OFC Professional League

AucklandPhoenix

DOME OUT!!

He is getting schooled now by volunteers in an amateur club.

Now professional 

And congratulations to Christchurch 

 You think Christchurch United are a bunch of volunteers and an amateur club?

Great news for the Canterbury/Sth Island football community. A locally based pro football pathway for youngsters. My theory that NZF may have tried to scupper ChCh United joining the OFC League being wrong.

Agree with others that the Nix are for now just better to concentrate on managing well, all their existing different ventures.

And confirmation that basically another 40-50 Kiwi footballers can go into a full time pro football environment, adding to the still pretty small pro player base. All good stuff

At least we get to go back to being the only pro club in the world without a path to the Club World Cup!

Yes.

Well compared to David Domes football  business plans they are professional I guess.

If you are comfortable in him high performing in his current role, all power to you.

Some other NZ club will likely take the millions at the next club World Cup with open hands and say nice job David.

LT01

AucklandPhoenix

DOME OUT!!

He is getting schooled now by volunteers in an amateur club.

Now professional 

And congratulations to Christchurch 

 You think Christchurch United are a bunch of volunteers and an amateur club?

Half a Pint

At least we get to go back to being the only pro club in the world without a path to the Club World Cup!

Is the OFC Pro League replacing the OFC Champions League?

will be interested to see what team AFC trot out for this, if it is their reserves as expected then I'd love to know what they offered that was different to the Nix - expecting it'll be appeasing Foley and his billions.

Always Foley's fault :D

theprof

will be interested to see what team AFC trot out for this, if it is their reserves as expected then I'd love to know what they offered that was different to the Nix - expecting it'll be appeasing Foley and his billions.

wilbaker

Half a Pint

At least we get to go back to being the only pro club in the world without a path to the Club World Cup!

Is the OFC Pro League replacing the OFC Champions League?

Champions league will still exist but the Pro League will be OFC's entry pathway to the Club World Cup and Intercontinental Cup

Edit: This year's Champions League champion will still get entry to the Intercontinental Cup as the Pro League doesn't start until next year

AucklandPhoenix

Yes.

Well compared to David Domes football  business plans they are professional I guess.

If you are comfortable in him high performing in his current role, all power to you.

Some other NZ club will likely take the millions at the next club World Cup with open hands and say nice job David.

LT01

AucklandPhoenix

DOME OUT!!

He is getting schooled now by volunteers in an amateur club.

Now professional 

And congratulations to Christchurch 

 You think Christchurch United are a bunch of volunteers and an amateur club?

Auckland will likely be handicapped by age restrictions - Something similar to U21/U23 + maybe 1-2 'visas' but will wait on that until rules and regulations are firmed up.

This won't be a cakewalk competition either - Pretty much guaranteed that all the island sides will be de facto national teams playing under a club banner. The fact that there is one club each from Vanuatu, Fiji, Tahiti, Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands dictates that the talent is more concentrated within those setups too.

I guess we'll see if Auckland can pull a few strings with some bags of money being chucked in to have player regulations loosened. That will ultimately help them if they have managed that.

Nixieboys222

Always Foley's fault :D

theprof

will be interested to see what team AFC trot out for this, if it is their reserves as expected then I'd love to know what they offered that was different to the Nix - expecting it'll be appeasing Foley and his billions.

not necessarily the point I was making, but it's amazing how many gifts and easy pathways rich people get from the rest of the world - especially when the dont need it. I'm guessing that the people making this decision want the likes of Foley and his mates onside rather than against them. The Nix owners probably pose a smaller scary beast.

I've only now realised that the winner of the league gets into the CWC, which makes not having the Nix involved even more stupid.

Half a Pint

At least we get to go back to being the only pro club in the world without a path to the Club World Cup!

Man we are a sad case sometimes... 

Half a Pint

wilbaker

Half a Pint

At least we get to go back to being the only pro club in the world without a path to the Club World Cup!

Is the OFC Pro League replacing the OFC Champions League?

Champions league will still exist but the Pro League will be OFC's entry pathway to the Club World Cup and Intercontinental Cup

Edit: This year's Champions League champion will still get entry to the Intercontinental Cup as the Pro League doesn't start until next year

Ah I hadn't realised this was going to be a pathway to the club world cup that sucks we haven't been included then. Hopefully they expand it to 10 teams after a few years

Christchurch getting picked is probably the right choice, but how cool and awesome is it going to be to see AFC win another trophy before us.

