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OFC Professional League

1186 replies · 84,355 views
15 days ago
Read the Stuff comments on the latest Voerman article.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/360976009/was-smallest-crowd-ever-seen-sports-event-eden-park

It was really interesting and not as bitter as I expected. 

It really feels like there’s a big pocket or bubble of football fans. 

I expected a lot of old tired slagging off football. Comparatively not much. And those that did got football fan engagement. 

There was a bit of soccer v football, but even that wasn’t super heated. 

Bit of discussion about stadiums around the country, the merits and origins of the NZ teams, where it could have been held to get bigger island crowds in NZ…

Anyway, pleasantly surprised. On the flipside I think expensive Sky and less and less free to air TV in general means fewer people as crossover fans casually following a few different sports, like we used to. Maybe it’s all on the website, but I used to just turn in the TV Friday/Saturday and there’d be some sport on of some kind, arvo to evening. Now you’ve gotta chase coverage to ensure you get your team.


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14 days ago · edited 14 days ago · History
Some of the Auckland NPC crowds at Eden Park have been sub 1,000 so rugby fans know is a bit, can't throw stones in glasshouses stuff

Be interesting to see how is the OPL format next season. Overall it’s been a success but it will always be looking to minimise costs so the Hub concept may unfortunately need to stay

They just need somehow to have games in Vanuatu, New Caledonia and ChCh
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14 days ago
Hope we can eventually get a proper home and away format. Yes I understand the cost issue but when some clubs don't get any home games you're sort of just asking for everything to fall apart
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14 days ago
coochiee wrote:
Some of the Auckland NPC crowds at Eden Park have been sub 1,000 so rugby fans know is a bit no stones in glasshouses stuff

Be interesting to see how is the OPL format next season. Overall it’s been a success but it will always be looking to minimise costs so the Hub concept may unfortunately need to stay

They just need somehow to have games in Vanuatu, New Caledonia and ChCh
I think we will see some four-team, six-match hubs.

Christchurch should be a cinch – needs to be in Jan or Feb pre-Super Rugby – but Vanuatu can't handle double-headers.

I wonder if a Whangārei/Napier/New Plymouth/Nelson/Dunedin might be interested.
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14 days ago · edited 14 days ago · History
If the Nix manage to get a team accepted, Porirua and/or the rumoured Fraser Park upgrade may suit hosting a hub.

More venues/cities, with some hosting smaller 4 team hubs does make some sense. 
Or 6 teams if the league is expanded to include the Nix and New Caledonia.
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14 days ago
I do think this round being in Auckland at this time feels like poor planning to me. They've played a round in Auckland already and it's clashing with the A-League finals.

I can't imagine today's match between SIU and S. Melbourne will get many fans when Auckland v Adelaide will be on at the same time.

Bit biased but could've been better to have tried getting in it Chch (even if just the group phase)? New stadium, first chance to see the new teams, no bigger football match on and SIU get to actually play in the South Island. Flying up to Auckland for the knockout phase afterwards wouldn't be too bad either.

As others have said, Chch, Tahiti & Vanuatu ideally should be getting games next season (New Caledonia too if they get a team) but hubs probably will end up having to stay.
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Endorsed by
LT01
14 days ago
We just need a bit of realism with the crowds and interest. I'd love to know the stadiums cost/revenue comparison for this Vanuatu-Hekari game. It felt empty and ruined the atmosphere too on tv at least.

Melbourne is a good example - the crowds there were poor, but it at least felt more exciting because they used a smaller ground.
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Endorsed by
LGSouthernix
14 days ago
Was today's game at Eden Park? It looked like there was more on the field than in the stands. Embarrassing.
Proud to have attended the first 175 Consecutive "Home" Wellington Phoenix "A League" Games !!

The Ruf, The Ruf, The Ruf is on Fire!!

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14 days ago · edited 14 days ago · History
Yeah not a great look these games at cavernous Eden Park with a tiny number of fans.

But today you have the ALM semi at Mt Smart, and Moana Pasika playing the Canes at North Harbour.
I imagine OPL games have to be at grounds that are easy to setup TV cameras (and VAR) etc. 
Hopefully FIFA/OFC negotiated cheap ground hire with the Eden Park operators.

I reckon next year they should look at hosting the finals series spread over Vanuatu and the Solomons. The two most football mad countries in OFC?
I remember the last OFC Nations Cup in 2024 getting decent enough crowds in Vanuatu. Honiara the undisputed football capital of the Island cities.

Only a 2 hour flying time between Honiara and Port Vila.
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13 days ago
what did anyone expect re crowds? - artificial league, played in hubs so home fans dont get to see "their" team play at home with any regularity. OFC wil realise it's belleding money and FIFA wont be propping it up forever so it'll be scrapped before it gets a chance to do what it promised.

