OFC Professional League

coochiee

Ed Sheeran is playing at Mt Smart in mid January. That was likely an issue.
Auckland FC weren't keen on sharing NHS with 7 other football teams for 2 weeks? Moana Pasika Super Rugby team I'm guessing train out there as well.

But AP is right they will be lucky to hit a max 10K crowd at Eden Park on opening day.

The Port diehards, some travelling South Island football fans, and Papatoetoe's Fijian Indian community.

Don't think is any large Vanuatu, PNG, Solomons or Tahitian expat communities in Auckland.

The crowds will look better in the Island hubs in their smaller stadia - at least when the home teams play.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/360866214/oceania-football-boss-ducks-saudi-funding-questions-reveals-ambitious-plans-pro-league-launch

While OFC is yet to announce the match schedule for the Pro League, it is understood Auckland FC and South Island United are likely to meet for the first time on the opening day.

South Island United general manager Ryan Edwards said the prospect of playing at Eden Park was “special“.

“I think it does create a moment where the public can go, oh, this is a proper deal, and it gives that status and that gravitas that the league deserves.”

Auckland FC chief executive Nick Becker was more circumspect.

“Filling Eden Park is a challenge for any team outside of the ones that wear the Silver Fern, so it'll be a hard one to pack out for sure, but I think I'm sure they've looked at what's available in terms of stadiums and they've had to make this decision.”

$5 tickets might help

I have a feeling that if the weather is good we might all be quite surprised.

YoungHeartHM

First signing unveiled by Vanuatu United, and its a pretty decent one in Matt Acton.

Screenshot_20251030_125226_Instagram.jpg 386.25 KB

Excellent signing. PNG Hekari have seemingly made some decent ones as well.

Of course the focus of this league is for development of Oceanian talent, but signing experienced heads who have played professionally helps lift the level and they can support the players around them too.

Hope to see more signings like this.

"Tahiti national team coach Samuel Garcia will also coach Tahiti United FC, one of the eight clubs in the inaugural OFC Pro League.

He confirmed at the Soft Launch event today that the recruitment phase is currently under way & Tahiti's connections with France may be used to bring in players from the mainland."

Really fascinating to see how recruitment ends up for these guys who on paper are definitely the biggest underdog. Smaller nation, not much connections to Aus/NZ football scene and not hosting any of the circuits. Good to hear they are looking to recruit from further afield.

 and it gives that status and that gravitas that the league deserves.”

This reminds me of the story of the famous writer who turned up at Cannes sans smoking jacket! Thus security threw him out of the industry party.
Infuriated, he approached the festival director who wrote a letter of recommendation that the writer had arrived without his jacket but not sans la couer! Please treat him in the manner he deserves.

Returning to the security chap, the writer brandished his letter. ‘…the manner in which he deserves…’ concluded the security, kicking him out all over again…

Having this in what will seem an incredibly empty Eden Park seems daft.

I wonder if them moving the start date back from 10 Jan to 17 Jan had anything to do with the Port of Call being on in Brisbane on Jan 9 - then the Pro League would've really had no one there.

Most importantly, has anybody clarified whether South Island United includes Stewart Island? This is the important question our football journos need to be asking!

In the beginning it looked like AFC would steamroll this comp. However it seems like the PI teams will be in some cases close to their national teams. Tahiti has plenty of pro players playing in mainland France. Some could be persuaded back. The AFC youngsters could be in for a tough time...especially away.
As for playing at Eden Park. What a waste of money.....

There has been a few good players over the years that played in senior footy in Christchurch that were from the Chatham Islands.  

LT01

Most importantly, has anybody clarified whether South Island United includes Stewart Island? This is the important question our football journos need to be asking!

I hope there’s interest shown from those in the upper North Island , especially Northland, Auckland, Waikato and BoP. Hopefully good weather too.

I can’t think of anything better to do at that soulless stadium than watching footie with friends/family while sinking a beer or two in the sun.

Wish I was home in January to experience this.

I mean if the Saudis are underwriting this venture and if you really are sincere in taking football to the Pacific people in this country, then make it free and make a big cultural event in Eden park number 2 while it’s going on. 

