OFC Professional League

Since2007

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.

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.' 

Like I said - Personal opinion. 

[Personal Opinion]
At no point throughout this whole process did it ever sound like we were absolutely 100% positive that we would pass the bar on this selection process.

Time to start doing better all round as a club, starting with the mens and womens programmes for the upcoming season. 

Hopefully this is the  lighting of the fire up under our arse that is needed to start being proactive and not taking things for granted. Everyone involved at this club from the top down needs to up their game, and in a big fudgeing way.

[/Personal Opinion]

I'm not surprised some people here are painting this as some sort of failing by the nix management in whatever bid they put in. Be not so quick to judge folks. The reality is the two bids from New Zealand with billionaire backers got through - that should be absolutely no surprise - it is Oceania Football and FIFA operators they're dealing with. Money talks louder than quality in most circles - although to be fair this will all be great for the other Oceania football countries (so that is a good thing). Aside from not having the extreme level of financial resources available to Auckland and Christchurch through their billionaires the Nix actually have by far the best setup as a club overall with senior men's and women's' teams and a successful and deep academy and community structure. And they've lasted almost 20 years doing it on an often not-so-level playing field while many others have folded/had to be propped up/bailed out. So that is some petty good quality - all done without billionaire backers. Obviously that counted for very little here. It is interesting that a Team from the Asian Confederation (South Melbourne) is also in the comp. Presumably if they won it they couldn't go to the Club World Cup if they won the comp. Will Auckland be able to field their full A-League team in it? Who knows. Just more motivation to beat them I guess. 

ballane

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

Auckland wanted to enter the womens team this year and the APL told them no. It wasn't up to them

not quite sure I support that. Burnt 2 clubs on their way through, who are rebuilding with zero support from the nix. Dome and Gill are so caught up in their own ego's,  that they expect by clicking their fingers. Well done AFC and CHCH put the mahi in, get the floss!!

LT01

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.

Vanuatu did a public vote for their name, the choices they had were:
- Vanuatu FC
- Vanuatu United FC
- Vanuatu Hawks FC
- Vanuatu Chiefs United FC
- Vanua Islanders FC

Seriously a judicial review 😂

I’m sure OFC and FIFA will be quaking in their boots.

But like anything with Dome it’s just bluster, diversion from his shark management and bull shark - a judicial review will never happen.

If I were the Nix owners, I would just bring David Domes performance review forward instead 

We've been in touch with Christchurch Utd to get comment on their inclusion as a preferred club in the inaugural OFC Professional League. We were informed they've been told they're not allowed to talk about it, by NZ Football. No-one at NZF has been available to comment on why.

— Jason Pine (@pineynz) August 29, 2025

This is interesting from Piney, Chch Utd have apparently been told by NZ Football that they aren't allowed to talk to the media about their inclusion in the OPL. I wonder if Auckland have been told the same?

Edit: Obviously Auckland haven't been told not to as they have stuff on their socials

They probably are not scared about David’s threats to lawyer up

Gordinho

I'm not surprised some people here are painting this as some sort of failing by the nix management in whatever bid they put in. Be not so quick to judge folks. The reality is the two bids from New Zealand with billionaire backers got through - that should be absolutely no surprise - it is Oceania Football and FIFA operators they're dealing with. Money talks louder than quality in most circles - although to be fair this will all be great for the other Oceania football countries (so that is a good thing). Aside from not having the extreme level of financial resources available to Auckland and Christchurch through their billionaires the Nix actually have by far the best setup as a club overall with senior men's and women's' teams and a successful and deep academy and community structure. And they've lasted almost 20 years doing it on an often not-so-level playing field while many others have folded/had to be propped up/bailed out. So that is some petty good quality - all done without billionaire backers. Obviously that counted for very little here. It is interesting that a Team from the Asian Confederation (South Melbourne) is also in the comp. Presumably if they won it they couldn't go to the Club World Cup if they won the comp. Will Auckland be able to field their full A-League team in it? Who knows. Just more motivation to beat them I guess. 

You may not be aware, but The Nix have a Billionaire owner. Rob Morrison is basically Infratil and it turned down a $6Billion takeover bid a few years ago from The Aussie Super Fund.

Well I for one think David Dome has got some pretty good points in his reaction. As I alluded to before, the Nix have probably the best all-round setup of all the clubs approved into this new league. Lack of silverware aside - the business model they've been operating must be good to have lasted this long in the volatile A-League environment and in fact prospered. The growth of the women's game and the success of the academy development has been impressive - all without big mega-$ backers. Like I said before  the decisions made around the NZ teams to include most likely reflect the $$ available through them. I for one am happy that Christchurch gets to grow, there has been some pretty solid development there for a while now. Auckland - not so much as they're newbies with a big pot of money and not much else so far - but they will open new pathways I guess. Its a pity they all couldn't have been included - that would have been a better result for the new League and made it much better. I think it is a bit of a travesty that the Nix have been omitted - but you can't ignore the power of the money....

