Auckland Pride - Make Auckland Great Again

JasperNix

I like supporting both teams. Not on facebook or socials so liked the podcasts and this forum a lot. What has happened to the Nice Drop of Port podcast? Is there a new AFC one/ also what about a replacement (not that its possible) for Fever FM? 

The guys from 'Nice Drop of Port" started a new podcast for this season called 'In the A-League' that is now a pod about the whole league instead of being Auckland specific - but they haven't posted an episode for the past 2 weeks and their YouTube channel seems to have disappeared so I don't know if they have given up on it already?

multiple threads interwoven with multiple narratives maketh multiple carpets

Thank you! This advice needs to be pinned in the General Announcements forum.

Jessie Merino

multiple threads interwoven with multiple narratives maketh multiple carpets

Is carpet a countable or uncountable noun? If they are all woven together doesn’t that just make carpet? We’ve been carpeting the thread? 

LG, I really hope you are right, everybody seems so angry these days and opposing arguments almost immediately escalate into name calling and vitriol. Admittedly I am reacting to social media but a lot of us aren’t sitting in pubs a lot and having deep and meaningful discussions.

LG

Mainland FC

I used to think that sport, be it football or world chess championships, was one way for all of us to recognise a fellow human in someone wearing a different colour hat. Art (especially cinema) is another, to allow us to see ourselves in dramas and tribulations of people like ourselves, just with the subtitles. 
I have bonded somewhat with a bloke my age (an old English migrant) by us being the two main members of a small pub quiz group. He has very different political views from me, which we occasionally air, gently.  I think the key is that he is a decent open minded bloke, and these exist in all parts of the political spectrum.  I am happy to spend more time with him than some foaming-at-the-mouth types who actually share my political views

This is part of why I love this country. Most of us can debate and disagree but also discuss things over a Beer/Coffee/Tea/Milkshake.  We for the most part have rational minds. I really hope 99% of AFC fans just want to support football and their team and likewise with the Nix fans.

Believe Rogerson, Brimmer, Nando, Elliot and Cosgrove are the only players under contract for next season.

Would like to see AFC offering 2 year contract extensions now for:

Verstrate 
Randall 
De Vries
Hall

Those players will be important to continue the momentum and build a team around.

Believe there may be some belt tightening next year so the rest of the imports, Australians and kiwis can wait.

Feels wrong to see a guy with Phoenix in his username be so invested in the fortunes of AFC. Yeah I guess intellectually I know AFC doing well is a good thing for NZ football generally but as a Nix fan I can't help but want them to struggle and I don't understand how any other Nix fan could feel otherwise 

Maybe that’s an article that someone could write before the next derby. 

Fans who were in Auckland who are trying to be both. Fans who are Phoenix til I die, despite being in Auckland. Fans who are on the continuum somewhere between. 

Me- I want the Kiwis to do well. Probably even Danny Hay. And I’m happy for Woud that he’s having reasonable games after what must have been some horrific and lonely times. I want them to do well, but not quite as well as us. And I’ve no problem seeing their well paid Aussies fall flat- Brimmer, G-R…are Fraser and Lachy Brooke still an item? He might get something of a pass if this were the case. 

And I can’t stand McFlynn or Corica. Part of the Bling royalty. 

Becker I’m a bit divided on. Competent Kiwi who’s had some good football jobs, but I don’t really care much for any of the London clubs and he’s never acknowledged any of the work that the Nix did which laid the foundations for the sport in NZ, after the horror shows that were the Kingz and especially the Knights. 

And I like May, Verstraete, Gallegos and Sakai. All class footballers. Though I appreciate any class talent that comes to the A league, usually. 

Though with AFC and the women it is a crowded schedule. EPL games around 10pm are great and guilt-free cos the kids are definitely asleep. 

As I say, I got a season ticket because I supported what T-AFC were trying to do (still are, with tiny numbers). But I feel like pure shark at the derbies.

Doloras

As I say, I got a season ticket because I supported what T-AFC were trying to do (still are, with tiny numbers). But I feel like pure shark at the derbies.

So outside of the derbies do you support AFC or support the fan group?