AucklandPhoenix

I mean if the Saudis are underwriting this venture and if you really are sincere in taking football to the Pacific people in this country, then make it free and make a big cultural event in Eden park number 2 while it’s going on. 

Ironically it would’ve been a perfect thing for the hypothetical Western Springs stadium. And probably would have gone well at Go Media too…

If they held the games on the number 2 and the festival on the number one. Or give away a truck load of tickets, and market it as the soccer sevens or some such…

You have cricket being played on EP no 2 in January. Super Smash that has games every few days??

Plus the biggest Pacific communities in Auckland - Samoan and Tongan - have no teams in the OFC League and really minimal interest in soccer. I’m not sure the Island teams will draw much of a crowd in Auckland apart from Bula. 

From the unused subs today. Iffil says the Christchurch United owner will still have the ambition of eventually getting an A-League license and will see the OFC Pro League as a stepping stone to this.

"He's somebody who's certainly got the, probably, the money and the resources to be able to buy that license".

This I believe contradicts what the man has said himself in interviews, that he doesn't have the resources to do it (alone at least). But Iffil obviously spent a lot of time there and knows the guy well...

Yipe Meyn has said in the past he can't do it alone. 
Iffy was his coach (at CU) not his accountant.

Though who knows maybe Meyn has a meat supply contract with Putin's Ukraine invasion force, and it's worth many roubles. In Uruguay a few years back, I toured a giant retired abbatoir (UNESCO heritage site) that supplied Oxo cubes (world's first concentrated high protein capsules) in WWI to both the Tommies and the Jerries. They bought in the cattle by train it was so big. 

Back then Uruguay had one of the highest GDP per capita rates in the world. Money in meat. 

I mean to be fair to the guy even Bill isn’t doing it alone.

coochiee

Yipe Meyn has said in the past he can't do it alone. 
Iffy was his coach (at CU) not his accountant.

Though who knows maybe Meyn has a meat supply contract with Putin's Ukraine invasion force, and it's worth many roubles. In Uruguay a few years back, I toured a giant retired abbatoir (UNESCO heritage site) that supplied Oxo cubes (world's first concentrated high protein capsules) in WWI to both the Tommies and the Jerries. They bought in the cattle by train it was so big. 

Back then Uruguay had one of the highest GDP per capita rates in the world. Money in meat. 

The price of beef has gone through the roof world wide. Maybe he’s not that “poor” anymore.

Money in meat. 

Frozen meat. 1882. Important date. We know! 

https://teara.govt.nz/en/sheep-farming/page-5

https://www.espn.com.au/soccer/story/_/id/46862560/ofc-pro-league-clubs-season-start-all-need-know

Article from Joey Lynch, mainly stuff we already know but has a few bits confirmed, such as confirmation it will be broadcast on Fifa+ (Even though this was expected)

It mentions there will be no salary cap for the competition

Terry McFlynn will apparently be the coach for Auckland in this comp - "with football director Terry McFlynn, rather than the A-League coach Steve Corica, to lead the side into the Pacific."

From above article.
Might explain Domey being quiet lately on the Nix missing out.
Two extra teams as soon as Season Two, one being Phoenix II?


What's the future of the OFC Pro League?
Long-term, it's the hope of clubs that the competitions will expand and become financially viable enough to adopt a home-and-away format. Castillo indicated that the OFC aspires to expand the league by two as soon as possible, but that this will depend on funding, with other officials telling ESPN that such an aspiration would largely depend not only on the strength of new applicants for the competition but also on how well foundational clubs established themselves.

American Samoa, Cook Islands, New Caledonia, Samoa, Tahiti, Tonga, are full OFC members that aren't yet represented in the new competition, while Kiribati and Tuvalu are associate members that are likewise unrepresented. With Asian Football Confederation member Australia represented via South Melbourne, OFC officials have already flagged a willingness to take the league outside the confederation and have previously expressed an openness to a team based in the United States.

"The league needs to grow," Castillo said at the launch event. "We are starting now with eight teams, because it's about funding, and we have the funding for eight teams. But we want to have more than eight teams in the future. And we are very confident with that. The first year is always the most difficult, because people do not believe in this thing.