Happy for Chch but those ……. In Auckland should not of got a team if we didn’t and vice versa. Also is nz football bank rolling the chch team? And if so how is that fair on other clubs who submitted that weren’t the Nix or afc. But also I can’t see this league being sustainable so could be a good thing Nic ain’t sinking money into it

Just did a quick google. Consensus seemed to be around 450million - so not up in Billionaire territory at this point - but its a bit reassuring to know from a Nix perspective. I knew he was very successful and that is certainly more than I was aware of. So with that capacity, plus the nix's successful business model (they're not dummies) - that makes it all a bit more weird. 

whatever

Gordinho

I'm not surprised some people here are painting this as some sort of failing by the nix management in whatever bid they put in. Be not so quick to judge folks. The reality is the two bids from New Zealand with billionaire backers got through - that should be absolutely no surprise - it is Oceania Football and FIFA operators they're dealing with. Money talks louder than quality in most circles - although to be fair this will all be great for the other Oceania football countries (so that is a good thing). Aside from not having the extreme level of financial resources available to Auckland and Christchurch through their billionaires the Nix actually have by far the best setup as a club overall with senior men's and women's' teams and a successful and deep academy and community structure. And they've lasted almost 20 years doing it on an often not-so-level playing field while many others have folded/had to be propped up/bailed out. So that is some petty good quality - all done without billionaire backers. Obviously that counted for very little here. It is interesting that a Team from the Asian Confederation (South Melbourne) is also in the comp. Presumably if they won it they couldn't go to the Club World Cup if they won the comp. Will Auckland be able to field their full A-League team in it? Who knows. Just more motivation to beat them I guess. 

You may not be aware, but The Nix have a Billionaire owner. Rob Morrison is basically Infratil and it turned down a $6Billion takeover bid a few years ago from The Aussie Super Fund.

Yes I think the sustainability of this league is far from certain with OFCs history.....

YellowAndBlack

Happy for Chch but those ……. In Auckland should not of got a team if we didn’t and vice versa. Also is nz football bank rolling the chch team? And if so how is that fair on other clubs who submitted that weren’t the Nix or afc. But also I can’t see this league being sustainable so could be a good thing Nic ain’t sinking money into it

Don't think there's really any need for the Nix admin to be so up in arms. For all we know this cohld be a flash in the pan. Wait it out and observe on the sidelines and If the circuit model goes all good for a couple of seasons and it ends up being a bit more of a solid fruitful endeavor than initial assumptions would suggest, theres no reason why Nix cant have another crack if they opened the door to expansion to 10 teams down the line. For the meantime its probably better Nix dont spread their resources to thin and spend their focus getting their senior mens and women's side back to being a strong force. Revisit this one again if the opportunity presents itself in a couple of years. 

Again the ChCh United bid was apparently impressive, and it's clearly been a big ambition of theirs getting into this league. Their main focus even, for the last 12 odd months. For now this OFC League seems the perfect fit for Meyn's dreams. He has openly said he on his own can't afford to setup an A League club.

AFC apparently employed some sort of outside contractor to draft up their bid document, ie they spent some coin on a professional submission.

As with YH it always seemed that the Nix weren't hugely invested in their bid, more afraid and unsure of what it might mean for the future, if their A League rivals up the road got in.

I mean one club has obviously invested very heavily in their ALW squad in the last few months, the other club doesn't even have an ALW staff member (more an APL issue). Even the well resourced and monied Estonians may have struggled to balance everything, if say right now they were furiously busy starting a womens team from scratch.

Realised my earlier comment is wrong. South Melbourne's inclusion now makes them a professional club and so have joined us in being the only 2 pro clubs in the world without a path to the Club World cup

It also makes me wonder how come newcomer Auckland gets to double-dip into two professional leagues (in separate Confederations) but the more established Nix with proven resilience doesn't. Something doesn't seem terribly right with that decision really. That said I'm happy for Christchurch. 

Christchurch's selection is good for soccer in NZ. Now the South Island has a pro team. IMHO they will field a stronger team than the Nix would have.
There's been some outstanding skill and creativity on display from the island teams over the years, in particular the Solomons.
I'm looking forward to this comp (and expecting South Melbourne to win it!)

At least there's a team in blue to support/follow now that don't seem to be such insufferable cods. 

So there's a positive. 😁

Rock Hopper

Don't think there's really any need for the Nix admin to be so up in arms. For all we know this cohld be a flash in the pan. Wait it out and observe on the sidelines and If the circuit model goes all good for a couple of seasons and it ends up being a bit more of a solid fruitful endeavor than initial assumptions would suggest, theres no reason why Nix cant have another crack if they opened the door to expansion to 10 teams down the line. For the meantime its probably better Nix dont spread their resources to thin and spend their focus getting their senior mens and women's side back to being a strong force. Revisit this one again if the opportunity presents itself in a couple of years. 

