As we all know, the summer of 2014-15 is a big one for Australian football.
This season is the 10th for the A-League, the Western Sydney Wanderers are involved in the ACL final and Australia is hosting the Asian Cup is in January.
This season may also be a defining one for New Zealand football, and in particular the Wellington Phoenix.
After three rounds thus far, they have produced two wins and one loss. However, off the field, there is an elephant in the room that is lurking for the Phoenix.
The sticky issue revolves around Wellington’s licence renewal in the A-League. Earlier this year, the FFA renewed the licences of the other nine A-League clubs up until 2034. Wellington meanwhile have a licence that expires in 2016.
Australia and the A-League are part of the Asian Football Confederation. While New Zealand and Wellington are still in Oceania. AFC officials in the past have expressed a level of discomfort in having a team from another confederation involved in a league from Asia.
New Zealand Football Federation and Wellington Phoenix know this full well. If New Zealand want a second or maybe a third team in the A-League down the track, wouldn’t be wise if they moved to Asia?
It will be a huge benefit for New Zealand football and it will make life a little easier for the FFA. Been stuck in Oceania is not a future. If anything, the Oceania Confederation should be disbanded or merged with Asia.
We could be looking at five World Cup Asian spots rather then the current four and a half.
To make matters worse for the Phoenix, the A-League TV rights from New Zealand Sky TV is only $200,000 a season. And that was recently increased from $110,000 per year.
You would’ve thought that bringing a New Zealand team into the A-League would harness millions in TV revenue per year, not thousands. Compare that with Sky TV paying $17.8 million a year for the NRL.
Phoenix are owned by a consortium of seven Wellington businessmen, headed by Rob Morrison and Gareth Morgan.
Reading online elsewhere, there was a suggestion from a football fan that Wellington’s wealthy owners should buy the TV rights and on-sell it to the highest bidder on free-to-air. Let’s be frank, $200,000 a season is pretty paltry.
Many A-League fans over the years have questioned Wellington’s admission in the A-League.
The main concern for the Phoenix is why should Australia continue to help New Zealand football. If anything, helping New Zealand could come back to bite Australia, especially if one day New Zealand knocks out Australia in World Cup qualifying.
But the positives in having a New Zealand side in the A-League is that we get to see many New Zealand footballers ply their trade either at the Phoenix or other A-League clubs. Players like Shane Smeltz and Marco Rojas have made a positive impact in the competition.
Alas, having Wellington in the A-League has denied other areas of Australia that don’t have an A-League team. Places like North Queensland, Canberra, Wollongong and Tasmania.
Having said that, folding A-League clubs is not a good look.
If Wellington are granted a renewed licence then they need to start offering something back to the A-League. They can’t afford to be a club that regularly misses out on finals, have average crowds of around 7000 and offer very little in TV revenue.
Their licence renewal needs to be sorted by the end of this season. The FFA shouldn’t wait until 2016. The A-League does need a degree of certainty in place.
Wellington Phoenix need to give something back. Otherwise, it’s not Australia’s responsibility to help New Zealand football.
Hamish
Guest
Phoenix should definitely stay, there is really no their place to expand in Australia and while Western Sydney was an obvious choice, no other region has much appeal. In the long term, I'd love to see lots of different regions represented in a multi-tier competition, but we probably don't have the population for that to happen. Maybe in the future, smaller teams with loyal fan-bases might be able to cut it in a second tier and perhaps be valiant in the first division, but, for now, stick with the Pheonix, who are competitive and relatively established.
Wii
Guest
That does little to explain how Australia think they asian when it come ago football but play Oceania / Australasia for everything else. Let's get real here they are only in Asia because it gives the. A 90% chance of qualifying for a World Cup, the reality is they have just as much chance as NZ going through CONCAF etc. They are sell outs looking for the easiest route possible, it's not like Australia is a world soccer powerhouse far from it in fact. Asia my donkey it's a joke they are even allowed to partake in the AFC
NZer
Guest
New Zealand should be in the Asian Fed for sure we need stronger opposition regularly as we need to compete with the world, the Oceania region is very weak and does nothing for NZ football really, the other day our Womens team made it to their world cup having thrashed Cook Islands 10-0 that is not good for their build up for instance!! - for NZ to go forward we need a professional team in the A-League it is a must - NZer
NZer
Guest
yes because the attendances for the rugby NPC are smaller than the Nix, a smaller made for football and rugby stadium would have a much better feel and atmosphere for sure as opposed to the cake tin which is made for cricket and athletics really, rugby and soccer could work in together for sure! NZer -
Emric
Guest
The Wellington Rugby Union was keen on the idea of a smaller rectangle stadium they would have used it. It was shot down by the Wellington regional council who do not want the stadium to lose business
Wii
Guest
I find it astounding how Australia plays in Asia for Football but are included in Oceania and Australasia for just about everything else..... Australia is as Asian as Antactica is African.
bergkamp
Roar Rookie
9/10 season, Nix had higher regular season attendances than Mariners, Jets and Brisbane. Yes, it's a disgrace the Roar weren't booted from the league. Nix will average attendances comparable with the Mariners this season and without any derbies. We want to grow the league, not reduce it and the Nix add something different. When they have success like they did in 9/10 their crowds will be way above the averages and even without that they continue to match the Mariners and Glory.