"We know that this will be a major project, not only for the region, but for the world. Because I can tell you, the world will talk about this league. We are the only confederation without professional football, and we will now demonstrate that we can do it.

Did you say a team from the United States could play in the OFC Pro League?

Yes, a team from Hawaii, to be precise. With Honolulu a nine-hour flight from Auckland, Castillo said that placing a team in Hawaii remains an aspiration of the OFC, which would not only maintain the Pacific nature of the competition but also give it a foothold in the United States, in theory giving it a greater ability to commercialise.

"It's about market as well, to open to the U.S. market and the Americas market," he said.

Why are Auckland FC allowed to play in the OFC Pro League?

Auckland FC somewhat stand out among the OFC Pro League's inaugural entrants in that they're the only club that was already playing in a professional competition: the A-League Men. Bankrolled by American billionaire businessman Bill Foley, who also owns AFC Bournemouth in the Premier League and the Vegas Golden Knights in the NHL, Auckland FC are the defending premiers of the A-League, finishing atop the table as an expansion franchise in 2025.

Despite the A-League and OFC Pro League seasons overlapping, the club plans to maintain a presence in both competitions heading into the future, with football director Terry McFlynn, rather than the A-League coach Steve Corica, to lead the side into the Pacific.

This has necessitated extra restrictions on their roster: limited to fielding a maximum of three players over the age of 23 contracted to their A-League side. They will, however, be allowed to field further players over the age of 23 if they aren't registered for the A-League. Both Auckland and the OFC insist that the club won't simply be fielding a reserve side in the OFC Pro League, with it expected that it will look to recruit extra players, especially from the Pacific, for its new commitment.

Importantly, Auckland FC will also be eligible to qualify for the FIFA Club World Cup through the new competition, and while they're prevented from fielding their strongest squad in the OFC Pro League, the placements of transfer windows surrounding the global club showpiece would allow them to do so in the Club World Cup without running afoul of their registration restrictions.

"The winner goes to the Intercontinental Cup each year, and then the most successful team every four years gets to go to the Club World Cup," Auckland chief executive Nick Becker told ESPN. "That's something that isn't possible for us in the A-League setup. Even if we win the A-League, as we did when we won the Premiers' Plate last season, we didn't qualify for the Asian Champions League because we can't, because we're an Oceanian team. This now gives us the opportunity to go out there and compete on those global stages."

Mcflynn as a coach would be a gruff bugger. 

Half a Pint

https://www.espn.com.au/soccer/story/_/id/46862560/ofc-pro-league-clubs-season-start-all-need-know

Article from Joey Lynch, mainly stuff we already know but has a few bits confirmed, such as confirmation it will be broadcast on Fifa+ (Even though this was expected)

It mentions there will be no salary cap for the competition

Terry McFlynn will apparently be the coach for Auckland in this comp - "with football director Terry McFlynn, rather than the A-League coach Steve Corica, to lead the side into the Pacific."

Auckland have been offering some of the Northern League guys 25k for 6 month contracts - Guys that have full-time jobs outside of football, because ya know, amateur status and all that doesnt pay the bills - Guys that work in IT & trades etc etc where they pay is obviously a fair bit higher than whats on the table... So they've had a couple of 'Thanks but no thanks' returns so far. 

Wouldn't be surprised to see a few from the NZ domestic scene being picked up by the island sides either, although it probably won't be Hekari as they've filled out with three Brazilians as well as Solomon Island and Vanuatu internationals (one visa spot left). Bula are offering surprisingly decent coin too from what I've been told. But given the minimum wage over there is $5 FJD an hour, I can imagine the visa/import players will be hoovering up the cash while the local players get somewhat of a pittance by comparison.

You'd think with the lure of potential FIFA Intercontinental Cup (annual) & CWC (4 yearly but huge) dosh - AFC would open the purse strings somewhat to strengthen their exisiting young reserve team squad.

This OFC League will be far from a walkover with the Island quasi national teams. 

