So coupled with declining A league ratings, it's unlikely Fox would want to put more money in - so the conclusion is that it is not looking good.
Is this you Keegs? http://fiveyearstops.blogspot.co.nz/2015/11/under-...
I take that as a massive compliment. Those blogs are fantastic.
Talking about low TV rates loosing the EPL. What would happen if all A-League clubs ask the FFA and FOX what THEY will do to increase or hold the metrics? I mean the less people watch those games, the less they can ask for money from their sponsors.
more people actually attend the matches per capita than watch on tv per capita by a huge margin. So that is a very valid question for the clubs to ask.
The FFA are using the Phoenix and metrics to deflect attention away from their own poor performance and controversies (Warner Payment anyone?)
Average 64,000 viewers per game on fox tv last season.
Average 13,000 in attendance at games last season.
Given the population tv draws from is much bigger than those that can reasonably attend games within a catchment area, that tv figure is all kinds of shocking, while the attendance figure looks comparatively good. Twice as good in fact.
Some interesting commentary here: http://www.afr.com/business/sport/fox-sports-concedes-late-epl-winner-to-optus-20151101-gkofmc
Fox currently pay $20-25m annually for the EPL. Optus bid $63m.
"saving the $20-25 million each year gives it more money to spend on something else. That could mean a rise for the A-League, which currently gets close to $40 million annually from Fox Sports and SBS, though Fox Sports is already set to pay an additional $20 million for rugby union rights"
So Fox have been paying roughly $20m annually for the EPL, and $40m for the A-League. It would be really interesting to know how the EPL rates against the A-League, to get a feel for whether one is a bit of a loss-leader for the other. It may not be as simple as Fox simply diverting the money from the EPL into trying to keep the A-League rights, especially when A-League ratings are on a downward trend.
I think that kind of thinking is extremely optimistic, especially with ratings down as they are.
Also if they saw the A league and EPL as complementary products (and the way their coverage is designed suggests that they do), then the absence of the EPL only further decreases the A league value to them.
How many fans/casual observers of the HAL in NZ dropped Sky because they would rather be spending that money on the EPL? I assume something similar could happen in Australia and will affect HAL viewership.
Fox better talk to Sky about getting the rights to the ASBP to make up the gap in their schedule
People like Coldplay and voted for the Nazis. You can't trust people.
Thats cheap to be able to watch the 3rd best team in the world on a regular basis.
T
People like Coldplay and voted for the Nazis. You can't trust people.
Thats cheap to be able to watch the 3rd best team in the world on a regular basis.
T
wouldn't want to threaten the immeasurable returns of amateur status though. Auckland High Schools have some amazingly engaged assistant coaches.
Thats cheap to be able to watch the 3rd best team in the world on a regular basis.
T
wouldn't want to threaten the immeasurable returns of amateur status though. Auckland High Schools have some amazingly engaged assistant coaches.
People like Coldplay and voted for the Nazis. You can't trust people.
Well Mr Gallop? What you gonna do about this fine mess? Resign mIght be a good suggestion. Fox losing the EPL is a massive blow to the A League. Unless the FFA abandon Fox and go after Optus?
Wow thIs is a very rare photo. Two village idiots standing side by side.....
See people down under really do walk on their heads.
That happened first... everyone (rightly) laughed. So yeah, karma.
I prefer this:
Anybody remembers watching "The Downfall"?
It also featured scenes of ranting, raving, and turning on one's loyal troops.
Ended badly if I recall.
Actually, getting outplayed quite a bit these days
I bet Hyundai are not thrilled at any of this crap
Oi Oi Edgecumbe... lets have a clean sheet
fell on his head. Still failed to knock any sense into him. Probably made things worse, he forgot what good and bad 'metrics' are.
No matter what a dick he is I'm not going to laugh at an 85 year old falling on his head.
You really shouldn't have people of that age running a sport, marbles tend to start disapearing, anyone who follows Formula one will know what odd ball things Bernie comes out with.
