The Phoenix club have been wonderful for NZ Football. From 2010 WC qualification, through to now with two ex Nix players Surman & Boxall captaining their respective teams in the same MLS game. Without the Nix so much that is now good about the game in NZ wouldn't have happened. But that's all just through a NZ lens.
What of the other 10 of which are OFC full members and two associate members?
Krishna and Totori. Kaltak at Wharfies. Raphael Le'ai's short stay (what has happened to him?) at the Academy. Struggling to think of much else really that the rest of the OFC countries have as a connection to the Nix.
When I look at the current academy pipeline, I see Loke (Malaysian background?), LBS (half Zimbawean) and GSR (Brazilian heritage). But then it's just a host of Pakeha kids, many I understand with that all too typical for NZ football, British background. Read about someone here once watching a Weenix CL game, and commenting that it seemed as if half the team had a UK accent!
Where are the Maori and Pasika kids?
Be interested to know what the Nix are doing in the community football space. I have no idea really. Are they doing coaching camps in your Poriruas, Wainuis, Taitas etc? Maybe they are doing heaps, but whatever reason none of the promising Maori/PI kids they see, ever make it to the Academy? Do the Nix offer any scholarships to kids from lower-socio backgrounds, whose folks can't afford the Academy fees? Be interested to know
At the end of the day the club ain't a charity, but I'll controversially throw it out there they do seem a very white organisation in a multicultural land. Certainly in a very multicultural OFC region. Like it or not this stuff doesn't go unnoticed
Auckland have a number of Maori/Pasika players in their ALM & Reserve teams. CU have their little Vanuatu MOU going on. Hope the Nix do soon get admitted to an expanded OFC League (providing it survives it's first per years), but the club might want to reflect on how they might be seen within the region.
PS. I remember the little heartwarming story from last year about a young Vanuatu kid who had been adopted by white Aussie parents at Gosford. He was playing football but felt sad as none of the other kids looked like him. Then his adoptive mother reached out to the Mariners who had Kaltak and Dan Hall. Hall with a Fijian background, also having adoptive white Aus parents.l. The little kid soo happy to find some ground ups, he could look up to being just like him. Basically role models of your same hue and similar background, very much matter to young kids.
What of the other 10 of which are OFC full members and two associate members?
Krishna and Totori. Kaltak at Wharfies. Raphael Le'ai's short stay (what has happened to him?) at the Academy. Struggling to think of much else really that the rest of the OFC countries have as a connection to the Nix.
When I look at the current academy pipeline, I see Loke (Malaysian background?), LBS (half Zimbawean) and GSR (Brazilian heritage). But then it's just a host of Pakeha kids, many I understand with that all too typical for NZ football, British background. Read about someone here once watching a Weenix CL game, and commenting that it seemed as if half the team had a UK accent!
Where are the Maori and Pasika kids?
Be interested to know what the Nix are doing in the community football space. I have no idea really. Are they doing coaching camps in your Poriruas, Wainuis, Taitas etc? Maybe they are doing heaps, but whatever reason none of the promising Maori/PI kids they see, ever make it to the Academy? Do the Nix offer any scholarships to kids from lower-socio backgrounds, whose folks can't afford the Academy fees? Be interested to know
At the end of the day the club ain't a charity, but I'll controversially throw it out there they do seem a very white organisation in a multicultural land. Certainly in a very multicultural OFC region. Like it or not this stuff doesn't go unnoticed
Auckland have a number of Maori/Pasika players in their ALM & Reserve teams. CU have their little Vanuatu MOU going on. Hope the Nix do soon get admitted to an expanded OFC League (providing it survives it's first per years), but the club might want to reflect on how they might be seen within the region.
PS. I remember the little heartwarming story from last year about a young Vanuatu kid who had been adopted by white Aussie parents at Gosford. He was playing football but felt sad as none of the other kids looked like him. Then his adoptive mother reached out to the Mariners who had Kaltak and Dan Hall. Hall with a Fijian background, also having adoptive white Aus parents.l. The little kid soo happy to find some ground ups, he could look up to being just like him. Basically role models of your same hue and similar background, very much matter to young kids.
I can imagine a big factor to this could be players with UK/European passports or families might get favoured by the club because it would be easier to secure them with future overseas deals in UK/Europe. Would lead to more payoff for investing in these players such as more/bigger academy success stories and more potential profit from sales.
This would likely not impress the OFC league selectors though who value building the wider OFC region as a whole and making a competitive league that isn't just an academy for other comps. AFC and CU have shown and committed to growing OFC football and being highly competitive in the league while the Nix were likely lacking in these areas despite being the original OFC pro team and a well run club with great facilities.
The Nix's contributions to OFC historically also seem more like trickle-down support which they are now trying to frame as long-term, direct support for these communities based on what Dome was saying which sounded a bit off-putting and entitled.
I'd be really keen for the Nix to invest more into building strong relationships with OFC regions and providing better pathways for Māori and Pasifika players to grow the game for these communities and build up OFC to be competitive at club and international level. Hopefully would also allow the OFC league to be successful and expand to include us and other teams in the future too.