Selfish Wellington?

Home game hosting rights isn't just about making income off a fanbase - it's also a strategic thing. Having a vocal, passionate crowd urging you on gives the home team the advantage (the "12th man" effect). You won't get that passion, at the amount we have here, anywhere else in the country. Auckland didn't give a toss about their own team*, why would they show up to watch a different NZ city play, when they have no emotional or parochial ties to either team playing*?

If anything, moving a Phoenix match outside of Wellington is the truly selfish act - asking the team to risk the high possibility giving up the strategic value of a home match and possibly valuable competition points on a longshot?

This isn't just about how it impacts on the city, it also impacts on the team.

That being said, I'm 100% for moving pre-season matches, preferably to places that are willing to support professional football and the Phoenix (my preference being Palmy & Napier - encourage/reward the traveling fans). I highly doubt Aucklanders will. Should the Phoenix move a home match, I'd only like it if every other team with a bonus home match moved to a "Franchise area" location as well ie Melbourne playing in Geelong, Sydney in Penrith etc. And if it came down to a vote as to which NZ city deserved it, I'd be voting Christchurch without hesitation.



(*aside from the awesome minorities of the few who DID go to Kingz/Knights games, such as Bloc 5 and any casual fans willing to give the team a go. I'd like to think that goes without saying, but here's the disclaimer anyway)

Very well said Rob, if we have a match moved I'd like to see Adelaide playing in Mount Gambier and Perth playing in Broome.

Oh yeah. Cheers HN, I forgot the middle one. I did go to all three, but with no attachment to the Kingz it felt like going to friendlies.

I missed the first one (the joys of new parenthood) but bussed down with the Bloc lads for the other two.

Think one of them was where I first met you.

Well Tasmania had two Aussie A-league playing each other (melbourne and Adelide i think). not sure if it was a friendly or not but it was sure packed out and the Tasmanian football was very pleased. And now are considering A-league for their footbalers. Most of their top players end up going to Melbourne to the VPL and even for the Victory side. I am sure that Christchurch would be ideal for the next NZ A-league team and great to pick up football fans from there as well.

To all of your out of towners. There are still 5 months until the season starts (sad but true) - so plenty of time to start saving for a few trips.

Three airlines fly from from Auckland and Christchurch- so plenty of cheap (ish) flights to be had.
plenty of backpackers to bunk down in.

so watch out for the draw to come out, get in quick and put a few flights onto the plastic. Then start saving like mad - cut the smokes, and beer - very soon you'll have plenty of money to spend at the backbencher...

Different perspectives need to be looked at, in order to grow merchandise, tv rights, advertising costs, marketing for the Phoenix. They may need to spread their wings, with the cheap flights to Auckland it may not be a huge deal.

FFS.  The idea of a 'home fixture' is that it must put the fear of god into the opposition.  AKL, CHC, PML(?) don't do that.  Let's turn the ROF into an impregnable fortress of footballing death and destruction for our enemies.  If you live outside of WLG - stop being girly men and tight bums.  Or stick to rugby. Stevo2008-03-23 04:52:11

Aaah.  Another 3 pages on the same thread and comments that we read over 11 pages last time.  http://www.yellowfever.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=4813

Why should the Phoenix worry about spreading the gospel of football outside of its own catchment area?

And you really think that's worth pissing off the Wellington fans? Lose the home fans and you're buggered. Auckland, anyone?

The only thing that will piss Wellington fans off is themselves.  Stop being so precious about "your" (see previous post on why your is so silly) team and relax a little.  Think of the road trip, or being able to cheer on a loss in front of a big screen t.v.  And if the league does get expanded next year you won't even notice it. 

precisely why Auckland shouldn't at this stage get a look in at hosting a game.

blasphemy

NZ 'away' stadia options: Stevo2008-03-23 15:39:03

Bang on the money Stevo!

