Phoenix Ownership - Rob says FTFFA (Part 2)
I just find it really strange that the head of the league, an 85 year old man who owns shares in one of the clubs, is able to give advice to another club to tell them how to manage their brand. It's completely bizarre. Why does he have any say at all?
Surely there has to be more to this than simply him deciding that more people would support the Phoenix if they were called NZ instead of Wellington - it cannot be that simplistic can it? Surely they have one shred of analysis to back this up, or it is being driven by NZF or possibly SKY?
People like Coldplay and voted for the Nazis. You can't trust people.
Anyone got his [Graham Hart's] email address? I think I can help him.
Graham can be contacted at 09 633 0600. Unless he's on his yacht. Or his island.
"At the end of the drive the lawmen arrive...
I'll take my chance because luck is on my side or something...
Her name is Rio, she don't need to understand...
Oh Rio, Rio, hear them shout across the land..."
I just find it really strange that the head of the league, an 85 year old man who owns shares in one of the clubs, is able to give advice to another club to tell them how to manage their brand. It's completely bizarre. Why does he have any say at all?
Surely there has to be more to this than simply him deciding that more people would support the Phoenix if they were called NZ instead of Wellington - it cannot be that simplistic can it? Surely they have one shred of analysis to back this up, or it is being driven by NZF or possibly SKY?
Big $$$ offer from some south Sydney mobsters.
"At the end of the drive the lawmen arrive...
I'll take my chance because luck is on my side or something...
Her name is Rio, she don't need to understand...
Oh Rio, Rio, hear them shout across the land..."
https://www.foxsports.com.au/football/a-league/well...
Interview with Rob Morrison.
Acquits himself quite well, I think, and clears up a few things.
Can I just take a moment to say how immensely grateful I am that we have an ownership consortium as good as WelNix? Rob Morrison is level-headed, eloquent and measured in his response. We couldn't ask for anyone better, I don't think.
a.haak
I just find it really strange that the head of the league, an 85 year old man who owns shares in one of the clubs, is able to give advice to another club to tell them how to manage their brand. It's completely bizarre. Why does he have any say at all?
Surely there has to be more to this than simply him deciding that more people would support the Phoenix if they were called NZ instead of Wellington - it cannot be that simplistic can it? Surely they have one shred of analysis to back this up, or it is being driven by NZF or possibly SKY?
They needed us then and were happy to use us, make us feel speacial, wanted, loved. Now after all we've done for them the FFA have found someone younger and richer. So either we tart up and parade around, making a fool out of ourselves, or we're left to walk home on a Sunday morning, our mascara smudged and feeling a little bit ashamed of what we've just done.
I lived in Wellington til I was 12, then moved to Auckland. I'm an Aucklander now and wouldn't want to go back.
However, I have been a supporter of WELLINGTON Phoenix from the beginning and the Wellington part has no effect on that for me, or most other New Zealanders. Everyone knows it's the only NZ team. The name doesn't need to reflect that. I remember when the name was announced and most people were actually praising that we had a New Zealand team that was named after the city it was in, not the country.
I didn't get the impression that Lowy meant the Phoenix should travel though. The name change is (supposedly) to attract out of towners to watch the games on TV. It won't. It also is a mouthful (like WSW) and can you imagine hearing all the Aussie commentators pronouncing the name? And Ngata and Dewhurst for that matter too.
As many others have said, an Auckland team would be a solution. As much as I love the Phoenix, I would drop them in an instant in favour of an Auckland based A-League team (Of course, I'd still have Phoenix as my number 2 team and watch them every game).
That is assuming they get things right. The only suitable stadium we have in Auckland is Mt. Smart stadium. No one wants to go all the way to Albany. It's too far, there's no public transport, no parking, and it is a horrible match day experience in terms of staff, food, seating, screen (if they decide to set a temporary one up) etc. Eden Park also suffers from being way too far from the pitch and any atmosphere that is generated is lost between the separate stands.
If an Auckland club tapped into the large foreign communities around the city, you could draw a decent supporter base. I remember soon after last year's Eden Park game, I outlined why I thought that croWd number was so low. I don't like excuses, but Christmas in the Park was a big factor. You're always going to be competing with other events but CitP is a free family event that attracts tens of thousands each year. That's a lot of families with young kids who might have gone otherwise.