Dome and the owners need to sort something out, AFC could have 3 trophies before we have 1.

How long are the 8 teams locked in for?
Can others qualify for future years? 

Being based in Christchurch and a regular user of the facilities at Christchurch united for the weeknight socials 5 and 7 asides. I am absolutely thrilled about this. I thought our shot at the big time was going to get undermined by the *ahem* North Island based powers that be!

one of the biggest investors of the Nix is Henry Tait, who was CEO & heir to the Tood Corporation, he owns multiple properties, a private helicopter & wineries, another one is Gareth Morrison, who isnt exactly a begger.. we need to stopp acting like the nix are some volunterr club that runs on donation, they're not. And yes, money runs this world, there is a saying in South America, money isnt everything in life, but it helps.. Is it unfair? Maybe. Is it what the world is? 100% and nothing will change 

theprof

Nixieboys222

Always Foley's fault :D

theprof

will be interested to see what team AFC trot out for this, if it is their reserves as expected then I'd love to know what they offered that was different to the Nix - expecting it'll be appeasing Foley and his billions.

not necessarily the point I was making, but it's amazing how many gifts and easy pathways rich people get from the rest of the world - especially when the dont need it. I'm guessing that the people making this decision want the likes of Foley and his mates onside rather than against them. The Nix owners probably pose a smaller scary beast.

I've only now realised that the winner of the league gets into the CWC, which makes not having the Nix involved even more stupid.

Nixieboys222

one of the biggest investors of the Nix is Henry Tait, who was CEO & heir to the Tood Corporation, he owns multiple properties, a private helicopter & wineries, another one is Gareth Morrison, who isnt exactly a begger.. we need to stopp acting like the nix are some volunterr club that runs on donation, they're not.  

theprof

Nixieboys222

Always Foley's fault :D

theprof

will be interested to see what team AFC trot out for this, if it is their reserves as expected then I'd love to know what they offered that was different to the Nix - expecting it'll be appeasing Foley and his billions.

not necessarily the point I was making, but it's amazing how many gifts and easy pathways rich people get from the rest of the world - especially when the dont need it. I'm guessing that the people making this decision want the likes of Foley and his mates onside rather than against them. The Nix owners probably pose a smaller scary beast.

I've only now realised that the winner of the league gets into the CWC, which makes not having the Nix involved even more stupid.

millionaires compared to multi billionaire and millionaire friends - very very big difference.

Taits net worth in 2024 - 3.5m
Morgan - 70m

Foley - 2.3B - a billion being a thousand million/

I didn't realise the CWC carrot.

With the likely age requirements, it essentially becomes a self-funding academy. Might even attract young talent from around the world with the lure of the CWC (if rules allow...)

Phoenix caught napping again while the usual suspects yell "herp derp foley billionaire" on the forums.

theprof

Nixieboys222

Always Foley's fault :D

theprof

will be interested to see what team AFC trot out for this, if it is their reserves as expected then I'd love to know what they offered that was different to the Nix - expecting it'll be appeasing Foley and his billions.

not necessarily the point I was making, but it's amazing how many gifts and easy pathways rich people get from the rest of the world - especially when the dont need it. I'm guessing that the people making this decision want the likes of Foley and his mates onside rather than against them. The Nix owners probably pose a smaller scary beast.

I've only now realised that the winner of the league gets into the CWC, which makes not having the Nix involved even more stupid.

Auckland was always going to get a club and host a hub. 

Auckland Airport a big Pacific connection point, the 09 has a large Pacific popn and OFC headquartered in Aucks.

Sounds like the Auckland club conglomeration venture pulled the pin. So that just leaves AFC's reserves as the sole option. Not sure the wealth of Foley and Mowbray really comes into it. *Williams ain't self made wealthy, he's just married well as they say.

Yep, never expected Phoenix's bid to be better than Auckland FC's. The reality is, the Phoenix's bid wasn't strong enough to beat Christchurch United. Which should be the talking point and is much more of a concern.

who is behind the Chch bid? 

It sucks but can you blame the OFC for choosing the two strongest NZ bids?

theprof

who is behind the Chch bid? 

You should do some research. Slava Meyn is a very wealthy Ruskie and has been involved with ChCh United for must be over a decade now. Been plenty of NZ football stories about him and what he's built down in ChCh post the quakes.

It's clear CU have wanted to very much be in this new OFC Pro League since it was first announced. It's been their main focus. The leaks were their application was very impressive. They have been busy inviting OFC delegates to ChCh and signing a MOU with the Vanuatu FA. Got a few Vanuatu players I think in their SL squad.

