TBH i'm suprised about this, i never really thought there was that much discrimination at the Pheonix games that major parts of the LGBT community that wanted to go were put off. Sad if true.
However, I feel the Pheonix do have a perception problem that is true.
I work in the construction industry and took a bunch of asian workers (and football fans) from a building site in central wellington to a game. None have returned. They laugh and say am "i going to hang out with my white middle class mates?" One mentioned to me to count the none whites around me at the game (not including those working in the food service industry)...for a multi cultural city the number was appaling. A one handed man missing a couple of didgits could play this game quite easily.
Sorry Balbi for stating this on your tread but i feel this is a major problem.
The Pheonix don't attract all Wellingtonians, because football/Pheonix is still seen as an upper class, British thing.
The upper class British thing follow rugby not football.
In Britain yes, but in NZ it's the British/English that have run our football clubs kept them going for decades. Football is more popular in seatoun and karori, than cannons creek and stokes valley. Yet in most other countries this would be the complete opposite. Hence, the British upper class thing, because i'm talking about the perception here, not in Britain. However, its probably more a problem that our crowd is so much leaning to one ethnicity, in a multi cultural city.