Of course, I could be wrong on this; it will be interesting to see how Auckland performs this year. CitP is the week after the Auckland match, however, it's all the way up in Albany, which may not help things.
To put Albany's distance in perspective, it's about 19km from the centre of Auckland (Aotea Square) to North Harbour Stadium following the roads. From the train station in Wellington, following the motorway and Western-Hutt Rd/Te Puke Highway, 19km gets you as far as the suburb/town of Taita. If you go from the train station through the gorge, you will get to the big roundabout in Porirua, just before Porirua harbour.
...and plenty of people attend Phoenix games from the Kapiti Coast, Upper Hutt and the Wairarapa...
And we have someone who regularly comes down from Palmerston North too on the forums.
...and plenty of people attend Phoenix games from the Kapiti Coast, Upper Hutt and the Wairarapa...
And we have someone who regularly comes down from Palmerston North too on the forums.
I wonder if there's any stats available on TV ratings or shirt sales across New Zealand as a whole for the Auckland Warriors vs the New Zealand Warriors? I d
I have an Auckland Wrriors shirt and I don't have a New Zealand Warriors one. That is 100% greater rate for Auckland than New Zealand branding.
I wonder if there's any stats available on TV ratings or shirt sales across New Zealand as a whole for the Auckland Warriors vs the New Zealand Warriors? I d
I have an Auckland Wrriors shirt and I don't have a New Zealand Warriors one. That is 100% greater rate for Auckland than New Zealand branding.
#metrics
People like Coldplay and voted for the Nazis. You can't trust people.
The key point here, which the FFA seem oblivious too, is that support for a club takes time to develop. And it doesn't happen via 1-2 games per season. People who turn up to these games are generally just coming for the novelty which quickly wears off.
Real support (the type of support that makes people buy memberships and turn up to games in seasons like 12/13) comes via an emotional attachment to the club. The type that you gain by growing up going to games as a kid, or by travelling through the lows of 12/13 as well as the highs of 09/10. It doesn't happen overnight, in fact it takes years. But every time I see a kid on the bus in a Nix shirt, I can see that growing here in Wellington.
As soon as they turn it into the NZ Phoenix, and take half the home games around the country you lose all of it. The passion and loyalty gets replaced by a desperate appeal to the next great 'spectacle' to draw in punters.
Good luck with your metrics then.
One of the comments on the FFA's own site after the latest press release was someone say in that the FFA have no clue about football identity and building support and they just got lucky with WSW, and that the whole South Sydney idea is ridiculous in terms of how it relates to footballing identity and communities in the area, and their demands for a rebrand of the Nix are just another example of their ineptitude about these things.
Which is totally true. But Lowy and co are so arrogant and disconnected from the reality that I think at some level they actually genuinely believe their own bullshark about this.
It's fitting that a man who made his money destroying local shopping districts by introducing bland personality-less interchangeable shopping malls now wants to do the same with football clubs.
Edit: Also fitting - my phone auto corrected Lowy to Lost
People like Coldplay and voted for the Nazis. You can't trust people.
I just find it really strange that the head of the league, an 85 year old man who owns shares in one of the clubs, is able to give advice to another club to tell them how to manage their brand. It's completely bizarre. Why does he have any say at all?
Surely there has to be more to this than simply him deciding that more people would support the Phoenix if they were called NZ instead of Wellington - it cannot be that simplistic can it? Surely they have one shred of analysis to back this up, or it is being driven by NZF or possibly SKY?
Lowy is in full drunk-uncle-at-Christmas mode now. I reckon he is just enjoying himself in the way that only belligerent old billionaires surrounded by sycophants can, but even the robotic Gallop is probably wishing he would just stfu.
I just find it really strange that the head of the league, an 85 year old man who owns shares in one of the clubs, is able to give advice to another club to tell them how to manage their brand. It's completely bizarre. Why does he have any say at all?
Surely there has to be more to this than simply him deciding that more people would support the Phoenix if they were called NZ instead of Wellington - it cannot be that simplistic can it? Surely they have one shred of analysis to back this up, or it is being driven by NZF or possibly SKY?
Lowy is in full drunk-uncle-at-Christmas mode now. I reckon he is just enjoying himself in the way that only belligerent old billionaires surrounded by sycophants can, but even the robotic Gallop is probably wishing he would just stfu.
