreement with NZF.
Napier City Rovers captain Jim Hoyle has had another strong year with the football club he's called home since 2015. Photo / Neil Reid
“There’s a lot of hard work that goes into our success,” he said.
“There’s no stone unturned in terms of how we train, how we prepare for oppositions, and how we travel. Don’t forget the amount of travel we have to do.
Impressive Napier City Rovers players Cameron Emerson and George Andrew shake hands after their side's Central League win over Miramar Rangers at Bluewater Stadium. Photo / Neil Reid
“We’ve looked at how we make sure we have the best preparation we can for the players so we’re able to get the results on the road.”
For the past two years, the side have driven south the night before game day. The club’s investment in hotel accommodation has paid off with consistently strong results on the road.
Napier City Rovers' hard work in getting ready for 2025 has included training sessions as dawn breaks in the city. Photo / Neil Reid
Using precious dollars wisely is a must at Napier City Rovers.
While the history of the club is rich – having previously won five Chatham Cups and four National League titles – financially some of the other teams they face in the Central and National leagues are in a different ballpark.
Auckland City pull in around $1 million solely from gaming trusts; a figure further increased by sponsorship deals.
Napier City Rovers’ entire first-team season budget is less than 10% of the gaming trust sum received by the national champions.
NZF regulations cap weekly player payments to $150 a game.
But some sides offer their top players high five-figure contracts as youth coaches; some of those deals are also richer than the budget Napier City Rovers’ entire side operates with.
Napier City Rovers don’t complain about the at-times uneven playing field they’re faced with.
In some ways, it has added to a strong resolve and culture that has grown in strength in recent seasons.
That culture is paramount when it comes to Robertson recruiting players from outside the region.
The camaraderie and positive culture that has been developed within Napier City Rovers' first team is infectious. Photo / Neil Reid
“We haven’t got a huge budget like some other clubs have to sign any player I want. We have to be strategic with our recruitment,” he said.
“We’ve got a good track record of bringing in good players and, most importantly, good people that buy into what we’re trying to achieve here. It’s not an easy task, but we’ve got a model here that seems to be working well for us.”
Napier City Rovers hope to take another step towards the hoped-for fourth successive National League qualification on Sunday when they host Wellington team Western Suburbs in round-10 Central League action.
Robertson’s team go into the match in fourth place, two competition points ahead of their weekend rivals.
The coach is after his team to concentrate on their “processes” rather than the points table; saying if they do that successfully, the results will follow.
Napier City Rovers coach Bill Robertson wants his players to concentrate on their processes, not the Central League points table. Photo / Neil Reid
But there’s no mistaking the burning desire throughout the coaching, management, and playing group to again reach the National League.
“That would be an incredible achievement,” Robertson said.
“The consistency we’ve shown to perform at a high level and secure the results we need to qualify for the past three years is fantastic. We’re obviously trying to do that again.
The side’s achievements over the past three seasons have helped financially.
Billboards of returning and new sponsors surround the playing arena at Bluewater Stadium.
Crowds have also been dramatically on the up, especially over the past two seasons.
Game day at Bluewater Stadium is now a “must-do” day out on a Sunday for a growing number of families, including hundreds of kids decked out in Napier City Rovers replica kit.
Mason Johnson signing autographs at Bluewater Stadium post-match. Photo / Neil Reid
And the scenes that happen post-match at the venue are a throwback to the amateur era of sport in New Zealand, where crowds are welcome to flock on to the pitch and a line of autograph hunters stretching dozens of metres await the players before they can head to the changing rooms.
“We always speak about the players being role models in the region and trying to inspire the future generations of young players,” Robertson said.
“It’s absolutely fantastic to see the crowds and the number of kids here that are at games watching. At the end of the game, when you see the kids lining up for autographs with their heroes, it is a really powerful sight.”
It was another big crowd that flocked to Bluewater Stadium last Sunday to watch the side claim a deserved 3-1 win over the Wellington Phoenix Reserves in the second round of the knockout Chatham Cup.
Sam Lack has been there every step of the way since Napier City Rovers' return to the National League in 2022 and has scored six goals in 10 games in 2025. Photo / Neil Reid
The goals came via a double to Jordan Annear, while another from Sam Lack takes his 2025 tally to six from 10 games.
Robertson took the chance to rotate his squad.
The changes included captain Jim Hoyle, fellow defensive rock Matt Jones and impressive English import Mason Johnson starting the match from the substitutes bench.
Striker Jordan Annear - pictured having a break after a training session - was outstanding in Napier City Rovers' Chatham Cup second round win over the Wellington Phoenix Reserves. Photo / Neil Reid
In came Annear – later rightly judged man of the match after a storming performance – Kaeden Atkins, and Jack Albertini.
Like Annear, Atkins and Albertini also took their chance to remind Robertson of just how well they can contribute.
“The boys that came in did well,” Robertson said.
“There’s good depth in the squad and we need that.
“All the other games we’ve played, aside from the Central League loss to the Wellington Phoenix, we’ve been very competitive.
“And I think we can improve in the second half of the season which is a positive. There’s definitely more to see from us in the second half of the season.”
Neil Reid is a Napier-based senior reporter who covers general news, features and sport. He joined the Herald in 2014 and has 33 years of newsroom experience.
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