Funny bit really is Gallop grabbing onto the silver at the first sign of something alarming
This view that the Nix bring nothing to the A-League is quite clearly bollocks.
It is quite clear to me that we provide important on-the-job training for inexperienced referees.
I know, I know, its serious!
Getting coverage in Melbourne Age
"Dave Lucas, better known in the terraces as 'Hatter', is an English-born Wellington Phoenix fan who routinely travels across from the New Zealand capital to watch the 'Nix go to battle in the A-League.
He's among the handful of Phoenix diehards who travelled across for what may be the last of the traditional Melbourne Cup-eve fixtures between Melbourne Victory and the league's sole NZ club.
A fellow fan says between five and 30 fans usually travel to Phoenix away games, but that their support is always supplemented by a healthy contingent of expat Kiwis.
Even within those travellers within Phoenix's Yellow Army active support group, Lucas is among the keenest fans.
He's philosophical about Football Federation Australia's decision to deny the Phoenix a 10-year license extension, but that doesn't mean he thinks it's right.
"I think we've definitely been hard done by," Lucas said before kick-off at Etihad Stadium on Monday night,.
"We've never been bailed out by the FFA. We've certainly been performing on the pitch, we finished fourth last year.
But he gets the crux of the issue. "We're not in Australia, that's our biggest handicap.
"I can understand that they want more teams in Melbourne and Sydney, but all they're going to do is dilute the support for each of the teams currently."
The bay of Phoenix fans were spirited, but like their team on the night, outmuscled by the hoards in navy blue and white. There was a 'Save the Nix' banner, and a few Kiwi expats with '#savethenix' signs. But as for any ugly displays of activism, Lucas didn't think so. "That's the not the way we operate. We don't like to stir things up. We like to have a few beers."
But if Wellington do get the boot, the competition will have lost at least one fan. "I watch every game at the moment, but if it doesn't hold a personal attachment for me I wouldn't watch it."
This is on Stuff this morning from the SMH from Michael Cockerill - http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/football/a-league/736...
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
OPINION: The "Save the Nix" campaign which has erupted on both sides of the Tasman over the past week suggest plenty of people do care about keeping an A-League team in Wellington. But the man who should care the most, Phoenix chairman Rob Morrison, has been conspicuous by his absence. Telling.
Wellington Phoenix take the field at AAMI Park on Monday night for the first time since the FFA dropped their bombshell, and expect a show of solidarity from the Melbourne Victory fans, just as there has been over the weekend from fans of Sydney FC, Adelaide United and Brisbane Roar.
Over the past seven days – across social media, in the boardrooms of the vast majority of other A-League clubs, in New Zealand parliament, from the offices of Chinese sponsors Huawei, from a swathe of commentators – the "Save the Nix" mantra has gathered genuine momentum.
The FFA knew their refusal to extend the Phoenix's future past 2020 would get a reaction. They probably didn't expect so much of it to come so close to home. The "why do we need a Kiwi team in an Australian competition" line resonates on a superficial level, but it seems the majority of the football community is smarter than that.
Truth is, this is not a trans-Tasman rivalry issue, it's an A-League issue. Getting rid of Wellington means another team has to take their place. Behind the scenes, the FFA has been working on creating a third team in Sydney to fill a potential void. Among an ownership group already at odds with head office, those revelations have proved incendiary.
Based on the recent FFA board election machinations, six of the 10 clubs are loosely aligned in opposition to the Whitlam Square regime. After this, it may be that the FFA have only one club, Newcastle Jets, in their corner. And that's because – for the next few weeks or so – they still own them.
The timing of the FFA board decision – three rounds into the season – is disastrous. Frank Lowy took a long time to find the time to meet Morrison, so arguably the wound is self-inflicted. Either way, now that the issue is out in the open, the apathy which strangles New Zealand football and has imperilled the Phoenix needs to be addressed.
At the pointy end of all this is Morrison, the Kiwibank chairman who also chairs the Welnix group which owns the Phoenix. On one level it's OK to be publicity-shy, but not at times like this.
