That includes Robertson and captain Jim Hoyle giving the Herald access to the sanctuary of the Napier City Rovers dressing room before, during and after matches on game day, as well as travelling with the team to away games in Wellington.
What resulted is a 40-episode mini docuseries giving fans a rare all-access pass behind the scenes of a top domestic sporting side as Napier City Rovers reached fourth in the National League; narrowly missing out on a grand final spot.
Episode One: Back to Work
On Waitangi Day, and in temperatures nearing 30C, the majority of the squad of 2024 gathered at Bluewater Stadium for the first training session of the year.
That included new signing Swedish-born Kiwi Oscar Faulds who had only just flown in from the –10C temperatures of a Swedish winter.
Bottles of sunscreen were among some of the playing kit bags handed out, with coach Bill Robertson relishing the chance to get his squad on the pitch just two and a half months after the end of the 2023 season.
Episode Two: The Darkest Days
The hot, dry weather that greeted Napier City Rovers at the start of their pre-season campaign was a world away from 12 months earlier.
Just a week into their build-up for the 2023 season, Cyclone Gabrielle brought with it death and destruction to Hawke’s Bay.
A year on, Robertson and modern-day club hero Liam Schofield recalled the sheer horror they encountered when the squad swapped their football boots for gumboots and volunteered for the massive clean-up operation.
Episode Three: Skin Deep
Given his height, it’s hard to miss new recruit Faulds at Napier City Rovers training.
It’s also hard to miss the sizeable silver fern tattoo on his left arm.
He talks about why he made the 17,000km move from Sweden to New Zealand to follow his footballing dream, and what his Kiwi roots mean to him.
Episode Four: Good as Gould
Proudly on display at Napier City Rovers’ clubrooms are match-worn shirts donated by some of the club’s ex-players who went on to reach international honours.
That includes a variety of international and Premier League goalkeeping tops donated by one of the club’s most-loved and decorated players, Jonathan Gould.
Three weeks into pre-season, Gould – who went on to play for Scotland and was also in the nation’s 1998 World Cup squad – returned to the Rovers for a special session with the club’s goalies.
Episode Five: The Hard Yards
Not many Napier City Rovers fans would know a lot about Swannanoa.
But it didn’t take much of seeing Matt Jones in action in the pre-season to realise the defender raised in the tiny South Island village was something special.
The former New Zealand age-grade international opens up about his rural roots and his off-field work ethic in his new home in Napier that sees him begin work at 4am.
Episode Six: Leaving a Legacy
One of the most important sessions during the pre-season didn’t take place on the training pitch.
Instead, it was an ultra-powerful team culture session hosted in the clubrooms by club legend Chris McIvor, a winner of both Chatham Cup and National League titles during his career.
McIvor talked about the pride he had for the club initially as a player and now as a supporter, then challenged players to figure out what they wanted their legacy to be.
Episode Seven: Fun and Games
The gut-busting bronco challenge, weights and sprints were woven into football-specific sessions during the eight-week pre-season.
But amid the hard slog being put in at Park Island and the Hawke’s Bay Rugby Union’s training base and gym, there was also plenty of time for some lighter moments.
That includes Ethan Richards recalling a rather painful injury to a tender part of his body.
Episode Eight: Game Day
Despite a penalty save from new goalkeeper William Tonning and some good attacking chances, the Central League opens in defeat to National League champions Wellington Olympic.
Despite the result, it was a day stand-in captain Schofield will always look back on fondly, walking on to Bluewater Stadium holding his baby boy Luca.
Episode Nine: The Great Dane
Danish import William Tonning didn’t mince his words in terms of goals when he arrived at Napier City Rovers; being one of the best keepers in the National League and winning silverware.
And within just two games of the season, he showed just what an asset he would be for his new club throughout 2024.
Episode 10: Back to Back
A 3-0 win over Stop Out in round three of the Central League secured back-to-back wins for Robertson’s side.