I went to every Phoenix home game from day 1 for many years, until leaving Wellington. Even done a couple of low key away trips to Aus. Over the years I drifted away from the A-league for numerous reasons (shark referee, can't support the Phoenix decision makers, etc).

Now living in Auckland and with season tickets and I've got the wife very engaged with AFC, it's hard for them not to be my "first" team.

Ultimately though, I want the Phoenix to do well. The derby just past I was happy Auckland won but simultaneously furious that the Nix couldn't convert against 9 men. I'm not sure if that's rooted in sympathy or frustration (because I know the Nix can do better which is why I'm often critical in match threads), or something else.

If I had a magic wand I'd have AFC and Phoenix alternate between 1st and 2nd each year, with WSW finishing plum last.

Live in Auckland. Attended most Nix games in AKL, flew to WLG for the semi 2 years ago, and also flew down for last years derby and last weekends.  Attend most games at Go Media
Had a yellow/black shirt on for the womens game, switched to a blue/black for the mens game.
Don't sit in active zones, preferring to be side on or end on, rather than in the corners.
I think long term it will be a case of 
1. Auckland, 2. Nix
as opposed to 1. Auckland, 2. whoever is playing the Nix, or 1. Nix, 2 whoever is playing Auckland.  
If either side make a GF will wear the appropriate shirt to the GF.

Same sentiment. Adore both teams. Haven't missed an AFC or Nix game in well over a year and I wish the best for both, as any Aussie subjugation is a win in my book and that outweighs any pull towards animosity that the natural rivalry provides. At the same time, Auckland's naturally the club I focus on the most - haven't missed a home game, and it's incredible to get the opportunity to even attend after so long

Can't ignore the fact that almost every Auckland fan who was familiar with the A-League prior to AFC joining would have almost certainly been a Nix fan. Would be stupid of me to wake up the neighbourhood screaming at Zawada 90+9', then pull for MV in the same fixture the very next season

Yep, supporting both teams for 90 plus per cent of their games against the Australians is bliss.

Would be perfectly content with AFC winning the premiership, the Nix coming sixth, firing up in the finals and beating AFC in the final at Mt Smart.

Don’t mind me. My local team finally got relegated. And they really should have been relegated over two seasons ago and rebooted everything, but a couple of great escapes kept them limping on. Was trying to be a bandwagonner, but they won a trophy and then the coach got sacked for some dodgy non-football stuff and a lot of players left. Haven’t really been in the mix since. Fortunately I don’t have to choose between them and the Nix. And it’d be the Nix. 

I don’t feel I have the option of selling my soul for a Corica team, even if I wanted to. AFC has never felt like my team. A big brother returning from overseas all blinged and still a bit of a bully perhaps! Enjoyed the heck out of the late goal in Adelaide though, and some of the individual players like May or Verstraete, just top notch. And it’s been good to see players who were 5 second highlight vids such as Rogerson, Mata and co playing full games.

Hopefully Bidois jnr gets some ALM mins this season.

NZ football really needs some young strikers to coming through pro football

Jonty Bidois has scored four goals in five games for the Auckland FC Reserves and worked his way into the matchday squad for the A-League derby last week too... the Tauranga City product is on a bit of a roll#NZNationalLeague pic.twitter.com/z3pdUKSeCz

— The Niche Cache (@thenichecache) November 12, 2025

imanixsupporter

Feels wrong to see a guy with Phoenix in his username be so invested in the fortunes of AFC. Yeah I guess intellectually I know AFC doing well is a good thing for NZ football generally but as a Nix fan I can't help but want them to struggle and I don't understand how any other Nix fan could feel otherwise 

I do not want any NZ based sports team to struggle, in a competition that is ostensibly set up for the Australian clubs but we have been invited to join.
I do not get into the fine line questioning whether club official X is a good guy or a  club manager Z is an asshole. You can find all sorts of people anywhere if you scratch the surface long enough.
I cut A-FC a lot of slack, because they allow us to see excellent players on the park. Guillermo May is that very rare Uruguayan top class player that does not need to cheat or bite.  Hiroki Sakai is a that very rare Japanese player that can run through a brick wall and not even notice. Verstraete is a man with an excellent vision over the whole playing field that I can only compare to Beckenbauer in his prime.  Does it make me an A-FC supporter? No, because my sense of easy loyalty and belonging (especially here) do not contradict my admiration of excellence on display elsewhere, against the same opposition that The Nix also have to play against.

