Phoenix Ownership - Rob says FTFFA

Sorry but a couple of thousand phoenix fans signing up to light box won't make much difference. As I said to little to late where were all these people when we and Welnix needed them

Because Phoenix don't lay down and die, hello! there's still a competition on, and hope to make a difference. Get IT!

Sorry but I doubt Welnix's pulls out at the end of this year, And they have a chance to correct whatever it was that the FFA didn't like that being mainly TV money from SKY. The New TV deal come into play in 2017/18 well within the Nix's licence (four year). Lightbox CEO hinted at getting the A-League rights way before this shark happened.

SKY has the rights up till 2017 - Get behind Lightbox sports they have the EPL and are adding more sports to the channels and more imported they WANT the A-League IF FANS ASK FOR IT.

Good to see NZF have our backs in this dire situation (see article on the front page)...

[insert sarcastic comment here]

Hmmm... Lets say the 6000 base fans that come to the stadium sign up at $13 a month. That's just over 900k a year. I'd say that 6000 is a safe number as well. Of course then Lightbox will have to broadcast etc.. But surely it's at least worth looking into?

The FFA have not said that the 4 year agreement is going to be accepted just that we have the right to request a 4 year deal under our contract. Even if WelNix applies there is no guaranty that 4 years will be accepted.

There is talk that the next TV deal will be lower than the current one.

The A-League and the FFA aren't in good shape ATM, hence rash and drastic action.

Isn't it a 14 hour flight to Perth?

Good idea sock.  Nothing to loose by trying and hopefully we have some friends over there who are keen to throw a little support.

Lightbox Sports will outbid SKY any day of the week for the A-League. Money talks and SKY walks - email info@lightboxsport.co.nz and tell they to get the fkn A-League and why.

People here have helped raise fund for stuff - Get kids into the nix team (Rojas etc) Why can we push to get a better TV deal or better coverage for the Nix's.

14 hours to Perth? In a Cessna  perhaps?

I thought it was 7 from here and 4 from Sydney. Please correct me.

I could understand if Welnix walked away right now, but I'd still be incredibly disappointed if they did because it would shut down the remotest possibility of this getting worked out in our favour.

As long the Nix is being run at close to break-even (which is what we are told it is) then Welnix aren't actually in the position of having to throw any more money at it. Time and energy maybe, but not money. The players, staff and fans also deserve better.

This is definitely the most serious threat yet to the existence of an A-League franchise in NZ - even more so than the collapse of the Knights, and then Terry's woes, which were essentially just ownership problems - so I'd like to think that are a few key players that are yet to actually put their best cards on the table.

That's just LOL, Welnix new all along about the 4 year deal but wanted 10. Nowhere have I read the FFA wont allow the Nixs to forefeel there current licence extension.  

All quotes here from the Socceroos press conference. I am fudgeen angry now!!

http://www.foxsports.com.au/football/socceroos/soc...

Gallop: I think the ball is in (Phoenix's) court. We're ambitious for the growth of the A-League. You can't expect to squat on a license.

Gallop on Phoenix: If you want longevity in the competition you need to produce results. 

Gallop on Nix: On any metric they're not performing at a level we like for the growth of the competition

Gallop: No one is suggesting on field performance is poor, it's off the field where it is poor.

Gallop: We're ambitious for the growth of the league, at the moment their metrics doesn't support claim for 10 year license

Gallop: (Metrics are) Crouds, television ratings, membership - those are the ones that are going to make us sit up and take notice

Gallop: I'm on the record that growth in big metropolitan areas is the right move for us in terms of building metrics around the game

Gallop on expansion: We're not considering anything that would damage our other clubs

Only hope is a move to Auckland then cross fingers.

The rumour was that a five year deal was on the table. Now they are saying that the Phoenix have the right to apply for a four year deal. Not that a four year deal is on offer.

Gallop is so mindblowingly inept, out of touch and fudgeing thick.  Does he honestly expect people to believe the shark that he is spouting?  The league will never succeed or grow with fudgetards like him calling the shots.

Absolute imbecile.

This all comes back to the FFA shouldn't be running the A-League, it needs an independent body running it. Its bitting us in the arse and will get other teams sooner than later.

See the SFC fans complaining now because 30% of their member comes from South Sydney. It is really looking like FFA are making a mistake and don't seem to see it.