Pre-match the coach reminds the players of who they represent after a death in the Napier City Rovers family.
Episode 11: Long Road Back
Injured duo Alex Mort and Christian Leopard open up about the long and frustrating road back from injury.
For Leopard that involves rehabbing from a full knee reconstruction after being badly injured just six seconds into a 2023 National League clash.
And despite being injured, Mort is still making a big impact with the team in an off-the-pitch role.
Episode 12: Total Commitment
They’re aged in their late 60s to early 80s, and they’re still doing the hard yards for Napier City Rovers.
As they complete their twice-weekly spruce-up of Bluewater Stadium, members of the volunteer maintenance crew – which features some of the club’s most influential ex-players and coaches – talk about their love for the club and its cherished slice of turf.
Episode 13: The Bravest Boy
There’s no shortage of young fans at each home game.
But one wee boy in particular has captured the hearts of those associated with Napier City Rovers; Ardie Neil.
Veteran defender Fergus, and his wife Julia, talk about brave Ardie’s fight for survival and now watching the adorable boy thrive.
Episode 14: Love of the Game
Adam Hewson is another of the recruits for 2024 who was quickly adopted by the Napier City Rovers faithful.
A former Wellington Phoenix academy member, the skilful playmaker opens up about the balance between chasing his football dreams and holding down a full-time job.
By season’s end, Hewson was consistently one of his team’s best.
Episode 15: A Rapid Rise
George Andrew moved to Napier in 2023 to further his orchardist career.
By year’s end, he was a regular starter in the National League for Napier City Rovers and earned himself a tag for being “Mr Reliable”.
It’s something he continued whenever called on in 2024.
Episode 16: Mixed Emotions
Napier City Rovers host Western Suburbs at the halfway stage of the Central League.
A win would take Robertson’s charges to second place on the table. And for long periods it looked like that would happen, following goals from Faulds and Max Chretien who was making his debut after being sidelined with injury.
But with one of the final kicks of the match, Western Suburbs equalised to see Rovers stay in third place nine matches into the 18-game league.
Episode 17: Cup Fever
Few football clubs have a better record than Napier City Rovers in the 101-year history of the Chatham Cup.
Ahead of the launch of their 2024 knockout cup campaign, Robertson talks about the club’s cup legacy and their last title triumph back in 2019 while driving to Bluewater Stadium.
At the ground, he urged his team to be relentless against Central Football’s Federation League side Palmerston North Marist. His players duly did, beating them 10-0.
Episode 18: 50-Year Love Affair
Napier City Rovers’ history stretches back 51 years – and Mark Jordan has proudly supported them for 50 of them.
From the seat he sits in for every match, Jordan talks about his love and emotional attachment to the club, his mother’s legacy and some of his favourite players.
His mum Sheila took him to his first Rovers game when he was aged just 4, and 10 years on from her death her son takes some of her ashes to every home game in a necklace.
Episode 19: The Music Man
The Napier City Rovers’ dressing room is a buzz of activity and hype on game day.
And part of that is created by forward Harry Mason; the team’s music man.
His off-field role with the team he loves is being in charge of music played pre and post-game, a soundtrack that always features Subway’s pumping Vibration as they leave the sheds ahead of kick-off.
Episode 20: Sammy’s On Fire
Teen Sam Lack is no stranger to making an impact for his side when they most need it.
And he did just that in a key Central League clash against Waterside Karori. Injected into the game when his side was trailing 1-0, Lack proved to be a huge spark as Napier City Rovers recorded an eventual 7-1 victory.
His reward was a post-match dousing in the sheds; a similar fate awaited Mason who also made a big impact in the second half in a match played just days after the death of his beloved grandmother, Wendy.
Episode 21: A Burning Desire
Stephen Hoyle has won a lot in his footballing career which has seen him grace pitches in the UK, North America, New Zealand and Australia.
But one thing that has painfully eluded him in New Zealand – where he first played in 2012 – is a Chatham Cup winners’ medal.
