Red Card Comment

Red Card Comment

Since i am grossly opinionated, football possessed and a negligent father (at least this afternoon), I got all worked and had to write something about what Becksmania does or doesnt mean for football in this country.

good views, i think your quite right that nz needs an other a-league club/franchise to grow the player base and improve football in this country.

imo, beckham won't have much effect; 12,000 people didn't turn up to adelaide, even though they had complementary tickets (might be ticketecs (sp?) fault though)

cheers, ML - a good read and tragically on the mark re the current predominance of rugby.

Like you though i think we are headed in the right direction, and the Phoenix phenomenon has taken many Wellingtonians by surprise.

For me , despite my mistrust of our celebrity obsessed culture, i thought from the minute it was announced that Beckham's appearance was an inspired marketing decision. I think Terry and Tony are more than sharp enough to have plans in place to build on the audience it delivered. agred that will benefit Wellington and surroundings (including Edgecumbe) more than NZ as a whole.

As to Auckland, well it's hard to feel to generous towards the people who never turned up to the Kingz/Nightz. For those that dropped off, I can imagine it would take a hardy soul to turn up in the middle of last season. To be honest I find it hard to conjure up an image of a decent crowd ever watching an Auckland A-league game (and I am usually rabidly optimistic when it comes to football). So, despite the smaller market I can't help think Christchurch might make a better go of it.

Two A-league NZ teams?  -yep that's a must for NZ football. But Auckland, whew - the scars will take a while to heal.

Anyway , thought provoking stuff - but there's a kid in our house who should be in bed - so it's back to 'reality' for me.

Great peice and well thought out.

Good work, looking forward to future articles. Totally agree that we need more than just a one-off, we need to continue to bring big events that the casual fan would come to see. It's all good and well for people like you and me who would pay to see the Phoenix play a team be they from low-key football communities like East Timor, Kyrgyzstan or Perth, but we need to continue to find ways of exposing Joe Bloggs to the Fever and hope we can be contagious enough so that they'll keep coming back for the matches that really count - regular season A-League fixtures.

maybe we should sign up the Plains Rangers as a feeder club, or build an academy in Whakatane?

actually, attempting to be sensible for a minute, a possible answer to ML's long term view, is for Terry. Tony and Ricki to get a contract from FNZ to run a Phoenix/FNZ youth academy

shame that egos and politics mean it's never likely to happen, and even if it did,  that those bastard aussies won't let us into their 'A-league' youth league (i wonder if we could get fifa to kick their arse for restraint of trade - or some such)

Great yarn. Think in an ideal world (nz) two would be great for us. But hard to imagine at this point. And if it did cant see it happening without another team stacked with foreign players. And also not sure of anyone on par with Terry that could make it happen up there.

I doubt the NZ market with population 4 million can sustain 2 A-League Teams. Sydney has 4 million and they only have one team. Also, it's highly unlikely that someone in Auckland will as generous as Terry and invest two million NZD for a football team and lose another 4-5 million in the first season. Can't see it happening.

Thats because of the A-League's one club per city policy.

I'm sure Sydney will have another team in the not too distant future (prob West or South Sydney?)

There is no question Sydney and melbourne could support second teams, but the risk of the rivalry between those sides degenerating into an ethnic brawl is a real one and something that would threaten the tremendous product the FFA has worked so hard to create. Not to say it won�t happen, but it will need to be managed incredibly carefully and cleverly.

 

I suspect there would be bedlam in both Melbourne and Sydney if Auckland got reinstated before Sydney or Melbourne got a second team or even before a Townsville. So, the reality is it won�t happen soon, but that does not change my view that it is critical to NZ football long term to have multiple franchises and greater geographic spread of professional football. I�m also convinced that, if done well, its perfectly viable. If the Phoenix can crack the playoffs in next couple of years and maintain profile and support, that will help massively.

 

Agreed Marius Latacus. Well thought out article. No i cannot see it happening in the near future but you are correct in stating that it is vital for the growth of football in New Zealand. I hadn't looked at it that way before but I certainly am now.

http://www.yellowfever.co.nz/about.asp

3rd name down.
Hard News2007-12-03 15:38:52

It is indeed an excellent article. However for New Zealand to receive another franchise the Phoenix MUST crack the playoffs and would probably even need to win a grand final to demonstrate once and for all to the Aussies that NZ football should be taken seriously. Until we make the playoffs they won't even consider giving us another franchise. Also, I think we need to get our average attendance up to the 15 - 20k mark.

