Phoenix Football Fund

"There will be a number of exclusive benefits offered to those who join the Phoenix Football Fund including our ‘one touch promise’. This is an opportunity for members of the Phoenix Football Fund to enter the team change rooms for a photo with the A-League Trophy when we make history."

Who are you saving your ONE TOUCH PROMISE for? that is one more touch than you are allowed in vegas 

I live in Wellington, have a season pass and a tonne of merchandise and just put down $5 for each win. The season hasn't even started yet and half the forum seems to be so damn angsty that they want to throw themselves off a bridge for any perceived slight from the club. I guess I'm just not easily offended and more than happy to support the only professional football club that I've ever felt close to, in any way I can.

To be fair, this is due to average recruitment and no guaranteed future licence for the club. There have been a lot of good things going on in the background, but the lack of communication from the clubs to the fans is putting us needlessly on edge. Plus, most of us are goddamned broke already.

Last time I pledged $$$ (recently) the amount accumulating was public knowledge. So were the names of many of the pledgers. Does this apply with the Phoenix Football Fund?

The Domeinator was just on RadioSport. Reasonable i/v but less than convincing. Johns is tearing it (the PFF) to shreds - wealthy owners asking fans to stump up money for nothing.

Have to say I agree with a lot of what he (Johns) is saying... now the numb nuts callers are getting in on it - another Phoenix PR win (not really). Not a good look.

As I said earlier, there's a great idea in there somewhere - but the execution/implementation of it was poorly thought through.

NO! We must overhaul the squad every year and sign marquee players! Don't you know anything?!

Brenton Speed called the signing of Sarpong the biggest recruitment success of the off season.

*swings watch in front of face* THE RECRUITMENT HAS BEEN GREAT THE RECRUITMENT HAS BEEN GREAT NOW GIVE THE CLUB $20

Hey guys no need to jump to the defence of the Phoenix all the time, think you would have to admit apart from Sarpong  we havnt really signed much to enthuse over. Dont care what anyone says if we have a bad run at the back with suspensions and injuries we are going to have hope that Sarpong and his fellow "not strikers" score a bucket load.

No problem with Phoenix looking for different revenue streams but I think they've missed the mark with this one.

Smacks of a primary school read-a-thon.

I'm a bit concerned that we haven't signed a solid, proven defender. 

Happy now? 

Will Gulley replace Boxall? hmmm

If the fund does well, should be able to shout the team some pizzas at the end of the season.

I think it is pretty poor this fund thing. I expect better from a privately owned professional club.

Bequests will be next.

A good point was brought up on the pod.  Because they lose money on the club every year its more or less a charity for the owners.  Give away some money so Wellington can have their very own football club.  So expecting them to stump up more money is a bit of a hefty ask unless they can see a way that will see the Phoenix being profitable.

and there may be people who wish they could flick the club a few bucks here and there and this is a good way to do it.

I think we are all just being a little grumpy.

Before we all get too angsty (or angstier, in some cases) about how poor poor our recruitment has been (which I disagree with, but that's another story), put the kettle on, make a cup of tea and watch a replay of last night's WSW v Brisbane game. I'd rather we didn't sign anybody than have a complete donkey like Piovacarri pulling on a Phoenix shirt.

Anyway. Roll on, Sunday. Nice win to get the season rolling, and some $$ out of my account. :-)

When you over hear talk of the money put in, none core A-League Phoenix, to get the youth program, academy ASB team year 1 and 2 up and running you would be shocked and astounded at the level of personal input that has gone on.  

(And its not me)

"Personal input", "one touch promise", this actually sounds worth doing.

At least there are some other fundraising things being offered, where you can get something tangible for your investment 

I'm sorry, I don't buy this 'owning the club as a form of charity' stuff. It is a business and by and large they run it like one. These guys didn't get rich through making too many poor deals, they are hanging in there in the hope that they turn their investment into a profit. What will be next? "if we don't get another couple of thousand people pledging $5, the club will have to move or the owners will bail out" sheeeez

It's a business that has run at a loss for many years and was close to breaking even ast season.

(I think!)

So the owners have been prepared to lose money on its way to becoming sustainable.

Sounds incredibly philanthropic to me.

The owners know that very few Football Clubs operate as a profit, and their stated aim has always  been that any profits will be ploughed back into the club.

I see the owners as being people of integrity and I take your comments as being a slur against them

Isn't that how most businesses work?

Declare a duel!

You'd have to ask someone who owns three or more businesses. Not sure if most businesses would get finance based on the model for the nix.

I'm sure it's not like selling cocaine in the 80s

the investors are certainly not running this as a charity, but are gambling on profits being made from a big tv deal, player sale or another world cup situation where they get a bundle of money for a load of players representing NZ. That is my issue with this.....offer? They are asking that I give them money but offering nothing but a warm glow in return. Let's say that I give them $500 over the season and we end up winning the league and selling Siggy to Real Madrid for $25m. The owners make a tidy profit, but I get nothing out of it.

Apart from a warm glow.

I also thought the line "To achieve that goal the club needs to compete, both on and off the field, with high profile well-resourced clubs in Australia." makes us seem really small-fry, but that is a very minor quibble.

Especially when the club has prided itself, in the current ownership epoch, in not "spending large".

This venture seems contradictory.

What seemed like a hardcore value of the club seems to have withered away pretty quickly due to a presumed lack of success on the field. 

Cheap talk really.

Not the most inspiring message to fans in the same week as the opening game of the season with the club looking for funds to buy sport science equipment and aid training which would only help in the medium term, with not much relevance to this season, I would think.

T minus 2 days and counting.......

They should have looked at a B Class/ Limited rights share offering instead.

This comes across as a bit half arsed from a board with way more nous than this appears.

They can't even provide reassrrance that they will even have a license next year. Save your money guys, I have a harbour bridge you can buy.

Sell tickets! Make it an event!

That question was raised when the Welnix consortium took over i.e. could you see a day when the fans share the ownership? That's the way companies' work; they increase the shareholders and dilute the ownership of the stock. Asking for donations as a contribution towards winning the A League seems to be a token gesture. If you were to raise an average of $25 from 3,000 die-hards that might pay for a few flights over the ditch but that's it. Becoming more competitive needs major investment aside from youth development. When you weigh it all up, they're moving in the right direction; the key is to secure the franchise and TV rights, then a few decent players to replace the ageing back line, maybe a midfield or two. Oh and a striker.    

I don't get the angst. If you don't want to pay more money, then don't. No need to get all offended about something you can choose to ignore.