New Zealand Domestic Leagues: Expansion, Pre-match, Post-match [R]

Discussion in 'Oceania' started by PSG55, Jul 28, 2008.

  1. PSG55

    PSG55 New Member

    May 16, 2006
    London, England
    Club:
    Chelsea FC
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    New Zealand Football Championship - 2009/10 Season [R]

    Does anybody know if the NZFC is planning to expand operations in the near future? Having spent a season in NZ watching the NZFC, it did get a tad dull watching the same old teams all the time. Surely there is scope to expand by another two teams at least? I'm aware this would have financial repercussions for the league (travelling, length of season etc) but it would surely be worth it if other areas such as Nelson, Invercargill, Gisborne, New Plymouth, Whangarei, Rotorua etc were taken on board? I'd be interested to hear anyone else's views on this.
     
  2. Parkz

    Parkz New Member

    Jul 15, 2008
    Timaru
    Re: Nzfc

    I think they should add 2 teams or leave it. Teams are struggling as it is and there isnt alot of quality players around. Bay of Plenty should be added
     
  3. PaulGascoigne

    PaulGascoigne Member+

    Feb 5, 2001
    Aotearoa/NZ
    Re: Nzfc

    This is basically a semi-pro league. Talent is VERY thin as it is. Dominican Republic has a baseball league with 4 teams in it, but they are of decent quality. I'd rather see a small league with halfway decent play.
     
  4. Nacional Tijuana

    Nacional Tijuana St. Louis City

    St. Louis City SC
    May 6, 2003
    San Diego, Calif.
    Club:
    Seattle Sounders
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Re: Nzfc

    Something bugs me about the NZFC, and I guess I'm not sure what exactly it is. The A-League seems fairly well known abroad, but the NZFC not so much. One huge issue is attendances, which average, IIRC, around 1,000, if not less. I'm not sure what would help this besides making the league a fully pro league. But then again, companies are more willing to sponsor a league if it has good attendance. Bad catch-22, I guess.

    Maybe the league ought to be aborted and started again from scratch. For sure, I'd like to get off of the concept of opposing seasons between the NZFC and the lower leagues. Also, maybe I am wrong, but the NZFC season seems a tad short.
     
  5. Parkz

    Parkz New Member

    Jul 15, 2008
    Timaru
    Re: Nzfc

    Starting a new league wont help, we just started the NZFC.
     
  6. Nacional Tijuana

    Nacional Tijuana St. Louis City

    St. Louis City SC
    May 6, 2003
    San Diego, Calif.
    Club:
    Seattle Sounders
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Re: Nzfc

    I was just looking at the wiki for the NZFC, and they talked about the initial call for franchise bids, and how maybe 3 or 4 were rejected. I wonder what the problems were with those franchises, specifically, and whether those license-seekers were immediately dissolved, or whether the NZFC could call them back for an expansion bid.

    Also, I know this is (probably deliberately) a semi-pro league. However, I wonder if they could maybe up the ante a bit and require teams to have marquee players. The A-League has marquee player laws.

    Just something to raise the profile of this league! NZ's a great country that deserves a viable premier league. The attendance has been miserable for the most part. I wish I knew where things were going wrong.
     
  7. AllWhitebeliever

    AllWhitebeliever Moderator
    Staff Member

    Jun 4, 2006
    On the injury table
    Club:
    Tottenham Hotspur FC
    Nat'l Team:
    New Zealand
    Re: Nzfc

    Money is always a big problem. Youngheart Manawatu nearly lost their licence last time when the NZF wanted to lift the ante on the money support and the academy development and they were caught out. However, the onus is on the sponsors money that was increased on demand in the last licence round. In addition, the YH Manawatu removed their management group and replaced them with stronger persons with impressive CVs in sport management quailfications etc as well as increasing the sponsorship and with the previous season results made a very strong case to be reinsertion back to the NZFC league. The other bids were not even strong enough.

    However after two more season we should see more bids for expansion in the NZFC as some of the bids understand the criteria needed and how much work they need to do until then. Auckland-Manukau has good chance for NZFC entry as they virtually bankrolled the national youth league saving NZF face in the process this year.

