Phoenix Ownership - Rob says FTFFA

you would be so lucky Napier, 40 years in court rooms must make you ancient

Guys, there's no need to worry about the Ownership. 

All but locked in now^^

http://www.3news.co.nz/sport/off-field-issues-moun...

I think we need at least ten years but with the ideological basis of the ownership group as such (pretty autocratic, "staunch advocate of kiwi values") surety for our future seems a hard thing to believe in it's possibility.

Seems ludicrous with clubs getting bailed out left, right and centre that a bunch of owners saying we want to be in this for a ten year haul is getting the run-around.

Adelaide, Brisbane, Central Coast, Jets and Wanderers have all needed an FFA bailout or ownership recently and/or have had owners who have given it a go and then up pegs and split in short order. Perth are coming off a salary cap scandal. Gold Coast and the Fury didn't make it.

Which leaves Sydney, the Melbournes and us with some sort of decent support. 

That sounds like the SPL Martin. A two team league. We could be in a four team league.

Personally I reckon this is classic case of "barking up the wrong tree'. Of course FFA would love nothing more than stable ownership of at least one more club outside Melbourne and Sydney, regardless of how much croud we pull in for their games. Seriously.

The real reason might be somewhere else - it may be that it is not actually up to FFA to give 10 years to us but they can't say so. I reckon the real decision makers on this are in AFC (since Australia is a member of Asian federation and HAL is an AFC competition), and also perhaps to some degree in OFC who need to continue to give the Nix their blessing to play outside Oceania club sphere (correct me on the OFC bit if I am wrong).

So it is a bit of a power game. I believe that FFA would actually be keen to give us ten years as it is a win-win. We would get a club continuity, and they would have a more stable A-League membership assured. 

Now, why would AFC care about that?  They only tolerate Australia grudgingly anyway, but largely accept they're in AFC to stay.

Persuade the AFC to give us (WelNix) ten years, and FFA will rubberstamp it. 

AFC are all businesspeople so they understand how to do a deal.  

Maybe we need Tim Groser to discuss it in the round of trade talk. A couple of live sheep exports and suddenly we are in. 

It's FFA, not AFC. Fact.

was a bit worried when I saw this headline in today's Wellingtonian

DVIB = Nimby's.

Fully agree with the sentiment here and believe we should have at least a 10-year licence. 

Playing devil's advocate though, it is also probably fair to say that the 'Kiwi' franchise has had its own issues in the past (with Terry and with the Knights).  We don't see it that way as we have stable ownership now, but I suspect a number of Aussie fans view it like that. 

4 years ago Victory appointed Mehmet Durakovic as their manager and we're fudgeing shark, but nobody is judging them currently on that.

Fans are welcome to think what they want (even though that may be absolutely ridiculous), but FFA simply can't look at what happened to the Knights and Terry at all in this license process.

I'd also add that even the most biassed ausy fans on other forums seem to think that we are stable and have a great bunch of owners. Apart from the threats to walk if crouds don't show up and the fact that we aren't looking to sign a million dollar marquee I've never seen these  criticism placed on our owners on other forums.

The main point seems to be that we as a country take more money out of Australian football than provide.

Which is easily debunked but those spouting it ignore it when you try and debate because they are blinkered fudgetards.

do I have to post my stats, and 2B his graphs again? 

Its been very interesting reading "A-league the inside story of the tumultuous first decade" (P.S: Buy this book)

When they first made the A-League from the National Soccer League, they wanted a NZ team in the league to reach the NZ market. When the Knights folded, they had interest from other markets but again they wanted a team in NZ still.

Looking at history and how stable the Nix are now, I just can't see the FFA getting rid of us. They want a NZ team in the A-League.

The Nix seem confident that it will be happening too or they wouldn't be signing players to these contracts past this season and doing planing for the Nix 10 years in the A-League next season.

I'm only interested because without any trickle of information coming from anywhere - I am worried that we might not be given a license and the club folded. What would be nice if both parties were to say that there is no chance of the Nix having their license revoked or not renewed and they are merely just ironing out some administrative details. Then we can all get some sleep [good one Jack etc etc],

Maybe if you post them in the form of a colouring in book, and give them some crayons, it might help get the message across

Maybe colour by numbers?

Don't be silly. Numbers are far too complicated.

The inability of people to interpret numbers is part of the problem. Don't add more numbers into the mix!

Fundamentally, for all the doomsayers, they seem to ignore that point that the FFA have a 5 year offer on the table. With the knowledge of that, I too would be signing players beyond the end of this year.

