Phoenix Awards 2014/15

Probably best seen as "This year's fan recognition award goes to ...".  Well deserved. (as it would be to a number of others)

And will still be.  They did not have this scheme setup for self praise or reward.  No one but the Phoenix know the criteria used to pick the winner. (As a past winner) All I did to win was support the club.    

I appreciate that they were in it for the pleasure of making someone elses day brighter and that is why they deserved recognition.

Perhaps it is because we know these guys reasonably well that people like me think they deserved recognition. I'm sorry, I don't know Nicki from a bar of soap. Which in fairness to her probably means I am being harsh.

But I am not trying to sound horrible, what is she doing for fans based there. It would be nice to know why she won it, it would be interesting to learn what our foreign based fans are up to.

While I would have loved to have won the Fan of the Year award, I am happy for Nicki and her getting it. Had a lovely chat with her at the awards last night.

I don't know what criteria the Nix use for the award and the amount I've bugged them for help with the RMH Fever Dreams they know what we do, but I'm ok with not winning the award and that it is a YF driven initiative anyway for us to support the club and grow football in Wellington while giving families a nice day out in what is very tough times.

Really, I was just happy to attend the awards and have a club with players that are so approachable. My fingers are crossed to win the FFDU award though.

Discalimer: What I am about to say is NOT meant to say I do or do not agree or disagree with the Fan of the year award - it's just some information for people who might not be aware of it.

Niki certainly didn't just win the Nix Around the World (or whatever it is called) competition and then fly to Wellington for a game.

She works her butt off supporting and promoting the club, not just in Perth, but around Australia and elsewhere.

She leads the Perth Nix Supporters group, but that's not all she does. She is actively involved with the other Nix supporters groups around Australia (in Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney etc.) and in other cities around the world. She helps people set up Nix supporters groups - advises them what they have done in Perth, what has worked and what hasn't.

There is a lot that goes on in the supporter groups world that is not centred on the yellowfever web site.

Thanks for elaborating, but would have been nice for us fans at bottom of the chain to have had  it explained as to why it was awarded. Buggar being PC like some of you but frankly the award should have gone to one of people here who have worked bloody hard to get bums on seats and done things to try and make the match day experience great thing.

So not me then?

Unfortunately , we are never going to know everything, so don't fret about the reasoning & methodology behind this award.

Niki, works tirelessly promoting the Nix in Aussie, she travels to Wellington & Brisbane regularly from Perth, & her efforts with the Perth & Brisbane Supporters Clubs are well known to a lot of people. Have a look on FB. Well Done Niki.

Also huge recognition goes to Matt & Brandon, for the work they have done promoting the Nix games & Matts fundraising for RMH (I just wish that Brandon would stop going to away games !)

Wow. Some people are actually turning on one of our own because she works hard promoting the Phoenix and we can't see its effects.

Sad day.

Perhaps beause few knew about it? Most of us live on this site because the Nix official site and the FFA site are dog turds with little information. Until this award I never even knew of her. Job well done perhaps but it would have been nice to have had an article about her on here or even in a match day programme. Such effort would warrant that at least.

I really see this as quite a petty argument. No-one does this for awards - we do this because we love our football team and some put in way more effort than others. Good on them but if they were doing that for some award, then they are doing it for the wrong reasons. To miss out on it, should not make a difference nor by the same token, demean the contribution they have made or make seem less than worthy than others.

Perhaps we should check ourselves a little before saying this woman (and I have no idea what she does at all) is any more or less worthy than other potential recipients.

The Phoenix gave the award to her cause they felt she was deserving of it. Congratulations to her. The end.

JV, I'm so with you on this. For a start this forum doesn't have a monopoly on representing Phoenix fans. Secondly, its just an acknowledgement of a contribution, as far as I know there's no cash prize or anything, so what's the loss? Thirdly, the complaints about the award smack of entitlement and elitism - let's not bring those things up again please. 

I personally think its a strange category for an award anyway, but I think the angst about it is ugly and does no one any favours. 

