Australia won't allow the Phoenix (or any NZ A League side) to play in the AFC, even if they win the A League. They also restrict the playing squad compared to the Australian-based A league sides, and won't allow the Phoenix into the reserve competition. They also brand NZ players as imports when rugby league and rugby don't thus restricting their appeal to most A League sides. Why would this be? My guess is they want to tap into NZ as a useful added market for the A League while not wanting to develop NZ football too much.
It's a pretty rum deal if you ask me. I've always harboured a suspicion that if the ASBP ever collapsed through NZF's foolish indifference and with it went NZ's prospects of competing in the O League, then FFA could simply pull the plug on a NZ franchise in the A League and NZ football would plunge into the dark ages, with only the small scale winter club scene left.
So it makes it even crazier that NZF should show so little interest in the ASBP and O league.
Out of interest - are NZ players branded as imports in the Australian state league competitions or does that only apply to the A League?