Basically its Goldilocks:

First they tried Mr Smart and it was isolated south and then the hungry football public tried Albany Stadium and the pitch quality and ground was poor

and then they came to the RoF and it was just right

How much is going to gain the Nix to pick up some Auckland fans if it costs them the goodwill of their Wellington fanbase. The sooner we get another NZ team in the A-League, the sooner we can dispense with this NZ Nix view that is creeping in after just one season Egan2008-03-23 17:56:27

Whitby boy2008-03-23 18:22:25

I'm a passionate Phoenix supporter, and like 95% of posts on this thread I agree that all competitive home games should be played in the RoF.

Like most fans on this forum, I am ok with Pre-season games being played at other grounds, I especially like the comments earlier about these games being played in local area's that often come to support the Phoenix (Palmy etc)

I would like The Wellington Phoenix Football club to end this discussion for us and confirm that all competitive home games this coming season will be played in the RoF.

Tony P what do you say?

I cannot even fathom why this topic is being discussed. For mine, it's a no-brainer!

I can't speak for the Bulldogs matches, but for Warriors vs Tigers at Lancaster Park, and Warriors vs Eels at Waikato Stadium, it was Wests & Parramatta respectively who moved the home game, not the Warriors.  The Warriors didn't give up a home game (and thus not the strategic value) for either occurance.

The Wellington games were home games for the Dogs.

Selfish Wellington? Damn Cheek. I sincerely hope we never take a game outside of Wellington and especially not down the Boganville by the Port Hills. If we have to go out side our current home ground, I recommend a quick trip up the motorway to the Wasteland of Dreams at Alex Moore. We'll blow the opposition off the park with the Norwester.

I think you'll find if you ever get a chance to talk to Terry that part of the reason he bought the Phoenix and brought them to his hometown of Wellington is because he loves this place so much.....

He has made mention of Wellington as a city being good to him and this, along with his purchase of the Century City Saints basketball team and the Century City Wellington Cup Race Day, he attributes some of it to the people of the city and the city itself enabling him to make the money he has and now wants to give something back.....

We live here, we love it and we love it even more now the Phoenix are here and have their home here.  We may not have done anything to put the Phoenix here, but we're sure making it great now they are.....

We'll be as precious as we like and we all welcome everyone to come here and join in the support for the Phoenix and to come to the Ring of Fire in 08/09.  Its a great city to visit for a long weekend and if theres football on then even better.

They'll travel eventually, and maybe even take a pre-season match or two this year to Christchurch (hopefully) and possibly Auckland, Napier or New Plymouth but I'm hoping and predicting that no League games will be played outside the Ring this year.

All of you out-of-towners owe it to yourselves to come and experience the atmosphere first hand. You've got to come at least once this season.
(and I'll buy you a beer!)

Flight: $100 return if you book enough in advance
Bus: $11 return from airport to town
Accomodation: $ up to you
Match ticket $27

Being part of the crowd watching the Phoenix in the Ring of Fire: priceless

Well call me selfish if you like but I support my team by buying a season ticket and attending all the games (not that hard when you only get 10!). Will we get a season ticket price reduction for the missing home game? Who will make up the lost revenue for the Phoenix when they play in front of 5oo in Auckland or elsewhere? Will someone be reimbursing me to travel halfway across the country to see my 'local' team? I suspect the answer to all these questions is NO! As I understand it the NZ league has teams all over NZ, if there was this great demand to see football then these games would be well attended and on that basis you could apply to the A League for your own franchise, rant over.

Steff

So for every time I come down, you will buy me a beer?

you might live to regret  that

several issues with them really, they were the auckland kingz in disguise, they were terrible and when did they only played outside of Auckland to get some support. Wellington Phoenix, play in wellington, are loved by Wellington, if you want to follow from outside then welcome to Wellington the home of football.

If they were the Kingz in disguise they would at least of had some New Zealand players.  The Knights did nothing for NZ players. 

The Knights never played out of Auckland, the Kingz did, but mainly in the first two seasons where they only just missed the play-offs and actually had decent crowds in Auckland (before Sky destroyed the club).

The bottom line is:

If you want to watch the Nix,

A: Get your mates to a local bar for every game 

or

B: Get to the stadium!