It would be great to have an Auckland team and a CHCHteam in the A League but I know the Aussies would not allow that to happen, even if we switched to the Asian confederation. The national league here would serve as feeder clubs so it wouldnt fold, there'd be a necessity for it.
Why wouldn't Aussies want another team from NZ if that provided more income, another market for sponsors etc. Auckland is bigger than all(?) of the planned expansion markets and it has no A league franchise. Most Aussie companies consider NZ another state and treat it that way anyway. Assuming we've learnt from the Phoenix and FFA from WSW, Heart and other experiences, fom David Gallop's point of view, why not Auckland? "It didn't work before" argument doesn't wash with me.
I dont think we should consider any further A-League expansion into NZ while remaining in Oceania. It would kill the ASB Prem, and we still wouldnt have a passage through to ACL should we 'qualify'. If we move to AFC, we could then seriously consider making the A-League our national league (much like what the MLS is to Canada). Hopefully by then we would have unlocked the secret to a more financially stable model too.
Unfortunately that would end NZ involvement in the O League and the Fifa Club World Cup. This in turn would end the infusion of O league prizemoney into the ASBP and be the end of our national league because NZF show scant interest in supporting it. We'd then end up with just two A League sides, and no domestic national league (like rugby league now with the Warriors) and all our eggs in one basket. Without the ASBP it would be a difficult pathway for local players to prove themselves as most of our latest crop of professional players have come through the ASBP. The winter club scene would hardly suffice. What say the Aussies then pulled the plug on our A League sides - we'd be left high and dry.
I favour developing the ASBP as a competitive national league (with three Auckland sides) and keeping only one team in the A League (obviously the Phoenix).