The issues around broadcasting are symptomatic not only of Sky's ongoing lack of adaptation to a changed operating environment (seriously, why can't pop-up channels be on FanPass as well?) but also on the complete lack of public profile and engagement from NZF. You can't blame the general public for not caring about the AWs when there has been absolutely nothing done too engage with them.
New Zealand football as a whole and NZF in particular are laughing stocks if they're even thought about at all. The eligibility scandal and the Alex Jones shambles are the only reasons they've even had any media coverage in years. Even the Russia friendly would have got some coverage that wasn't focussed on admin fudge ups, but we turned that down. Not having Reid there is also a blow to our profile. Frankly, you can't blame general kiwi sports fans for not getting excited about our 161st ranked team, minus its most famous player, playing on a paddock against teams of amateurs.