I feel like it wouldn't matter if we got 20k crouds constantly - the FFA board will still want us out. All of this metrics bullshark is just a smokescreen.

Where are the fudgeing metrics he's talking about? Why not make that transperant? Do CCM hit those metrics? Does anyone except MV? Fudge me. So angry.

They don't see it.

My bet is they have some organisation in South Sydney offering them millions for a spot and the FFA are mercenary enough to take it without considering the implications across the league or the long term viability of that club and the league.  They have a long history of thinking for the next 12 months instead of the sustainability of the competition and so far the clubs have in the main carried them.

At some stage they will make one too many of these decisions and it will come crashing around thier ears by wihich stage it will all be too late for us and the rest of the league.

Some interesting ones in there though:

"the ball is in (Phoenix's) court" - he could just be referring to the 4 yr option, or it could genuinely mean that they are prepared to look at another, beefed-up, bid for a 10 year licence (hard to tell without knowing exactly what communications have occurred between FFA and Welnix)

"We're ambitious for the growth of the league, at the moment their metrics doesn't support claim for 10 year license"- again, "at the moment" implies maybe the door still open?

"(Metrics are) Crouds, television ratings, membership" - OK, so we don't score well against all of those. I'd argue that other things are also important and the alternative strategy of setting up a new team in an existing market is also risky, especially when you can do that anyway, but whatever. We need to improve in all of those areas but what do we think it might do to our crouds and membership to make it as completely clear cut as "if you don't average 10,000 attendance and say 6,000 members within 4 years then you're out"? A target as clear as that might actually be helpful. I think the base support is there but part of it just needs the incentive to go from casual to a bit more committed. The ratings thing is trickier because the whole A-League is down, ratings in NZ don't get counted etc etc. But even there I'm optimistic that the Nix is becoming a much more watchable product on the field. Let's face it, both the Jets and CCM should probably be gone under those criteria also.

Yeah, I think he is just sprouting off things that sounds good to try justify his decision.

Reminds me of this when I was reading the comments he was making.

I blame Cronulla's Tim Cahill for all this myself.

Does that mean me and my kids have to take out 4 Lightbox subscriptions?

One thing and one thing only.  Buy tickets.  By a kids membership even if you don't have kids.  It's $20.  WHen you buy a ticket by a few extra kids ones at $2 (then scan them all at the game).

First step to staying is getting people in the gate so the FFA and Gallop look as ill-informed and incompetent as they actually are.

Flat out lie.

which means death

I can't really afford it, but I HAVE to do something. I'm going to buy memberships for family and friends who I think would use them. My parents, brother and his partner, anyone else I can think of. "Here have a free season pass, go to all the games, show your support" 

We have to do something. 

Gallop still doesn't explain how the continued existence of the Phoenix has a negative impact on the growth of the league. It's not like we, I don't know, are eating into another team's fan base to start a new team at the expense of an established one in a completely different market or something...

Just to pick a hypothetical example of a process which might negatively affect the growth of the league...

I wonder if Red Badge will let me stand at the gate and swipe 5 $20 kids passes through every game?

Look the other way Shane Harmon!

Have bought one despite living in Melbourne. 

Tell your friends to buy memberships. Tell your grandma. Tell your pet goldfish (Sydney did)

Been listening to radio sport most of today and I must say I am pleasantly surprised by the amount of airtime on this by the presenters in a World Cup final week. 

and along with everything else mentioned so far, another key is to get on the blower to these guys and clog the airways

how many kids tickets can you buy per adult ticket? Is there a limit?

Link for the lazy

http://memberships.ticketek.co.nz/Phoenix/Home.aspx

If I buy a few Kids season tickets and rotate them around my mates...Is that ok? Will they get stopped scanning at the turnstiles?

"You can't expect to squat on a license."

WTF, feel like Gallop just did and let it all go

Now you all know why Gallop got arseholed from the NRL pretty damned quick. His hair-brained schemes got too much for even them. The sooner the FFA follow suit, the sooner stability comes into the A League.

Buying tickets and just swiping them through the gates is only a fans version of what clubs like the Lions, etc. are doing. 

Buying tickets and giving them away is probably a better idea, but its not going to fix the problem. (although don't give away kids tickets on Lambton Quay on a friday please, only marginally better than lollies).