Great work, just what this forum needs. 

Some very good points but I'm not too sure about the "we may well finish bottom this season", we're just about to start our run and the whole thing about the phoenix is to rise from the ashes!

Great Comments and Agree.  Much to my Shame as an Aucklander I never bothered to see a game.  But there are a couple of key things that must happen.  Firstly North Harbour stadium is a dog and was never going to work.  If they can't master more than 2-3,000 fans for North Harbour Rugby there is no way it will support football. 

Great article, but to even float the idea of NZ having another franchise is pure fantasy, nothing more.

things change, what appears to be fantasy to some today, could well occur in 10-15 years time etc etc


tigers2007-12-05 16:43:15

3-5 years - and remember, you heard it here first

suits me!!, i just figured that if Barber 21's profile is accurate an he is 25, then 10-15  years would be a sufficiently  incomprehensible time-frame to thwart any counter argument

like a few of us optimists on the board i think football is finding it's way into the Australasian mindset

it just won't happen, what do Australia have to gain out of helping NZ Football? since we play the "5th placed" Asian side in WCQ it could very well be them.......and giving more NZ players a chance to play at a decent level, gaining more experience for "big games" would definitely do more harm than good to FFA as a whole.

u heard IT here first.

and yes i am 25! as of a couple of weeks ago....closer to 30 than 20 now :(

yeh the politics of FFA acting in ways that support NZ's development are a problem, but they also need to build a credible A-League - to me credible is more than 8 teams and with good attendences a second NZ team isn't the initial answer to those needs but after 2-3  more Aussie sides we might have the best option to take the league to 12 sides

(but, you didn't hear that here )

Barber, I think the FFA are more strategic than that. Growth of the game in Australasia is good for them and good for football in Australia. If not, why didn�t they bin the NZ franchise when the Knights fell over.

 

But yeah, Akl wont be first cab off the rank, that�s for sure.

Great read. I think this is perfect timing for a big boost in numbers for football supporting (partly) due to rugby plans being fed up with the all blacks losing the world cup again and getting sick of rugby and looking for a new vice. We already have a pretty solid fanbase here, and everytime I bring a guest to a game, they're hooked on yellow fever, the atmosphere is something they've never experienced, and they love it. I'm very proud to be a Phoenix supporter and a part of yellow fever and will be very happy just with having the Phoenix stick around and do the job we know they are capable of doing, unlucky this year, could possibly have been top four but had a few unlucky results.I don't care too much for AKL, but whatever is good for the game and good for NZ Football is worth supporting and worth a go.

I wonder if Christchurch folk might be more fervent custodians of a second NZ A League team if/when it happens? aladdinkiwiland2007-12-06 20:08:22

Christchurch, Hamilton, Napier have huge Football fan bases. CHCH & Hamilton have the population.

Great article Marius - in particlular to the population base, hwoever there are many issues which must be resolved prior to Ak ever getting the chance to host an A-league team again:

According to that paragon of truth Wikipedia there are at least half a dozen Australian clubs in the running before Auckland will ever get a look in. Also there is controversy of the youth system and we in New Zealand really need to sort out our own youth set up so this sticking point is no longer an issue. ForteanTimes2007-12-09 12:42:45

New Zealanders in general, especially Aucklanders, first have to learn what it takes to be a supporter.

Warriors games are cheaper?
I would prefer if Nix games were $20 flat on the gate, we'd get more people then.

Regarding the next NZ franchise, it shouldn't happen next season when 2 more teams get added (I hope).
When the league goes up to 12 teams would be the soonest time to consider a new NZ franchise.

I'm ambivalent between Christchurch and Auckland, either one would be OK.Bevan2007-12-09 22:08:21

South Stand Warriors ticket - $15

There's a catch though - you have to watch LEAGUE

/grew up following the ARL... football is better

Hey - just reading another part of this site and there are more likely ways of getting our derby than getting another NZ A league team.

aladdinkiwiland2007-12-10 21:50:21