Phoenix Ownership - Rob says FTFFA

Arguing with Nick Meredith is like arguing with a brick wall. The sad thing is; I believe he echoes many of the FFA boards opinions.

Don't. Politics is all about alliances of convenience. "Enemies of our enemies", etc.

Besides, we need you here, not ogling the ABs.  There are enough of those already.

Apparently CCM + Perth (Sage) both issued statements in support of us - can anyone find them?

Organisation going Forward.

I know that YF and the local supports most likely will be showing their feelings at home games

How can we - remote supporters help.  I have bought a membership and also have got about 20 odd ppl to sign the petition,  I also go to every game the Nix play in Brisbane and will be there again this year (hopefully for many more to come)

My whole family here supports the Nix and never miss a game on TV or live when they play the Roar,  without the Nix my Foxtel Subscription will definately be cancelled.

In my native Poland, where liver cirrhosis is a national pastime, the alcohol limit on beverages sold at football games is by law 3.5%, so realistically only light beer at best (plus soft drinks, coffee, etc.) qualifies. 

The craft beer at RoF last weekend was like the Second Coming in comparison.

Exactly.  The UK is very much like NZ in this regard outside of the Premiership.

I'D RATHER LICK TOADS

Who wouldn't want to lick toads? Cheaper than beer at the stadium.

Owners backing us (mostly, though more concern about wtf is actually going on) Sage says we were promised (verbal as binding as written yo)  5 years and the owners understanding was us in for the forseeable future.

http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/article/2015/10/28/...

Still, I'm hearing here severe disquiet rather than open rebellion. The fact these opinions are out there suggests the game is not perhaps up.

Umm, struggle to follow this line. 

As a poor uni student I managed to watched the Kingz and Knights all over Auckland, in Wellington etc.  Being able to have a drink or a pie at the game has never been a decider for me.  

Here in the UK the food is utter rip off and you can't drink in the stands.  Does not stop me having a drink and a bite before going to watch Leeds United or Plymouth Argyle.  Both clubs with tickets far more expensive then the Nix and with economically poorer catchment areas then Wellington.

So the ffa don't like us because they get less money from the sky TV deal. That seems to be the main issue, none of the rest of their criteria really matters. None of their other points have good arguments. But with another Sydney team they won't get any extra money from fox and they'll likely get no money from sky so wouldn't they loose out more? I mean why would sky bother without a nz team? I mean I won't watch the a-league without a kiwi team in it.
If they want more money from the TV deal shouldn't they be adding more teams and games?
Maybe they feel the salary cap money here could be better spent but the investment allows the Aussie youth to develop against kiwi youth which is surely worth something for their development. And at least we don't require an addition investment like many other clubs.
I don't know that seems like fairly sound logic but fudge the ffa!

Link? I know lots of people- well ok a few- who are going to get Phoenix memberships for Christmas...or are going to get talked into buying one...

Possibly. The FFA (esp Frank Lowry) are maybe not used to dealing with business men that play hardball too.  We all know that Westfield dictates everything shopping wise, maybe the FFA are stumped at dealing with people who employ the same business acumen and don't "bend over" at their beconingin Morrison etal. 

Given the way the FFA is stepping on all of the clubs' toes with this I really hope that disquiet is fueling thoughts of pushing for independent governance of the league.

interesting about that new asean league

Unfortunately the club owners have been riled before and, despite comments in the media, have done nothing about it. I don't think this time will be any different; but we need to help keep up the support until the end of the season or it will end with a whimper.

This is probably the most provocative thing the FFA has done though. If a well-run club can be dismissed like this, and the others have a new team pop up on their doorstep without consultation, that's a huge threat to the other clubs.

CEO of Adelaide and Sydney FC have also issued statement of support - Ill see if i can find the twitter posts

Well that was 101 messages on here I have caught up on. Several items come to my attention that need addressing. The first and most important one is the feeling of humbleness as a result of the support given to our club and fans in general from most of our Australian competitors.

I'd like to thank them for their concerns and support for the most part. It is almost like a "We are in this together" scenario. Thanks Tony Pignata for your support and Nathan Burns and Joel Griffiths and and and and so many others.