Apart from the initial bantz the level of banter has dropped from our end (we are not really in a position to do much), but in general AFC players, staff, club just continually get stuck into our club, city, fans, players and it leaves a bad taste in my mouth (amplified by an ever eager, and very accessible to AFC, media to hype the fudge out the derby) that does get cleansed a tiny bit when AFC does poorly. 

The club gives a vibe that it was born via immaculate conception. 

https://www.friendsoffootballnz.com/2025/11/13/turncoats-replica-shirts-and-how-to-flip-flop-faster-than-a-politician/

Which brings me to the A-League. Having had only one Kiwi team in the A-League has been easy for fans.

Shirts off … a Yellow Fever tradition.

A few years ago, we all became Phoenix and each season has been a smooth flow of wishful thinking, unrequited dreams, shirts off at the 80th minute — if the Nix are winning — and picking up a yellow and black shirt from Rebel Sports when on special.

But it all changed in 2024. A new kid on the block arrived, clad in blue and black, funded by a rich fella and demanding fealty from the vassals in the northern parts.

For an Auckland-based Phoenix fan, it was easy.

They immediately became converts to the new cause. Understandable (especially so, if I dare to mention the infamous 2021 lockdown of Auckland by our Wellington-based Parliament).

Auckland FC Facebook groups were set up amid frenzy of media activity, tattoos were designed and blazed on and the old Phoenix shirts offloaded, quietly, to the local op shop.

Swiftly, a new supporters’ army was formed. The Port became flag bearers for the new team and curiously featured many faces who, only the season before, had been whipping off their shirts in glee if the Wellington team had been leading.

Bills sold his 25 per cent shareholding in Hibs.

Looks like they didn’t want to adopt his feeder club system.

Doloras

As I say, I got a season ticket because I supported what T-AFC were trying to do (still are, with tiny numbers). But I feel like pure shark at the derbies.

What’s a T-AFC?

Bullion

Apart from the initial bantz the level of banter has dropped from our end (we are not really in a position to do much), but in general AFC players, staff, club just continually get stuck into our club, city, fans, players and it leaves a bad taste in my mouth (amplified by an ever eager, and very accessible to AFC, media to hype the fudge out the derby) that does get cleansed a tiny bit when AFC does poorly. 

The club gives a vibe that it was born via immaculate conception. 

It's a rivalry, after all - not to mention another Auckland vs. everyone else dichotomy -  and some sets of fans feel more strongly about it than others. We'll probably look back and be grateful to these fans who got stuck in early - in ten years' time, this could be a prestigious NZ sporting event with real passion from the entire country, not just A-League fans

Buffon II

Doloras

As I say, I got a season ticket because I supported what T-AFC were trying to do (still are, with tiny numbers). But I feel like pure shark at the derbies.

So outside of the derbies do you support AFC or support the fan group?

Outside of the derbies I support AFC, because why not

Liamo91

Doloras

As I say, I got a season ticket because I supported what T-AFC were trying to do (still are, with tiny numbers). But I feel like pure shark at the derbies.

What’s a T-AFC?

The left-wing football fan group in Auckland

I may be being ignorant but what does the T stand for? 

AucklandPhoenix

I may be being ignorant but what does the T stand for? 

only high T alpha's know

Doloras

Liamo91

Doloras

As I say, I got a season ticket because I supported what T-AFC were trying to do (still are, with tiny numbers). But I feel like pure shark at the derbies.

What’s a T-AFC?

The left-wing football fan group in Auckland

Nice. Is it like an active support? How many of you are there?

I’m assuming the AFC Is obviously the club, but what’s the T for?

Trotsky.  They're the revisionist support group within the larger group, i.e. the Port.

I'm thinking I might start an ultra centrist supports group.

It'll consist of us AFC/Phoenix fence sitters.

