Calls to save Wellington as Phoenix fans fear this could be their last season

Wellington Phoenix fans are devastated and have vowed to fight back after there were strong suggestions that this could be the club’s last season in the A-League.

Wellington Phoenix fans

Source: Getty Images

A growing chorus from both in New Zealand and Australia has called for the ‘Nix to be saved after it was revealed yesterday that FFA rejected an application for a 10 year license extension, instead offering a four-year extension

New Zealand football radio commentator Jason Pine, who was left shocked by the news, insists the club still has a vital role to play in the A-League, and warned that the ownership group could reject the four-year offer all together.
“(Wellington offers) the FFA a stable club which it never has to worry about. It’s an entertaining football team, and is a good employer of professional players. It has a passionate fan base, no crowd trouble and is a unique away trip for Australian fans,” Pine said.
Phoenix fans


“To me, the single biggest issue now is not whether FFA wants the Phoenix in the A-League but whether Welnix (the ownership group) wants to be there after the rejection of their 10-year application. If they don’t, the rest is all irrelevant.”
“The Welnix group is made up of businessmen who have become very, very successful by making careful financial decisions and managing their respective enterprises prudently. A football club is an entirely different matter.

“We all know the club doesn’t make them money, but they had plans in place over the next decade and beyond to make the club financial as well as providing a professional pathway to the first team through their academy. To implement those plans, they needed the certainty of at least a 10-year license extension.

“For that reason, they weren’t happy with a five-year extension, so it’s hard to see them accepting only four.
“Having said that, four years is the only thing on the table now, so they know if they walk away, the club dies. Will that be enough for them to continue pouring their money into a loss-making venture which has – in all likelihood – a limited shelf life? I seriously doubt it.

“Faced with the choice between four years and no years, the majority of fans would accept four years and take the view that where there’s life, there’s hope. Whether the owners will be of the same mind is highly questionable.”
A petition on the activist website has been signed by nearly 4,000 people, while supporter group Yellow Fever is selling t-shirts in an attempt to drum up support for the club.

A number of current A-League players and administrators have tweeted out support of the club.
Phoenix legend and record goal scorer Paul Ifill told stuff.co.nz that the club had done enough over the years to deserve the extension

"I think we were really all expecting that we would get the 10-year licence extension, I think we've done enough over the years to at least have that,” said Ifill.
Wellington Phoenix players
"It's my view that we should be treated the same [as the other nine A-League clubs] and get a 20-year licence, but for them to come back and say 'you can apply for a four-year', I think [former Phoenix striker] Jeremy Brockie put it best, it's a slap in the face.
“The FFA are very happy to put their hand in their pocket and prop up their clubs, the Newcastle Jets over the years, Adelaide, Central Coast, no problem.

"But we've got the most stable club in the league, barring Melbourne Victory and maybe Sydney FC.

"So to chuck us out when all is going well and we're really trying to do the right things implementing a youth system and reserves and a women's team down the line and the Welnix have come in and moved the club forward, for the FFA to offer a four-year extension is a token gesture and gives the FFA time to get a couple of franchises ready to come into the league and we'll get chucked out after four years anyway."
Mr Pine stressed that Wellington had been a successful franchise.

“Since the Welnix ownership group took over, the club has had stable ownership and been run responsibly. They have brought two EPL side to New Zealand. They have fostered young kiwi talent and also given Australian players a platform to play professional football.”

“Nathan Burns was unwanted by any other club before last season; the Phoenix took a chance on him and now he’s a first-choice Socceroo. They have brought good quality imports to Australasia – the likes of Paul Ifill and Roly Bonevacia spring to mind.
“On the field, the Phoenix were one of the better sides last season, even leading the league for a month or so. This season, they’ve won their last two games and but for a missed penalty in round one, could be 3 from 3 and top of the league.”

There is some hope that it’s not the end.
A-League Rd 6 - Adelaide v Wellington
“If it was me, I’d apply for the four years and spend that time becoming indispensable.”
“A lot can happen in four years. Four years ago, Gold Coast United were in the A-League. The year before that, both they and North Queensland Fury were. What if the Phoenix won the A-League? What if they won it more than once? What if they brought in a marquee? Crowds, TV viewers and attractiveness to broadcasters would all increase.”

The loss of the club would be a massive blow for New Zealand football explained Pine.
A-League Rd 3 - Wellington v Newcastle
“It’ll be the death of professional football here. If the Phoenix are booted out, New Zealand will never have a team back in the A-League and there will never be a stand-alone professional league in New Zealand.
“A key aspirational pathway will be removed and the profile of the game will drop here without the Phoenix. Kids will lose heroes. The amateur game will always survive here, but football in NZ will be much the poorer for the absence of the Phoenix.

“The Phoenix have given the sport of football here an enormous boost.
“They engage brilliantly with the Wellington community as well as with fans further afield. They have created a team for Wellingtonians to be proud of. They have boosted the Wellington economy in a number of ways (hospitality, accommodation providers etc) and become a huge part of the sporting landscape here.

“I pick my son up from school every day and the Phoenix replica shirts far outweigh replica EPL shirts or rugby shirts. The Phoenix are part of Wellington and part of football in New Zealand.”


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6 min read
Published 27 October 2015 5:40pm
Updated 27 October 2015 5:53pm
By Nick Stoll


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