    The question of Marquee players are a bit of a stickly point as some of the teams are very well off compare to the others e.g the Auckland teams and maybe Wellington has a better cash reserve than the rest. And so this just means that the distance between the rich and the poor are going to be more bigger. As it is, Auckland City and Waitakere United had attracted the odd former professional player in order to look more presentable at the O-league and the CWC level and attract a bit of interest.

    This licence period will run out after two more seasons and we should see which of the current teams will hold water and whether there is a call for an expansion to the league. I personally think that an expansion is good for the league because there are enough players within a decent level of the current crop of players we have at NZFC level. So it will increase more competition and various of competitor types as well as increasing the coaching sector for quality and quantity. To have a team that covers a local regional club is to keeping the junior players wanting to represent their region. At the moment, some of the regions are not represented and so there is need for such coverage without losing too much quality in the other regions.
     
  8. deleted

    deleted Member

    Aug 18, 2006
    Club:
    Borussia Dortmund
    Nat'l Team:
    Germany
    Re: Nzfc

    i think the biggest problem is that too many people in the general community are too ignorant of the game and are too used to seeing all the EPL games on sky as their football for the week.

    wynton rufer ideally should get involved more and bring something outside of just the "EPL on TV" influence into the country
     
  9. cmedina1983

    cmedina1983 New Member

    Nov 14, 2008
    California
    Club:
    Sydney FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Australia
    Re: Nzfc

    From an outsider looking in, New Zealand have the same problem that Australia does in the fact that Football is nowhere near the largest code in the country, in a historically speaking sense. My assumption is that Union would be to New Zealand what Rugby League is to New South Wales and the AFL is to Victoria.

    In order to raise attendance, Football must become important to the locale. A sense of pride must be established with the masses around each team. My guess is that New Zealand don't need the type of ethnic cleansing David Hill did many a year ago to make the game more appealing to mainstream Australia. Which really brings me back to the point of Football being the weakest link in a Union-strong country.
     
  10. deleted

    deleted Member

    Aug 18, 2006
    Club:
    Borussia Dortmund
    Nat'l Team:
    Germany
    Re: Nzfc

    i lived in NZ for the last 10 years and still go back, and actually football is the highest played game amongst kids at the grassroots level

    but after that there are no avenues aside from the "oh my god, he got a trial at an english 2nd division club"...

    and not enough players look to make it anywhere aside from england and maybe britain.

    I was playing for Mount albert grammar school in auckland who had pretty much the strongest football school in the country in the late 90s with kevin fallon as coach there. It was the same story for players who pursued the game after high school from even that school. A few go to colleges in the USA.
     
  11. lello76

    lello76 New Member

    Nov 23, 2008
    Re: Nzfc

    The New Zealander defender, Steven Old had made a stage in an italian football club a few years ago. What's the name of this team?
     
  12. Nacional Tijuana

    Nacional Tijuana St. Louis City

    St. Louis City SC
    May 6, 2003
    San Diego, Calif.
    Club:
    Seattle Sounders
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Re: Nzfc

    He is listed as being on Kilmarnock, of Scotland. No Italian club is listed here.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_Old

    On another note, the NZFC is about to embark on the final season of the current license its franchises are operating under. Apparently NZF is at a point at which it is evaluating every aspect of the NZFC, and contemplating whether to continue the Championship, or revert to the winter, and introduce pro/rel somehow.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Zealand_Football_Championship_2009-10#Changes_for_2008.2F09

    I had thought to start a new thread for the 09/10 season, but I saw this thread here, plus I thought the NZFC's future would be a good concurrent point of discussion.

    MODS: Could we have this be a results thread, and be labeled with an [R]?
     
  13. Caesar

    Caesar Moderator
    Staff Member

    Mar 3, 2004
    Oztraya
    Re: Nzfc

    Done and done.
     
