Crowds for a city the size of Wellington are fine. There are teams in the eredivisie who get the same crowds as us, we should not be reliant on getting more than eight or nine k on average. Getting more vewership and money out of sky should be the priority for the FFA.

Last year the nix averaged 8.6 they have averaged as high as 11 before. But they are never going to consistently be above 10, which is the clubs goal. If crowds this size are not wanted then why set a club up here in the first place?

Last year the nix averaged 8.6 they have averaged as high as 11 before. But they are never going to consistently be above 10, which is the clubs goal. If crowds this size are not wanted then why set a club up here in the first place? The crowds are high for a city the size of Wellington especially when it also has two professional rugby teams, a professional cricket team, and a pro netball team.

Edited by ryanm: 31/10/2015 03:58:58 PM

Not disputing the crowds, the numbers are fine, but the membership numbers are a disgrace. With low membership numbers how is a club meant to plan for the future and take the next step in its development?

8k in a 12k stadium - terrific

8k in a 35k stadium - not good

it's the crowd v stadium running costs that would be hurting the club.

A smaller venue would make a huge difference to both the running costs, as well as atmosphere and fan enjoyment

Not disputing the crowds, the numbers are fine, but the membership numbers are a disgrace. With low membership numbers how is a club meant to plan for the future and take the next step in its development?

8k in a 12k stadium - terrific

8k in a 35k stadium - not good

it's the crowd v stadium running costs that would be hurting the club.

A smaller venue would make a huge difference to both the running costs, as well as atmosphere and fan enjoyment

That 11k was their first year. Here is the average attendance of the Nix without finals included.

2007/2008 - 11,683
2008/2009 - 7,193
2009/2010 - 8,966
2010/2011 - 7,829
2011/2012 - 8,691
2012/2013 - 6,877
2013/2014 - 8,186
2014/2015 - 8,583

Steven Holloway: NZF not to blame for Phoenix troubles

10:17 AM Wednesday Nov 4, 2015

Lost amid 48 hours of wall-to-wall rugby coverage last weekend was a fascinating interview Radio Sport conducted with former Wellington Phoenix vice-captain Tim Brown.

Brown, who made more than 100 appearances for the Phoenix before retiring from professional football in 2012 to study for a master's degree in economics in London, was commenting on the Wellington club's current A-League license spat which threatens to derail New Zealand's footballing future.

In the 10-minute interview, Brown's opinions ranged from the ambitious (New Zealand need to move into Asia) to the ridiculous (could we get a Christchurch team in the A-League?), but his most absorbing insight was about the Phoenix's plight. Objectively, he said, you just can't paint Football Federation Australia as the bad guy in all of this.

"If you're the FFA and you see this outlier club which plays in a different Confederation, with small crowds, which gives you bugger-all money for TV rights - and they're trying to grow the league the best way that they can....

whether it's a negotiation ploy or whether it's something they genuinely feel, objectively speaking, I don't think it's something we can criticise them over," Brown said.

Brown, who was one of the most likeable, intelligent All Whites of recent years and now lives in San Francisco where he is the founder of a footwear start-up company, then turned his attention to a familiar if slightly unexpected scapegoat.

"For me, there's only one bad guy in all this, and that's New Zealand Football."

In most cases over the last six months, blaming New Zealand Football would be about par for the course. Their amateur administration shattered Olympic dreams. They wasted hundreds of thousands of dollars on legal fees, went to war with OFC and lost, and even got suckered out of a few easy dollars from Fifa.

But they are not to blame here.

Sources say NZF has already invested $1 million into the Phoenix over the last several years, as well as incorporating their reserve team into the ASB Premiership and youth team into the National Youth League.

Brown argued NZF have been busy playing small-ball, focusing time and investment on things like televising the ASB Premiership when they should be focused on a bigger vision which involved "embracing what the Aussie's are doing" and joining Asia.

These 'big-picture' ideas are often at odds with reality. The problem with joining Asia is that NZF are the only party who (might) want that to happen. OFC don't and Asia certainly doesn't, although the upcoming Fifa presidential elections could create a new landscape.

Short of taking over the Phoenix's licence themselves, which would create myriad conflicts of interest, NZF have done just about as much as they can in this particular situation.

The reason the Phoenix are on the brink of getting tossed from the A-League all comes down to money. FFA chairman Frank Lowy wants more than the Phoenix are currently able to give him.

NZF are exploring ways to help the Phoenix but, ultimately, the A-League club must find a sustainable way of being more attractive to the FFA themselves.

But the ramifications of losing an A-League licence would be devastating for the game in New Zealand. Top players would quickly move overseas, the game would lose its visibility and, once New Zealand lost a foothold in the A-League, it's hard to see them getting back in.

The fight must go on and NZF and the Phoenix need to join forces to do all they can in the short-term to save the professional game.

A lot of people are asking : Why should they buy membership to a club that is not going to be around next season.
Cant blame them.

A lot of people are asking : Why should they buy membership to a club that is not going to be around next season.
Cant blame them.

If it is the last season, they could be apart of something and supporting their local team- at the very least

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=11539876

Sources say NZF has already invested $1 million into the Phoenix over the last several years, as well as incorporating their reserve team into the ASB Premiership and youth team into the National Youth League.

Sympathy can only get you so far, There is no way the sympathy card holds up to the end of the season - People tend to get over things fast and walk.
Welnix have came out and demanded 5k membership? Fkn LOL that's just saying in public there is no next season. Then they demand 10k every game? plausible but not likely.

My comments are negative for a negative situation, Welnix's need to comment on Phoenix's future instead of dragging it out like the sympathy card going around.

Sympathy can only get you so far, There is no way the sympathy card holds up to the end of the season - People tend to get over things fast and walk.
Welnix have came out and demanded 5k membership? Fkn LOL that's just saying in public there is no next season. Then they demand 10k every game? plausible but not likely.

My comments are negative for a negative situation, Welnix's need to comment on Phoenix's future instead of dragging it out like the sympathy card going around.

Can New Zealand wake up to the fact that $1 million was a big aount of money about 50 years ago?

Racist much>???? Or a slap in the face?.

Racist much>???? Or a slap in the face?.

Racist much>???? Or a slap in the face?.

Totally get the 'don't take ourselves too seriously angle', but trying to create some faux Aussie Kiwi rivalry over this, ain't going to cut it.

Should have read "don't let the FFA take our belove Nix away", or words to that effect.

Yep, pisses in the face of the Aussie supporters of various clubs that are supporting them through savethenix campaign.