2016/17 Phoenix Fixtures - Saturday Night Fever

In light of recent events, I just want to let everyone know, that even if we make the finals. I wont be able to make it. Its my dogs birthday and its a very big occasion that even though is months away, nothing can be done about moving the day we celebrate it. 

As I see it, you want to have a moan, but you get OUTRAGED when others have a moan about you having a moan. 

Everyone has the right to a moan but no-one has immunity against being moaned at.

Does that go for all 7 birthdays your dog will have this year?

yea the other 7 fall on Sundays so there isnt a clash

Can you tell me what is the alternative to accepting this situation? As you know, we were a whisker away from not even having this conversation, as the club was on the verge of not having the licence extended and not competing in the league anymore.

As you'll also remember - because you were there - when Rob Morrison fronted to the fans at the Port Nicholson Yacht Club last October/November at the time everyone became aware just how difficult the licence situation was, Rob addressed the issue of 'NZ Nix' directly. He said something along the lines of 'We don't want to be NZ Nix, we want to be Wellington Phoenix. But if the final choice is between something like a NZ Nix or nothing, then one of those is better than the other'. Clearly this issue was thrashed to death in the licence extension negotiations, and it is entirely understandable that the club had to make concessions/compromises on this front given the position that they were in (and continue to be). This has enabled us to have this argument right now, as without it there wouldn't be a club anymore.

So the alternatives are we either accept this reality, try to make the best of it, and hope we collectively hit the targets that the FFA has set so that we get more seasons beyond 2020, or we get on our high-horse, walk away, and ruin all the work done to give us another chance through the last season, and give the people who have put their money and effort into trying to make all this work for everyone a massive one-fingered salute.

What you go with is everyone's personal choice, but I know what alternative I'm sticking with.

Pretty good cognitive dissonance to love the club so much that when it takes measures to ensure it's survival you hate the club for doing so. 

Not to mention thinking you are owed by the club, when it's clear that it's not the clubs choice to do this - it's the FFA's demands. If they don't do this, you don't have a club at all, so they're doing what they must do to ensure you can keep slagging them off in the future - and yet you're the wronged party. Jeez.

I'm looking forward to the new season... it'll be better than the last one!

Yarrow Stadium on Feb 4th is going to be a damn sight warmer than it was for Hungary v Brazil U-20 last June!

It's going to be a boozy season. Good for the aves coffers. 

at the same time people don't want to feel like they are a cash cow and want to feel valued by the club, some may see this as the club not valuing their fans.

Certainly understand why and accept a few games need to be taken around the country and don't really have a problem with it. My gripe is more that Hamilton and Auckland in the 2 consecutive weekends before Christmas is a bit rough on a lot of people at the most expensive time of year, particularly families. Understand Westpac is out of action at that time but could there have been an available stadium a bit closer for one of those games rather than both of them requiring a big expense to get to and from? Maybe somewhere close enough to drive to so that flights and hotels weren't required - say Palmerston North for example.

Wouldn't be surprised if a lot of people have to choose between those 2 games and possibly may not get to either.

28.5% of the 'home' games are not in Wellington

but we are compensated with three games between New year and Wellington anniversary - the time when traditionally Wellingtonians are away on holiday.

apparently the Stadium isn't available for 12 weekends of the season so there very little flexibility that Phoenix have. Especially when FFA bow down to Fox at every chance.

They've probably done quite well considering then. 

Not happy with 4 games being taken away, and some of the resulting extended periods of months with 0-1 games in Wellington. But can see the obvious trade offs that have been made, as well as stadium unavailability affecting things. 

Sorry if this has already been discussed, I don't wanna read through multiple pages....

Sunday 16 Oct, Perth Vs Wel....... 4:00pm NZ time? So that's 12pm Perth time? Has this ever happened before in the a-league?