Yipe if the league is a success, even after the FIFA hand outs cease, then hopefully there is some expansion down the track. 

Like would be great if New Caledonia gets through this period of civil unrest and got a team. And at the same time maybe the Nix could enter. Hopefully also it goes into a proper H&A (no hubs) comp.

Again one of the NZ teams had to be somewhere in Auckland. Just makes sense on so many levels. And if it's true the alternative Auckland bid, 'club conglomeration FC' that had Ivan Vukish as an adviser withdrew - well it had to last bid standing in AFC II. 

Oh and Slava Meyn ain't a billionaire. Not even close I'm guessing. I'd be very surprised if Rob Morrison didn't have a bigger balance sheet. Meyn's made it clear for example he can't afford to setup and run a A League club. Think I read his Russian (mostly in the Far East) businesses have taken a big hit with Putin's war in Ukraine.

Half a Pint

We've been in touch with Christchurch Utd to get comment on their inclusion as a preferred club in the inaugural OFC Professional League. We were informed they've been told they're not allowed to talk about it, by NZ Football. No-one at NZF has been available to comment on why.

— Jason Pine (@pineynz) August 29, 2025

This is interesting from Piney, Chch Utd have apparently been told by NZ Football that they aren't allowed to talk to the media about their inclusion in the OPL. I wonder if Auckland have been told the same?

Edit: Obviously Auckland haven't been told not to as they have stuff on their socials

wouldn't be a total shock that criteria not part of the official process has tipped the balance like geographic spread, demographics, access via international airports etc.

Bullion

Half a Pint

We've been in touch with Christchurch Utd to get comment on their inclusion as a preferred club in the inaugural OFC Professional League. We were informed they've been told they're not allowed to talk about it, by NZ Football. No-one at NZF has been available to comment on why.

— Jason Pine (@pineynz) August 29, 2025

This is interesting from Piney, Chch Utd have apparently been told by NZ Football that they aren't allowed to talk to the media about their inclusion in the OPL. I wonder if Auckland have been told the same?

Edit: Obviously Auckland haven't been told not to as they have stuff on their socials

wouldn't be a total shock that criteria not part of the official process has tipped the balance like geographic spread, demographics, access via international airports etc.

Piney has gotten a comment from NZ Football saying it was a miscommunication and that Chch Utd are allowed to comment

20 Legend

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.

If in doubt, blame Bill Foley.

This hurts.  I don't know why.   I guess it's just it feels like we have been beaten down all last season and it's another L to take. 

Half a Pint

Bullion

Half a Pint

We've been in touch with Christchurch Utd to get comment on their inclusion as a preferred club in the inaugural OFC Professional League. We were informed they've been told they're not allowed to talk about it, by NZ Football. No-one at NZF has been available to comment on why.

— Jason Pine (@pineynz) August 29, 2025

This is interesting from Piney, Chch Utd have apparently been told by NZ Football that they aren't allowed to talk to the media about their inclusion in the OPL. I wonder if Auckland have been told the same?

Edit: Obviously Auckland haven't been told not to as they have stuff on their socials

wouldn't be a total shock that criteria not part of the official process has tipped the balance like geographic spread, demographics, access via international airports etc.

Piney has gotten a comment from NZ Football saying it was a miscommunication and that Chch Utd are allowed to comment

and...

Edit: saw ofc spokesperson on one news saying all bids were judged equally 

Don't get all het up.....this will be a crappy league. It'd be professional in the sense that the third tier in the States is. It's good for Pacifica football, but that's it. 

Rusty Dunks

Don't get all het up.....this will be a crappy league. It'd be professional in the sense that the third tier in the States is. It's good for Pacifica football, but that's it. 

It's because Auckland were picked and the Phoenix weren't.

But Nelfoos will tell you that it's never about Auckland and never will be.

Rusty Dunks

Don't get all het up.....this will be a crappy league. It'd be professional in the sense that the third tier in the States is. It's good for Pacifica football, but that's it. 

Tend to agree to a point. Especially if the pitches in the Island hubs are of the crappy bumpy sort. Little use for player development. Hopefully some FIFA dosh improves the pitches.

But if there is another LBS, Gillion or even Piper uncovered from the 2 teams (especially CU) - someone who may have otherwise found it tricky to get an opportunity - then it's all worthwhile. 

Not a fan of Phoenix talking about litigating the decision that just makes us look even worse. Disappointed with the decision  but more because i think if they wernt going to take both A League teams then neither should have got in. 
Instead of bitching about it would prefer the NIx to knuckle and down and ensure ALL teams are competitive.
Maybe instead of worrying about NZ Football the Phoenix should concentrate on building great relationships with the clubs in the region and specifically Wellington.