Yes but knowing the FFA want us too, I don't blame the Nix for asking for more. Sure I want it all sorted and signed now but the club will be trying to get the best deal for them.

The problem with all the rational arguments for why the FFA should give us a license extension is that they assume the FFA acts rationally.

I agree, we shouldn't be judged on it, especially not by the FFA.  They should be looking at who the owners are and what they have done with the likes of the youth development.  I guess the point I was looking to make (badly) was that the average A-League fan in Aus might still see us as 'that kiwi franchise' rather than a new Nix entity.

From the other comments here it appears that's not really the case anymore which is great.

There is quite obviously quite a substantial segment of the FFA that do not want us in the league because of AFC considerations + because they don't want to fund NZ football in any way. 

Agreed that you can't expect the FFA to act rationally in any matter. They have proven that.

There's been a change in management since then. Domey has said that the issues are financial, and that some in the FFA think that the nix are taking Australian money (same as the fans).

The real solution is for the A-League to be independent of the FFA because the money isn't money from subs or sponsorship, it's money from the A-League TV deal for ten teams.

AFC is a massive red herring and an excuse. That isn't a genuine FFA concern.

is it just the TV rights then?

Is someone not saying something here?

From Aust tonight. Playing hardball ??

"A third Sydney team, based in the Sutherland Shire, could be introduced as early as next year with Wellington Phoenix's future in the A-League up in the air.

As Sydney prepares for the first of three derbies this season, no fewer than nine derbies could light up the football calendar in future years with a team based in the Sutherland Shire looming as a likely to take over Wellington Phoenix's A-League licence.

The New Zealand club's licence expires at the end of the season and while no decision on their future has been made yet by the FFA, the groundwork for finding a replacement is well under way.

Several meetings to establish a new A-League club have taken place in recent weeks between the top brass at FFA, Sutherland Shire Council, NRL club Cronulla and the Sutherland Shire Football Association, the largest football association in NSW and potentially Australia.

The FFA has ruled out expansion to a 12-team competition and confirmed any new team entering the competition would be at the expense of an existing club.

"There are no plans for expansion of the Hyundai A-League in the foreseeable future," head of the A-League Damien de Bohun said. "The strategy is all about sustainability of the national competition and stability of the current 10 clubs. It's a sign of the A-League's growing popularity that several regions around Australia are lobbying for a club in their markets, but that doesn't change our view that 10 is the right number of clubs."

Fairfax Media understands the governing body is looking at cutting all ties with New Zealand football, which offers little for Australian player development, broadcast revenue and A-League attendances. The Phoenix could be dumped as early as the end of this season, though no decision on an extension of their licence or a replacement bid has been made.

The FFA is already in negotiations with Fox Sports and major networks Nine, Ten and Seven over the next TV deal and an additional six derby games in Sydney would be an ideal drawcard for broadcasters in favour of ditching a New Zealand team.

The Sutherland Shire is not the only market the FFA is actively researching for a potential new club with a second team in Brisbane and a third in Melbourne also strongly considered.

An A-League bid from the south of Sydney – potentially also drawing from support in Wollongong – already has the full support of the local council. Sutherland Mayor Carmelo Pesce and councillor Kent Johns held talks with the FFA and would like a team based out of the region to enter "as soon as possible." Remondis Stadium in Woolooware – home of the Cronulla Sharks – is the council's preferred location for a team, rather than Jubilee Oval in Carlton.

"I believe the community of Sutherland Shire would be fully supportive of it and you would have my 100 per cent backing," Mayor Pesce said. "In our local soccer, we have more local players than anywhere in the state and maybe even Australia."

Shark Park is privately owned by the NRL club, which has joined the campaign for the region to be granted an A-League licence in order to accommodate another professional football club at the venue.

The NRL side has not discussed ownership of a potential A-League club with the FFA to establish a cross-code operation.

So they quote De Bohun who says that they are simply looking at retaining the current 10 clubs (including the Nix), and then the very next line says that they think FFA are actually looking to sever ties with the Nix completely.

Great journalism (read: a steaming pile of ?).

Well can you put forward a compelling reason why this whole relicensing thing has taken so long? This has a grain of truth to it IMHO.

"Fairfax Media understands" is their way of saying de Bohun told us off the record

Personally I can't wait until the A-league expansion leads to two conferences - Melbourne and Sydney

I know talk about diminishing returns... It's like they only have one strategy. Feels odd we don't have a new license but this seems like such a risky move I'm not sure I but it, even for the FFA

FFA planting stories so WelNix blink first and take the 5 year deal?