History for Marto

Lets be honest here.  NZ football has struggled since cigarette sponsorship was banned.  I'm a massive Ngaruawahia and Waikato United/FC fan but I feel disenfranchised from the current WaiBop United. 

Your right in saying that NZF is not supporting the NZFC/ASBP.  The original league manager was useless and the NZFC/ASBP has only gone down hill since its inception.  Its headed in the opposite direction to the A-League.

I think its been mismanaged since day one and simply carried on the issues that were present in the Super Club/National Leagues (Summer and Winter) which were clearly evident in the 1990s.  Money is a big factor and players have not helped the situation by putting that ahead of other priorities (just the same as in the '90s, take Mt Albert-Ponsonby for instance).  As a Waikato fan I've had to put up with us finishing in the top 4 with some good players such as Cole Tinkler and Che Bunce in the first season, to the mess that's been floating around for about the last 4-5 years.

Ignoring NZF, many of the franchises have been poorly run and I'd say that only Waitak, ACFC and maybe Wellington and Christchurch have been properly run at management level. 

How as a Waikato (or Manawatu, Otago, HB) fan can you get excited about your team when your best players head off to Wellington, Christchurch and Auckland regions to play?  Its hard to follow a team made up of teenagers like Declan had set up for us a couple of seasons back.

Placing the Wanderers in this season has signalled to everyone that in NZF eyes it's only a development league, like it or lump it.  I don't want them there, I want those players at ACFC, Waitak, HB, Nix Res/Youths etc as I want to see WaiBop win a competitive ASBP.

If putting a Nix reserve side there helps improve the profile of the ASBP (as lets be completely honest here, it won't make it any worse) and reignites interest from casual fans who used to follow in the regions, then that can only be a good thing.  As a Waikato boy nothing gives me greater please then seeing Auckland teams losing, be it in the BOP, HB, Welli, CHCH, Nelson or Otago region.

As you have said, and I completely agree, a strong ASBP is good for the AWs etc.  Well it needs to change to achieve this.  Proper buy-in from NZF; restructure of some franchises (the mess at HB, Cant and Otago over the last couple of months proves it); the addition of sides form South Auckland, BOP and Nelson, reinstatement of a team from the Manuwatu and the replacement of the Wanderers with a Nix Youth/Reserves can only help. 

The addition of the four teams listed here would increase the amount of games played in the league greatly, again creating more interest as the current format is simply too short and a bit of a joke.  With blame clearly falling on NZF's shoulders for this mess.

I agree that it totally sux that teams have to play to be there.  This money should be spent on promotion, officials, prize money etc but its very arguable whether it is.  Now might be a good time for the league to be run by a governance board with crystal clear performance and financial goals, independently run from, but reporting to, NZF.  If the Nix want to be involved charge them more for the privilege.

The ASBP should be the semi-pro pinnacle of NZ football, with its best players being picked up by the Nix and other pro teams and with the All Whites being the ultimate reword for players and sides doing well in NZ. 

It should be both a competitive as well as development league with limits set on the amount of players over a certain age in each squad and a cap on the number of foreign players allowed per team with emphasis placed on players from Oceanina and not Europe/South America.  This would hurt ACFC the most but would improve the league overall with better players playing in Manukau, Hamilton, Tauranga/Rotorua, Napier, Palmerston North, Wellington, Nelson, Christchurch and Dunedin.

Lets be honest here.  NZ football has struggled since cigarette sponsorship was banned.  I'm a massive Ngaruawahia and Waikato United/FC fan but I feel disenfranchised from the current WaiBop United. 

Your right in saying that NZF is not supporting the NZFC/ASBP.  The original league manager was useless and the NZFC/ASBP has only gone down hill since its inception.  Its headed in the opposite direction to the A-League.

I think its been mismanaged since day one and simply carried on the issues that were present in the Super Club/National Leagues (Summer and Winter) which were clearly evident in the 1990s.  Money is a big factor and players have not helped the situation by putting that ahead of other priories (just the same as in the '90s, take Mt Albert-Ponsonby for instance).  As a Waikato fan I've had to put up with us finishing in the top 4 with some good players such as Cole Tinkler and Che Bunce in the first season, to the mess that's been floating around for about the last 4-5 years.

Ignoring NZF, many of the franchises have been poorly run and I'd say that only Waitak, ACFC and maybe Wellington and Christchurch have been properly run at management level. 

