What's the plan in terms of potential new additions? I guess everything was mothballed due to covid?
Canberra getting a ALM team (and CCM and Macrthur ALW teams) would make it 13 clubs. A second Queensland team seems an obvious target. That would leave two slots to be filled.
If, and it’s a big if, Auckland gets an A League side it’d be massive for the national team and the game here. At the moment you have a surplus of players coming through with a very finite number of places at the Phoenix, so many players just get missed out. When you add in 5 visas, 6 or so Australian players, you’re left with maybe 10/11 spots in a squad for New Zealand players. Not to mention that the biggest city that produces the most footballers doesn’t really have a pathway, so it becomes either pay to move to Wellington or pay to trial overseas. Plus you’d get a decent rivalry, because the Phoenix really lack one, the Western one is pretty contrived, let alone the Perth ‘distance derby’, so there could be genuine entertainment from that given that everyone not from Auckland wants to beat Auckland.
Add in an Auckland team, and those numbers should at least double, if not more, and suddenly you open up a whole new market of players to sign. Just in the last couple seasons you’ve had Sail, Marinovic, Singh, Sutton, Paulsen, Old, TAHW, McCowatt, Payne, Mogg and (maybe pushing it, been in AKL for several years but grew up in Wellington) Lewis from Auckland. There must be more from where that came from, like how many kids like Alex Greive have there been that just didn’t get the shot he was given by a Scottish team? The more players playing professionally that can’t get into the national team is a sign of depth and strength.
The downside you could argue though is that it’d weaken the Phoenix. You’d imagine the theoretical Auckland team would roughly have a sphere of influence similar to that of the Northern League region, so adding in Waibop. Without those regions, the Phoenix would have to rely on a much smaller market to scout local players from, and go from the only fish in the bowl to the smaller fish. Could also raise the prices of NZ players, as they currently have no alternative other than ‘amateur’ National League, so the Phoenix hold all negotiating power, whereas they would have to compete with Auckland for the best talent which would slightly shift the balance of power.
The other main issue is where does pro/rel come in. FFA seem to be pretty keen to do it at some point, and a fully connected structure wouldn’t work with an Auckland team (or any NZ team really). What would happen if they got relegated, would they play in NPL? Surely not, so it raises a massive issue with that, because pro/rel and NZ teams in Australian leagues can’t really coexist, and if the Australians are desperate to bring it in, then I’m sure the NZ teams wouldn’t be on firm ground. Pro/rel might just be a pipe dream though, which might mean an Auckland team could happen and it’d be cool to see, but I wouldn’t bet a lot on it happening.
You'd probably get the odd guy like maybe Howieson who'd play for an Auckland ALM team, but not the Nix because his life is in Auckland. There has probably been the other odd Auckland domestic player turn down a Nix trial/contract. Vicelich was another in the early Nix days. Riera may have stayed longer in the A League, if he played for a side in the City of Sails.
Likely a few Kiwis overseas (some of the USL crew?) who would consider a return to NZ to play for an Akld team, but not the Nix. That's not dishing Welly, it is just like anyone in the job market. Some cities you would consider moving to, and others no, for a myriad of different reasons.
What would really help the Nix or a new Akld team is a relationship with Ole. There is talent pool in Porirua that just all seem set, on moving overseas if they are half decent. I can only think of McCowatt (1 season at that) from there who's signed for the Nix. Why is that?
But at the end of the day 2 NZ ALM teams in a country of 5M, is very equivalent player pool wise, to 14 Australian teams (if AL did expand to 16 clubs) in a country of 26M.
Rough maths but NZ should have enough talent to support 2 AL clubs, again would help if you could tap into some of those Ole alumini