Auckland City FC - Thanks a Trillion

You said it Ali - this is your chance to enjoy a cracking ASBP playoff game at the best club in the land. Despite what some say on this forum, you'll be made more than welcome and pop up to the clubhouse after the game and enjoy mixing with the fans. They're a great bunch. I'm only sorry I'm in California for work reasons but rest assured I'll be there in spirit.

Go on JV - you know you want to enjoy it, why not live a little.

Just can't help yourself, huh?

Hope it gets a decent crowd though, and they get treated to a good game of football.

I get down to a few games. This weekend grandchild is up so...

Counting down - f-$cking love the asbp and ESP city!

Well done today ACFC - too much talent all over the park and you simply strangled the life out of a willing Canterbury side.  It was interesting at 2-1, some of your players tired in the heat a bit I think and just lost focus a little - but then you could see the quality of Vicelich come through to lead you home with ease.

What a great game and great atmosphere at kiwitea st today. Guatavo was fantastic. Well done to the Canterbury fans who made the trip to Auckland - hope you enjoyed yourselves.

Good on you Canterbury United, you're a credit to the ASBP. Now lets hope City can win the final and then roll on to complete the O League final in May. Gustavo Suoto could just be the find the season - a pure out and out finisher. I hope young David Browne and Simon Arms get more game time in the ASBP final, although they'll probably go for experience in Pritchett over Arms. Think Tade definitely needs a start.

Is the ASBP final going to be televised?

To be fair, the surface at Fred Taylor is better than Kiwitea and has been for about 3 years. (talking summer time here - winter it looks a bit rough)

I agree Ali - Fred Taylor Park is just an open field and no place for a final. Surely it must be held at Trusts Stadium, as in the past.

How are 3,000 odd going to get a proper view when only half that number can be accommodated around the perimeter of the ground?

The requirement for a team competing in the ASBP is they have a covered stand. How has Waitakere managed to get away with ignoring this? Now we also have TW shifting from Newtown Park with its stand to Miramar's ground with no covered seating. I know it's done for cost reasons but it makes the competition look second rate. ACFC spent $30,000 building a 500-seat covered stand, why don't Waitakere do the same? We also have the prospect of high-profile O League playoff games being held at Fred Taylor as well in May. It makes NZ football look third world.

It's hard enough trying to entice so-called football fans to watch ASBP games without holding them in open fields. As far as I'm concerned only CU, HBU and ACFC have proper facilities. Otago (bless their ambition) playing in that near empty huge stadium is bizarre and WU is well below standard. Porritt stadium is acceptable for Waikato. 

It's bigger, not better. The facilities and (seating) at Fred Taylor are sub-standard.

I was talking about only the playing surface. I never made any reference to facilities at all but you guys seem to want to draw it out into a (once again) we are better than you. It was just the playing surface.

Jesus you guys - you wonder why there is all this angst against your club. It only took a week...

Naa Trusts is crap tooo...way too far from the field ...!!

Sorry, don't agree. The final needs a decent venue. Trust Stadium has been a good venue in the past because it attracts a decent crowd, even if the playing surface is a bit far from the stand, as you point out. Ali's right - if it rains then bugger all are going to stand in an open field. If Waitakere want to enjoy all the home advantages they should meet minimum ASBP standards. They're not a poor franchise.

I'm merely stating a fact JV, not pushing a holier than thou line as you keep banging on about. I'd be perfectly happy for the final to be held in any number of grounds with a decent stand, Fred Taylor is simply not up to standard as a complete venue for the showcase game of the domestic season. We've held it at Trust Stadium in the past for this very reason, why not again?

Trust Stadium is in Waitakere for heaven's sake!

Team Wellington play at Dave Farrington because

a) Newtown is having work done to it, and

b) Miramar run TW so they want it at DF period.

this is another example of where the league commissioner or whatever he is called is not doing his job.

in the past, teams have been severely hauled over the coals about poor spectator facilities, to the point of being threatened with expulsion.  in fact university cowan were kicked out in the 80s.

other teams went ahead and built facilities, only for NZF to change to a franchise league.  what a waste of time and money for those teams.

now it seems to be ok to play at venues which would have been condemned from the old league.  talk about lowering standards.

to play a grand final at one such venue is even worse.

surely waitak wouldn't even want to belittle a grand final by playing there!?

why didn't NZF book another venue?  surely it would have been obvious that at least one auckland team would be in the final.  or do they not watch the ASB prem?

As winners Waitak can play the final where they like, good on them for playing at Fred Taylor, have some fond memories playing out West

Absolutely ...good on 'em for avoiding stupid rules ...who needs covered seating , people just lurve paddocks ( especially green ones ) !!

God help us - hold it where the ACFC fans want it to be - that way there will be one less reason to whine when they lose!

Couldn't agree more reg22. NZF seems to ignore its own rules.

ACFC went to a lot of effort and expense to build a covered stand, which would have been larger if the footpath had allowed, to meet original NZFC requirements. Now other ASBP sides are just being allowed to ignore those initial specifications requiring a stand which is unfair. In the first three seasons of the NZFC Waitakere used Trust stadium as their home ground. Now they use Fred Taylor, which is really only a winter club facility, in order to cut costs. Don't tell me in the three seasons they've been using Fred Taylor they couldn't upgrade the spectator facilities to include covered seating.

We've used North Harbour and Trust Stadium as the venues for finals between ACFC and Waitakere in the past. There's no way such a showcase game should be allowed at a venue that doesn't even have a stand for the spectators. 

Bring your own stepladders to see the game. Better still bring your own stand.

Fred Taylor Paddock - where no-one can hear you grumble.

Somehow, no matter how logical or reasonable the debate, it always comes down to ACFC fans whining with some of you. You've really got to get off that wobbly bicycle. 

It's going to be a cracking game between two good sides - lets play it at a venue worthy of a final.

It's probably too late to move the Grand Final away from the Fred.

The big question is telly coverage.

I seriously doubt I'll get any, especially where I am.

Even if there was radio coverage that I could stream.

Does Waitakere have a media officer who can arrange the last one?

should be held at mt smart and televised

TV coverage ....

NZF stopping things ,upholding their own rules ....

I DO like a good laugh !!

I don't dispute that the westies can hold it where they want... Doesn't change the fact that their ground is a bit shit and I'll complain if I want. 

Imagine if the Phoenix got to the grand final (Haha! I know, I know - not a realistic analogy) and the opposition decided to play at a ground not dissimilar to Kiwitea St - 500 capacity stand and standing room for a couple of thousand more... You'd complain and don't deny it.