I am glad Tracey is looking at formulating an "official" Yellow Fever response to such support.

2ndly, we need a plan of response to the FFA's concerns. not just the club but us fans too. We have all had a few days to vent our spleens, get over the anger, the sadness, time to do something about this in a positive way. One point made is a hard core of 6,000 and only 3,500 "members". well i am guilty of that. sure I have a season ticket so now I shall invest in a membership too. Perhaps those like me should consider the same if it gets our numbers up.

3rdly. I appreciate the YF leadership keeping a lowish profile and not getting all emotional about this. It is a display of integrity and sincerety. I am sure there must be something in the wind. Thanks HN for giving over some facts too.

Lastly, this is our hour of need, the club, the players and the fans have done nothing wrong, nothing to be ashamed of, nothing that embarrasses the Wellington Phoenix name - We should be proud of our efforts. There is nothing like attending the game at the stadium. The atmosphere, the banter among fans in the stand, the singing and participation. Seeing things on the field of play from an angle not covered by the TV Cameras. I would really, really, really miss this. Ii don't want us to lose out. the sooner the FFA realize what Gallop is all about and see why the NRL got rid of him pretty damn quick, the better.

thanks fellow football fans, both here and in Australia of the various clubs, The true footie fans are what counts regardless of which club they support. It is heartening to read the mostly positive stuff coming from them...and you lot.

All this talk about the SkyTV money - didnt the FFA negotiate that deal?

Or more correctly, shouldn't they be negotiating with Sky and rattling them for a bigger amount and not the club.

the reality of the situation is that despite the good work of the coach, the hard work of the support staff and the generous pockets of the Welnix consortium, numbers coming to the game are down from those early Herbert days. Maybe it was the novelty; the buzz was amazing what with the club shop, Terry and all that. I feel that those chaps who came and supported in the early years have either grown up or just stayed away. Football fans are not fickle, they're addicted and they keep coming back because watching the game on TV just isn't the same. This is my fifth continuous season as a member and I'll keep coming back. Wish I could say the same about the walk ups and casuals. The irony of it all is that this team is better prepared, better coached, better managed and better financed than at any other time in its history. The FFA are cowards because they're looking at this through an Australian lens. They should be less narrow minded and look to a world view. FIFA where are you on all this? You talk about the world game so get behind the club and support New Zealand's unique offering. John Key, get your ministers off the rugby field and and look to the greater levels of participation at schoolboy level. I believe the Welnix will take the four years and look to build our numbers up again but the negotiation will be tense; these are business men who don't play games after all. 

Conga line on 13 Nov?

Thinking about all this shyte its a bloody shame that its taken this rubbish from the FFA for some people to realise just what we could lose here. Sadly most on here are those who are already committed and have already in many cases gone above and beyond. Just how  we get Joe Bloggs to buy in is the question and if we do get another life its going to need some serious thought by ALL parties  to develop some strategies to go forward with. 

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-10-28/phoenix-a-league-exit-move-condemned-by-united-chairman/6893354?section=sport

I know the petition wont have any bearing, however it is nice to see support coming from all over the world.  I have been a Nix man since that first game 2-2 with MV and I live in Australia (Wellington is my home town).  Wish i could do more from here

http://www.fourfourtwo.com/au/news/sky-blues-warn-ffa-hands-south-sydney#:Q9nZqi-QHeRljA

Sky pays what they think the nix are worth - it's obviously not enough for the FFA. 

To play devils advocate here, the FFA look at the sky ratings and say that if after 10 years of having a pro football team the NZ market just isn't into it and isn't showing the growth that is expected then what evidence is there that another ten years will be any better?

The outpouring of support, while only a one off and not indicative of active support, shows at least the awareness that the nix has, and therefore the potential market. Hopefully then they realise that the ten years has achieved something namely a broad knowledge and casual following of the team that can be converted into viewership, and therefore revenue from Sky with just a little more investment.

