The story behind Dynamic Soccer’s New Zealand 2023 apparel

A Tale of Tohu, Iwi, St Bede’s/Canterbury, Mariners and Phoenix

June 10, 2023 [originally posted June 8, 2023]

Bringing back a priceless memento, gift or souvenir from your travels is something many of us do. It makes sense to return home with something you can’t already buy in your own country - something unique to your experience that you can’t get anywhere else. Years after a journey’s end, travelers reminisce about people, places and things, often through pictures and music. Moments in time can also be recollected with a physical object such as clothing, which creates an emotional connection to the time and place, and memories come flooding back. 

Dynamic Soccer is thrilled to bring a group of more than 50 youth players and their families from California to visit the North Island of New Zealand in July 2023 for a soccer tour consisting of watching FIFA Women’s World Cup games, and participating in trainings and games vs New Zealand youth soccer clubs. Former LA Sol coach Abner Rogers will coch the team along with Dynamic Soccer Co-founders and Owners Gary & Carine Ireland

To commemorate the special event, we have created customized apparel and uniforms in conjunction with Australia/New Zealand-based supplier Paladin, and with special permission from A-League (Australia/New Zealand professional league) club Wellington Phoenix and the Wellington area indigenous (Maori) people to use their bespoke designs. Contributing to the local economy and paying respect to the associated Maori tribe of our New Zealand hosts was a big motivation. The Maori culture and history is deeply ingrained in New Zealand’s ethos and is a large part of the national identity, so we felt it was essential to incorporate and honor it in our own way.

Why custom uniforms with Paladin?

We opted out of going with one of the major uniform brands like Nike or Adidas, and decided to work with a non-US based company to create our own apparel line so that we could customize the look and feel of each item, and more importantly, incorporate both the Wellington Phoenix kit design and the Maori ‘tohu’ pattern unique to the Wellington area ‘iwi’ (Maori tribe).

“The idea of designing and creating a uniform which has never been available in the US soccer market was very appealing to us. We like challenges and certainly like doing something others have never done! With the increase in popularity in the women’s game internationally, it’s highly unlikely that New Zealand will be hosting another World Cup for many years to come, so this is certainly a memorable occasion and we wanted our uniforms to represent this.”

“Our one-of-a-kind/first-of-its-kind uniform cannot be reproduced. So we are proud to say ‘it’s never been done before!’ Our tour group can feel special knowing that this kit will never be made again. To be the first soccer team in the world to use the Paladin brand outside of the New Zealand and Australian markets and to actually wear it during the World Cup and be able to integrate our own design ideas with that of Wellington Phoenix and the ‘tohu’ is an immense privilege” explains Gary Ireland, Dynamic Soccer co-founder and the creative force behind the origin and organization of the tour. Gary spent part of his youth in New Zealand and has always maintained a close connection with the country through the professional soccer community and business associates, and some of his closest lifelong friends are Kiwi’s.

Wellington Phoenix is based in New Zealand capital Wellington, a wonderful and beautiful city on the southern end of the North Island. The only other soccer club aside from Wellington Phoenix which wears the Paladin brand are the 2022-23 A-League Champions Central Coast Mariners. Wellington Phoenix has a tremendous reputation as a great club and their home stadium (Wellington Regional Stadium, also known as Sky Stadium) will host these Women’s World Cup games: Spain v Costa Rica, Sweden v South Africa, NZ v Philippines, USA v Netherlands, Sweden v Italy, Japan v Spain, South Africa v Italy, Round of 16, and Quarterfinal games. 

"Although Paladin has not sold in US soccer market before and we had to convert US sizes to Australian/NZ sizes and we haven’t worn the product before so it’s sight unseen, we trust the Phoenix and Mariners, who recommended Paladin to us after we sought out a New Zealand/Australia company to make a Maori design kit for us, and we saw their quality right away. Working with the Paladin leadership to create our own look and feel has been a great experience. I have worked as a buyer and designer and product tester of soccer merchandise for 20 years and have purchased tens of thousands of uniform, apparel and equipment items over the years. The idea of doing something novel with a supplier like Paladin, and being allowed to incorporate some of New Zealand’s culture into our apparel, was extremely appealing. It’s definitely more time consuming than simply ordering pre-designed kits from suppliers here in the US, but in the end, we will have something special and we are very excited to share this with our players and families” says Carine Ireland, co-founder and director of Dynamic Soccer and Soccerbook Consulting, and the New Zealand 2023 tour manager along with her husband and co-founder Gary Ireland. 

Honoring New Zealand’s culture & ethos

For Gary Ireland, New Zealand and its cultural identity holds a special place in his heart, having spent some of his formative years as a youth at St. Bede’s High School in Christchurch, New Zealand. The ethos of the country’s sporting culture is also one that he always related to as a player and a coach.

“We wanted something that will serve as a memento for the rest of our lives as this is truly a one-off event never to be repeated by another American youth soccer team. By celebrating one of our host club’s tohu, we are respecting and embracing the Maori culture and the country’s heritage. We are not only wanting to play soccer and watch the World Cup. Just as important to us is what we learn and what we can share with our tour members about New Zealand.”

