School pupils go all white

Pupils at a Auckland school today ditched their uniforms in favour of all white clothing to show their support for New Zealand ahead of tomorrow morning's vital match with Paraguay tomorrow in a bid to make the next round of the World Cup in South Africa.

Shae Harrison, 11, of Newmarket Primary School said supporting the All Whites had been "homework" this week.

While the games were on too late for her to watch live she'd still managed to get her dose of All Whites' magic.

"I record every game. I record it and watch it and the I watch it over and over again," she said

She predicted the All Whites would beat the South Americans 4-3.

School principal Wendy Kofoed said the school had had a huge increase in the number of pupils signing up to play soccer since the All Whites' success.

"The World Cup has really ignited a lot of interest... you can see, the kids are really getting behind this team," she said.

Some Newmarket businesses have also shown their support for the team, decorating their shop fronts with All Whites memorabilia as part of a campaign by the Newmarket Business Association.

The association's chief executive Cameron Brewer said although the All Whites would be wearing black during tomorrow morning's clash, he encouraged people to stick to wearing white.

Route 66 on Broadway was the shop that seemed to go to the most effort, completely whiting-out its front doors.

Its owner, Todd Male, said it was a great way to show support for the All Whites, who have captured the country's collective imagination.

"Like the rest of the country I'm just caught up in the moment. I'm not a big football fan but I've suddenly been converted. If I had more plastic I would have covered the whole shop," he said.

- NZPA