Melblue
Guest
Nix out! Has the world gone mad? It's the AUSTRALIAN league. Nothing discriminatory, just a matter of geography, common sense and logic. They even belong to a different confederation ffs. Anyway, one would assume NZ team(s) were only included initially to bolster a fledgling league. They've served their purpose and I'm sure they've been thoroughly enriched by the process but once their deal is done, it really, well and truly, should be sayonara. The only thing the nix should give back to Australian football is their departure. One thing you gotta give em though is: No. Bunnings. Chairs. (Which leads me to my second biggest gripe about the Hal outside of the issue of the need for higher caps, more teams and pro/rel).
Matthew Skellett
Guest
Well I'm on the inclusive side of this argument -We need NZ as much as they need us -to think we are in a position to "cut 'em loose" is true arrogance indeed and we would do that at our own peril -every act of cruelty and selfishness seldom goes unpunished in the fullness of time. We need to encourage NZ Football at every turn and who knows ? We may yet see the rewards for doing so before long :-)
mikecj
Guest
Nix are 4th, snapping at the heels of 1st. However the angles aren't really covered. For example, I don't see how the rights package negotiated by the FFA and Sky TV NZ has anything to do with NZ Football or the Nix. If they FFA want more more money, then demand it. See who buys it then. Because there would be tens of thousands of Sky customers who would spit tacks at Sky TV for losing A League rights just out of principle. It happened two seasons ago when Sky comically lost the EPL rights because they assumed that they were theirs forever, then someone else came in and took 'em. Football is a minority sport but there was a bit of an uproar and so Sky had to scramble and pay money to get some EPL from Man U TV, Chelsea TV, Arsenal TV etc. This has nothing to do with the Phoenix, Phoenix management, NZ Football etc. It was a dumb deal done by the FFA and Sky said thank you very much we'll have some of that.
mikecj
Guest
Rugby is king. However they aren't new Rugby stadiums flying up around NZ either. Not even a Rugby World Cup was enough to trick the NZer's into building large white elephant stadiums.
AZ_RBB
Guest
Yellow Fever is reason enough to have a team in New Zealand.
AZ_RBB
Guest
I don't think the ISL connected in any way to the AFC or AFC Competitions. The winner of the I-League gets a spot in the AFC Cup whereas the winner of the ISL has no chance qualifications. The barriers to entry in the Indian market are far too high to go about things in an organic way.
melbourneterrace
Guest
ISL is utter garbage and should have been shut down by the AFC for marginalising the I-League
Arnold Krewanty
Guest
IMO - Nix provide no benefit to Australian football. The only benefit atm is a stronger NZ national team, but so what? What happens if Nix win the A-League? What a waste of an AFC place. The purpose of the A-League is to improve our National Team and encourage avenues for the next generation of young Australians to play professional football. The Nix, long-term, contribute nothing to this goal, if anything, the opposite (the Andrew Durante example). Take away all the fluffy touchy-feely stuff, Nix out 2016.
Tony
Guest
Plus, Sommet also broadcast some ASB Championship matches, Auckland City games etc... and you can't get more local than that. Open your eyes to what's available in your own country before posting such ignorance champ!
Tony
Guest
WTF? There is absolutely no free to air Rugby or Netball matches broadcast on NZ TV at all, it's all on Sky! Are you talking about broadcast matches or TV reports on the sports news? (of which the A-League & Phoenix gets it's fair share, especially on TV3) If you're looking for "parity" at least Sommet Sports broadcasts several Bundasliga, Championship & League One matches every week... and they're all free to air.
Tony
Guest
Nzer, you got your "facts" wrong... the proposed Petone stadium was to have a capacity of only 12,000, not 25K, (which would have been the perfect size for the amount of paying football fans in Wellington). It will be interesting to see if they can sell out the 9K temporary stadium at the Hutt Rec ground during the Cricket World Cup. I believe the Nix will eventually play out of a boutique, rectangular ground... the fans deserve it. The Cake Tin is far too big and stupidly oval in shape (ridiculous for Football or Rugby), & costs the Nix far too much to hire.
Towser
Guest
NZer This is the problem for football in New Zealand & maybe to a lesser degree Australia,persuading councils that football has benefits. Let me give you an example of where councils would welcome somebody like Morgan as a co- contributor in building a new stadium. Around Sheffield where I grew up, there are two major clubs as you know and a few clubs in smaller towns.,Barnsley,Doncaster, Rotherham & Chesterfield. Of those 4 all except Barnsley have built new stadiums within the last 10 years using the owner(s)/ council co-operative formula. But South Yorkshire is a football hotbed,New Zealand is not,Rugby holds sway. These towns are not exactly rolling in money,but not so rich people & councils are willing to put up the dough for clubs where crowds have traditionally drawn around 6-8000 fans. First the Phoenix has to create some sort of football culture before thinking of building stadiums. Do that & maybe the council might listen.
Midfielder
Guest
NZer Another fact you would understand much better is crowds at the cake tin for all sports are down and union has been in almost free fall crowd wise at the tin... I can see if their is no new stadium a move back north ...