    1 person likes this.
  14. Parkz

    Parkz New Member

    Jul 15, 2008
    Timaru
    Re: Nzfc

    I hope the Wellington Phoenix get a Reserve team next season, aswell as maybe a 3rd Auckland Team. The league isn't very well known as there is practically no media coverage at all. Nobody outside the football community really knows about the league but with a Phoenix Reserve team interest may increase a little
     
  15. engfootyabroad

    engfootyabroad New Member

    Apr 16, 2010
    Re: New Zealand Football Championship - 2009/10 Season [R]

    As this hadn't been updated for a while I thought I would put a link about the Grand Final - Waitakere United win NZFC Grand Final

     
  16. Real Till I Die

    Real Till I Die New Member

    May 11, 2010
    Salem, IN
    Club:
    Real Salt Lake
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I know New Zealand already has its own national league, but looking at this list of its biggest cities, a thought hit me. There are enough cities with a big enough population for NZ to have a really nice, quality league. Not A League quality, but definitely best in the OFC.
    Here's a list of the cities. All cities with a team are marked.


    1 Auckland Auckland Region 1,354,900* 7 Dunedin Otago Region 115,700* 2 Christchurch Canterbury Region 390,300* 8 Palmerston North Manawatu-Wanganui Region 80,700* 3 Wellington Wellington Region 389,700 9 Nelson Nelson 59,200 4 Hamilton Waikato Region 168,800* 10 Rotorua Bay of Plenty Region 55,600 5 Napier-Hastings Urban Area Hawke's Bay Region 128,600* 11 New Plymouth Taranaki Region 51,600 6 Tauranga Bay of Plenty Region 118,200 12 Whangarei Northland Region 51,400
    Right now, the ASB Premiership has teams in 4 of the top 5 cities, and 6 of the top 12. If they got a team in even just 5 of those 6 remaining cities, you've got a 12 team league that could be pretty darn good. And that's without trying for a team in Wellington.

    You think NZ can support a 12 team league? I know they wouldn't be blowing the roof off attendance wise, but there's nothing wrong with being the SPL of Oceania.
     
  17. AllWhitebeliever

    AllWhitebeliever Moderator
    Staff Member

    Jun 4, 2006
    On the injury table
    Club:
    Tottenham Hotspur FC
    Nat'l Team:
    New Zealand
    Re: ASB Premiership Cities

    Money and distance are large factors for such a small league. Outside of the two Auckland teams (Auckland City & Waitakere United) making small gains and Team Wellington breaking even, the rest of the league are struggling financially. There are no large TV sponsors for the league.

    Teams as you suggested like Marlborough/Tasman (Blenheim/Nelson), Bay of Plenty (Rotorua/Tauranga), Northland (Whangarei) and Taranaki are not known to be traditional football strongholds and would be significantly weak for an very very long time before they would really make headway in the league if such an idea would be carried out. But you would be diluting the quality of the footballers in the league as well. The range of football skills level for an elite competition might be not to the NZF liking and may be risky in obtaining long term sponsorships and promotion.

    I understand the comparsions with SPL with the two Auckland teams and you may be well right, but looking at how Scotland is doing in their game, I would not be convince enough that their way is best for New Zealand football. Personally I would love to entertain the idea, but think that Auckland is so big in New Zealand that it should enter a third (and even fourth team/maybe a proxy Northland team) and Wellington to have a second team before getting into the other suggested regions simply because of the players football ability levels and numbers. After the Auckland and Wellington teams and giving stability to the league, then you would look at the other regions.

    However, the league criteria and selection process is much more open with any prospective groups would be put up their bids after every 3-5 years when the NZF calls for them to expand the league. So the better bids with the right plans and region ideally would have to put their hands up. In this way it would give teams to secure their base and establish a football following in their regions.

    The spin offs in the past, had Team Wellington securing most of the winter clubs support and making the second Wellington bid weaker. Gisborne City had a bid but came short. There was no other South Island bids because of how weak the South Island teams are in the league, nothing from Blenheim or Nelson. There was a number of other Auckland bids but they were weak, one of the Auckland bids were a North Shore team and the other a East Auckland bid and a Manukau bid. A Bay of Plenty bid also failed. That are two bidding process in the past.

    This is the last season (2010-2011) of the three year licence but also the 1st season of the 5 season ASB Bank sponsored premiership.

