Fred's returned my call and said he's happy to talk. I'm hoping to speak to him this afternoon ahead of podcast tonight. If not, it'll be next week.
Great stuff. A few questions from me if you get the chance to ask them:
- What does FIFA actually pay for at these tournaments? What does NZF pay for? What costs will these player contributions go towards?
- Is this a philosophical decision or one driven purely by financial realities?
- Is the amount of international activity NZF is currently expected to support sustainable?
- How much impact did failure to qualify for the Confeds Cup have, if any? Would this decision have been made anyway?
- In hindsight did we allocate too much of the 2010 WC proceeds to the players and grassroots?
- Is this decision likely to be reversed in future, or is it here to stay? Will qualification for the 2014 WC make a difference either way?
- What other options were discussed? Did the Board consider the possibility of talking to the player's union about levying current and future professionals (i.e."taxing" those who actually realise a financial benefit from age-group representation).
- Did the Board consider having a more public discussion about priorities and the potential trade-offs that could be made?
- Will the Board consider publishing some more detail about the background to this decision?
Just a brain dump. I'm sure you have lots of your own questions!