Domey says fudge metrics.

https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/sport/367794/phoenix-now-confident-of-future-in-a-league

Interesting. Nothing has really been confirmed yet re: independent A-League. Is Dome jumping the gun, or does he have information we are not privy to which gives him more confidence going forward?

Either way, I can't see this as anything but good news.

If you'll read the FFA Governance thread on the Straya forum, the buzz seems to be that A-League 2.0 will be a club-owned league like the EPL. Everything I've heard is that the other club owners rate the Welnix leadership group so they would have no reason to kick us out.

That said, if promo-relegation is brought in, I could foresee a situation where the A-League would have a "NZ slot", so if the Nix got relegated they could be replaced by another Kiwi team?

Audio here https://soundcloud.com/piney6/david-dome-on-an-ind...

I'll celebrate when the nix management sign a 20 year licence and not before.

So can we now have both Fenton and Robben please? Like real soon?

Maybe 16 teams (in time), two rounds, giving a 32 week season, which sounds about right, and avoids the slight unfairness of two away games vs some teams and one vs others.

Then some sort of promotion / relegation series with the NZ and state champions. Could give all five 'major' states and NZ one guaranteed slot - and  put an upper limit on teams from one region. Wouldn't do to have all 16 teams come from NZ.

I can never work out if your serious or not!

If we had 16 teams from NZ making don't you think we'd have our own professional league?

Of course he's serious. There's the whole of the ASB premiership and then...um...

Looking at an A-League that includes a NZ team or teams, I think promotion-relegation is likely to wait until the A-League is big enough to split into 2 or more divisions, with pro-rel between the A-League divisions, but not in and out of the A-League as a whole (which would continue to be based on the viability or otherwise of franchises).

E.g. a 20 team, 2 division, A-League might include 3 NZ teams, but they might all be in the 2nd tier for a given season (or all in the 1st tier in a different season).

Your maths needs work. That is only a 30 week season.

But what Accent

Does this mean we can play in smaller stadiums? Or stadium to suit.

This is great news if it's true. But given what occurred over the winter I'm no longer believing nothing till it actually happens.

So if the Nix owners are now confident of their long term future, is a potential new stadium on the cards or did that ship sail and won't come back? 

Or was that ship a ghost and never really existed, just some media spin to get a better deal at the lifeless stadium above the railway?

If this is fact, I am buzzing. Now it is up to fans to start showing up to games. Yes, the club can look for better players but we really need to start turning up again. The honeymoon is over, yet I still feel as excited as I did that very first game of season one - for the Nix.

Where and how could we build a stadium, assuming that the Petone ship has sailed? Not dismissing the idea, but looking for feasible plans. Note that Auckland (population 4 x Wellington) hasn't got a really appropriate stadium either - one out on the wop-wops, one a huge concrete cavern, one falling to bits.

I think there is a long road back, but at least if the long term is secure then some of the negativity will hopefully disappear

I think it was probably real but was predicated on the Lower Hutt city council paying for a lot of it and also on getting a twenty year license. When it turned out that there wasn't going to be a twenty year license the team gave up which left the council (and unfortunately some fans) out on a limb. 

This was also at the time when it looked like Wellington might consolidate to form one city (and the bus fiasco has shown just how incompetent the regional council really is) so Lower Hutt (as the largest city in the country without a seated stadium) was looking to build assets before they became absorbed.

I think you'd struggle to get the money from Lower Hutt now, also the owners seem less optimistic about the club than they were so not all of them would want to put in the millions it would take.

anyone get the member survey about ground music?

Yes I got it. Wanting suggestions for pre-game, Goal scoring, 1/2 time, full time music. As well as a walk out anthem for the team. 

Go for it people. 

Rumour through FTBL forum is Radio sport interviewed an owner who said  we will get a 20 year licence and play AFC if qualify.(gareth not back yet)

Anyone hear it or have a link?

Sounds like the owner of Cronulla Riots, talking up our licence as 'purchase-worthy' if expansion is put on hold.

We won't know our real future until the Leagues Working Group finish their work at the end of March. I believe that the other owners like the Nix and I don't doubt at least one of them would be happy for us to be full members with all the privileges; but other forces will also have their say in those discussions.

Now all we need is some decent on the pitch performances..

None! Let the fans make the music!

Could start by sinking the beverages at Courtney place followed by a pre-game march from Te-pepa to the stadium with smokeys and flares in hand would be a hell of a way to get a ultra movement going.

reading what the ffa have done today, any one else feeling a little worried about our future in the aleague

It's all pointing to us getting turfed next year in favour of Canberra.

And the Nix wanted to play a game there last season? Fudge Canberra!

The wording of it was worrying. Not worth panicking about until an independent a league is scrapped. 

Means nothing... once the A LEAGUE goes independent it's a pointless criteria.

Besides if we continue to play like the last two weeks crowds etc will start tracking the right way. Compared to last year we seem to be getting g a lot more coverage and not all of it is bad for a change.

True. I really think it's vital we at least get in the finals this year and the mood around the club generally improves.