You need to get of this high horse, no womens team was an A League decision, not an Auckland one.

ballane

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

The Phoenix have been immensely arrogant since their inception. Not much has changed. Their academy was never set up with the best players in mind, it was only available to those able to pay huge fees. Many very good players in the welly region were never able to access them because they couldn’t pay. This may have changed, however, they certainly don’t have the best players on their books, in the country, despite claiming they do. They have rested on their laurels too long and have become immensely lazy in their engagement with the local community, local football community and local clubs. Auckland has definitely stolen a massive march on them  in this regard - they have actively sought local club engagement and player support. The Phoenix is a closed, myopic shop. Community matters.

What I'm gleaming from this thread is that the Phoenix weren't initially interested and seemed to the think they were entitled to a team (should they want it) because they've been around longest.

Not surprising that didn't excite OFC.

Auckland probably took a "it's not perfect but it can grow" approach from day 1, put together an ambitious bid, and all round offered a optimistic plan for the league.

Very unsurprising that the same Phoenix leadership who don't show any ambition in the A-League have been caught off guard again.

Buffon II

20 Legend

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.

If in doubt, blame Bill Foley.

Didn't you hear? Foley should be funding the Phoenix's OFC team and the fact he isn't shows they're lying to their fans or something.

Half a Pint

Realised my earlier comment is wrong. South Melbourne's inclusion now makes them a professional club and so have joined us in being the only 2 pro clubs in the world without a path to the Club World cup

They have a path.  Australia Cup > AFC Champions League Two > AFC Champions League Elite > Club World Cup.

I don't buy the "we lost out to Chch, therefore we suck" narrative.

We don't know what criteria OFC based their decision on, let alone how they were weighted. This isn't a conspiracy theory about dodgy deals in smoke-filled rooms: OFC have outcomes they want to achieve with the league, some longer-term or less obvious than others, and their selection criteria will have been designed to pick the clubs whose participation would best support those outcomes.

Maybe the desired outcomes simply don't align with a club like the Phoenix. That's not an indictment of the club, all it means is that CU's bid was stronger than ours when assessed against OFC's particular criteria. It doesn't mean we're "worse" in some absolute sense, and it doesn't automatically mean that the club botched the bid.

Sure, it's possible we didn't present our strengths as well as we could have, or that we're weak in certain key areas OFC really care about, or that we didn't do as good a job of reading between the lines in OFC's guidance for bidders to divine what they really wanted - I know I've been involved in RFP responses in my job where it's become painfully obvious that the customer's stated requirements weren't actually what they wanted at all.

But without knowing how our bid was assessed it's unfair and unjustified to accuse the people involved of incompetence. Maybe we missed out on a golden opportunity here, or maybe we dodged a bullet.

I want to push back against this notion of the Phoenix not being that interested in the OFC pro league and only half heartedly getting involved when they heard AFC were keen.

I heard Domey and Gill interviews several months back and they sounded very interested and committed and actively planning for how their reserve team would fit into it etc. 

I'd just be very interested in the reasons the Nix were deemed to have represented as a lesser case for inclusion than the other two. The assessment and weighting criteria must have been 'interesting'. I think all three clubs should have got in - perhaps for different reasons to some extent - I think that would have been the best result for giving the new league better chances to be a success and better for football generally in NZ. At least now they won't have this as a distraction.

Napier Phoenix

You need to get of this high horse, no womens team was an A League decision, not an Auckland one.

ballane

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

LMAO Settle down A throw away sarcastic comment on what is a forum for Wellington Phoenix fans. Really whats the issue should i choose to get on high horse still dont see the problem on a forum for Phoenix fans

I still don’t know how this is going to work. My understanding is the NZ teams in the national league are strictly amateur (ie non paid) while the OCL is professional. Without having two squads, how can they get around this Catch-22.

I also would like to know if Christchurch Utd’s inclusion is seen as a step towards the A-League. If not, the OCL is an odd limbo to be in.

As for the exclusion of the Phoenix, without knowing criteria it’s hard to really assess if it’s fair or not. But broadly speaking the crowds are poor, there’s often talk of financial struggles/unable to break even, and to be honest they’ve looked pretty dire lately. Auckland is a far safer bet. As for Christchurch, with enough money behind them plus a solid plan then their inclusion doesn’t seem like a terrible idea.

You can’t help but wonder if this is going to cause any issues with the A-League in terms of scheduling/player availability etc.

Oska

Half a Pint

Realised my earlier comment is wrong. South Melbourne's inclusion now makes them a professional club and so have joined us in being the only 2 pro clubs in the world without a path to the Club World cup

They have a path.  Australia Cup > AFC Champions League Two > AFC Champions League Elite > Club World Cup.

Good call, I didn't think of that!