So instead of once a season, you are advacating for 2 or 3 times a season.
What I'm suggesting is instead of Gareth investing millions in an Auckland A League franchise which would kill ACFC, it would be better to bring the Nix to Auckland two or three times, which I think would allow ACFC and the ASBP to survive. Better still put money in the ASBP rather than in another NZ A League franchise so it's a flourishing feeder base for the Phoenix.
I don't think there is any realistic amount of money that can be invested in the ASBP that will make the media interested. Our domestic Rugby and Cricket competitions really struggle and those sports are globally minute compared to Football. And without the media it won't develop any wider interest. I think the only genuine way forward is linking ourselves to Australia and Asia. I think another a-league team in Auckland, and eventually one in Christchurch as well, makes sense.
It is clear to me that unless NZ is allowed to join AFC (Asian federation) we should not even bother with planning another A-League club. This would only be baiting the trolls in Australia and unlikely to have any legs until the FIFA, OFC and AFC all agree.
Of course the FFA themselves would be happy to have one more financially stable HAL franchise, no matter where. But moving us into AFC would make Oceania federation (OFC) fall over. We may talk about our currently easy entry to World Club champs etc, but apart from that our other duty is to prop up the reasons to have the OFC. Are the OFC dignitaries happy to be moved out of Auckland and relocated to New Caledonia or Fiji? Are the NZF interested in reporting to AFC in Qatar rather than to an OFC office in Auckland? Would Bin Hamman be interested in us adding to the competition for the already limited Asian spots at the World Cup? Middle Eastern nations have always played like crap at WC finals and if an extra spot is added, we would provide stiff competition to them (if we can afford the airfares first).
Once that issue is cleared (and once we also agree that that would be beneficial for us to shift to AFC, as many might object) then we can consider having another A-League franchise to be granted to New Zealand. Auckland might work (a large city, direct flights, large international population). Money to run it would be a problem, but then we might also get more local media interest (OK, going out on a limb here).
I also disagree with the notion of bringing Phoenix to play in Auckland more than once a year. Consistency of playing at home in the capital is far more important. We won't get a massive surge in interest in Auckland from one game or two, while taking it to Auckland more than 1-2 a year is simply likely to erode the support in Wellington (i.e. cutting the tree branch we are sitting on, to use a tree surgery analogy).