How as a Waikato (or Manawatu, Otago, HB) fan can you get excited about your team when your best players head off to Wellington, Christchurch and Auckland regions to play?  Its hard to follow a team made up of teenagers like Declan had set up for us a couple of seasons back.

Placing the Wanderers in this season has signalled to everyone that in NZF eyes it's only a development league, like it or lump it.  I don't want them there, I want those players at ACFC, Waitak, HB, Nix Res/Youths etc as I want to see WaiBop win a competitive ASBP.

If putting a Nix reserve side there helps improve the profile of the ASBP (as lets be completely honest here, it won't make it any worse) and reignites interest from casual fans who used to follow in the regions, then that can only be a good thing.  As a Waikato boy nothing gives me greater please then seeing Auckland teams losing, be it in the BOP, HB, Welli, CHCH, Nelson or Otago region.

As you have said, and I completely agree, a strong ASBP is good for the AWs etc.  Well it needs to change to achieve this.  Proper buy-in from NZF; restructure of some franchises (the mess at HB, Cant and Otago over the last couple of months proves it); the addition of sides form South Auckland, BOP and Nelson, reinstatement of a team from the Manuwatu and the replacement of the Wanderers with a Nix Youth/Reserves can only help. 

The addition of the four teams listed here would increase the amount of games played in the league greatly, again creating more interest as the current format is simply too short and a bit of a joke.  With blame clearly falling on NZF's shoulders for this mess.

I agree that it totally sux that teams have to play to be there.  This money should be spent on promotion, officials, prize money etc but its very arguable whether it is.  Now might be a good time for the league to be run by a governance board with crystal clear performance and financial goals, independently run from, but reporting to, NZF.  If the Nix want to be involved charge them more for the privilege.

The ASBP should be the semi-pro pinnacle of NZ football, with its best players being picked up by the Nix and other pro teams and with the All Whites being the ultimate reword for players and sides doing well in NZ. 

It should be both a competitive as well as development league with limits set on the amount of players over a certain age in each squad and a cap on the number of foreign players allowed per team with emphasis placed on players from Oceanina and not Europe/South America.  This would hurt ACFC the most but would improve the league overall with better players playing in Manukau, Hamilton, Tauranga/Rotorua, Napier, Palmerston North, Wellington, Nelson, Christchurch and Dunedin.

Lets be honest here.  NZ football has struggled since cigarette sponsorship was banned.  I'm a massive Ngaruawahia and Waikato United/FC fan but I feel disenfranchised from the current WaiBop United. 

Your right in saying that NZF is not supporting the NZFC/ASBP.  The original league manager was useless and the NZFC/ASBP has only gone down hill since its inception.  Its headed in the opposite direction to the A-League.

I think its been mismanaged since day one and simply carried on the issues that were present in the Super Club/National League (Summer and Winter) and clearly evident in the 1990s.  Money is a big factor and players have not helped the situation byputting that ahead of other priories (just the same as in the '90s, Mt Albert-Ponsonby for instance).  As I Waikato fan I've had to put up with us finishing in the top 4 with some good players such as Cole Tinkler and Che Bunce in the first season to the mess that's been floating around for about the last 4-5 years.

Ignoring NZF, many of the franchises have been poorly run and I'd say that only Waitak, ACFC and maybe Wellington and Christchurch have been properly run at management level. 

How as a Waikato (or Manawatu, Otago, HB) fan can you get excited about your team when your best players head off to Wellington, Christchurch and Auckland regions to play?  Its hard to follow a team made up of teenagers like Declan had set up for us a couple of seasons back.

Placing the Wanderers in this season has signalled to everyone that in NZF eyes it's only a development league, like it or lump it.  I don't want them there, I want those players at ACFC, Waitak, HB, Nix Res/Youths etc as I want to see WaiBop win a competitive ASBP.

If putting a Nix reserve side there helps improve the profile of the ASBP (as lets be completely honest here, it won't make it any worse) and reignites interest from casual fans who used to follow in the regions, then that can only be a good thing.  As a Waikato boy nothing gives me greater please then seeing Auckland teams losing, be it in the BOP, HB, Welli, CHCH, Nelson or Otago region.

As you have said, and I completely agree, a strong ASBP is good for the AWs etc.  Well it needs to change to achieve this.  Proper buy-in from NZF; restructure of some franchises (the mess at HB, Cant and Otago over the last couple of months proves it); the addition of sides form South Auckland, BOP and Nelson, reinstatement of a team from the Manuwatu and the replacement of the Wanderers with a Nix Youth/Reserves can only help. 

