A venue, date, and time for an All Whites match against Australia in September is close to being confirmed, alongside another across the Tasman as the two teams mark the 100th anniversary of their inaugural fixture.
Whether it’s played at Eden Park in Auckland or Sky Stadium in Wellington – the two most likely venues – there will be a good chance of a sell-out, especially if the All Whites win their playoff next week and it effectively becomes a World Cup send-off.
If the Socceroos successfully navigate their World Cup playoffs too, it could be an absolute blockbuster, at least as far as friendlies go.
But with $11.4 million of reserves in the bank, NZ Football’s commercial revenue increasing by 35% over the past three years, prize money for playing at the Women’s World Cup increasing (though not nearly fast enough), and qualification for men’s World Cups – and the resulting prize money (NZ$16.1 million just for making it in 2022) – set to become more straightforward, the financial landscape is changing.
“Every young kid who loves the sport should be able to get the opportunity to see their national team in action,” Pragnell said.
“We've gone through a bit of a drought, and we're about to resurrect that.”
“The All Whites and Football Ferns have to be visible and present to our young Kiwis who love football,” Pragnell added.
“But they also need to be visible and present to grow the brand and reach their commercial potential, so there are multiple reasons to be doing it.
“Historically it's been attempted and not always worked. I'm not casting any blame on anyone, but it's about doing it prudently.
“With the Women's World Cup and the 100-year anniversary, we’ve got some really fantastic opportunities to begin doing that and that’s really exciting.”
What the international football calendar looks like past 2024 is still up in the air. Fifa president Gianni Infantino’s push for men’s World Cups to take place every two years appears to have run out of steam, but change remains a possibility in the women’s game, and the timing and length of international windows in a broader sense is still under review.
Pragnell said NZ Football would be trying to have its say – which isn’t always easy, given there’s more than 200 Fifa member nations – but many of the barriers to arranging fixtures are set to remain in place, including rising costs stemming from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Being able and willing to spend more money will help, and Pragnell noted that the commercial performance of the matches on the cards in the next 12 months would be “an important litmus test for us”.
“We will play more than half a dozen games at home.
“Everyone knows that football's grown to the size where it is arguably the biggest sport in the country. We've got more than a million people who say they are football fans in this country.
“When we play these home games, we'll be urging them to get in behind it. Because this is an important litmus test, particularly on the revenue and the viability side.”
“On the cost side, there's some pretty big challenges in 2022, and we just have to continue to be prudent. I expect we'll see some normalisation of flight costs in 2023. But again, you never know what's around the corner – people wouldn't have expected a war in Europe and the impact that would have.
“All things going well, if costs normalise and the litmus tests prove good, then we are setting ourselves up for a model where we can continue to grow.”
The All Whites and Football Ferns are unique among New Zealand’s national teams, not just because they play so irregularly, but because when they assemble, players and staff fly in from all around the world.
When they come together, it’s a chance to them to connect with their fellow Kiwis, and that feeling is only heightened on the rare occasions when they play at home.
Just ask All Whites midfielder Joe Bell. By September, it will have been almost three years since he was last in New Zealand, and he can’t wait to return and play here.
“To have home fans behind us would be an incredible experience – one that I've only ever seen on TV or from in the stands myself.”
Right now, Bell’s focus is on Doha and the playoff with Costa Rica.
But there’s no place like home.
