Team Wellington... no longer an association with Ole. Chur

What's the likely deal with Gulley? Are these things loan deals or has the Nix released him?

How long is O League for, 10 days? (sorry ignorance here)

I would have thought that if you signed for TW at the start of the season (and some of them specifically with TW so they could play O League) you would think they would be available? I would think for next year, as part of the recruiting, I would be saying 'if you want to play for us, that includes O League which will be 10 days in April'. If they can't commit, then don't sign.

Am I being too simplistic in that statement?

Right. But you told me I was wrong and to get my facts straight. As it turns out, my facts were fairly straight.

Stays? None of them live here

TW win 2nd game 2 nil to top group B. Still work to do to move on. Well done and good luck Lads

Are they not considered because they moved to another club that isn't Miramar, or because they'd rather play for that club than play for TW in the O league?

With respect Blew, putting out an Auckland 2XI is probably not the answer nor a call to arms for local Wellingtonians to get out for TW next summer.

Or do much to help the call to help fund the trip either.

Just out of interest have a look at Hawkes Bay United web site and read the last clubs of this local ASB teams players.

Most of them would be Wellington one would suspect.....

TW through to OFC CL final beating Ba 2nil.  

Set your sky recorders for TW v AC        7 pm  Sunday 

Well don't that TW team and crew

Looks like Stein Huysegems on the back row, far right.

Stein Gwythergems?

Lol! Stein Gwythegerms.

TW have a few injuries it seems. Henry and Smith were injured for the semi and a couple of the subs were injury forced I think? Hopefully they have enough depth

Butler Fa'arodo and Smith ruled out

Well done Lads

Edit: Sorry mate YFF self scaling has not like you today. 

I had a passionate and fascinating yarn with Pistol Pete Chote at the Phoenix after match last night.

We disagree on a lot of the issues, but both agree (I think) that one of the most challenging issues is how to get people to care about TW.

Pete raised a good point when I said it would be nice to see some Wellingtonians playing for TW. He said: there are only  couple in the Phoenix and you care about them.

Which is a great point.

Why do I care about the Nix. And not so much about TW (although I like them to win rather than lose I don't have the same emotional connection with TW)?

I don't know.

Any thoughts?

TW is effectively supposed to be made up of players who ply their trade at least in Wellington in the winter you would think? There is plenty of decent talent in the central league and from Wellington based teams but TW will sign a player who isn't anything to write home about from Auckland and give him a truckload of money. Players you know and watch week in week out don't even get a look in at TW but could go to a number of other teams and easily be in the squad. The level of football from watching it isn't that great in the NZFC yet the player who play for TW in particular have outrageous egos and you would think they are playing for Barcelona. The Phoenix are the only professional team in Wellington so it's easier to be connected to them because they are professionals and 'stars' even though only a small number are from Wellington, yet TW is basically playing at a grassroots level yet they're not from here? They're not stars just average players playing in the summer league yet they're treated as professionals and Calcott goes out of his way to sign them. You want to turn up to a game played at Centennial to watch players you have watched throughout the winter and in some people's cases played against or with in the winter but this just isn't the case.

I think Chote has a point. NZF hasn't placed that many restrictions on the franchise system and TW approach is a valid way of going about it. 

After all, only a pen away from CWC.

I don't agree with the comment that TW is supposed to draw from Wellington region. If NZF wants franchises to do this then they should place this restriction on the franchise as an outcome of the review. Currently a franchise can follow this 'play the locals' approach if they want but most choose not to.
Personally, I think it would be interesting to the dynamic of the competition if NZF placed restrictions on Foreign player numbers and non-local franchise players per team. I don't think it's likely to change the emotional connection levels of supporters. That challenge is against the direct competitors of A-League and Premier League with more media, marketing and public mind-share.

I think basketball has similar challenges. It seems to me that (generally) people would rather support a NBA team or Breakers because the prestige of the competitions than go to a Saints game. 

It's a fair question, but unfortunately I think there are different 'rules' when it comes to the NZFC.

I believe people are accepting that it's not realistic for Phoenix to be Wellington players but at the grade below not so. 

A more fair comparison is the expectation for Phoenix to have Kiwi players and that's exactly the feeling we see among Phoenix fans. 'If there's an available kiwi then pick him above a similarly skilled Aussie'. No one expects the Phoenix to be entirely Kiwi - the imports definitely add plenty, but if in doubt pick a Kiwi.

Same thing applies to Teedubs. Too often there are similar players around that are overlooked for 'foreign' (to Wellington) players.

