Phoenix Ownership - Rob says FTFFA

The ACFC twitter page is worthy of a read, found this especialloy chuckleworthy:

"FFA: After 3 finals against New Zealand in cricket, netball and now rugby, we don't want to risk them thumping us at football"

Is it just me or does that whole statement suggest that the FFA have moved the goalposts (no pun intended) on this.

He might not have been everybody's favourite person, but he's stepping up to the plate for us on Twitter.

joel griffiths ‏@billygriff29 14m14 minutes ago

Absolutely gutted for the @WgtnPhoenixFC, there some bloody good people at that club #SaveTheNix #aleague

Maybe now the crouds will come. 

#stickitupem

Not sure why people should start turning up now when our long term future is do up in the air. More I think about I don't understand why some pretty smart business men would continue to fund something that it seems has no long term  future. Would be great if we could just go out and win the league not really sure how we would be able to manage that once this group of players contracts expire.

Well if we win the league then we are keeping the trophy! FFA can go buy another one. 

the off season will be even longer now

they aren't making money off the investment yet, and the only way they will is a very long term plan.  So with an offer of 4 years that's fudged, so fudge the FFA

Is it just me, or does it seem strange that the only official statement has been released on our facebook page? Have they already removed our website access? :)

Okay a couple of questions them I'm not posting for a while.    Let's say Welnix accept the four year deal. Where do we get our players from in years 3/4 as I would imagine we wouldn't a very attractive proposition with our future in doubt. Why should the so called casual fans buy into something whose future is very doubtful,going to be hard enough for a Phoenix tragic. Why would sponsors want to sign up for the same above reasons. As I have stated previously why would some smart guys throw even more money at an Aussie competiton that clearly don't want us there.

This whole Sky TV thing stumps me.  I watch the Nix on BT Sport here in the UK and as far as I'm aware am about the only person except maybe Frankie Mac who watches it. I'm sure BT pays next to f**k all for it too.

But the UK don't have a team based there.... 

The four year thing is a smokescreen - it's not actually a counter-offer, but just an option that clubs can invoke under the Club Participation Agreement (and even then it's not guaranteed to succeed).

The reality is that the FFA has grown cold on the Phoenix - we're not seen as commercially viable, and they believe that they can get better value out of a solely Australian league. And to be fair, commercial factors aren't on our side, but it seems deeply unfair that we're penalised because a) a lot of those factors are out of our control (especially the TV deal and viewership figures). and b) Phoenix's presence and sound management under Wellnix helped this league remain viable when Australian clubs were falling over (and some remain in a pretty precarious position).

Pursuing the four-year option in this context seems foolish - you're essentially banking on the environment changing in a fairly radical fashion from this point on to be able to stay in the competition beyond 2020, especially considering that influencing such a change will be a very difficult thing to achieve from NZ. Wellnix guys are smart and shrewd businessmen, I can't see why they would want to keep pouring money into a hole on a wing and a prayer.

Depending on what the terms and conditions of the CPA (and what penalties are involved in withdrawing from the competition mid-season) - walking out right now might even be an option. Would be a sad way to end this journey though.

Depressingly realistic.

Damn, I woke up and found out this wasn't some smart arse dream. this whole thing seems kinda surreal. If I was on the FFA (Or FFS as has been referred to as on the Melbourne Victory forum), I would really be more worried about the survival of the Jets and the Roar than another Sydney team. If they want to expand the League to incorporate two or more teams then so be it. I would recommend giving Auckland another shot. This would give some credence to games against Wellington and you would get decent crouds at both. I would rather have 12 teams play each other only twice and then the finals could be the top 4 teams playing home & away semis and then a grand final - That makes for a 24 game season and with the FFA Cup. You could always try for 14 teams for a 29 game season with also the FFA Cup to be added.

Financially, I don't know if it would work. The product is good enough but it seems to me it is the owners that seem the biggest risk. eg, Clive Palmer types. Welnix have done a lot better than i had expected. Now that Gareth is in the background and not blaming Cats, they have settled into a good business concept. With Ernies arrival and his way of doing things off the field, we really have become a professional organisation. Sure there are still the odd blooper but no more than any other club.

