Franchise or club

Franchise or club

Franchise: the right or license granted by a company to an individual or group to market its products or services in a specific territory.

Club: a group of persons organised for a social, literary, athletic, political, or other purpose.

Which one do you think we are?  I thought I supported a football club but I now think I support a franchise.  A club I believe is firmly rooted in its local community and wouldn't play home games elsewhere if at all possible.  A franchise seems to have the purpose of marketing its product more widely.  Lets be honest, the Phoenix were not set up by a bunch of guys who loved football and wanted to have a kick around on a weekend (a definition of Yellow Fever perhaps) it was one guy (God bless him) with enough money to buy a license.

Perhaps our expectations of each one should be very different?

Kapitinix2009-04-22 07:32:38

We (and all a-league teams) are  franchises branded as a clubs. 2ndBest2009-04-22 08:41:00

The difference being that Franchises are easily changed/moved/modified to suit the mood Governing Body where as a Club is a extremely difficult thing to manipulate.

Kapiti Coast United FRANCHISE! i like the sound of that

Why should they be different?

+1

Though it's obvious that Tony P didn't actually WANT to play games outside of Welly. Blame Westpac staff if you really want to rant like a two year old. It was a necessity and I think it has a silver lining as it will help expand the fan base.
valeo2009-04-22 11:20:03

You have made your own argument when you say "If at all possible"

With such a multipurpose stadium clashes are to be expected, not like English clubs that own their own grounds and therefore get to dictate terms.

Soccerball in NZ is a different animal than in other countries where it is the no 1 sport, we have different challenges to overcome, and if 2 games in a year need to be move to overcome those challenges, then i'm all for it.

(I just want to know when they are coming to Kerikeri!)

Fair enough though to those that are voicing their anger at a game being moved because they can't make it- I remember at this stage last year when everyone was complaining that a regular season game would be moved... what's changed since then?

No its not fair enough. its selfish.

He asked what definition the Nix came under, not to be criticised.
J.C. cool off.

Its the same as the definition of a fan versus a client. I'm a bloody fan.

Selfish? It's a bloody sports team. Not food for starving African children. The team is based in Wellington and some people are angry because as much as they want to go to all the games wherever they might be it is unaffordable. How can you not understand they might feel aggrieved?

No you're being selfish because you want all the games out of Wellington- what about all of us in Wellington. Such a stupid point. I myself will definitely try make it to Palmy but will probably give Christchurch a miss.

Go back to moaning about Ricky, you were slightly more bearable then.

Mate your a clown. Who said I want all games out of Wellington?

Anyone remember Robby Slater kept calling us a New Zealand team and we all got upset over that??

I think you can either be selfish or proud.

This argument is getting a bit childish...The two games are going to be played at away venues and as much I personally would prefer them to be at the westpac, the reality is that are not so all the arguing and backbiting is not going to change that..so you are either going to the games or your not either way it doesnt stop you supporting the team

Exactly

You're. Bit funny really maybe you should get your head checked. It was sarcastic. My point is, how can you tell a fan that he is selfish because he wants to see his club play as much as possible in their home city. I don't even fully agree with the ones complaining because like it or not we have forced into this situation but you have to see someone else's point of view on the matter. We're all here to support the Phoenix in the end.

Yeh nice try at an out.

The question about franchise or club is simply that I have different expectations.  If we are the New Zealand A league franchise based in Wellington, then of course we should be doing as much as possible to spread the word, get people involved from outside the area and play a number of games around the country to increase interest.

But this is not what has been sold to us over the last two seasons.  We have had the fact that we are a Wellington based club really pushed.  Local youth sides being part of the match days, the request to stop calling us New Zealand on television commentaries, the decision to name the club Wellington and not New Zealand.  There seems to now be a shift.  Suddenly if the game in Christchurch is successful it may become a regular event.  I am not trying to be selfish or deprive anyone of their football, I just come from a tradition where the club is rooted in its community and stays in its community.  I am delighted people from outside share the same passion for the Phoenix, I took a keen interest in the Kingz and the Knights but never had any expectations of them playing in Wellington.

One of our purposes is to provide a professional football environment for New Zealanders. We may be a Wellington club and I'd object to anything otherwise, but we do have to look out for the rest of NZ as well.

...which, as an Australian, I choose to ignore

 

It sounds like you may be from England, where everyone has a professional club in their local area. The country I'm from has only a few fans of football and needs to gather fans wherever and however it can.

If Mansfield (English team) played a home game in Wycombe (English town), nobody would come as Wycombe already has a team. The situation is different here. There is only one team for the whole country.

This may end up drumming up enough interest for a future Christchurch A-League team, and surely that's something we all want.

Adelaide played their Round 18 home fixtures at the Adelaide Oval in both the 2007/08 and 2008/09 seasons. Does that count?


Also, the away-home-games whining is starting to get really stale, really quickly. Everyone's entitled to their opinion, but do us all a favour and stop going on about it.

Interesting idea...If CHCH had an A League club of their own. Now that would be good. Great at Derby games!! If only it happened but I fear not for the next few years. The fan base is down there for sure.

Jeez guys....some of you could chat and debate with yourselves in an empty house for a full 48 hours non-stop I reckon.......and still be unhappy with the outcome!!

Some of you whinge for the sake of whinging....never happy whatever the Nix do, always looking for somewhere to vent your negative vibes.....just makes me smile even wider!!!

Chins up....all of them...be happy, just take it that we all support the team and even though we are fans, we're not the ONLY fans of the Nix.  Sometimes the CLUB has to make decisions that are in the best interests of the CLUB.....to make more money, grow the fan base, invest that money into the club with better players and better facilities, possibly recoup some of the millions Terry has already invested/lost.

Cos lets face it...if they followed some of your suggestions and ran the club purely on loyalty and love, failed to try to grow the fanbase by taking the Wellington Phoenix to a national audience they possibly wouldn't be here in a years time....and I know you guys wouldn't accept any of the blame....

Wow, an extra home game this season, two new signings, no increase in season ticket prices, trainings started, Corrales and Krishna trialling........what a miserable bunch of news that is.....

... on the point of franchise vs club, I think it would be fair to argue most large premiership sides could be seen as being Francises now.  Their tours of Asia and North America for instance.

And if you look at the recent Man U vs Everton game at Wembley, that was an away game for both due to finacial considerations, not fan considerations.

?

Aren't FA cup semi's always (recently) played at Wembley?

They are now, but that's not because of the clubs' decision, rather wembley needs to pay for itself.  Semis are always played at a neutral venue, but hasn't always been wembley.  There was a large groundswell from the clubs to have the match moved to a large NE ground, but no dice

I think it's mainly for the cause of boosting the old post count