It is my understanding that criwds are down at just about every sports venue across the country, not just Phoenix matches.
Whilst the message of poor crowds may be getting tiresome to some of us (me included!), David Dome should be given at least some praise for not hiding from the situation like other sports CEO's seem to do.
People need to realise that not all professional sports teams in NZ are lucky enough to be subsidised heavily by the governing body through TV and sponsorship revenue like rugby and to a lesser extent cricket is in NZ.
I cant imagine the Breakers would survive long if their stadium was less than a quarter full every match.
I don't have a great knowledge of the Breakers, but I think they started in a suitably sized arena, built up a loyal fan-base and based on winning the competition, developed enough support to move some matches to a bigger arena, in the same city.
After several successful seasons and winning three Australian NBL Grand Finals in a row, an Auckland crowd of 10,000 is considered a success
The Breakers success is based on a long-term investment by the owners to develop the club and the sport they love within NZ.
There is very little criticism of crowds when they are below expected attendance and very little comment, positive or negative, by club owners/administrators about the club.
(This is based on an occasional supporter's view of the Breakers media coverage)