also u say the game on the saturday in canberra drew only 200 more than the late night shopping friday clash. well like i sed the first time, there was a boycott by fans because they awarded west sydney the 12th spot. if it was still up in the air there would have been 8000+ to the saturday game which is a quality crowd considering we didnt have our own team playing

Yay we’re better than the 5th best Asian team!!! And the AFC says the ‘Nix can’t play in the A-League – how rude.

Where do you reside out of interest?

Thanks for the heads up re. Canberra in speaking on behalf of all those who continue to flock to the Nations Capital.

Given the conviction with which you convey such sentiment, you simply have to be a Kiwi, since as we are all aware, NZ is synonomous with’ boredom’.

In that respect, your comment should be taken in context as not being simply a facile slight on Canberra. It would be an exercise in futility for any of us, to challenge such an esteemed authority on the subject.

Cheers

Thanks again cob.

I love the Phoenix, their run to the finals has been a great ride and they are a wonderful alternative to our big ’3′ here in NZ: Rugby, Cricket & Rugby League.

I grew up in Christchurch in a strong Rugby League community, but played football at school (much to my father’s asmusement) inspired by the All White’s wonderful qualification for Spain in 82′.

Now living in Auckland for several years, I can see another opportunity for professional football in the ‘City of Sails’, but it does not involve the A League .. it involves our own NZ pro league.

If NZ don’t join the Asaian confed then we must get serious about forming our own professional football league, which of course the Phoenix can be a major part of.

This can start off as a 6 team competition.

3 teams in Auckland: City, North Shore & Waitakere.

The Phoenix in Wellington (I think the Yellow Fever would still come out to support their team no matter who they were playing).

And 2 teams from the South Island: Christchurch United and Otago (who could play at their brand spanking new indoor stadium next door to Otago University).

I kow the NZFC is a ‘semi-professional’ competition at present (whatever that really means), but it really needs to go fully pro to really cement football into the NZ social and cultural fabric.

Imagine Ryan Nelson coming home from Blackburn Rovers to captain Christchurch United in the first season of the new Kiwi pro league?

Imagine 3 games of quality football on NZ television every weekend in Spring/Summer?

Imagine crowds of 5-10 thousand for each match (which is just scratching the service of the football loving ex-pat Poms living over here).

John Lennon would have wanted it and the Phoenix have shown the way .. forget the A-League, let’s set up our own super ‘Oceania’ league based here in NZ (and why not throw in a team from Vanuwatu just to keep things interesting)

Now all we need is a fraction of the money the NZ goverment threw at the America’s Cup and Rugby World Cup and we are go for launch!

If Gold Coast United can average a 5,337 crowd and North Queensland Fury can average a 6,793 crowd, a second NZ team could easily match, if not surpass this.

As a Perth Glory fan however the scheduling of matches must be given serious thought given we have to travel half way round the world [well….almost ] to play in New Zealand.

In fact the tough travel requirements for Perth Glory needs to be recognised as it is a significant disadvantage to travel such great distances given the relatively small travel requirements of Eastern based clubs.

Don’t know where in Canberra you hang out – Raiders are pretty big here (in fact their average crowds are higher than every A-League club save SFC and MV). If “no one likes them” then it must pale in comparison to, say, the Roar with average crowds of 8,000 in a city of 2 million!

12,000 A-League crowds in Canberra is not going to happen. Sydney FC only has 12,000 turning up to their games and they have a catchment some 15 times larger than Canberra! The FFA needs to develop big derby’s in Sydney and Melbourne (which to their credit is what they appear to be doing) before worrying about Canberra.

If Canberrans actually wanted an A-League team they would have turned up to the two Mariners games to the tune of at least 9,000. They didn’t come close.

The A-League has a lot of potential and a bright future, but it can’t dole out a team to every medium sized town at the expense of Sydney and Melbourne.

Canberra is the nations capital and are being touted as the next franchise having participated in the League some years back now. They have the same sort of population at Cch. It is true about the recent attendances at Canberra Staduim which indicate that they don’t seem to be too keen on the game so in that respect, perhaps Christchurch are the logical option to expansion. A contradiction however is, that Soccer’s the number one footy code at the GR’s in the ACT presently.

I thought Wellington were about to be dropped from the A League, so what’s all this talking up TWO Kiwi teams anyway or is perhaps Christchurch a better option and should trump Wellington?

Cheers

Also in regards to our socceroos game in which we drew 20,000 the socceroos next home game which was in melbourne drew the same crowd, so you cant disregard that.

also as far as the cosmos they didnt get kicked out because of poor crowds, there crowds in comparison to the other teams in the nsl not not including perth glory were pretty much on par.

and dont bring up the raiders, they r not well supported here no one likes them

my question was not meant to be all that combative. I wanted NZ to qualify, so you can’t really accuse me of being anti-NZ. Unless they play England ( unlikely ), I will support NZ in any game they play this summer. They will be underdogs every time, so perhaps they need all the help they can get.

So don’t be offended. I thought it was a fair question to ask: what damage will be done to association football in NZ if the team gets hammered in South Africa.

Best wishes, and I apologise if I did not make myself clear.

P.S. NZ choke at Rugby World Cups even though they’re the best. England choke in football, but we’re not the best. That’s the difference.

There is the stench of cheese, it’s true.

Australia was and is a colony.

We in England are now a colony of the USA, so you’re probably in the better position.

You have a distinctly middlebrow stench about you, cheese.

I was under the impression that the AFC would have a big say in NZ’s A-League participation. Then I checked the Phoenix’s page on Wikipedia, and found the following quote from Sepp Blatter in Dec 2008:

“It is not the matter of the confederation, it is the matter of the FIFA Executive Committee… If Wellington will go on play on in Australian League, then as long as Australian league wants to have them and Wellington wants to stay (and) Both association in this case, New Zealand Soccer and Australian Football are happy with that then we will give them the blessing. The confederation can not interfere with that.”

So I take everything back! Yes, Christchurch have shown they’re capable, but I’d want Canberra in there, and maybe Wollongong too, before another NZ team.