“New Zealand made an indelible impression on me growing up. In fact, it just so happens that our kit colors are the same as the colors for the Christchurch high school (St. Bede’s) that I attended in the South Island, and also for the New Zealand State of Canterbury, which is known for its top rugby union team Canterbury Crusaders. I’ll be doing a talk for the school and coaching the soccer teams with Carine on a short visit during the World Cup and can’t wait to break out this kit in the colors of St. Bede’s!” 

“If we can take away something from this trip it will be a deep appreciation for the culture of unity and inclusivity that New Zealand has always exemplified, and translated to its sporting fields. There is no better example of this than the iconic New Zealand national rugby team, the All Blacks, widely regarded as the most successful sports team in history, and famous for its singular team culture.”

Read Gary Ireland’s article on the New Zealand All Blacks

Wellington Phoenix: Mana (respect), Kaha (strength), Whanau and Iwi (family and tribe)

Our kit is based on the Wellington Phoenix official uniform design using the ‘tohu’ associated with the club. The tohu is the traditional Maori design of a local Wellington Maori tribe. We will wear the uniform with pride not only because of the association with Wellington Phoenix but also in honor and respect of the local ‘iwi’ (Maori tribe) which we are thankful to for allowing us use their design, courtesy of Wellington Phoenix. 

“We feel very humbled and fortunate as the Phoenix’s club leadership was kind enough to provide us with this opportunity and granted us permission to use the tohu. The story behind the tohu resonated deeply with us because of the values it evokes, which are central to our own DNA: hard work, perseverance, resolve and overcoming adversity.” says Carine.

The Māori inscription 'E Rere Te Keo’, is a representation that takes inspiration from the Phoenix-like spirit of the Taniwha, Ngake and Whataitai (Taniwha are great water monsters of Wellington Harbor in Maori mythology). The Phoenix tohu takes inspiration from Ngake and celebrates the past and acknowledges the ‘Tangata Whenua’ (people of the land). 

The myth is based around two Taniwha, Ngake and Whataitai, who take different approaches to the same challenge. It’s a cautionary tale of two Taniwha and its lessons - a story of hard work not laziness, of perseverance, not giving up, of facing adversity and always absolutely giving it your all. The background to ‘Tangi Te Keo’ (Mt. Victoria in Wellington) is the creation of the harbor.

The central concepts the crest signifies are: Mana (respect); Kaha (strength); Whanau and Iwi (family and tribe). These central concepts are important as the Phoenix honor the past, acknowledge the present and create their future, which symbolizes of future aspiration for the club, anchored in Wellington’s rich history, its people and geography. The inclusion of Māori culture celebrates the diverse cultures associated with the Wellington Phoenix. It’s important to the Wellington Phoenix, that players, staff, and fans understand who they are, what the club and its members stand for and that they represent the club with pride and passion, looking not just forward to the type of football club it wants to become but also reaching backwards in time. 

The Myth of the Tohu

The tohu pattern depicts a story about 2 mythological creatures called ‘Taniwha.’ In ancient times, the Taniwha lived in Whanganui-ā-Tara (Wellington Harbor) and tried to break free to make it into the ocean. The first to attempt a break out was Ngake, who prepared himself by swimming round and round the lake gathering speed. He then coiled up his tail, pushed off and burst through the harbor mouth into the ocean. Whataitai, on the other hand, attempted to break through at the weakest point; he had no preparation, built no speed and consequently became stranded. Ngake achieved his goal whilst Whataitai became stranded and turned from a Taniwha into a hillside. It’s said that the Wairua (spirit) of Whaitaitai left its body, flew to the top of Matairangi (Mt. Victoria in Wellington) in the shape of a bird and proceeded to Tangi (weep and mourn). The top of the hill is still known as ‘Tangi Te Keo.’ By contrast, ‘E Rere Te Keo’ is a rallying cry, the type of cry that Ngake used as he built momentum to burst through the hills. ‘E Rere Te Keo’ is the resounding call or the rising call – the call to prepare, the call to work hard, the call to prevail regardless of circumstance. 

The story of Ngake and Whataita is meaningful for anyone as a lesson about perseverance and determination. In particular, though, it resounds with Gary Ireland, and reminds him of a line from the script in the movie ‘Catch Me If You Can,’ starring Leonardo di Caprio and Christopher Walken. In the film, Walken’s character says in front of an audience, upon receiving an award:

“Two little mice fell in a bucket of cream. The first mouse quickly gave up and drowned. The second mouse, wouldn't quit. He struggled so hard that eventually he churned that cream into butter and crawled out. Gentlemen, as of this moment, I am that second mouse. Gentlemen, as of this moment, I am that second mouse.”

The characteristic of persevering through seemingly impossible circumstances is something that strikes a chord with all of us. The fact that this guiding principle is so deeply ingrained in the Maori and New Zealand culture makes this tour, and our group’s experience, that much more meaningful.