Sth Melbourne might end up the strongest team. Play in the tough VIC NPL comp, and could sign players from other NPL clubs.

Fortunately for the NZ & Island teams they won't be eligble to take OFC's spot at the two FIFA club comps.

l wouldn't imagine they would relax the 2 teams per country rule whilst no other country has 2 teams yet and there is still some without even 1 team

I’m sure they are really wanting New Caledonia into the comp and when that happens the Nix will be in as well.

Of the OFC nations without a club in this comp, only New Caledonia is a realistic chance of being able to launch a team. So them and Nix II as two new teams to make it 10?

American Samoa, Cook Islands, Samoa, and Tonga are all no chance of ever being in this league. But any standout players from those nations can always sign for an OFC club elsewhere.

Sounds like Auckland II are going to have a few non Kiwi OFC players.

The Phoenix should make it a promise to do likewise for any 2nd attempt at a bid.
Launch MOUs with the Samoan, Tongan & Cooks FAs.

https://www.espn.com.au/soccer/story/_/id/46862560/ofc-pro-league-clubs-season-start-all-need-know

Long-term, it's the hope of clubs that the competitions will expand and become financially viable enough to adopt a home-and-away format. Castillo indicated that the OFC aspires to expand the league by two as soon as possible, but that this will depend on funding, with other officials telling ESPN that such an aspiration would largely depend not only on the strength of new applicants for the competition but also on how well foundational clubs established themselves.

Genuine question for both Coochiee and Auckland Phoenix (and anyone else who wishes)

You don't think OFC would be keen to give another country a 2nd team before the Nix came in as NZ's 3rd?

I'd be happy for the Nix to be in the first expansion, just think other countries might be annoyed for NZ to get a 3rd team before they get a chance at a 2nd.

Of course I guess I can answer my own question in that other countries quite possibly might not be able to put together a decent bid for a 2nd team anyway, so even if OFC wanted another country to get a 2nd team they may have their hand forced by the Nix being the only decent bid.

Anyway I'm keen to hear what you all reckon on this

It will obviously be governed by the motivation/intentions of each country but strategically they will be similar.

Think each one will be realistic and know that they don’t yet have the infrastructure to support more then one team economically. These are what NZers call third world countries with a lot of poverty.

Despite the Saudi money, I think everyone realises that this is not a gravy train and each country/club will do well to survive long term.

The pot of gold at the end of the rainbow for each country is also the money from winning the league and qualifying for the world club championship. As Coochie points out their national teams coupled with imports will not be push overs for the likes of a AFC reserve team.

In order to win the league they couldn’t however afford to run the risk and dilute their player resources by two. 

Half a Pint

Genuine question for both Coochiee and Auckland Phoenix (and anyone else who wishes)

You don't think OFC would be keen to give another country a 2nd team before the Nix came in as NZ's 3rd?

I'd be happy for the Nix to be in the first expansion, just think other countries might be annoyed for NZ to get a 3rd team before they get a chance at a 2nd.

Of course I guess I can answer my own question in that other countries quite possibly might not be able to put together a decent bid for a 2nd team anyway, so even if OFC wanted another country to get a 2nd team they may have their hand forced by the Nix being the only decent bid.

Anyway I'm keen to hear what you all reckon on this

The island teams will effectively be de facto national teams with a few visa players + perhaps a couple of players from other OFC nations. 

In terms of depth, I'd imagine only Fiji could sustain a second team. I would say PNG too, but thats only going off their massive population rather than any great footballing potential - Biggest city of 400,000 but the country has a population of 10 million is wild to me.

If Hawaii was introduced that would be cool (nice place) but I thought it was the powers that be in US Football that stopped any potential inclusion before it even got off the ground when it was being floated initially.

Other than that, not much else in between around the Pacific. Wonder if they'd ever have the balls to include (another) Asian club? Somewhere like Singapore??

Yeah like YH says I think only Fiji now could go close to sustaining a 2nd team. 
Probably the biggest OFC economy outside NZ, and from memory they had the most initial bids apart from NZ.

Lautoka is also not that much smaller than Suva, so sort of a logical place to base a 2nd team.

