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Firmly in the finals mix, scoring goals for fun, producing some eye-catching football and featuring some of the A-League’s brightest imports. No, it’s not Adelaide United, it’s the Wellington Phoenix.
The scenario is uncommon ground for the sole New Zealand representative in the A-League, yet it’s well deserved and proof that off-field management is starting to pay off.
Wellington often attract unfair criticism from fans across the Tasman, but they offer more to our competition than many people give them credit for.
The ongoing conjecture around their A-League license, due to expire following the 2015-16 season, is not helping either.
It’s well publicised that earlier this year every A-League club bar Wellington was handed a license extension until 2034. However, the reason Wellington missed out wasn’t down to FFA’s lack of confidence, it was down to complicated agreements set in place with the Asian Football Confederation.
Wellington, in case you didn’t realise, are a New Zealand team playing in an Asian competition. They are part of the Oceania Football Confederation, which doesn’t go down too well with the AFC. Securing a license extension is therefore not so straight forward.
The FFA want Wellington to stick around, and if they don’t they’re completely bonkers.
Gallop recently quipped that the “ball is in [Wellington’s] court” and that FFA were waiting to hear the club’s “long-term strategy” before handing them a renewed license.
Hardly helpful in dispelling rumours and certainly not giving credence to the role AFC has to play in the matter.
Wellington’s license simply has to be renewed. The club is on the verge of gaining a foothold in the competition after years worth of investment and hard work. Cutting them off now would be ridiculous.
When a consortium of businessman took over ownership from the embattled Terry Serepisos in 2011, they outlined an ambitious new direction for the club.
Rickie Herbert was controversially pushed from the managerial chair in 2013, eventually replaced with former Melbourne Victory man Ernie Merrick as the club chased attractive and attacking football.
Now, just more than a year down the track, Merrick and his owners are beginning to see the hard work turning into the desired results.
This season, they’ve kicked on. Six wins from 11, equal second in goals scored and equal fourth goals conceded. On the weekend, they leapfrogged a slumping Sydney FC into fourth.
Nathan Burns has become the quickest player in A-League history to reach 10 goals in a season, and it’s becoming harder for people to deny him a right to an Asian Cup spot, yours truly included.
The midfield duo of Albert Riera and Roly Bonevacia have provided the base for their system, the Spaniard with his cool and calm work in front of the back four and the Dutchman driving the team forward from midfield.
Andrew Durante appears evergreen in the centre of defence, while Michael McGlinchey has proved an inspired signing.
Then there’s Roy Krishna, the first Fijian to play in the A-League and the only Oceania representative that doesn’t hail from New Zealand. He’s scored five consecutive goals for the Phoenix, not bad for a bloke who only turned pro at 26.
Ernie Merrick has his charges firing on the field, and a playoff spot would go a long way in helping the ownership realise their ambitions. It’s the only thing that’s been missing thus far.
It’s off the field where the Phoenix have mainly proved their worth.
The ownership, with Rob Morrison and Gareth Morgan at the head, are more committed than two A-League owners that immediately spring to mind. They’ve invested in improving training facilities and increasing pathways for Kiwi footballers.
The introduction of a Phoenix youth team into the ASB Premiership for the first time is a huge step to implanting the A-League in the city’s psyche.
But for all the hard work off the field, success is always reliant on results. Supporters like to win, but have had little to cheer about in recent years.
Average crowds hovering between 7000 and 8000 are hardly inspiring, but it’s a good base and not at all reason for panic. If finals football returns to Wellington then the gates should get a healthy increase.
When Wellington were one game from the grand final in 2009-10, they boasted an average gate of more than 11,000 and pulled almost 33,000 to an elimination match against the Newcastle Jets.
Like the rest of the A-League they experienced an attendance slump in following seasons, which they have been unable to recover from. A wooden spoon in 2012-13 and ninth in 2013-14 hasn’t helped.
This season they’ve scored 12 times in five home games and are undefeated in Wellington since their Round 1 loss to runaway table-toppers Perth Glory. Away from home they’ve gone against the odds to perform despite the long hours in transit.
The signs are all there that Wellington Phoenix can not only work, but thrive.
When you have people like Mike Charlesworth and Nathan Tinkler in charge of A-League clubs, the Wellington consortium should be worshipped for their commitment.
Unfortunately, their license issues constantly throw a shadow over their future. Esteemed journalist Mike Cockerill penned an article earlier this year suggesting the television deal with Sky TV was a reason for Wellington’s shaky prospects.
With all due respect, that’s way off the mark. The TV deal is the FFA’s to negotiate and Phoenix management can hardly be held accountable for the paltry $200,000 per annum FFA receives for all A-League coverage.
With such a low figure coming into FFA coffers, the governing body should refuse releasing rights to Sky TV. With Sky TV holding exclusive live rights to the NRL, Super Rugby and All Blacks, putting the game on free-to-air could be a stroke of genius.
It would mean the A-League is the only football code available to the general public live, and the advantages should outweigh pulling in $200,000 a year, or at least force Sky TV into offering appropriate compensation.
A boutique stadium is another step that the Wellington consortium should be targeting, and indeed they have expressed a desire to move from the Cake Tin.
It will be interesting to see how Wellington’s three matches at the Hutt Recreation Ground go in February, when Westpac will be unavailable due to the Cricket World Cup. It has been touted for redevelopment to provide Wellington with a 12,000 to 15,000 arena.
Not only would the atmosphere be more enticing for unconvinced fans, showing off a packed boutique stadium would be a bigger selling point for television companies, rather than a two-thirds empty Cake Tin.
The FFA have to do everything they can to convince the AFC that the Wellington Phoenix warrant a football team in the A-League.
New Zealand football is important for Australia. Forget the traditional rivalry between the two countries, this ain’t rugby. Football isn’t big-time yet in either country, so working together should be the norm.
The aim for New Zealand Football should be to gain entry into the AFC. Having a Wellington side in the A-League strengthens their case, and as a developing football nation we should welcome the competition, not worry about the threat to World Cup qualification. Imagine if Japan and South Korea had rejected our bid for the same reasons.
Wellington’s owners are doing a lot of things right, and now the results on the field are starting to emerge. With results the come crowds will come, ending much of the misguided opposition.
A strong Wellington Phoenix is a massive asset for the A-League. Renewing their license is a no-brainer.
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