Anyway I have had a chat to the wife about this (she works at RWC2011) and away matchs + byes in Aus are the only viable options.
You wont get accomodation for the nix anywhere in NZ let alone another visiting team.
Most decent venues that are not being used to play matchs are hosting the training of a RWC team. Even the flights to and from Aus will be a struggle for clubs to organise during the RWC.
The team would be better of basing themselves somewhere like Canberra for the duration and maybe playing a one off game there as a home match (which should draw a decent crowd and help fill the coffers) as Canberra is going to be one of the least affected destinations in Aus during the RWC.
Flights out of NZ to Aus during the WC prior to each weekend should be cheap as most of the traffic is inbound and the airlines will want to fill seats on the return journey.
I think you're right. All away games has to be the way to go. Thay way, the club gets the home games and their associated benefits back later on.
Taking games round NZ will be a problem. There's going to be bugger all spare flights & accommodation in NZ for the Nix and their opponents, let alone any travelling fans. I see Athletics NZ have moved the 2011 champs races away from their traditional dates because flights and accommodation during the RWC aren't available. Actually, having just recently spent a weekend in Dunedin for the Marathon (3rd master thanks for asking), I have no idea how they're going to accommodate RWC. There's not many hotels down there normally!
If we're going to have to give up home advantage for a match, playing it in Australia would probably be far more manageable. And we might get some people turning up. The Canberra suggestion might work and we might get some "home" support if we're playing Sydney. Canberra is a pig to get to from NZ though.
I don't get the [earlier] suggestion [from someone else] that visiting rugby fans will turn up to watch an A-League match... why would they? They're rugby fans from overseas - what's the basis for thinking they'll want to watch a NZ team play football? Most rugby fans, at least the ones I know in England, don't care for football. Is it different in other countries? But for those that do, are they likely to consider the A-League an attraction?
SiNZ2010-09-22 12:29:26