I am really pleased to see the amount of support fans of the other 9 teams have been giving us - Except for the odd redneck Ocker, but we can expect that.

I have one question for the moderators of this site. Worse case scenario and we fold, what is going to happen to this wonderful social get together website? It's kinda part of my life and I'd hate for it to disappear.

That's the worst thing - trying really hard to find the light at the end of the tunnel but it's all:

That seems awfully logical el grap.

And it makes me very sad. 

You know it just dawned on me that this will mean the end of this forum. I don't know what I will do. I use it for a lot more than just talking about the Phoenix, it's a straight-up football community.

#saveyellowfever

This kind of statement shows exactly why we are a club worth keeping. 

I love you Yellow Fever. It can't end like this.

commercial partners and player contracts would be tough with a short licence and demise imminent 

If your analysis is correct, then the logical consequence is that being in a different federation is not the issue. 

In other words, even if NZF got a permission to join AFC, the HAL bosses would still be quite able to decline a licence to us in the same way they did to NQ Fury, even if that club did not seem to be on the brink of collapse the way the likes of Jets or Brisbane do from time to time.

Who knows the real reason. Perhaps the AFC put pressure on as we are a different confederation.

Phoenix for the ASB Premier League .... YF remains intact.....

What would be the "media optics" of Wellnix playing tough? Would they - for example - get support if they were to say "fudge it, shut it down" and get the players to boycott the rest of the A-League fixtures? Or would they get more support from Aus/NZ football public by sucking it up and taking 4 years?

The worst option would be playing out the season and then pulling the plug. That would be giving in without a fight.

Please, everyone, stop talking about the AFC. They had nothing to do with it. Mohammed Bin Hamman had an issue with us, probably because we didn't give him a bung, but he's in jail or something now.

Would be tough on the players to pull the plug mid season.

I totally disagree.

I think playing the rest of the season out and calling it quits is being the bigger man.

Packing the team up now would be unfair to the fans and the players, taking the 4 years is admitting defeat.  finsihing this year is saying thanks for the ride, we will do our part as agreed and no more without a good deal.

in order of importance.

So it seems the consensus is that we shouldn't bother fighting. We should play nice and give up at the end of the season.

yeah the Nix should win the league this year then have a movie made about them. Starring Tom Hanks and Sissy Spacek. 

Sorry that's true, though I am sure the owners would take care of the staff and the players families so there wouldn't be a difference if we played or not.

Its really the players and the fans (correct order this time) that would be hurt by us not finishing the season.  The players deserve to keep playing (experience) and should be allowed one last shot at the title in yellow and black, and the fans want to chant their way to the last game.

I don't know what form any fight could take?  The only possible scenario that I can think might have a chance would be all of the A League club owners banding together and saying NO - you can't do that, we support the Nix being part of the A League - give them the 10/20 years or we pull the pin too. Let's face it, this could happen to anyone of those clubs if the FFA deemed it so.

I think they shoudl keep fighting, but I dont think they should roll over and take the 4.

Keep fighting for 10, and if they dont get it, then go out with our heads held high, instead of taking the scraps on offer.

Steve, I know how you feel, Wife's birthday is on the 13th! She knows I want to go and keep the attendance going but I never thought I'd possibly see the day when I could say I was at every Phoenix game at home whilst they were in existence.

This just does not feel right. And my Sky sport is up for renewal as i was on a 3 month deal. Do I renew? So many emotions..........

BTW if this ended up being some kind of bluff where they magically give us a 10 year licence after Sky or someone give them more cash for tv rights, then I think I'll be waaaaay angrier than I am right now too. 

Trouble is, is that the FFA are running two of them are they not? Jets & Roar.

Does anyone know how much more money they want? For example the TV rights. $32,000 a season now. Do they want 150-200k ? What's the figure?

No one knows. FFA aren't being transperant. 

My current theory is that maybe this is a play to get NZF to make some sort of monetary contribution to the FFA in exchange for allowing the NiX to exist.