Phoenix Ownership - Rob says FTFFA

If there is this hypothetical Sydney club waiting in the wings then the only way to get it up and running is to loose an existing club because under the current agreement they can't afford to pay the cap of 11 teams. If ratings don't pick up then the next TV deal will be lower than the current one so they are looking at ways to artificially bolstering ratings. They see ooh derbys look good (although even they don't rate high enough) lets make every fudgeing game a derby and therefore every game will be exciting.

Good read - http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/blog/2015/10/27/wha...

All derbies all the time

2,000 new sky subscribers bringing them $50 a month net (guesstimate) would be $1.2m a year.

That's half way to bridging the gap on FFA dishing $2.55m to us, instead of a Aussie side in Sydney.

Assuming Sky would pass much of that on with an increased license fee to the FFA.

So those are the sort of numbers.

I can see why Welnix were looking to move some games around the country.  They need that Sky following up.

Especially if half of the yellow fever are going to watch pirate streams instead of pay for sky. ;)

A div in from NZF, a bit from Wellington Council who otherwise loose a tenant.

Hmmmm.  Maybe this isn't over yet.

Keep playing well Nix, get that Sky following up. 

If the FFA get rid of every team and leave just the WSW and Sydney, And the two Melbourne sides then you could have a 4 team league with them playing each other 4 times per season................err hang on, I just almost described the SPL when there was just Rangers & Celtic......

If the Phoenix fold, Westpac Stadium is fudgeed! Let them chew on that with their high cost of rental and food and beverage prices. The Nix were helping keep it afloat.

A long term lease would have made renting out the cake tin cheaper. :(

Also, they should read up on some economics - the law of diminishing marginal returns. Too many derbies might mean that no one cares about any derbies. Also, remember the state the Heart were in before the Man City sugar daddies bailed them out? Yeah, an extra Sydney team could and probably will be just like that all over again.

If we do get booted for a new Sydney team then I hope like fudge they struggle for crouds and fold in a few years. And I hope that whatever comes out of the ruins of the A League has a spot in it for the Phoenix. Rising from the ashes to soar again is what we do!

No one would take the option.  Why would you after the disgraceful treatment of the Wellnix?

The Derby at the weekend got 78k viewers, last year it broke 170k...

Apparently there was a press conference today from the nix that was quite positive, just seeing tidbits of info from Piney on twitter. Anyone from the YF go?

Yeah but Melb Heart (City) went through bad crouds and raitings . I don't get it. Oh wait the Derby.

Patrick did - assuming you're referring to the post-training one.

I think we have to be a bit careful.  Gallop clearly talking out his arse but I was there on Saturday night and there were 6k and it didn't feel like we are absolutely on top of the world.  There are tings that need to change if we are going to stay in the competition.  That's not to say other clubs don't have the same issues but we are a different case like it or not (clearly I don't like it).

Anyone else waiting in a shower to find out this whole episode was just a dream? That comment is helped if you ever watched "Dallas", the TV show, not Debbie does.....

Reality though is the FFA clearly see derbies as the panacea for all ills and quite clearly that strategy has a VERY limited lifespan

They still aren't great now.

Yep but Gallop is probably paid a bonus on short term results rather than long term viability and sustainability.

Plus it was shark football, our game was described as 'thriller' at The Guardian and oh and that happened:

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/oct/25/sydne...

Bet if we got sold to Liverpool tomorrow we would have a 20 year license in 5 minutes

"Another argument against the Phoenix remaining in the A-League is that it should be an Australian league. This line of thinking ignores the fact that as part of Australia’s ground breaking move to the Asian Football Confederation, having a New Zealand team in the competition was part of that deal."

http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/blog/2015/10/27/wha...

This would be an interesting angle to follow up on- lobby behind the scenes in AFC and FIFA on behalf of NZF and Oceania. It is effectively shutting our whole confederation out of professional football, and there seems possibly (above) to have been some kind of concession on that required before?

This is all so lolz from FFA

It really does seem up there with Terry's "loan" in terms of not being able to see the wood for the trees

Ernie Merrick: "There's too many good people behind this club for it to not be in the A-League" #savethenix

— Jason Pine (@pineyzb) October 27, 2015

Very positive messages from Merrick, Dura, McGlinchey at Phoenix media session today. Encouraging for fans #savethenix

— Jason Pine (@pineyzb) October 27, 2015

Dura: "I've had so many messages of support these last two days, some from people I don't even know. It's a fantastic club." #savethenix

— Jason Pine (@pineyzb) October 27, 2015

NSL too violent. Scrapped.

A-League not profitable enough. Inject violence.

lol

I'd quit, but yes.

That Australia to Asia clause is interesting. If true, there might be some legal grounds here for FFA having to keep us in the league and therefore they may as well give us the million year license. Or come back to OFC lol

Well the devil has spoken..

Crouds

Television Ratings

Memberships 

is what will make the FFA, surname Gallop -  get an erection

TV ratings are suprious.  Even without the NZ numbers we rated as well as a number of Aus clubs last season.  Currently we're low this season but have not played any of the drawcard teams from a TV point of view.

I finally got around to listening to that Fox Football podcast: https://soundcloud.com/fox-sports-australia/fox-football-podcast-bumper-episode

It's a good listen and I'm slightly encouraged that three such well-informed and high profile Australian football commentators are so against the decision. Simon Hill actually sounded angry - good on him.

Some interesting perspectives on how Welnix have handled this, however.

After all the time and effort you guys put in your willing to walk away form this too?.

Isnt it great that one mans bonus controls our sport of football

Another Sydney team, after that happened, clearly that's the future the FFA wants for the A League as they want more of those derbies.

Yip, I did a quick back of the envelope and if you take an average of the TV ratings of the three teams that each individual team has played so far this season ours is the lowest. So we have mostly played against less fashionable, lower rating teams so far. Despite that we have only played in the lowest rated game of the round once so far this season. And none of that includes the NZ numbers, which will definitely favour us.

Overall A-League ratings this season though, fudge me, they are bombing. Average around 60k per game when previously they have been up over 100k. Are you gonna take any accountability for that Gallop?

Would love to hear an Aussie journalist ask him: "Shouldn't the Nix ratings be viewed in the context of an overall ratings plunge that you are ultimately accountable for?"

They call it a "bonus" because he gets paid it to bone us.

Unsure how to embed tweets: but Burnsy has come out in support. 

The FFA own the Phoenix IP, woud they relinquish it in exchange for the license? Unlikely, they'll bone us on that too.