What money is the phoenix soaking up that would magically revitalise the ASBP?
Are you offering to fund an entire NZ national league Frank Lowy style?
You don't think the ASBP already acts as a stepping stone for players to move on to a professional team, and that the phoenix are a great bridge between ASBP and a potential pro career overseas? Or even just a further option for kiwis to become professional?
I think we have the best of both worlds with the current set up.
Yes, it would also be nice if the ASBP was better funded outside of ACFC (which is only funded by dodgy pokie money, like everyone else)
Also, how would welnix funding TW magically mean sponsors will come forward for other franchises?
You also say if welnix spent half of $2million on the national league instead of the phoenix it'd be all fixed. $1mill / 8 franchises = $125000 per franchise. Say you want to use that to pay players, $125000 / 20 = $6250 per player. Hardly enough money to turn it into anything significantly better than it currently is, and certainly not enough to justify giving up the phoenix.
I'd prefer the best of both worlds scenario we have currently.
My question is would we be better to concentrate all our resources on the national league (including the women's league) rather than trying to do both, with most spending currently being on the A League side? Personally I think if $1 million was spent each season by sponsors/NZF/Welnix on a semi-pro NL, by adding in the O League prizemoney, it would give each franchise a decent financial baseline. Double that to $2 million (which shouldn't be beyond NZ football) and we'd have a really robust competitive NL.
As it is we have neither a robust competitive NL nor a top flight A League side which is allowed to play in the ACL or have a proper reserve side. I don't see that as the best of both worlds at all. Both are in fact hamstrung.
One by lack of NZF interest and overall resources and the other by FFA restrictions and lack of enough finance to truly compete with the really big A League franchises like MV or BR. For this 6-8 Kiwis get to play professionally with the Nix.
My suggestion is we funnel all this spending instead into the domestic NL and put pressure on FFA to lift the restriction on NZers being classified as imports when playing in the A League. That to me would be the best of both worlds.