Another NZ based A League team?

Another NZ based A League team?

This has been mooted on a couple of other forums.

Now I'm in two minds about this. The reality is that there will not be a second NZ club in the HAL, but for my own selfish reasons, I would like to see one.

Only because I would like the Nix to have a 'derby'.

However:

Auckland sucked. Well I don't know that for a fact, I didn't give a toss about Auckland with the Kingz were around when I was in High school and then I was out of the country from 2002 to 2007 - I missed the Knights experiment...But from what I have gathered from the odd comments on this forum: Auckland sucks.

I think the Auckland Beckham game summed that up for me.

The 5,000 (citation needed) odd that turned up to the Pre season game in Christchurch is in my opinion, very encouraging. I don't know how many of that number were Nix supporters though. I heard on the radio the day before the semi final of the Rugby cup between the mighty Hawkes Bay and Canterbury that only 5,000 tickets had been sold. I don't know what the total number was, but if that is all they can muster for a semi final game, for what is the provinces main sport is either a little disconcerting, or encouraging for football.

There could be enough support in another NZ city for another HAL team, if GCU's crowd size is anything to go by. I don't see any reason why not.

I think what I really would like is an excuse to go watch the Phoenix play an away game, without using my passport. Selfish really.

The problem with a Christchurch based team... to be frank... is Christchurch. That's got to be a tough sell for an agent...

You didnt mention why thats a tough sell for an agent? I dont see why its any different

I reckon the management of the Phoenix has been excellent, better than some of the Australian clubs...and would appear to be a lot better than the Auckland based clubs...it may have restored some credibility for NZ based teams.

And Christchurch is just an example. Who knows, maybe Wanganui could get a team. Townsville got a team after all...

i like the idea. I know its not tangible, well not yet anyway.

Maybe the Christchurch Cowboys? ;p

but in all seriousness, I think it would be really great for NZ. But its not gonna be for a while if at all. Im pretty sure Wellington has been bidding for years to get into the NRL but they just expand throughout Auz and dont want to know about NZ.

Yeah thing is,theyre interested in NZ as a potential viewing audience,not in giving us teams to develop our talent etc. From that perspective they only need us to have the one team,and the whole country generally tunes in to watch them. A 2nd team wouldnt do much,if anything,to increase that viewing audience for the A league.

From four four two:

http://au.fourfourtwo.com/forums/Default.aspx?g=posts&t=21064

Most of the (only) 18 responses seem to be in favour.

I see what you are saying. I would hope in my happy little dream world that Australians would relish watching the Wellington Phoenix vs. the Rotorua Rovers play each other as much as I enjoyed watching Newcastle play Central Coast. The result of any game could have an impact on your team.

But it is a big gamble, probably too big for the FFA to take for at least 10 years.

Not for a while. But I am sure that the FFA will take notice if someone very loaded is willing to part with their $ to fund a team.

Exactly.  It needs someone to Terry it, but I have never heard of anyone linked with the concept in Christchurch.

News, when does the current TV deal expire? I am sure that the FFA would be able to negotiate a far superior deal than currently and is possibly the reason for expanding the league so quickly at present to improve the product with more games and expected increase in interest.

When this does eventuate, have the FFA given indication on changes to the salary cap. I think it is currently tied with CPI from some point and I am sure that the PFA would want it increased to match the deal. Or would the salary cap stay as is with any increase of TV revenue going to the clubs bottom lines, thus not having to need someone to "Terry it" or "Terry it" only a little?

You would hope the latter. Relying on people to "terry it" is pretty risky way to run the league in the long term. Tegal2009-11-03 15:53:49

Christchurch could be feasible in maybe four or five years.  Finding an owner who is as brilliant as TP is a major issue though.  We've had reasonable crowds for football in the past, better than a number of the Aussie crowds.  Worry is that NZ talent-pool for football is not particular large and a lot of players won't want to come home from abroad until later in their career and in a number of ways it's great having more players play abroad.

Not for quite a while yet.

Lol..
Wanganui � Population: 40,700

Townsville- Population: 175,542

Ch-Ch would be ok...I suppose.

You could make similar comparisons of other Australian cities and wellington

It was a cheap shot I know .

And all of this is a long, long way off - if at all. It would just be nice.

I'm surprised to learn that Newcastle has the smallest pop of any A-League town. I thought it would be larger than Townsville. "Mining boom" as they say here.

From a purely selfish point of view I don't want Chch to get a team. It'd mean I'd have to decide between CHCH (The place I will always love even though I am GTFO) and Wellington, the first and only football club I've "loved." (I do follow Canterbury United but I don't know if I'd say I loved them).

From memory that isn't comparing like with like.  If you take the Hunter region in to account and the towns nearer Townsville they both end up larger.

I was just comparing urban pop stats from their respective City Councils.
Via Google that is.Traitor2009-11-03 22:38:22

...Do we have the population/a owner with $$$ do have anyone one?

I think the game in ChCh might be interesting in terms of crowds. I am sure we have the population to sustain another team...the $$$ though...

The NZ mine owners I know of spend their money on tanks, not football teams.

I'm a strong advocate of a 2nd Kiwi side in the A-League. But, as has been mentioned already in this thread, there are a lot of hurdles to overcome. Despite the Knights debacle, I still believe a team could work in Auckland but it does require sound ownership. Wasn't Wynton Rufer involved in trying to get a license in Townsville when the Knights folded? Perhaps he could be part of something in Auckland? He could tie the club in with his Wynrs Academy.

Christchurch has a bigger population than Wellington.

dunedin, new stadium and all = sorted, close thread

I think that this has been mooted largely due to the good management of Terry S, Tony P, Ricky H etc.

Would there be another backroom team out there in NZ?

 

I completely agree!

I am not opposed to the idea per se, provided that

I understand about FFA having to add and cover their Australian markets.

But the issue of the confederation status of NZ does not matter to the FFA, if you are looking to just join A-League. The issue of the ACL for NZ teams is a AFC matter. They are separate issues as one is about being adding to the FFA's A-league and the other is about being added to the AFC's ACL. Different administration issues.

I think the fact that the Phoenix and NZF are quite intertwined is an issue

For who is that an issue? Not the FFA as it was their idea to have NZF taking over the licence from the NZknights originally.

well the FFA's orignal plan for the NZ team was for it to basically be the All Whites in a Phoenix strip.

True. Well with our better AWs overseas on better contracts that was alway going to be hard.

However, by having a second (/third) NZ A-league team, it increases more of the stronger NZ players at a higher level and it raises the possibility of having a complete A-League level AW squad for lesser internationals/tours and not having to ask our overseas players to travel half way across the world to maintain a high and consistent enough FIFA ranking.

Therefore developing homegrown players with the ability to hold longer national training camps with an extended squad. By now, everyone should realise that one club wouldn't be enough. And it opens doors for some of their Australian players and local players with potential and increases the NZ playing level and in turn increases A-league level as well. Which is the basic premise of having AWs in Phoenix strip idea.

Naturally with the geography of NZ and the population size/distribution and the state of the playing levels, three A-league clubs is the most we can ever do (unless association football gets a strong foothold and in which case, the local NZFC will be a popular second trier with the A-league reserve teams playing).