In 2028 the new PNG Chiefs team will enter the NRL. It's a multi million dollar project. 
$600M over 10 years from the Aus Govt!!
It's going to soak up all the corporate dollars, and sports media coverage in PNG. 
So hard to see a 2nd OFC Pro League club happening in New Guinea.

A 2nd Aussie club also an option. Darwin has close ties to PNG.
The Sunshine Coast club in QLD bid to enter the OFC League, and just hosted the Roar v Jets on the weekend with a big crowd.

coochiee

Yeah like YH says I think only Fiji now could go close to sustaining a 2nd team. 
Probably the biggest OFC economy outside NZ, and from memory they had the most initial bids apart from NZ.

Lautoka is also not that much smaller than Suva, so sort of a logical place to base a 2nd team.

In 2028 the new PNG Chiefs team will enter the NRL. It's a multi million dollar project. 
$600M over 10 years from the Aus Govt!!
It's going to soak up all the corporate dollars, and sports media coverage in PNG. 
So hard to see a 2nd OFC Pro League club happening in New Guinea.

A 2nd Aussie club also an option. Darwin has close ties to PNG.
The Sunshine Coast club in QLD bid to enter the OFC League, and just hosted the Roar v Jets on the weekend with a big crowd.

7122

Bit like the Nix getting a bigger crowd at the Ring of Dirt, than the last 15 odd games at the ROF.

If Palmy had 300 days of sunshine, snakes sunbaking on walkways and a plethora of nice beaches.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Aleague/comments/1ose6j4/7122_crowd_for_brisbane_roar_vs_newcastle_jets/

Yoo signs for SIU 

https://www.friendsoffootballnz.com/2025/11/17/striker-david-yoo-signs-professional-contract-with-south-island-united/

Be interesting to see how these youngsters go in the OFC League.

Presumably full squads get announced next month, with league kicking off early January.

Auckland FC Reserves haven't conceded multiple goals in a game since losing 3-0 to Miramar in week one

In the last month, they've drawn away to Auckland City & Western Suburbs and won at home vs Birkenhead & Wellington Olympic

Crazy good consistency for such a young team

— The Niche Cache (@thenichecache) November 16, 2025

Some standout players from this run:

Finn McKenlay - Absolute machine in the midfield

Ryan Mackay - Rolls-Royce defender who's snuck onto the A-League bench a few times

Dejaun Naidoo - Tricky winger with an eye for goal

Jonty Bidois - Mobile striker w/ 4 goals in 6 games

— The Niche Cache (@thenichecache) November 16, 2025

Finn McKenlay with a belter as the Auckland FC Reserves continued their fantastic #NZNationalLeague form with an upset win against Wellington Olympic pic.twitter.com/Y3Ie4tcB4G

— The Niche Cache (@thenichecache) November 16, 2025

OFC Pro League fixtures being released today, with the hubs included in the promo video including Auckland, Honiara, Port Moresby, Suva, Ba and Australia*

*Didnt name the city, but the images in the promo video look like Melbourne.

Presumably Suva and Ba is the same Fijian 3 week hub split between the 2 venues.
So 5 three week hubs in total.

One real negative with the hub concept, is the potential for heavy rain at one of the Island venues, and then the pitch(es) become churned mud with about 12 games in a congested 3 week period.

That new Chinese funded stadium in Honiara should be okay. You'd think they put in excellent drainage etc. The Fijian venues the most high risk of being cow paddocks with bad weather?

coochiee

Presumably Suva and Ba is the same Fijian 3 week hub split between the 2 venues.
So 5 three week hubs in total.

One real negative with the hub concept, is the potential for heavy rain at one of the Island venues, and then the pitch(es) become churned mud with about 12 games in a congested 3 week period.

That new Chinese funded stadium in Honiara should be okay. You'd think they put in excellent drainage etc. The Fijian venues the most high risk of being cow paddocks with bad weather?

The underground missile silos will drain the topside nicely.

Fixtures released.

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Suppose the Aus venue wouldn't be at Lakeside given Albert Park would be closed off to set up the Melbourne Grand Prix which is the first weekend of March.