I get the feeling that all that talk about metrics/ongoing eligibility is just face saving talk for the FFA/Gallop, so they can say to opposers "well we did give them 10, but we made it clear that blah blah blah". I don't really believe that Morrison would sign up to a hand grenade that could just be pulled at any point without very good cause.
I agree - Welnix owners always had the option of walking away, since no amount of sentiment for the club is worth losing money short term expecting a decent financial outcome long term (10 years or more), if the regulatory regime is unpredictable. You need to be able to plan ahead with an amount of certainty that the goalposts are not going to be suddenly shifted, if you excuse the pun.
WelNix have always said that the goal is for the team to be self sufficient, I don't think they are expecting a huge payout in ten years. I have ocassional business dealings with one of the less visible owners and when suggested that the Phoenix are philanthropic he agreed. Rob Morrison said in an interview that the goal of the Phoenix is to keep assets in Wellington and try and stop the Auckland drift.
Wouldn't you say that the best way to stop the drift (long term) would be to have a separate Auckland HAL franchise, or that the opposite is true? I know there are other variables here, but indulge me.
Unless we put a HAL team there, it becomes wildly successful and our club gets scrapped.