Graeme's point about the dangers of a ghost town at Waikato Stadium is well made.
However if I understand correctly, a number of Thursday night games at Waikato Stadium will have the benefit of allowing them to be televised live. Which is fantastic.
I don't think I'm speaking out of turn to say that my club, Melville United, is also down to host Waibop's first match of the season - at Gower Park - which will also be televised and be preceded by a women's national league match. (1.30pm and 4.30pm) on our renovated No 1 pitch which has just recently had hedging planted along the final side, so its close to fully enclosed now.
While Gower has hosted national league matches before (it was last used at national league level for the White Ribbon Cup final in 2012, and before that, for a couple of games in 1998) it will be an interesting exercise in seeing what gains traction in 2015. As will be the night matches at Waikato Stadium, which I am looking forward to.
Incidentally we ran a night match in May at Gower, Panama U20s v Uruguay U20s, on our No 2 pitch (hilariously Fifa wouldn't let us use the No 1 pitch because it was designated for "training", not matches) but the lux levels were less than half what would be required for national league.
So the stadium has its uses, and I'm guessing that with Fed CEO's background as the former stadium manager, it will have been secured much cheaper than it was in 2004-06. (He'll know where all the bodies are buried.)
(For a full chronology of the twists and turns of the national league over the past 25 years, read my publication: The National League Debates, which can be purchased via the www.nationalleaguedebates.weebly.com website)