Posted November 26, 2023 09:17
· last edited November 26, 2023 09:21
theaucklandphoenixfan
Yup. Attendance posted online at 5,532. Don’t imagine there will be a Wellington attendance less than that, how funny that our Auckland game is most likely our lowest attendance of the season? I defenitely think for the March game the club may look to bring it to Christchurch to get some more country wide support, or just anywhere that’s not Auckland ..Footy_Fella
coochiee
Agree I think EP has an excellent game day experience for any crowd above say 20,000. Folks still talk about that 1-1 draw (Feb 2019), Nix verus VUC with fondness. Libby burning off Honda, Rudan's team in great form at that point. Crowd 23,600.
This wasn't a bumper one off crowd because they had been football starved for 2 years, post Covid. This was a crowd drawn in by a team in form, with some star quality (Taylor, Libby, Singh & Krishna) on a balmy Auckland Feb evening. So could a NZ derby game with similar elements draw in close to 30,000? Well marketed with Foley cash, and star quality on the field you couldn't rule it out.
EP it's easily the best venue in Auckland for public transport, pre & post match beers etc.
I hope the new Auckland FC CEO Nick Becker does chat to Nick Saunter EP CEO. This Aucks team could easily start their first season with a few big crowds in the 20k-30k range. There are also plans (EP 2.0) to greatly improve EP as a game day experience ie a roof, ability to block off upper tiers (huge curtains). Of course that is reliant on a multi million dollar Council/Govt investment. Saunter should be brain storming ideas how to make EP a better atmosphere for crowds in the 10-15K range immediately. Then try & woo Becker to consider EP as home of the Black Knights. Or as a minimum play their first 2-3 home games there and see how it goes.
Sauntner will secretly be hoping this Saturday's Mt Smart crowd(s) are a bit of a dud.
And from where I was sitting yesterday it seems like he got his wish :((((
Sorry but that's a woeful crowd considering the Nix men were unbeaten, and it was a double header. I presume the crowd figure captures any fans who just came later to watch the women?
Crowds at Eden Park have consistently been double to even 4-5x that in size. Though seems the Auckland crowds are always bigger post Xmas, for whatever reason. Example the almost 24,000 in Feb 2019. But without question, you would have got a bigger crowd at EP yesterday.
Sounds like there was almost no marketing for these Mt Smart games. But I'll also agrue til I'm azure in the face, Eden Park is the best venue to base a new Auckland team, until any new waterfront stadium dream is a reality. Love visiting EP, love the buzz there. Love that you don't have to drive to get there. Even when it's only around 9-10K and they just open one side of the ground, still love it. Penrose meh. Albany a greater meh.
Oh and like many non Wellingtonians I support the Nix because they are the only NZ team in the A League. Who else were we going to support? But now if many of those same folk like me decide to support the Aucks as their 2nd team that's only natural. If some who live in or near Auckland, decide to now make the Aucks their no 1 team, that's also not unreasonable.
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Unknown editoredited November 26, 2023 09:21
theaucklandphoenixfan
Yup. Attendance posted online at 5,532. Don’t imagine there will be a Wellington attendance less than that, how funny that our Auckland game is most likely our lowest attendance of the season? I defenitely think for the March game the club may look to bring it to Christchurch to get some more country wide support, or just anywhere that’s not Auckland ..Footy_Fella
coochiee
Agree I think EP has an excellent game day experience for any crowd above say 20,000. Folks still talk about that 1-1 draw (Feb 2019), Nix verus VUC with fondness. Libby burning off Honda, Rudan's team in great form at that point. Crowd 23,600.
This wasn't a bumper one off crowd because they had been football starved for 2 years, post Covid. This was a crowd drawn in by a team in form, with some star quality (Taylor, Libby, Singh & Krishna) on a balmy Auckland Feb evening. So could a NZ derby game with similar elements draw in close to 30,000? Well marketed with Foley cash, and star quality on the field you couldn't rule it out.
