As always with the Phoenix, the issue here is the obfuscation and complete lack of transparency. It’s absolutely clear that they have pushed all of the costs of employing the coaches down onto the foundation and Wellington United so that grant funding can be sought to pay those salaries.
The Foundation and Wellington United can of course claim that they exist to service football in general, but when they are part of a development pathway that leads to the Wellington Phoenix first team it’s pretty clear this is quite carefully structured. West’s and Ole run a very similar model so it’s not unique, but they are dancing on a tightrope here.