Hey all,
I was wondering if someone could shed some light on this for me. I've read that the ASB is an amateur league as the Phoenix are the only pro New Zealand team. But it seems like it may be semi-pro, wiki lists it on one page as amateur yet on another they list it as semi-pro/pro?
Pardon the ignorance as this is probably a question that is obvious to some, but from an outsider it seems difficult to find a lot of info on. Does their season run the same/similar length as the A-League? How are attendances? Are the games televised locally?
Just wondering, any info would be appreciated...thanks.
As any amateur league anywhere in the world, teams attract players to sign with incentives like accommodation, jobs and a bit of money on the side (unofficially) for "coaching" etc . My local side, Canterbury United, must have have found a bit of money this season because they've signed several foreign players from regional leagues in the North Island and this week brought in a new striker from Cambridge City in England.
ASB Premiership official website: http://www.asbpremiership.co.nz/index.php?id=48
Attendances: vary a lot from team to team. My side, Canterbury United had an estimated 600 at the weekend's match v Auckland and it doesn't drop much below that - it's a small ground at English Park in Christchurch without much seating - but a good atmosphere.
Attendance stats for the top four play-offs last season:
# Team Total Matches Average
| 1 | Waitakere United | 2038 | 2 | 1.019 |
| 2 | Auckland City FC | 987 | 1 | 987 |
| 3 | Canterbury United | 650 | 1 | 650 |
| 4 | Hawke's Bay United | 478 | 1 | 478 |
TV Coverage: Much improved this year with a game every week on national free-to-air TV. NZ has just switched to digital TV nationwide - "Freeview" and a new sports channel started on this platform in May, "Sommet Sports." They have a lot of football, including one ASB Premiership match from the weekend every Monday night. Although they are only broadcasting Waitakere United's home games, other supporters do get to see their side once a season - and it's interesting to see what the other sides are like.
Sommet Sports program schedule & website: http://sommetsports.co.nz/on-now/
The football they cover: http://sommetsports.co.nz/soccer/ (English Premier League: all Liverpool & Chelsea games, Bundesliga, Europa League, England internationals etc.)
All the Waitakere matches broadcast can be found complete on You Tube here (OFC Channel): http://www.youtube.com/user/OFCfootball/videos
All the larger towns have regional TV stations, some of whom broadcast the local ASB Premiership side's games some seasons. Canterbury Television where I live used to, though not currently
Some clubs have highlights or even sometimes full games on You Tube. Last season my team, Canterbury, had full games available on You Tube, but don't seem to this season. If curious, this is a place you can see full ASB Premiership games albeit from last season:
http://www.youtube.com/user/mainland0nz/videos
These are all currently active:
Auckland City TV You Tube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/PhototekNZ/videos
Waikato-Bay of Plenty United channel -full home games: http://www.youtube.com/channel/UClIHK2pK_H-oU09GLaIq6FQ/videos
Hawkes Bay Utd channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/HBUcam/videos