Queenslander 3x a year.

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13 days ago · edited 13 days ago · History
Define artificial? How is it different to when the A League was set up mostly with new franchise clubs.

And the hub concept is just a necessity born of being in easily the poorest Confederation in FIFA, with large travel distances between clubs.
Any new new comp in it's first season is going to have big startup costs. Hopefully it can with time transistion to proper H&A.

Watch some videos of the teams getting around schools in Port Moresby, Honiara and Suva/Ba. Hat trick hero Boyers visiting his old school in Honiara the best. The new comp also provides a valuable extra pro pathway for young Kiwis.

We should all be behind the league and hope it survives.
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Endorsed by
AucklandPhoenixHalf a PintLT01Noah4thenix+1
13 days ago · edited 13 days ago · History
Hundred per cent.

Just wish, that FIFA had not embarrassed the competition by hosting games at Eden Park.

While people may say who cares they are paying for the venue hire it kind of makes a mockery of the cost rationale for the hub concept.

Above all it makes the whole thing appear a circus.




Auckland will rise once more

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13 days ago
If I personally had any skin in any of the teams then I'd watch it, but when the biggest city in the country can't manage to get more than a few thousand to watch then clearly something isnt right.

Queenslander 3x a year.

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13 days ago · edited 13 days ago · History
It’s a good opportunity to watch many of the players who are often talked about as the next big thing on these forums and see if they are all that (I.e. Wynne, Pimms, Zorovich, Bayliss etc)

So far the only kiwi players in that AFC team who I think could make a crack at an A league career, would be Wynne and Bayliss. 

Auckland will rise once more

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13 days ago · edited 13 days ago · History
Matt Ellis has also been very good, and 18 yr old Baily Ferguson (Kiwi/Aussie from QLD) already promoted to AFC's A League squad via their OPL team.

Not sure James Bayliss is ALM quality. Pimms a nice gin.

If the Nix ever needed an experienced non visa journeyman squaddie CB (say Hughes got sold) they could do worse than Mourdoukoutas. 
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10 days ago
I wouldn't be surprised if OFC were getting a very cheap (or possibly free) deal to host at Eden Park. 

Eden Park is only opening up the outdoor seating of a single lounge for a bunch of these matchdays so the staffing costs would be very minimal and Eden Park gets valuable 'Event Days' to add to their annual report. 

I often see stadiums and arenas around the world citing how many days of the year their venue was utilised when trying to get more funding from governments, investors, sponsors etc. It's probably quite good currency for Eden Park to be able to add an extra 4 event days from this hub to their calendar. 

So although it looks bad and probably ruins any chances of a good atmosphere at the matches - it could quite possibly be a mutually beneficial arrangement for both parties. 

This is based on no actual insight into the situation - just some thoughts, and if it helps the league be a bit more sustainable in its first season, then it may not be the worst thing (despite how it looks).
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Endorsed by
coochieeFU
10 days ago · edited 10 days ago · History
League finishes today for 3 clubs. Hopefully they have enjoyed themselves, and come back stronger, better prepared in 2027. Learnings.
 
It’s the final day of the Challengers Group at Go Media Stadium!

Buy your tickets now through the link in bio 📲#OFCProLeague pic.twitter.com/Pdrf1LdrCR
— OFC Pro League (@OFCProLeague) May 12, 2026 

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9 days ago
Did I hear Ifill was on the unused subs that the Phoenix will be joining next year?
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Endorsed by
BullionNoah4thenixSouthernix
6 days ago
2ndBest wrote:
Did I hear Ifill was on the unused subs that the Phoenix will be joining next year?
Perfect. Adding another stable club will help the competition + I get to watch more of the Nix (For better or for worse). Maybe the OFC and APL should work together to organise NZ derby matches together? Pro League at 5pm A-League at 7:30pm would be sick
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Endorsed by
coochieetheprof
6 days ago
Lee Padmore rumoured to be lined up to coach the WPX OFC Pro League team
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Endorsed by
Noah4thenix
6 days ago
observer wrote:
Lee Padmore rumoured to be lined up to coach the WPX OFC Pro League team
Didn't he leave the Nix academy a few years ago though? What's he up to at present
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6 days ago
LT01 wrote:
 observer wrote:
Lee Padmore rumoured to be lined up to coach the WPX OFC Pro League team
Didn't he leave the Nix academy a few years ago though? What's he up to at present
Is a Cantab and returned to the Mainland for family reasons.

Got his PRO licence about 6 months ago, which for only about the last 1-2 years has been possible to obtain in the OFC region??

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7393786356520583170/
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