We all know people that go to a game every couple of years with there mates, keep an eye on the nix scoreline if they stumble across it in the paper or see it on the TV news, and will be at a finals match in full stripey if we ever get there. But don't watch the team on sky, don't go to games regularly, and don't follow the team on the internet. Those people cannot be converted, but their children will be huge nix supporters. That is what ten years will gain us. There will be people who's parents are casual supporters but are football mad and have grown up their entire lives with the nix.They will support the nix because their old man casually supported the club, took them to a couple of games, and watched the score on the news.

Judas! Judas!

Can't embed because I'm on the mobile client but the official nix account had sage saying that the ffa promised the owners that the nix would be around for the foreseeable future.

Foreseeable = ? months/years

Sage said that he had been under the impression that the Nix had been guaranteed at least "another five years - minimum."

The FFA would not have gone public on this if they did not have alternatives lined up.

This has been confirmed by a statement in yesterdays SBS headed "Trio of Associations ready to form A-League Club"

The article goes on to say that the Sutherland Shire FA, the St George FA and the South Coast FA have had a series of meetings and are convinced that they are ready to join forces and form and A-League club...."in time for next years season"  And get this, the article quotes 

"THESE MEETINGS HAVE BEEN DRIVEN BY THE FFA"

So its a stitch up....the Nix are being rolled for another Sydney franchise. The rumours in the Oz press were all true.

What has really surprised me is the remarkable amount of support for the Nix across the ditch. Apart for a few "kick the kiwis out" dickheads everyone else has been in full support for the Nix staying in.....and this includes most of the sports media, football supporters groups, players association and many A-League clubs. A FourFour two poll had 85% of the 3000 people polled wanting the Nix to stay.

It seems that the FFA decision has rattled quite a few A-League owners. The ones who have spoken out have question the worth of an A-League licence if it can be ended so suddenly. Sage at the Glory has been particularly outspoken. He said something along the lines of "why would anyone invest money in an A-league club if they didn't have an assurance that they will be there for the long term "

This may not be over for us yet. The other owners have been questioning the FFA's policies for a while...this may just push them into open revolt.

Don't bother with Joe Bloggs he's a bastard.

Yeah but the people we need to get in are not necessarily us lot, you know eyes glued to the pitch for 90 minutes. We are more or less there on a regular basis anyhow.

The stadium is rubbish for watching football it's too far away from the pitch and so those who don't bleed football are going to get slightly bored and wander off for a few beers and hotdog.

I know the stadium has made great strides in offering better food and drink but you still need to re-mortage your house on a day out if you want to eat and drink at the stadium.

I've taken lots of folk along, and not including those that have left the area or country none now regularly attend. I really believe that it's because the end product is too much effort and cost for casual fans to shell out for.

Most see the trip as a tick on the local Bucket List. Te Papa - check,  Weta Workshop - check, See the Nix - check.

If we'd been given a 20 year contract I reckon that would have pushed us to build our own stadium, and the experience would have been nicer and more enjoyable.  It was never going to happen and you can't blame Petone Nimby's, it's the fact the club was not prepared to committ knowing they'd only at best get offered 5 years.

The club really has not managed to emerse itself into the fabric of the city and they need to take responsibility in that and not like a lot are doing on here just blame the population. They have totally failed to break the Rugby and to a lesser extent League, Cricket straggle hold on the media. They did not do enough smoozing by a long shot. .Advertsing for years has been woeful and everything is too expensive. Liasing with Tranzmetro too is just a joke, with sh*tty buses replacing trains.

Those that went 4-5 years ago will just remember a crappy view and sh*tty food offered by Spotless. Adding a craft beer is not going to make a blind bit of difference in getting people back in the gates is it?

Why is this true???? It's beacause the Rugby, 7's, etc have also taken a hit. I think the Warriors only got decent numbers but them turning up is like us getting to the finals.  So the club was up against consumer apathy in attending live matches and seemed to have no idea how to solve that.

Was that NZ First statement a joke or real?

Also LG I'm all for bashing Gallop right now but to be fair he was NRL boss for 10 years, so they didn't really get him out quick-smart... he struggled with some things towards the end, mainly the alcohol and drug addled player culture, but prior to that I don't think he was seen as a failure. In fact I'd say given League's demise in the 3 years since he's gone his stock may have actually risen in that regard.