As Napier City Rovers’ 2024 Cup campaign heats up, the defender and team’s assistant coach talks about his desire to win the silverware.
Episode 22: Cup Heroics
Knockout football brings the best out of special players.
And that was the case for Faulds, Hewson and Tonning as they helped spark their team to a come-from-behind win over Miramar Rangers in fourth-round Chatham Cup action.
Down 1-0 at the break, Faulds scored two second-half goals, Hewson regularly provided the spark for his team, and Tonning was a standout in goal.
Episode 23: The Captain
Among the things Napier City Rovers is blessed to have is an outstanding captain in Jim Hoyle.
The Barnsley-born player talks about his nine-year stint with Napier City Rovers, what brought him here and how he approaches leadership.
The Chatham Cup winner also reveals how he feared a severe leg injury he suffered as a teen would end his football career.
Episode 24: On The Road
No team in New Zealand Football’s domestic leagues face travelling as many kilometres on the road to away games as Napier City Rovers in the Central League.
This year it topped the 650km mark, before another bus trip from Wellington in the National League.
The Herald joined the team on the road for their 5-1 win over Island Bay.
Episode 25: A Heartbreaker
Napier City Rovers’ Chatham Cup run saw them reach the quarter-final stage for the first time since 2019.
But high hopes ended in heartbreak after a 2-1 loss to Birkenhead United.
As emotional players gathered in a team huddle post-match, Robertson told his players to stick together on and off the pitch and now prioritise qualifying for the National League.
Episode 26: Oscar’s Big Chance
A familiar face was missing from the team that lost their round 15 Central League clash to Miramar Rangers.
Instead of terrorising defenders, Faulds had flown to the other side of the world to trial for a Danish professional club; the invite coming after he’d hammered home 21 goals in 14 league matches.
The average pro deal in Denmark is about $100,000, compared to the $150 a match Faulds and his teammates earn.
Episode 27: Fabulous Ferg
Napier City Rovers players bring a lot of joy to their fans on game day.
As the pressure mounts on the team to secure a spot in the National League, one of their biggest fans, Julia Neil opens up on her pride in watching her husband Ferg play.
Julia talks about the joy she feels watching the modern-day club legend play and her husband’s brave battle back from a career-threatening knee injury.
Episode 28: Bill and Ben’s Big Day
The day of Napier City Rovers’ penultimate Central League game started quietly for Robertson; watching kids’ soccer.
A win over North Wellington would secure them a spot in the National League: a draw or loss would see things go down to the wire in their final match against second-placed Western Suburbs.
By day end – after Benjamin Stanley was a two-goal hero in a 6-1 win – Robertson was left drenched by beer, water and energy drinks in rampant dressing room celebrations.
Episode 29: Better Than Before
During the brief break between the end of the Central League and the National League, Jim Hoyle talks candidly about a rollercoaster of a few weeks and his hopes for what lies ahead.
That includes the captain’s unshakable belief his team would qualify.
Hoyle also speaks of how learning lessons from their past two National League campaigns – including concentrating on themselves – could see Napier City Rovers shake up the 10-team league.
Episode 30: The Ice Man
By day, Cameron Emerson packs ice and delivers it by truck around Hawke’s Bay.
On the weekends, he’s cool under pressure for Napier City Rovers.
Emerson talks of his pride in the club’s third successive National League qualification, his partner Paige being on the club’s board and his crack at modelling, including larger-than-life portraits of him being on billboards and buses around Hawke’s Bay.
Episode 31: Sharp-shooter’s Return
The upcoming National League campaign receives a huge boost when Faulds flies back into Napier following a brutal month chasing his pro dream in Europe.
First Covid-19 in Denmark, then a Swedish club’s recruitment U-turn, cost him a fulltime contract in both Scandinavian countries.
A week out from the National League, Faulds says it was the brotherhood he felt within Napier City Rovers that saw him make the 17,000km flight back to Napier.
