Domey says fudge metrics.

Quite funny how negatively inflected that article is.

I wouldn't be surprised if we are out next season, it was good while it lasted but Fox sports have the final say and the FFA wont wanna bit the hand that feeds them. Until I see the licence agreement happening then I wont be buying into being safe. I just don't trust them.

You have trust issues! 

You need therapy bro

The article looks beyond the immediate few seasons of the league and FOX won't have the skin in the game by then.as their broadcast deal will have finished then.

If Fox is really out of the picture then, I really hope that the new ownership group has a plan for getting those $58m a season from somewhere else!

Yep, Fox dropping Super Rugby should be putting a massive scare up people if they weren't already terrified.

If Fox says no then they'll be looking at Optus in Australia.

Optus pay less for Premier League rights than Fox pays for A-league at the moment (or at least that was the case when the two deals were made a few years back). Can't see Optus wanting to pay that much. In general the league is going to have a hard time negotiating a TV deal that's as good right now, and they may struggle to negotiate one at all if the league metrics don't turn around significantly in the next 3 years.

Sure, we've passed peak TV and most deals will decrease, except maybe for the marquee competitions that the networks will go all in on as they gamble to keep valid.

The A-League will need to have multiple avenues of distribution.

Agree. They really need to find a way to get some decent money to come in from Asia. I'm sure there's options there, but probably not without risk in one way or another.

Question from someone who dosnt fully understand the broadcasting and streaming of sport.If Sky and Fox lose the broadcast rights to sport who will do the filming of the live sport. As wouldnt think they would want do it due to costs involved if they dont have broadcast rights

Someone else would have to step in, simple as that. It's not for nothing that FFA are nominally staying in charge until 2023 so that the Fox TV deal isn't jeopardised.

Sky Sports is a partner of Fox, so if Optus get the rights who will take over from Sky?

Sky pay for the rights to the A-League separately. Though I could see Spark being interested next time they come up for grabs.

The people that do the filming and producing tend to be freelancers so they will be able to work for any company that picks up the rights and needs the content produced.

It's why Spark picking up the domestic cricket was such a big deal, previously they had only picked up content that other people had produced for them. With the cricket, they're going to have to put on a full production.

Okay I thought the filming was done by Sky hence why I was wondering who would pick it up as wouldn't have thought there was much to be made given the outlay.THX

Sky outsources filming, but its not as cost prohibitive as it once was. 

If fox leaves sky could still stay, remember sky sponsors the team, the stadium, and are trying to pivot their business. They even tried to buy Vodafone.

sky is doing all kinds of things to stay relevant and in the picture with NZ sports, they recently purchased lightbox from spark and I'd expect to see that merged into Neon and maybe they'll use that platform to compete with Sparks online sport offering. I cant imaging Sky would let anyone get in the way on their a-league coverage given the sponsorship deal with us.

And imo you guys without sky should check out their away day deals for the on line stuff, keep the sponsors happy etc. 

So Perth Glory are now owned by foreigners (%80) is this a good thing for the Nix? Surely sum1 would want to buy into the club now that the club isn't getting kicked out. We still don't have the extended licence (3+3 next year) but after that it should be possible.

Football: Momentum building for Wellington Phoenix women's team to join Australia W-League 

There could be a Wellington Phoenix team in the Australian W-League by the end of this year. A women's team playing under the Phoenix brand has been mooted for years but is only now moving from possibility to probability. Barriers still remain — mostly financial — but the joint trans tasman bid for the 2023 Women's World Cup has added to the impetus behind female football in this part of the world. "To get this across the line, a number of parties have to join forces to get it done, but there is some real momentum behind it now," Phoenix chief executive General Manager David Dome told the Herald on Sunday.

The ideal would be to have a Phoenix team playing in 2020-21. "It's a stretch for us but that's what we're working towards. If we can continue the momentum, it's possible, but we need a lot of people to come to the party and get it to work." The W-League was established in 2008, with seven teams affiliated to existing A-League clubs and a Canberra franchise. The Mariners were dissolved after a year but Western Sydney (2012) and Melbourne City (2015) were added to make the current nine-team league. The 12-round regular season runs from November to February, before top-four playoffs. Dome is working closely with New Zealand Football, who see the team as critical to the development of the Football Ferns and age group national sides, as well as other stakeholders.

But the biggest barrier is financial. "It's a huge cost to the club," said Dome, who is seeking commercial partners. "It would need to be cost neutral so the owners [Welnix] don't have to write another cheque, to support another part of the business. We would need to get the commercial [equation] sorted but there is plenty of interest." The financial implications are also why a Phoenix side would be based in Australia, as W-League teams can't afford to play on this side of the Tasman. Dome is hopeful of "one or two" games being staged in New Zealand but the home base would likely be New South Wales.

"The league wouldn't even consider a Phoenix team without it being based in Australia. Long-term, if the commercials around the W-League become more profitable, then a Wellington team based out of New Zealand could be contemplated." The team would be dominated by Kiwis, a mix of young locals and established professionals returning from overseas. The outcome of the Women's World Cup bid, expected in late June, could be crucial.

"Touch wood, if that comes off, there would be some decent pressure to get the thing done sooner rather than later. Everyone has an eye on the World Cup. It we came in next season, it gives us three years of W-League [before the tournament]."

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/football-soccer/news/article.cfm?c_id=86&objectid=12308873

If they had women's game, reserves game and main game as a triple header - what an awesome  value for money. Just like the NRL do. I've watched some of the W League games and they can be as e citing or even better than some of the men's games.

Make it happen Domey.

Ten extra points for this sublime freudian slip, LG.

Triple headers not possible as W team to be based in NSW.

That's a shame. I could see an avenue for any Kiwi International ladies and local ones wanting to make a career out of it. (And fixed my spelling mistake).

Best read Blew’s post in full LG, team will be Kiwi dominated.

W League season is short, so for example could be mostly students who have some flexibility with their studies to live in Aussie for a few mths.

Or others who also have club contracts in USA as I don’t think the seasons overlap. 

Cheers.

aussie teams don't have the funds to travel to play in NZ. Basing the Nix W-league team in NSW wouldn't be too bad though. When the men's team plays a Sydney team make sure the women are there as well.

Not sure if I get that, if they can get to Perth they can get to at least AKL (or CHCH if you really have to)

Maybe Tony Sage pays for all the other sides to fly West.

Imagine a very large chunk (% wise) of a W League team's budget is travel. Wages being a lot lower than an A League team.

So maybe the agrument of the existing W League teams, is why should we greatly add to our travel expenses just to let in a team from another country.

As above in Blew's post, Welnix have stated any Nix A League team has to be cashflow neutral, ie not run at an additional loss. So Welnix ain't going to pay the travel costs of other W League teams to fly to NZ.

Seems the W League needs to bring in a lot more commercial revenue (TV rights), or a major sponsor needs to come on board for a Nix W League side, before it can be based in NZ.

Westfield sponsors the W-League, the Lowys own it. They have money, it's a matter of how much they'll pay to take us into consideration.

I don't want to bring everyone down

But realistically can anyone actually hand on heart see this happening?

Used to, apologies.

Yep, I can. Won't be easy because there is the downside of not seeing WPX women playing here. 

But that is not a biggie for people like me who do not live in Welly anyway.   I do not go to RoF games. Instead I would pay for a weekly package deal to be viewed / streamed / whatever if it includes mens, womens and reserves teams of WPX doing their best, plus some decent studio chat and analysis (even if that studio chat is just the YF podcast streamed in by Patrick from UK).  OK, maybe not that last item.

.

Solidly middle of the pack, you love to see it.