Beckham gets Maori welcome in New Zealand

Wellington (ANTARA News) - Football superstar David Beckham was given a
traditional Maori welcome when he arrived Thursday in Wellington with
his LA Galaxy teammates for an exhibition match against the local
Phoenix side.

A crowd of about 500, including teenage girls who said they had skipped
school to see the player, were waiting at Wellington Airport when the
team flew in from Sydney, news reports said.

More than 15,000 schoolchildren are expected to be at Wellington`s
Westpac Stadium on Friday morning to see Beckham and the Galaxy players
in a training session.

Organizers are hoping that more than 31,000 spectators will be at the
stadium Saturday evening for the game with the Phoenix, setting a new
record for a football crowd in New Zealand, where rugby is the most
popular sport, DPA reported.(*) END