Reminds me a little of Gareth haha
Normo's coming home
Lowy is a 85 year billionaire who retired from his own company many years ago and this is his way to have power. The FFA was an easy catch and the Phoenix are a random target to 'improve' and 'decide' something. I could be horrible wrong, but that what it looks like to me.
I still think of the Warriors as the Auckland Warriors. They are based up there, play 99% of their home games up there and good luck to them.
I don't have a major issue with the Warriors being called the 'NZ Warriors', or the Breakers, the 'NZ Breakers', and I don't mind the Nix being the 'NZ Phoenix'. What I CAN"T STAND though is the commentators referring to them as 'New Zealand' during play...
"You can never get a bloody tradesman at Easter, it's a wonder Jesus got crucified" - Karl Pilkington
I mind. I supported the New Zealand Knights and that engaged with nobody.
Wellington. Phoenix. End.
I don't live in Wellington so i guess don't have quite the attachment to the name 'Wellington' as you do. Don't get me wrong I'd definately prefer the 'Wellington Phoenix', but if it came down to no team or the NZ Phoenix, then i'll be all over the latter...
"You can never get a bloody tradesman at Easter, it's a wonder Jesus got crucified" - Karl Pilkington
Just read the Morrison article. I really wish we heard from him monthly not once a year - he comes across really well
Think he does as much as he needs to. Obviously a very busy man outside of the Nix.
Whenever I hear him talk I am filled with confidence. Domey not so much...
Normo's coming home
I mind. I supported the New Zealand Knights and that engaged with nobody.
Wellington. Phoenix. End.
I think the Phoenix name is already a bit eccentric so I would go the whole hog and re-brand as something like "Super Phoenix FC" or "Mega Force Phoenix 1 FC" or maybe "Phoenix Mars Invasion Squad FC".
We could relocate to Phoenix Arizona and become the Phoenix Phoenix.
I wouldn't mind dropping the Wellington from our name and just being The Phoenix, as long as we kept our colours. I'd prefer that to the NZ Phoenix.
People like Coldplay and voted for the Nazis. You can't trust people.
I mind. I supported the New Zealand Knights and that engaged with nobody.
Wellington. Phoenix. End.
I think the Phoenix name is already a bit eccentric so I would go the whole hog and re-brand as something like "Super Phoenix FC" or "Mega Force Phoenix 1 FC" or maybe "Phoenix Mars Invasion Squad FC".
I dig it, not only would we have lots of fun with it as fans but it would be a big fudge you to the FFA and their rebranding. We say you want us to rebrand so that we represent New Zealand? How about we rebrand so we represent the entire planet of Mars.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/football/a-league/738...
Great idea. Don't think i've seen anything this positive regarding the Nix on stuff before.
a.haak
We could relocate to Phoenix Arizona and become the Phoenix Phoenix.
I wouldn't mind dropping the Wellington from our name and just being The Phoenix, as long as we kept our colours. I'd prefer that to the NZ Phoenix.
I agree; however, North Melbourne in the AFL tried that a few years ago (becoming simply 'the Kangaroos' while they were trying to expand into Canberra), but they gave up and went back to being the North Melbourne Kangaroos.
Ramming liberal dribble down your throat since 2009
This forum needs less angst and more Kate Bush threads
I mind. I supported the New Zealand Knights and that engaged with nobody.
Wellington. Phoenix. End.
I think the Phoenix name is already a bit eccentric so I would go the whole hog and re-brand as something like "Super Phoenix FC" or "Mega Force Phoenix 1 FC" or maybe "Phoenix Mars Invasion Squad FC".
I dig it, not only would we have lots of fun with it as fans but it would be a big fudge you to the FFA and their rebranding. We say you want us to rebrand so that we represent New Zealand? How about we rebrand so we represent the entire planet of Mars.
It would be fun hearing the commentators say stuff like "and with that 1-1 draw with the Newcastle Jets the Phoenix Mars Invasion Squad have moved into 5th"
https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/football/a-league/738...
Great idea. Don't think i've seen anything this positive regarding the Nix on stuff before.
"Show your true colours" - fantastic, but at odds with call for"black out". #marketing101
Kotahitanga. We are one.
We could relocate to Phoenix Arizona and become the Phoenix Phoenix.
I wouldn't mind dropping the Wellington from our name and just being The Phoenix, as long as we kept our colours. I'd prefer that to the NZ Phoenix.
I could actually live with us simply being Phoenix FC and we would probably get a spike in memberships from Arizona to go along with it.
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