NZFA need to get off their high horse and book games against Oceania opposition, at least they would be games, and tough ones at that.
It's like they have never heard of the Pacific or Asia, when teams like the Solomons are playing regularly against south east asian countries.
To add to that, we actually just need to seriously look at leaving the OFC altogether and start knocking on the AFC door to let us in.
No good continuing this boom and bust cycle based around WCQ and playoffs to get us some games if we're just sitting idle for several International windows in between times. For the moment we need to forget the World Cup and the future guarantees for an OFC spot at them, that's another 7 years away! If we continue at this rate we'll have a smattering of WCQ games against OFC teams and potentially a couple of playoff games to sustain us. We're potentially just wasting time on a golden generation of players who are coming through at the moment - players who are hungry to play and look to have solid futures in the game.
A move to the AFC will give us regular games against quality opposition in the form of WCQ and the Asian Cup (Potential for an Asian Nations League in future too, maybe...) and will give us a greater exposure as a footballing nation. Sure, we might not qualify for the World Cup, but we're not exactly doing much at the moment are we?
Would rather look forward to us having meaningful fixtures on a regular basis, regardless of whether we win/lose/draw, than having us sitting idle for extended periods and essentially getting geared up every 3-4 years for a pot shot at glory...
We haven't played for over a year now. Here's some context; Matches played by OFC Nations since June 7th 2018 - the date of our last match
Fiji have played 7 matches;
Solomon Islands have played 5 matches;
Vanuatu have played 5 matches; Playing away tonight v Indonesia
New Caledonia have played 4 matches;
Tahiti have played 2 matches;
Remind me again who's the big fish in a small pond?
There is a lot I like about this post.
I'd much rather see 8-12 top quality AFC games (WC & Asian Cup qualifiers) played in NZ over a 4 year cycle (with most of the overseas stars coming back to play in NZ). A couple of those games are bound to have some knife edge tense drama, as AWs seek qualification. That's what the sport needs in NZ. The big overseas stars up close a few times per year, and big games in our time zone. Even if the AWs fail to qualify for World Cups.
Much better prospect, than 4-6 low quality home games against OFC minnows, over the same 4 years, supplanted by 2 almost guaranteed pool games at a World Cup played at 4am NZ time. Pools being reduced to 3 teams in a 48 team WC.
To me the biggest waste is having a striker in the world's most high profile league, who has scored over 20 goals in the last 2 EPL seasons and yet in that time he's played 20 mins on NZ soil. It's nuts really. A marketing disaster. He's probably unlikely to play in NZ, until mid-late 2020 at the earliest. Roughly 3 years after Peru November 2017!
It's getting to the stage now where we owe OFC nothing.
They shafted ACFC & TW by making their OFC Champions League semis, solely single legged away games.
Now they are trying to get a non-NZ team to the Tokyo Olympics by slotting the OFC Olympics qualifier dates outside of the normal pro club off seasons, or FIFA windows - so forcing the NZU23s to be severely weakened in PNG.
If NZ left OFC aka Australia - FIFA would have to consider disbanding it's weakest Confederation, and potentially see it swallowed up as part of Asia. At best reduce it's WC allocation back to 0.5 a spot when WC is expanded to 48 teams.
Still would AFC want NZ??
Seems the Middle Eastern/West Asia countries want Australia gone from the AFC.
So they are highly unlikely to welcome NZ with open arms.
Probably only if as above OFC was reduced back to 0.5 World Cup slots at future World Cups, and AFC was given an extra guaranteed World Cup slot, by admitting NZ.
Plus would there be extra costs (travelling etc) for various NZ mens & womens teams, if left OFC for AFC. NZF now exactly flush with cash.
To me the interesting comparison is international basketball, where FIBA have slotted Oceania teams into Asian qualifiers for World Cups & Olympics. On the back of that NZ Basketball seemed to have picked up some new sponsorship/commercial opportunities in Asia.