Remember, remember, the 14th of November

Every time I get a message from one of my friends on Facebook, I get a little reminder of Saturday, November 14, 2009. His profile photo features him celebrating on the field with All Whites such as Andy Boyens, Ivan Vicelich, Tony Lochhead and Chris Wood after they beat Bahrain to make the 2010 World Cup finals, having jumped the rails at Westpac Stadium and breezed past two security guards before galloping on to the middle of the pitch.

He was among a host of fans who stormed the field that night, letting their passion and excitement for the game override their judgement. The rest of us rejoiced in the stands amid the deafening roar of

35,000-PLUS people knowing their national team was off to the football’s pinnacle event for the first team in 28 years.

It was a special night, and one which will be replicated on Saturday, November 11, 2017.

New Zealanders aren’t known for their outpourings of passion towards their sports teams. The average All Blacks or Black Caps game has the atmospheric feel of a library. Even the All Whites rarely attract a big enough crowd to provide a genuine atmosphere.

But the big events do bring out the best in Kiwis, especially the football fans, and even the cricket ones. The knockout games at the 2015 Cricket World Cup were something to behold, as thousands of Kiwi fans plied with booze for hours on end rose as one to salute Martin Guptill and Grant Elliott.

But nothing can match a big football match. The atmosphere at the Wellington Phoenix’s playoff games in 2010 were right up there, but even they were nothing on 2009.

Sure, 2013 was a bit of a dud in the World Cup playoff against Mexico, but that was because the All Whites were down 5-1 after the first leg. This year, crucially, Wellington hosts the first leg and it will be humming.

Go back to that Bahrain game and watch the replay. Watch how the camera shakes after Mark Paston saves that second-half penalty as the collective noise and movement of the crowd rocks the entire stadium.

Now tell me All Whites fans on November 11 will lack passion.

Big events do bring out the best in Kiwis, especially the football fans.