Episode 32: Statement of Intent
A stunning performance at Bluewater Stadium sees Napier City Rovers open their National League campaign with a 4-0 trouncing of Western Springs.
The win saw forward Harry Mason get brotherly bragging rights over his younger brother and opposition goalie Oscar Mason.
And Harry makes it clear his team fears none of the better-financed or resourced big-city clubs in the league, saying they’re determined to ride high in the National League.
Episode 33: Fronting Up
A draw away to Auckland club Eastern Suburbs sees Robertson’s team sit in second spot two rounds in.
The Herald meets the upbeat team at the airport as they fly into Napier, with teenage defender Jack Albertini speaking of the side’s joy.
A lifeguard, he also reveals the values that have driven his team all year and his rapid rise over the past two seasons.
Episode 34: Video Nasty
Despite remaining unbeaten and second in the National League, Napier City Rovers weren’t in a mood to celebrate after a 1-1 draw with the Wellington Phoenix Reserves.
It was a case of what might have been, peppering the Phoenix goal with 36 shots – many well saved by man of the match Alby Kelly-Heald – while the side was also denied a penalty in the seventh minute after Faulds was hacked down.
The video of the incident didn’t lie, with Robertson describing the officiating as “really poor”.
Episode 35: To the Max
Amid the strong bond between Napier City Rovers, eight players in particular are very used to each other’s company.
The group – including Max Chretien – have shared four two-bedroom units in a Napier holiday resort since February.
Chretien talks about the dream set-up for the footballing mates, why the young Kiwi came back from the US, and leaving his own mark on Napier off the pitch.
Episode 36: Blues Brothers
Brothers Ethan and Kieran Richards have shared a lot in their first season with Napier City Rovers.
That includes an unbreakable bond, a dressing room, a two-bedroom unit and also both being sent off within minutes of each other in their club debut.
Ethan talks about all the things the brothers share, and why they’ll always have each other’s back.
Episode 37: Don’t Stop Believing
Robertson delivered plenty of passion-fueled speeches to his players in 2024 – but few were as direct as the one he gave at halftime against Cashmere Tech.
Down 1-0 at the break, with a win needed to stay in contention for the National League final, the coach let rip about a lack of intensity and effort.
The message worked, with Napier City Rovers coming back to win and leap-frogging sides on the table with budgets and player depth which will exceed theirs.
Episode 38: Table Toppers
It was a sight to behold for club fans; with two rounds remaining Napier City Rovers were at the top of the National League points table.
Awaiting them over the following two weeks were New Zealand football heavyweights Auckland City and Wellington Olympic.
But given the belief within Napier City Rovers, Kieran Richards tells how he would back his team against anyone, and the tough run home was something he and his teammates should embrace.
Episode 39: Down But Not Out
The table-topping provincial underdogs hosted the million-dollar-plus Auckland City, with fans fizzing with the prospect that any points secured could help nail a National League final spot.
A bumper Bluewater Stadium crowd sees Napier City Rovers – who Robertson had urged to adopt a “no fear” attitude – go toe-to-toe against Oceania’s Fifa Club World Cup champs.
But a winner for Auckland City in the dying minutes is a heartbreaker and a potential death knell to the grand final dream.
Episode 40: From the Heart
Napier City Rovers fly to Wellington – where a win over reigning New Zealand Football champions Wellington Olympic, and other results going their way, will cement a grand final spot.
Football wasn’t the only mission; with Neil and Hewson helping deliver hundreds of new toys to Ronald McDonald House several hours before kick-off where Julia and Fergus stayed during Ardie’s brave battle.
On the pitch, the boys front big time in beating Wellington Olympic. But other results don’t go their way, bringing down the curtain on a season to be proud of.
Neil Reid is a Napier-based senior reporter who covers general news, features and sport. He joined the Herald in 2014 and has 30 years of newsroom experience.
Sign up to The Daily H, a free newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