We'll be the only group who can pull off those disgusting half/half scarfs.

We'll wear a shirts featuring the face of either Clark, Key, Ardern, or Luxon. After wearing for three games straight, it'll be a bit smelly, a bit old, so we'll simply swap for another one in the set.

Liamo91

Doloras

Liamo91

Doloras

As I say, I got a season ticket because I supported what T-AFC were trying to do (still are, with tiny numbers). But I feel like pure shark at the derbies.

What’s a T-AFC?

The left-wing football fan group in Auckland

Nice. Is it like an active support? How many of you are there?

I’m assuming the AFC Is obviously the club, but what’s the T for?

1) Not nearly enough. Lots of people like the concept of left-wing active support, but be prepared to buy a season ticket and stand up and chant? A handful, right now. Still, we're told the Timbers Army started with less.

2) The full name is Tāmaki Anti-Fascist Crew. (We got a lot of shark because some dude's brother made the banner and forgot the first S in fascist.)

20 Legend

I'm thinking I might start an ultra centrist supports group.

It'll consist of us AFC/Phoenix fence sitters.

We'll be the only group who can pull off those disgusting half/half scarfs.

We'll wear a shirts featuring the face of either Clark, Key, Ardern, or Luxon. After wearing for three games straight, it'll be a bit smelly, a bit old, so we'll simply swap for another one in the set.

That last paragraph is excellent satire.

Needs some David Seymour in there for the Nix

20 Legend

I'm thinking I might start an ultra centrist supports group.

It'll consist of us AFC/Phoenix fence sitters.

We'll be the only group who can pull off those disgusting half/half scarfs.

We'll wear a shirts featuring the face of either Clark, Key, Ardern, or Luxon. After wearing for three games straight, it'll be a bit smelly, a bit old, so we'll simply swap for another one in the set.

You know who you should really have, for the nostalgia value? Peter Dunne

Fidel Castro famously sailed back into Cuba with only 80 men, and within a week just 20 of them were still alive. Yet he downed the Batista Fascist military regime a touch over 2 years later. Someone in T-AFC just needs to grow a luscious beard, and take up cigar smoking.

coochiee

Fidel Castro sailed back into Cuba with only 80 men, and within a week only 20 of them were still alive. Yet he downed the Batista Fascist military regime just over 2 years later. Someone in T-AFC just needs to grow a luscious beard, and take up cigar smoking.

Could be a step too far for Doloras 

Doloras

20 Legend

I'm thinking I might start an ultra centrist supports group.

It'll consist of us AFC/Phoenix fence sitters.

We'll be the only group who can pull off those disgusting half/half scarfs.

We'll wear a shirts featuring the face of either Clark, Key, Ardern, or Luxon. After wearing for three games straight, it'll be a bit smelly, a bit old, so we'll simply swap for another one in the set.

You know who you should really have, for the nostalgia value? Peter Dunne

For a proper ultra-centrists you might include the TOP party, but it is a bit of a risk, cause if you as much as write them an email you may end up being their party leader if you're not careful.  

coochiee

Fidel Castro famously sailed back into Cuba with only 80 men, and within a week just 20 of them were still alive. Yet he downed the Batista Fascist military regime a touch over 2 years later. Someone in T-AFC just needs to grow a luscious beard, and take up cigar smoking.

Tbf, the long-term strategy is to sail into The Port and take over.

/s

She doesn’t smoke?

Jessie Merino

coochiee

Fidel Castro sailed back into Cuba with only 80 men, and within a week only 20 of them were still alive. Yet he downed the Batista Fascist military regime just over 2 years later. Someone in T-AFC just needs to grow a luscious beard, and take up cigar smoking.

Could be a step too far for Doloras 

Getting the right size beret ?

Napier Phoenix

She doesn’t smoke?

Jessie Merino

coochiee

Fidel Castro sailed back into Cuba with only 80 men, and within a week only 20 of them were still alive. Yet he downed the Batista Fascist military regime just over 2 years later. Someone in T-AFC just needs to grow a luscious beard, and take up cigar smoking.

Could be a step too far for Doloras