Rather ironically this year they look like not qualifying for the NL Championship phase, but today I doubt they care much about that.

Yep, if the bid were better then they were better, congrats to Chch U. Hope they smoke AFC.

I don't get why some have Foley living rent free in their heads? What's up with that, strange behavior. Can't use him as a scapegoat every time our club doesn't go well.

Since2007

Yep, never expected Phoenix's bid to be better than Auckland FC's. The reality is, the Phoenix's bid wasn't strong enough to beat Christchurch United. Which should be the talking point and is much more of a concern.

Not a concern at all for me would rather they concentrate and get the team we have to the level we all want it to be at.
The only concern i have is its probably going to be harder to attract those fringe players with Auckland bling having two teams

Personally I think the league (in its proposed format) will be a short-lived disaster so a good bullet to dodge.

However I think NZF could have been a little stronger and said if its going to happen then either
a) we have two Pro clubs, we want their reserve teams here rather than in our national league,
or b) we have three regional leagues, we want this to be a pathway for players from these 3 leagues, so we want 1 team in close association with our north, central, south leagues.

ballane

Since2007

Yep, never expected Phoenix's bid to be better than Auckland FC's. The reality is, the Phoenix's bid wasn't strong enough to beat Christchurch United. Which should be the talking point and is much more of a concern.

Not a concern at all for me would rather they concentrate and get the team we have to the level we all want it to be at.
The only concern i have is its probably going to be harder to attract those fringe players with Auckland bling having two teams

Fair, a bit sad there's no way into the FIFA CWC, however the club's pretty thinly spread and not exactly profitable so not being in the OFC Pro League isn't all that bad. 

My concern is that the Phoenix wanted it, took part in an off-field competitive process, and lost to an 'amateur' club with around a half-dozen paid staff members. I've started to lose faith in some of the club higher-ups. 

You have to hope that the names for this competition are worked on. I understand the thinking of choosing names that appeal to football fans beyond a certain club, but Tahiti United and Vanuatu FC are very dull picks on paper. Great to have historic names like Hekari United and South Melbourne in this comp, but I hope these guys figure their branding out.

Since2007

ballane

Since2007

Yep, never expected Phoenix's bid to be better than Auckland FC's. The reality is, the Phoenix's bid wasn't strong enough to beat Christchurch United. Which should be the talking point and is much more of a concern.

Not a concern at all for me would rather they concentrate and get the team we have to the level we all want it to be at.
The only concern i have is its probably going to be harder to attract those fringe players with Auckland bling having two teams

Fair, a bit sad there's no way into the FIFA CWC, however the club's pretty thinly spread and not exactly profitable so not being in the OFC Pro League isn't all that bad. 

My concern is that the Phoenix wanted it, took part in an off-field competitive process, and lost to an 'amateur' club with around a half-dozen paid staff members. I've started to lose faith in some of the club higher-ups. 

 
This is my personal opinion here, but I think as a club we only really threw our hat in the ring for this when we realized Auckland was going to be putting their foot forward to enter.

Everytime the Phoenix, or those involved with the club had said something about the pro league relating to our potential inclusion in it, it just seemed to be so non commital and blasé. 

Not surprised in the least that we have fallen short. It all seems to have been an after thought, rather than something we ever really wanted to be honest.

What kind of salaries do you think the Christchurch United players will be getting now?

I agree with Young Heart.

However, that may prove to be the most costly business blunder the Nix have ever made.

They will likely come out with some drivel that they want to focus on their women’s team or their charter school or whatever unprofitable pies Dome has his fingers in.

But in reality:

1: No pathway to crazy dollars financed by FIFA which has always put them at a competitive disadvantage to their Australian counterparts.

2: The scariest aspect is that it now poses a clear and present danger to all the investment they have made into their academy. They now have two further professional teams in the country who will be looking at filling their rosters with young kiwi players on the brink of becoming professionals. Their first port of call will likely be to pillage the best academy in NZ.

So all those young gun players who played Wrexham who are not offered a contract in the A league team, this would obviously be their best career option in NZ. There is no point in ploughing resources into schools if you can’t offer employment and a pathway upon graduation.

If Dome had treated this business case seriously it wouldn’t be an issue. 

NZKnowledge

What kind of salaries do you think the Christchurch United players will be getting now?

Probably a bit more than $150pw. 🤣

Are they life time positions, or do they have to bid every four years etc?

