Yes Domey just trying to amp up and promote the game. A bumper crowd in only the 2nd home match of the season, and the club's bean counters will be delighted. ChCh & Waitangi Day games in early 2025, should also help make it a good gate revenue season.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/360466588/former-phoenix-star-alex-paulsen-unsure-what-expect-return-wellington-auckland-fc
Phoenix general manager David Dome might have ensured there will be some by invoking Paulsen’s transfer in a statement calling on fans to “turn the city yellow” on Tuesday night, decrying Auckland for “want(ing) to buy their way to an A-League title” and “(using) their millions to lure Alex Paulsen away from us,” a jab that ignores the fact that those millions were a blessing for cash-strapped Wellington.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/360466588/former-phoenix-star-alex-paulsen-unsure-what-expect-return-wellington-auckland-fc
Phoenix general manager David Dome might have ensured there will be some by invoking Paulsen’s transfer in a statement calling on fans to “turn the city yellow” on Tuesday night, decrying Auckland for “want(ing) to buy their way to an A-League title” and “(using) their millions to lure Alex Paulsen away from us,” a jab that ignores the fact that those millions were a blessing for cash-strapped Wellington.
For his part, as he looks forward to a match the Phoenix are hoping will attract a crowd in excess of 20,000, Paulsen says: “If I go down there, and it's a little bit different, it's fair play. At the same time, I know in the back of my mind who I am and I don't really need to justify it, if they give me a poor reception down there in Wellington.
It's fairly clear that black knights football group wasn't 100% up front with their intentions so why not play it up and try and get in a big crowd?