The other thing is community/fan engagement. In the last few years it has been a massive focus of the Phoenix (especially with kids) and I think it is bringing results. Yes, they have far more opportunity to do this, as they're professional, but I think Teedubs could learn a lot from this in increasing the feeling of engagement around Wellington. I'm heavily involved in football in Wellington and I don't really know bugger all about Teedubs or any of their players. I don't have the answers but that's my take on it.

Would people be more inclined to go see TW games if there were more players involved that they had watched/been part of a club with over the winter? Maybe, but I doubt it. 

My feeling is that the hardcore of football people in Wellington who care enough to go and watch is actually really small because it is typically against average teams at a ground that is pretty out of the way for a lot of people at a time of year when there is heaps of other stuff on. We tend to explain lower-than-expected Phoenix crouds in the same way - people will easily find an excuse not to go rather than a compelling reason to attend.

For the people who do care about football but can't be bothered to go the "It's not a Wellington team" card is an easier one to play than "it's not football worth going out of my to see". From a personal perspective, I dragged myself to every Southern United game I could this year, and tended to only really enjoy watching Tom Jackson - and while he plays in Dunedin he's a foreigner. I enjoyed going to TW games much more because there was a raft of better players on show, and was excited to see Jackson link up with TW for the Champions League as he is a good player. 

For me, putting the best possible side out trumps playing locals if you want people to get along. Look at when Auckland City got their biggest croud this season - it was after returning from doing incredibly well at the CWC. Success like that attracts people and is a lot more likely if you're bringing in the best players you can, rather than limiting yourself to locals.

Yeah maybe.

I just think it helps to be familiar with the team/players. Whether that be because they're locals or because the public engagement is high. I know people very inclined to watch Hawke's Bay when they were in town because they knew players in their team. So they had a connection with the team.

So how do you increase that connection? I'm saying familiarise players via two methods - selecting locals,  and improving public engagement - would help that.

Then win heaps.

Yeah and aren't all of them having the same problems?

I go with quality and consistency of the football. 

How would $10 Adult $5 child and free BBQ susauges during game entice you to turning up. 

Some really interesting chat here guys. There are definitely no easy answers.

And in breaking news.....

Team Wellington announce that in a cost cutting measure and to ensure maximum player attendance this seasons prizegiving will be at 

The Poenamo Hotel on Auckland's North Shore.

The ASB Charity Cup will be proudly on display.

Totally agree with where their home games are being played having an effect on the number of people who turn up.

similar or better local talent being overlooked. 

Miramar in disguise - whom I have no obvious connection to. It means I vaguely support them, because they're from (rather than representing) Wellington, but am not overly fussed if they lose. As in, if I'm watching I prefer them to win over that Auckland/southern etc side, but am neither elated or depressed if they win/lose. 

I go to every game I can because it's football, but I do that for local winter football too with the same level of interest and attitude - I may prefer one club to beat the other (a cup upset perhaps) but ultimately don't care too much, am just there to watch some football. Some clubs I have more attachment to for various reasons than others, so I want them to win more. 

With regard to the nix, I think energy247 sums it up above. Add in the pride of having a pro football team in Wellington (who ever would have thought that'd happen) and it being the only one in NZ. I feel the next represent a lot that is relevant to me and Wellington. If it were a team full of Australian journeyman, maybe I'd feel differently? But it's great to cheer kiwis on in a professional capacity, and the nix are almost a measure of how football in NZ is progressing at this stage. 

From my perspective,  I rarely attend a T Dubs game. Probably main reason being time although I suppose if I felt more connection to the team I guess I would possibly make time.

From late January through to the end of August I am typically committed to club football to the tune of 12 to 15 hours a week and throw in the Nix in that  it increases to around 18 hours a week when they are at home.

Come the end of August I am looking forward to a break but can cope with a couple of hours a fortnight for the Nix matches and really can't be bothered going all the way to DFF to watch what is more often than not pretty uninspiring football played by a team that I barely recognize more than a couple of names.

As people have said difficult to know the answer to increasing crouds

I think Calcott being a tosser has an impact on why I wouldn't watch, the way he has treated local players over the years is embarrassing. I am not particularly fond of Auckland City or what/how they do it but to see Calcott on the tele after losing meaning his head will not grow even larger than it already is was better than seeing a coach with minimal coaching ability to have teams playing decent football earn rewards his coaching doesn't particularly deserve as he is unable to develop any players ever and he relies on the wallet provided to him by the club/franchise. Obviously personal views here, don't know the guy but just from what I've heard from players around the region