This . . .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXOBPS7Lb_U
Yes, Ok I am back. And "I told you so" about this being a way forward to lift the OFC football standards by introducing a professional league not on a domestic scale but a confederation scale because of the population spread among the islands and the need for higher competition in the regions rather than just in a region where it is limited by population numbers and location. Whether people agree or not about the scheme, it was always going to be happening, it was the matter of when. I guess everyone has to see Oceania as a "large continent" full of water deserts in which there is no typical land buses between population venues but travel by airplanes/airbuses instead. With regional development among other things and funding from FIFA (the great cash cow of football), it was always going to happen. Especially when you see their values and personal moral imperative to have football anywhere and everywhere as the number one focus of everyone, it is not hard to see them going to the wastelands (or is it wasteseas? wastewaters? the World's backwaters?) of Oceania to make a stamp over Rugby and so make the Oceania feel at home with professional football on a regular home and away basis.
So, I say, suck it up and observe the struggles at the beginning and eventually enjoy the rough and smooth journey of the OFC professional league game in full flight.
[Ok, that was one 30-year-old Monkey off my back for once, glad that people are coming around to see that possibility happening . . . now NZ having a second A-league team with Auckland (done), still aiming for three NZ A-League teams with a Christchurch team being the third (in the pipelines?), and a fully professional "provincial representative" league in NZ (how bloody hard is that?) . . . yes, I dream a dream for NZ football.]
Stay cool.
;-)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXOBPS7Lb_U
Yes, Ok I am back. And "I told you so" about this being a way forward to lift the OFC football standards by introducing a professional league not on a domestic scale but a confederation scale because of the population spread among the islands and the need for higher competition in the regions rather than just in a region where it is limited by population numbers and location. Whether people agree or not about the scheme, it was always going to be happening, it was the matter of when. I guess everyone has to see Oceania as a "large continent" full of water deserts in which there is no typical land buses between population venues but travel by airplanes/airbuses instead. With regional development among other things and funding from FIFA (the great cash cow of football), it was always going to happen. Especially when you see their values and personal moral imperative to have football anywhere and everywhere as the number one focus of everyone, it is not hard to see them going to the wastelands (or is it wasteseas? wastewaters? the World's backwaters?) of Oceania to make a stamp over Rugby and so make the Oceania feel at home with professional football on a regular home and away basis.
So, I say, suck it up and observe the struggles at the beginning and eventually enjoy the rough and smooth journey of the OFC professional league game in full flight.
[Ok, that was one 30-year-old Monkey off my back for once, glad that people are coming around to see that possibility happening . . . now NZ having a second A-league team with Auckland (done), still aiming for three NZ A-League teams with a Christchurch team being the third (in the pipelines?), and a fully professional "provincial representative" league in NZ (how bloody hard is that?) . . . yes, I dream a dream for NZ football.]
Stay cool.
;-)