    So I figure that it is nearly time for the next licence selection process.

    Having said this there is a good chance that there would be Auckland-Manukau team the next licence selection as that club had bailed out NZF in the National U20 youth League to continue the league without financial problems.
     
  18. cmedina1983

    cmedina1983 New Member

    Nov 14, 2008
    California
    Club:
    Sydney FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Australia
    Re: ASB Premiership Cities

    Judging by your post the same things that happen to Football in Australia are also a problem for Football in New Zealand. One comment I would argue against though is the talk of expansion 'diluting' talent in the league. The same argument was brought into the A-League debate when talks of expansion this year came to the forefront.

    The result is the best Football that's ever been on display in the A-League since its inception.

    If expanding a league means diluting talent then the problem does not lie with expansion, but rather with the clubs themselves for not being active enough to scout youngsters and give them a shot. I could name a handful of bright-eyed younger players who probably would not have been given the shots they did if it weren't for expansion creating more opportunities for them in the A-League.
     
  19. Luis_Rancagua

    Luis_Rancagua Member

    Apr 16, 2000
    ASB Premiership expansion

    I'm curious to know if the ASB Premiership is seriously planning to expand the league to 10 teams.
     
  20. AllWhitebeliever

    AllWhitebeliever Moderator
    Staff Member

    Jun 4, 2006
    On the injury table
    Club:
    Tottenham Hotspur FC
    Nat'l Team:
    New Zealand
    Re: ASB Premiership expansion

    Not sure if there is an expansion to ten teams but in the blog below suggests that nelson might take up an offer from the NZF CEO to make a formal bid.

    http://byphilliprollo.blogspot.com/2011/06/door-to-national-league-open-for-nelson.html

     
  21. Nacional Tijuana

    Nacional Tijuana St. Louis City

    St. Louis City SC
    May 6, 2003
    San Diego, Calif.
    Club:
    Seattle Sounders
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
  22. AllWhitebeliever

    AllWhitebeliever Moderator
    Staff Member

    Jun 4, 2006
    On the injury table
    Club:
    Tottenham Hotspur FC
    Nat'l Team:
    New Zealand
    Re: ASB Premiership 2011-12

    The ASB premiership had only one season so far since they became the main sponsors. So it is no surprise that there are no expansion teams yet. As it is, existing clubs have to settle and any new interested parties would have to look at the funding criteria and the new format of the championship. I don't think it's not all set in concrete behind the doors.:cool: But so far, with the ASB Youth League and the ASB Challenge Series (with Phoenix 'A" team against the ASB premiership for a couple thousand dollars prize), there are plenty to adjust and redo. Settling after the Rugby World Cup event and building crowd numbers for the next lot of FIFA tournaments as well growing the local game is a balancing act as it is.
     
  23. Nacional Tijuana

    Nacional Tijuana St. Louis City

    St. Louis City SC
    May 6, 2003
    San Diego, Calif.
    Club:
    Seattle Sounders
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Re: ASB Premiership 2011-12

    I'm listening to Radio Sport right now. I find it a very enjoyable station to listen to, but do they, or anybody else, cover the ASB Prem? Would love to listen to a match.
     
  24. AllWhitebeliever

    AllWhitebeliever Moderator
    Staff Member

    Jun 4, 2006
    On the injury table
    Club:
    Tottenham Hotspur FC
    Nat'l Team:
    New Zealand
    Re: ASB Premiership 2011-12

    Go to the link and download documents, if you are interested in submitting a team in the league expansion. You have until the end of January 2012.

    http://nzfootball.co.nz/index.php?id=766

     
  25. AllWhitebeliever

    AllWhitebeliever Moderator
    Staff Member

    Jun 4, 2006
    On the injury table
    Club:
    Tottenham Hotspur FC
    Nat'l Team:
    New Zealand
    Re: ASB Premiership 2011-12

    Sorry. Radio Sport is the only one that sometimes covers some of the ASB Prem matches live. Maybe one day they will have radio coverage on their website. It is quite depended on what other sports is covered at the time as well. Radio Sport does give the sport a fair representation among other sports.
     
    Nacional Tijuana repped this.

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