Incredibly – despite being well aware of the impending FFA board meeting – Morrison was on the other side of the world, in Portugal and then China, when the decision was made. He eventually returned to Wellington two days later, but has yet to front the media to explain how the owners plan to "Save the Nix". Not good enough.
If Morrison wants to lead the Phoenix, he has to be a leader. Owning a football club is not like running a bank. Emotions run high, passions are aroused, the scrutiny is unforgiving. Morrison struggles to grasp the difference, that the ultimate owners of any football club are the fans, not the investors. Other members of the Welnix group seem to understand this better.
To capitalise on the huge groundswell of public support in a truly meaningful way – in a way which could help the long-term sustainability of the club – there needs to be leadership. If Morrison doesn't want to stand up and be counted, then it has to be someone else. The Phoenix won't be saved by press release.
The ball is now in Wellington's court. Talk of an FFA "offer" to extend their licence past this season is disingenuous. There's a very strong legal argument that the Phoenix already have security of tenure until 2020. The FFA don't want to end up in court, but they do want to put the heat on the Phoenix. The only way Wellington won't be playing next season is if the Welnix pull them out. Hence the contingency plan for a third Sydney team.
So having loaded the gun, who pulls the trigger next? In a game of Russian roulette that's been going on for more than a year, the first shot has finally been fired by the FFA. It's a blank. The next one might not be. Now's the time for Morrison to show his hand. The future of the Phoenix will only be decided when the gun is put away.
- Sydney Morning Herald
This is a complete non-issue. The FFA have a clause in the current Phoenix license that states that all future negotiations must be undertaken in "good faith", which means that the Nix can't just come out and slag off the FFA in the media.
Plus, Rob doesn't just speak for himself, he speaks on behalf of the entire ownership group, and as they are all successful businessmen it takes time to get them all together. As I understand, they had a Skype meeting late last week.
Add in the fact that the FFA gave exactly two hours notice of the decision to the Phoenix, and then didn't even release all of the facts behind the decision and you can hardly blame Rob for not wanting to step out into the limelight and potentially say something. Frank Lowy didn't exactly paint himself in glory when he did that.
Rob will come out at some point this week, mark my words.
Michael Cockerill gets stuck into Rob Morrison, calls us "leaderless:, and uses awkward gun-toting simile that NRA would be proud of:
http://www.theage.com.au/sport/soccer/wellington-phoenix/g-20151031-gknuye.html
I don't agree with all of this but I do feel like we need someone to rally around. The Phoenix twitter is busy tweeting all of the save the phoenix stuff so I presume the owners want the club to continue? But if you weren't on twitter I think you would be wondering what the hell is going on. I also agree with the bit about this can't be done via press release, we have some momentum here so I think we should be jumping on it whether it is using friendly media to make our case or Rob himself giving interviews
Normo's coming home
Michael Cockerill gets stuck into Rob Morrison, calls us "leaderless:, and uses awkward gun-toting simile that NRA would be proud of:
http://www.theage.com.au/sport/soccer/wellington-phoenix/g-20151031-gknuye.html
I don't agree with all of this but I do feel like we need someone to rally around. The Phoenix twitter is busy tweeting all of the save the phoenix stuff so I presume the owners want the club to continue? But if you weren't on twitter I think you would be wondering what the hell is going on. I also agree with the bit about this can't be done via press release, we have some momentum here so I think we should be jumping on it whether it is using friendly media to make our case or Rob himself giving interviews
I believe that Rob is trying to get an interview booked with Simon Hill for Fox Sports. If you heard Hill on the Fox Football podcast last week you will know that he is definitely on our side.
This is a complete non-issue. The FFA have a clause in the current Phoenix license that states that all future negotiations must be undertaken in "good faith", which means that the Nix can't just come out and slag off the FFA in the media.
Plus, Rob doesn't just speak for himself, he speaks on behalf of the entire ownership group, and as they are all successful businessmen it takes time to get them all together. As I understand, they had a Skype meeting late last week.
