Maybe a few, but it's still quite an expensive trip away for most people. You can't call it a derby when it's a 7 hour drive.
On a couple of occassions, I've left Upper Hutt at 5am, driven up, been to the game and then driven back, arriving at 5am the next morning. I've also spent a couple of trips where I parked up in Huntly or Rotovegas for the night after a game. Road trips are fun. Have been happy to have several fans along for the company, chatting etc.
I loved the fever bus trip to Napier - a personal highlight in my supporting the Nix career. I enjoyed driving to New Plymouth too. If the Ring of Dirt was actually a quality stadium, I'd enjoy driving there. PN is alright, but that stock car track is the sharks.
Well a Nix game at Eden Park yesterday against an Australian team drew 18,000. You only need to get 8,000 more to sell out a derby at Mt Smart, that will include an actual team from Auckland. It's entirely possible I think, especially in the first few novelty seasons. Filling the ROF for a derby might be a bit tougher.
Well a home derby is a one off game every season. When Canberra & Auckland enter will become a 26 game H&A league.
I'd be surprised if Mt Smart is not sold out & the ROF should be 20,000 plus. RR's suggestion of one of the games being an annual Waitangi Day fixture is a great idea. Then Auckland or Wellington Anniversary Day for the other one maybe.
The WWC showed there is latent football fan support in NZ and yes Auckland. I always thought the posts on here of recent years saying an Auckland team would never work, Jaffas are just fairweather and dragging up the old Kingz & Knights of eons ago, were rubbish. The derbies are going to be unique sporting events in a NZ context. There has been nothing like them ever before. The buildups will be huge, the games themselves big.