EP it's easily the best venue in Auckland for public transport, pre & post match beers etc.
I hope the new Auckland FC CEO Nick Becker does chat to Nick Saunter EP CEO. This Aucks team could easily start their first season with a few big crowds in the 20k-30k range. There are also plans (EP 2.0) to greatly improve EP as a game day experience ie a roof, ability to block off upper tiers (huge curtains). Of course that is reliant on a multi million dollar Council/Govt investment. Saunter should be brain storming ideas how to make EP a better atmosphere for crowds in the 10-15K range immediately. Then try & woo Becker to consider EP as home of the Black Knights. Or as a minimum play their first 2-3 home games there and see how it goes.
Sauntner will secretly be hoping this Saturday's Mt Smart crowd(s) are a bit of a dud.
And from where I was sitting yesterday it seems like he got his wish :((((
Sorry but that's a woeful crowd considering the Nix men were unbeaten, and it was a double header. I presume the crowd figure captures any fans who just came later to watch the women?
Crowds at Eden Park have consistently been double to even 4-5x that in size. Though seems the Auckland crowds are always bigger post Xmas, for whatever reason. Example the almost 24,000 in Feb 2019. But you would have without question, got a bigger crowd at EP yesterday.
Sounds like there was almost no marketing for these Mt Smart games. But I'll also agrue til I'm azure in the face, Eden Park is the best venue to base a new Auckland team, until any new waterfront stadium dream is a reality. Love visiting EP, love the buzz there. Love that you don't have to drive to get there. Even when it's only around 9-10K and they just open one side of the ground, still love it. Penrose meh. Albany a greater meh.
Oh and like many non Wellingtonians I support the Nix because they are the only NZ team in the A League. Who else were we going to support? But now if many of those same folk like me decide to support the Aucks as their 2nd team that's only natural. If some who live in or near Auckland, decide to now make the Aucks their no 1 team, that's also not unreasonable.
Unknown editoredited November 26, 2023 09:20
theaucklandphoenixfan
Yup. Attendance posted online at 5,532. Don’t imagine there will be a Wellington attendance less than that, how funny that our Auckland game is most likely our lowest attendance of the season? I defenitely think for the March game the club may look to bring it to Christchurch to get some more country wide support, or just anywhere that’s not Auckland ..Footy_Fella
coochiee
Agree I think EP has an excellent game day experience for any crowd above say 20,000. Folks still talk about that 1-1 draw (Feb 2019), Nix verus VUC with fondness. Libby burning off Honda, Rudan's team in great form at that point. Crowd 23,600.
This wasn't a bumper one off crowd because they had been football starved for 2 years, post Covid. This was a crowd drawn in by a team in form, with some star quality (Taylor, Libby, Singh & Krishna) on a balmy Auckland Feb evening. So could a NZ derby game with similar elements draw in close to 30,000? Well marketed with Foley cash, and star quality on the field you couldn't rule it out.
EP it's easily the best venue in Auckland for public transport, pre & post match beers etc.
I hope the new Auckland FC CEO Nick Becker does chat to Nick Saunter EP CEO. This Aucks team could easily start their first season with a few big crowds in the 20k-30k range. There are also plans (EP 2.0) to greatly improve EP as a game day experience ie a roof, ability to block off upper tiers (huge curtains). Of course that is reliant on a multi million dollar Council/Govt investment. Saunter should be brain storming ideas how to make EP a better atmosphere for crowds in the 10-15K range immediately. Then try & woo Becker to consider EP as home of the Black Knights. Or as a minimum play their first 2-3 home games there and see how it goes.
Sauntner will secretly be hoping this Saturday's Mt Smart crowd(s) are a bit of a dud.
And from where I was sitting yesterday it seems like he got his wish :((((
Sorry but that's a woeful crowd considering the Nix men were unbeaten, and it was a double header. I presume the crowd figure captures any fans who just came later to watch the women?