Whoever got picked, NZF will have a pretty hefty profit share model one would imagine.

Overall it's good for the game here, even if I am disappointed the NIX missed out.

Paul Ifil to go back and coach?

Wonder what this means for Auckland City. Whole rationale for their existence was qualification for the O League and then Club World Cup. Maybe they will just retreat back to Central United which might make a few people in Auckland happy

YoungHeartHM

Since2007

ballane

Since2007

Yep, never expected Phoenix's bid to be better than Auckland FC's. The reality is, the Phoenix's bid wasn't strong enough to beat Christchurch United. Which should be the talking point and is much more of a concern.

Not a concern at all for me would rather they concentrate and get the team we have to the level we all want it to be at.
The only concern i have is its probably going to be harder to attract those fringe players with Auckland bling having two teams

Fair, a bit sad there's no way into the FIFA CWC, however the club's pretty thinly spread and not exactly profitable so not being in the OFC Pro League isn't all that bad. 

My concern is that the Phoenix wanted it, took part in an off-field competitive process, and lost to an 'amateur' club with around a half-dozen paid staff members. I've started to lose faith in some of the club higher-ups. 

 
This is my personal opinion here, but I think as a club we only really threw our hat in the ring for this when we realized Auckland was going to be putting their foot forward to enter.

Everytime the Phoenix, or those involved with the club had said something about the pro league relating to our potential inclusion in it, it just seemed to be so non commital and blasé. 

Not surprised in the least that we have fallen short. It all seems to have been an after thought, rather than something we ever really wanted to be honest.

Phoenix statement seems to suggest they weren't so blase...

'The Wellington Phoenix are immensely disappointed to have not been selected for participation in the OFC Professional League in 2026.

https://wellingtonphoenix.com/news/club-statement-on-ofc-pro-league-licensing-decision/

The Phoenix were informed this afternoon that while their submission met the minimum licensing requirements it received a lower score than Auckland FC and Christchurch United.

Given that the Phoenix is the largest professional football club in Oceania, the club is digesting OFC’s decision and is seeking further information as to how both Auckland and Christchurch received higher scores.

“How the Phoenix, as the only professional club in Oceania for over 15 years, could not be included in the first OFC Pro League is nonsensical,” Phoenix general manager David Dome said.

“The Phoenix have fought for football in Oceania since 2007. We are the only club in the OFC region with a fully staffed, eight team professional academy, the only club in Oceania with a professional pathway for women’s footballers, we have world class training facilities and we have invested more money into football in the region than any other private organisation.

“We are considering a judicial review of the process and how the licensing decision has been made.” 

I Don't really see this as a big deal. The saudi slush money will run out in what, 2-3 seasons, and this league will cease to exist. The clubs will play in hubs, so i struggle to see how a following for fans will develop.

AucklandPhoenix

I agree with Young Heart.

However, that may prove to be the most costly business blunder the Nix have ever made.

They will likely come out with some drivel that they want to focus on their women’s team or their charter school or whatever unprofitable pies Dome has his fingers in.

But in reality:

1: No pathway to crazy dollars financed by FIFA which has always put them at a competitive disadvantage to their Australian counterparts.

2: The scariest aspect is that it now poses a clear and present danger to all the investment they have made into their academy. They now have two further professional teams in the country who will be looking at filling their rosters with young kiwi players on the brink of becoming professionals. Their first port of call will likely be to pillage the best academy in NZ.

So all those young gun players who played Wrexham who are not offered a contract in the A league team, this would obviously be their best career option in NZ. There is no point in ploughing resources into schools if you can’t offer employment and a pathway upon graduation.

If Dome had treated this business case seriously it wouldn’t be an issue. 

The Nix for many years were the only game in town. Not having any competition has papered over the cracks at management level but the landscape has dramatically changed. Those at the top do not seem to have realized this. Would not surprise me if they went into this process under the arrogant delusion that they were a shoe in and the process was just a tick box exercise. They were schooled last year in how to run a football club and don't seem to have learnt anything in the process. Reappointing a coach that had clearly lost his players and staff, burning bridges with the grassroots footballing community, disastrous recruitment and granting pro-contracts to many youngsters before they were even remotely ready. This is the latest blunder, but nothing will change until there is a serious management overhaul. Rob Morrison would not tolerate this incompetence at company level but for whatever reason allows it to happen at the Nix. Time for sweeping changes at the top but not holding my breath it will happen!

How convenient Auckland dont have to fund a womens team  while they get the OFC team up and running. 😉