Those away times aren't correct. Pretty sure they are in Aus time

#sack2B

I get what you're saying, but my perspective is that if those games in Hamilton and Auckland were moved to somewhere like Palmy then I wouldn't get to see them. Yeah, it's selfish of me, but I don't have the monopoly on that round here :-)

And Palmy is not an attractive market like Auckland and Hamilton are.

Yarrow stadium was fun for the U20 World Cup. So looking forward to the nix being there. 

(well, Mt Smart anyway)

2 games at Hutt wreck then. There better be a fever bus trip at least once and iwould be happier. They are da bomb. 

I know, I'm only playing ;)

The scheduling of the games outside of Wellington and over Xmas /NY period seems to follow a similar pattern of recent years.

- matches outside of Wellington on weekend(s) leading in to Christmas (this year the reason is backed up by unavailability of Westpac but it happens most seasons)

- post-Xmas and/or Post-NY hangover fixture in Wellington

- a match on a long weekend where people are likely to have other commitments, this season it's New Plymouth on Waitangi Day Weekend (if there's such a thing) 

There is a lot of emphasis on the YF-generated atmosphere in the advertising for the home-away-from-home games but little concern for those Wellington fans who want to attend those games 

Alternatives 

- matches in lead-up to Xmas in Wellington
- a match in a holiday centre in late Dec/early Jan - Napier, Taupo, Tauranga etc
- a match outside of Wellington aligned to another event e.g. in Hamilton when Field Days is on and focus on attracting people attending that event to watch the football 

This is something that hasn't really been tried, and I think it's probably well worth a go.

I don't know whether the Hutt Rec would even be available. But the bottom line here seems to be that the people who are paying for all of this want 4 games in Not Wellington.

In contrast, if the Troo Fans were coming in enough numbers, they would be paying for all of this themselves and they might be able to tell Huawei and/or FFA to get bent. Money talks and bullshark swims.

Maybe the only solution is for the real hardcore fans to boycott, switch allegiance to a coal-face local team guaranteed to play all their home matches in Welly forever, maybe form what the Italians call a gemelaggio (twinning) with the ACFC knitting circle and bond over the perfidy of Aussies and their league.

Haha The ring of dirt scrubs up quite well when it needs to (ITM cup etc.) but the Events team at Arena Manawatu would never even have thought of approaching nix for games, they are the worst events team I have ever come across the marketing person thought when bidding for a hurricanes game that Bingo would be a good source of half time entertainment.

Interestingly enough there were some rumblings from the business community about building a rectangle stadium just out of Palmy seating 14-15k a couple of years ago due to the Council's lack of interest in supporting their key tenants.

Anyway im off topic.

SALTY SALTY SALTY RARR RARR RARR Games being taken away GRUMBLE GRUMBLE GRUMBLE.

(I'm also not stoked about this but I just remember I am happy I still have a  team to support for now)

Really? Define "decent". The first AKL game got 20,000 and people said that was sharkhouse because Auckland is 4 times the size of Welly and thus only 4 x an average Welly crowd would be acceptable - which would be more than a sell-out at NHS. There seems to be some bad faith involved here.

As far as I'm concerned, enough JAFAs (or Tronians, or Naki types) turning out to make a profit greater than would be attained at the RoF = job done, but you'd expect me to be biased.

Yeah, that's a slightly different scenario though. On paper that should work, but in reality most of the teams there were to play, and they used the spare time to rest and recover rather than focus on the Phoenix game.

I think Xmas and New Year holidays are a bit different, they tend to be more 'be lazy and relax' holidays, and bringing the game to a holiday destination at this time may actually incentivise that type of people to come along and have a look - this has kind of worked for cricket for example, they've had very good crowds in places like Nelson and Tauranga around this time.

Although Trace is right, locking in accommodation for travelling fans would be tricky as we'd be starting behind the 8-ball there. But worth a crack, especially since this pattern of away 'home' games will probably continue.

What has happened since 14000 came to see Nix v MVFC in 2007?