Eh?

Roly certainly doesn't qualify for the u-23 category.

The guy turned 23 just before the season started (born on October 8 1991)

http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roly_Bonevacia

Seems a bit unfair on those players in the squad who are actually under 23 (and have played) namely A-Rod and Boyd.....

Should have gone to A-Rod because he's played a lot of games and did alright.

They should have a reserve team player of the year category too.

That confirms it, there is a massive conspiracy within the Phoenix organisation. How can we ever believe them again?

Nominations plz.

Yes he does. Juric got youth player of the month and is older than roly.

23 and under at start of season

It's definitely worth noting that the two guys who have put the most into running Yellow Fever and supporting the team over the years were both recognised during the final speech of the evening from Domey. Smithy and Hard News were both given limited edition prints of the team, signed by all the players to thank them for their efforts over the 8 years of the Nix.

Nice touch. Well deserved (from the little I know about it).

smith wasn't even a foundation member 

Okay, so I've been at work all day.

Here's somthing else...

Early this season I read a few things about the work that a person I didn't know at the time did promoting the Phoenix. They did that work because they were passionate about the Phoenix and they just wanted other people to experience what they were passionate about.

That inspired me and at the same time it made me feel a bit shark. Because I realised I could do more to promote the club and could do more to try and infect people with the passion I had for the Nix. I kinda felt I'd been taking things for granted, and I realised I could, no HAD to do more.

So I thought about what I could do. 

And the result was Brandon's Random Act of Kindness - I decided to buy a ticket to every Phoenix home game and give it away to people who otherwise weren't going to go, in the hope that they would enjoy it and that HOPEFULLY some of them would enjoy it enough to decide to start buying tickets themselves.

And Greg (RedGed) decided he believed this was such a good idea that he would do the same. And most days this season he and I would meet at lunchtime on Fridays in Lambton Quay and find two lucky people to receive a ticket each to the Phoenix. And it's been REALLY good.

And Matt (Yakcall) heard about this decided he'd buy a family pass and give it to a Family at Ronald McDonald House so that they could have a night out away from the ordeal they were dealing with, in the hope that the Phoenix could bring some joy into their lives. And then people decided that was such a good idea that #FeverDreams was born... and, well, we all know what a really good thing that has been. 

...

And, do you know who that person was that I read about back at the start of the season that inspired me?

Some woman in Perth, called Niki O'Connor...

...whose efforts with Perth Nix Supporters' group, the Brisbane Nix Supporters' Group (from all the way over in Perth, by the way) and whose efforts networking with Nix fans in Sydney and Melbourne, and later Singapore, and in the US just blew me away.

Stand up Niki. Stand up F A R K I N G proudly. Take a bow, because all of the things I mentioned above are your legacy. 

What you do and what you have done is what motivated me to do what I have done. 

You're my hero and my inspiration.

Respect.

Your finest moment in these forums sir.

#SackNiki

Nail. Head. We all disagree on things, but the one thing I thought we all  agreed on was that anyone who puts the effort into supporting this club should be applauded.

I think where I fell down was when I'd realised that I have been to twice as many Newcastle Jest games, both home and away fixtures as well as the same amount of Melbourne City away matches this season as Phoenix home games. 

(Jest v City in Dec 2014  & Nix vs Jest at Hutt Wreck)

Worst. Nix. Fan. EVER!

Sack-Diddy.

We're all winners!

We only whinge when we're breathing

Answer is then, stop breathing! ?

I've  thought more about this, i would like the club to create a section within the match programme to allow Nicki to tell us about what is happening over that side. We have our section, why not let her have hers. I would be interested to learn more. And it makes for more reading.

Just read right through this and I have a burning question.

Where is Niki and why isn't she known on these forums? I mean I realise she's very busy by the sounds of it, but this is THE website for Phoenix fans, so what on earth???

SHOW YOURSELF NIKI AND BE SHOWERED WITH PRAISE

hmm no this is A place for Phoenix fans. Not THE place.