The addition of the four teams listed here would increase the amount of games played in the league greatly, again creating more interest as the current format is simply too short and a bit of a joke.  With blame clearly falling on NZF's shoulders for this mess.

I agree that it totally sux that teams have to play to be there.  This money should be spent on promotion, officials, prize money etc but its very arguable whether it is.  Now might be a good time for the league to be run by a governance board with crystal clear performance and financial goals, independently run from, but reporting to, NZF.  If the Nix want to be involved charge them more for the privilege.

The ASBP should be the semi-pro pinnacle of NZ football, with its best players being picked up by the Nix and other pro teams and with the All Whites being the ultimate reword for players and sides doing well in NZ. 

It should be both a competitive as well as development league with limits set on the amount of players over a certain age in each squad and a cap on the number of foreign players allowed per team with emphasis placed on players from Oceanina and not Europe/South America.  This would hurt ACFC the most but would improve the league overall with better players playing in Manukau, Hamilton, Tauranga/Rotorua, Napier, Palmerston North, Wellington, Nelson, Christchurch and Dunedin.

Lets be honest here.  NZ football has struggled since cigarette sponsorship was banned.  I'm a massive Ngaruawahia and Waikato United/FC fan but I feel disenfranchised from the current WaiBop United. 

Your right in saying that NZF is not supporting the NZFC/ASBP.  The original league manager was useless and the NZFC/ASBP has only gone down hill since its inception.  Its headed in the opposite direction to the A-League.

I think its been mismanaged since day one and simply carried on the issues that were present in the Super Club/National League (Summer and Winter) and clearly evident in the 1990s.  Money is a big factor and players have not helped the situation byputting that ahead of other priories (just the same as in the '90s, Mt Albert-Ponsonby for instance).  As I Waikato fan I've had to put up with us finishing in the top 4 with some good players such as Cole Tinkler and Che Bunce in the first season to the mess that's been floating around for about the last 4-5 years.

Ignoring NZF, many of the franchises have been poorly run and I'd say that only Waitak, ACFC and maybe Wellington and Christchurch have been properly run at management level. 
How as a Waikato (or Manawatu, Otago, HB) fan can you get excited about your team when your best players head off to Wellington, Christchurch and Auckland regions to play?  Its hard to follow a team made up of teenagers like Declan had set up for us a couple of seasons back.

Placing the Wanderers in this season has signalled to everyone that in NZF eyes it's only a development league, like it or lump it.  I don't want them there, I want those players at ACFC, Waitak, HB, Nix Res/Youths etc as I want to see WaiBop win a competitive ASBP.

If putting a Nix reserve side there helps improve the profile of the ASBP (as lets be completely honest here, it won't make it any worse) and reignites interest from casual fans who used to follow in the regions, then that can only be a good thing.  As a Waikato boy nothing gives me greater please then seeing Auckland teams losing, be it in the BOP, HB, Welli, CHCH, Nelson or Otago region.

As you have said, and I completely agree, a strong ASBP is good for the AWs etc.  Well it needs to change to achieve this.  Proper buy-in from NZF; restructure of some franchises (the mess at HB, Cant and Otago over the last couple of months proves it); the addition of sides form South Auckland, BOP and Nelson, reinstatement of a team from the Manuwatu and the replacement of the Wanderers with a Nix Youth/Reserves can only help.  The addition of the four teams listed here would increase the amount of games played in the league greatly, again creating more interest as the current format is simply too short and a bit of a joke.  With blame clearly falling on NZF's shoulders for this mess.

I agree that it totally sux that teams have to play to be there.  This money should be spent on promotion, officials, prize money etc but its very arguable whether it is.  Now might be a good time for the league to be run by a governance board with crystal clear performance and financial goals, independently run from, but reporting to, NZF.  If the Nix want to be involved charge them more for the privilege.

The ASBP should be the semi-pro pinnacle of NZ football, with its best players being picked up by the Nix and other pro teams and with the All Whites being the ultimate reword for players and sides doing well in NZ. 

It should be both a competitive as well as development league with limits set on the amount of players over a certain age in each squad and a cap on the number of foreign players allowed per team with emphasis placed on players from Oceanina and not Europe/South America.  This would hurt ACFC the most but would improve the league overall with better players playing in Manukau, Hamilton, Tauranga/Rotorua, Napier, Palmerston North, Wellington, Nelson, Christchurch and Dunedin.