Add in the fact that the FFA gave exactly two hours notice of the decision to the Phoenix, and then didn't even release all of the facts behind the decision and you can hardly blame Rob for not wanting to step out into the limelight and potentially say something. Frank Lowy didn't exactly paint himself in glory when he did that.
Rob will come out at some point this week, mark my words.
This.
I'm glad that there hasn't been a FFA vs Nix management shark slinging fest via tweeter, or you books, or facetubes. The whole PFA vs FFA thing was just a disgrace, I'd rather Morrison was silent until he has had time to prepare, do organizing etc, so rather than get little slivers over time we will hopefully get the whole story. Shark its only been a week.
it's just another piece of FFA propaganda to deflect blame away from FFA and toward Welnix. This is the same way they dealt with the PFA. No integrity.
The Phoenix Board are playing this quite smart. Letting the FFA shoot themselves in the foot. Whereas the Nix Board are taking a more thoughtful approach and showing a more mature attitude than Gallop with his "squatting" comment.
While many people commented that Cockerill is in general a balanced sort of bloke, do not forget part of his income is paid by FOX as their match commentator so he is merely passing off as a neutral journalist when writing for Fairfax. I am sure part of his syndicated piece in SMH / The Age was a simple bait attempt to get some kind of response from the club, and get more clicks / sell more paper.
We already heard - as club members - by email etc from Welnix, and this was good enough for me in the interim. I do not think the licence negotiations should be conducted via media, and definitely not as a response to a provocative article.
Sure, Morrison, Morgan et al need to talk to FFA, but not as a shouting match with Fox or Fairfax.
An interview with Simon Hill is another matter - simply to state our position and to untangle all the twisted facts bandied about by FFA.
Actually, getting outplayed quite a bit these days
An awesome article from UK website 90magazine Why is Australia killing off the Phoenix?
"The FFA doesn’t care. And neither will the world once the A League exposes itself as a money-grabbing anti-football establishment."
"Why should English fans, confronted with an orgy of international football from the bright lights of La Liga to the intriguing emergence of the MLS, pay any attention to a league that can wipe out a stable, well-liked club with barely a hint of thought for the ruins it leaves behind?"
This is a complete non-issue. The FFA have a clause in the current Phoenix license that states that all future negotiations must be undertaken in "good faith", which means that the Nix can't just come out and slag off the FFA in the media.
Plus, Rob doesn't just speak for himself, he speaks on behalf of the entire ownership group, and as they are all successful businessmen it takes time to get them all together. As I understand, they had a Skype meeting late last week.
Add in the fact that the FFA gave exactly two hours notice of the decision to the Phoenix, and then didn't even release all of the facts behind the decision and you can hardly blame Rob for not wanting to step out into the limelight and potentially say something. Frank Lowy didn't exactly paint himself in glory when he did that.
Rob will come out at some point this week, mark my words.
Put your balls on it or gtfo
The Phoenix Board are playing this quite smart. Letting the FFA shoot themselves in the foot. Whereas the Nix Board are taking a more thoughtful approach and showing a more mature attitude than Gallop with his "squatting" comment.
Yeah it might have been a different situation if their wasn't the outcry that we saw throughout the league but right now the FFA need to answer to the fans and the other clubs whereas the Phoenix can just get on with getting things done. It's quite a good situation to be in. And you have the FFA coming out and berating everyone except for the nix.
An awesome article from UK website 90magazine Why is Australia killing off the Phoenix?
"The FFA doesn’t care. And neither will the world once the A League exposes itself as a money-grabbing anti-football establishment."
"Why should English fans, confronted with an orgy of international football from the bright lights of La Liga to the intriguing emergence of the MLS, pay any attention to a league that can wipe out a stable, well-liked club with barely a hint of thought for the ruins it leaves behind?"
The trouble is he starts with "English clubs fold all the time". Bollox. What was the last professional English team to go under? Not in my living memory, which is quite long. The rest of what he said was OK though.
Nostalgia isnt what it used to be...........