Crowds at Eden Park have consistently been double to even 4-5x that in size. Though seems the biggest Auckland crowds are always bigger post Xmas, for whatever reason. Example the almost 24,000 in Feb 2019. But you would have without question, got a bigger crowd at EP yesterday.
Sounds like there was almost no marketing for these Mt Smart games. But I'll also agrue til I'm azure in the face, Eden Park is the best venue to base a new Auckland team, until any new waterfront stadium dream is a reality. Love visiting EP, love the buzz there. Love that you don't have to drive to get there. Even when it's only around 9-10K and they just open one side of the ground, still love it. Penrose meh. Albany a greater meh.
Oh and like many non Wellingtonians I support the Nix because they are the only NZ team in the A League. Who else were we going to support? But now if many of those same folk like me decide to support the Aucks as their 2nd team that's only natural. If some who live in or near Auckland, decide to now make the Aucks their no 1 team, that's also not unreasonable.
Unknown editoredited November 26, 2023 09:18
theaucklandphoenixfan
Yup. Attendance posted online at 5,532. Don’t imagine there will be a Wellington attendance less than that, how funny that our Auckland game is most likely our lowest attendance of the season? I defenitely think for the March game the club may look to bring it to Christchurch to get some more country wide support, or just anywhere that’s not Auckland ..Footy_Fella
coochiee
Agree I think EP has an excellent game day experience for any crowd above say 20,000. Folks still talk about that 1-1 draw (Feb 2019), Nix verus VUC with fondness. Libby burning off Honda, Rudan's team in great form at that point. Crowd 23,600.
This wasn't a bumper one off crowd because they had been football starved for 2 years, post Covid. This was a crowd drawn in by a team in form, with some star quality (Taylor, Libby, Singh & Krishna) on a balmy Auckland Feb evening. So could a NZ derby game with similar elements draw in close to 30,000? Well marketed with Foley cash, and star quality on the field you couldn't rule it out.
EP it's easily the best venue in Auckland for public transport, pre & post match beers etc.
I hope the new Auckland FC CEO Nick Becker does chat to Nick Saunter EP CEO. This Aucks team could easily start their first season with a few big crowds in the 20k-30k range. There are also plans (EP 2.0) to greatly improve EP as a game day experience ie a roof, ability to block off upper tiers (huge curtains). Of course that is reliant on a multi million dollar Council/Govt investment. Saunter should be brain storming ideas how to make EP a better atmosphere for crowds in the 10-15K range immediately. Then try & woo Becker to consider EP as home of the Black Knights. Or as a minimum play their first 2-3 home games there and see how it goes.
Sauntner will secretly be hoping this Saturday's Mt Smart crowd(s) are a bit of a dud.
And from where I was sitting yesterday it seems like he got his wish :((((
Sorry but that's a woeful crowd considering the Nix men were unbeaten, and it was a double header. I presume the crowd figure captures any fans who just came later to watch the women?
Crowds at Eden Park have consistently been double to even 4-5x that in size. Though seems the biggest Auckland crowds are always post Xmas, for whatever reason. Example almost 24,000 in Feb 2019. But you would have without question got a bigger crowd at EP yesterday.
Sounds like there was almost no marketing for these Mt Smart games. But I'll also agrue til I'm azure in the face, Eden Park is the best venue to base a new Auckland team, until any new waterfront stadium dream is a reality. Love visiting EP, love the buzz there. Love that you don't have to drive to get there. Even when it's only around 9-10K and they just open one side of the ground, still love it. Penrose meh. Albany a greater meh.
Oh and like many non Wellingtonians I support the Nix because they are the only NZ team in the A League. Who else were we going to support? But now if many of those same folk like me decide to support the Aucks as their 2nd team that's only natural. If some who live in or near Auckland, decide to now make the Aucks their no 1 team, that's also not unreasonable.