THE PHANTOM RETURNS

I did not intend to return.

In truth, I had grown rather fond of my quiet life. A little travel. A little football. The occasional raised eyebrow at the state of the modern game from a comfortable distance. One can spend a decade quite happily doing that sort of thing if one is disciplined about it.

But football in the Waikato and Bay of Plenty has a way of pulling people back in. So here I am.

Football always tells on someone

The Phantom An eerie, almost unnatural, observer of Waikato and Bay of Plenty football. First appearing in WaiBOP circles a decade ago,
​​​​​​​The Phantom returns in 2026 to watch, comment on, and occasionally raise an eyebrow at the regional game.