Phoenix unsure on sponsorship
The Wellington Phoenix are operating under the assumption they will be around for ‘‘many, many, many years to come,’’ with the A-League set to be independent of Football Federation Australia within months.
But while general manager David Dome believes securing the club’s long-term future in the competition will be a formality once that happens, he is less certain it will retain its sponsorship deal with Chinese telecommunications company Huawei, which expires at the end of the current season.
‘‘Without that partnership, I’d hate to think where the club would be this year and in the last couple of years,’’ Dome said. ‘‘Obviously, there are some pretty significant geopolitical challenges to that partnership. Now I don’t know where that’s going to land. I don’t think anybody knows, to be honest with you. It’s hugely disappointing that it’s turned into a political football.’’
Huawei has faced a number of challenges internationally, largely around its involvement in building 5G mobile networks, including in New Zealand. Last November, the Government Communications Security Bureau declined an application by Spark to use Huawei technology to upgrade its mobile network to 5G, after a significant network security risk was identified.
Huawei NZ deputy manager director Andrew Bowater said last month that Huawei ‘‘would love’’ to retain its sponsorship of the Phoenix, but would need to see what the environment would be like, while Dome said the club had ‘‘no concerns whatsoever’’ about having them as a partner.
‘‘All I can hope is that what happens outside the HuaweiWellington Phoenix relationship doesn’t impact on the strength of that partnership, but I just don’t know at this stage. I would strongly suggest that if Huawei were to move away, due to what’s happening internationally, that that inevitably would have an impact on what the club is able to achieve. No doubt.’’
Huawei has been the Phoenix’s major sponsor since 2013 and renewing that deal would give the club a solid financial footing at a time when it is close to securing its place in the A-League on a long-term basis. Club chairman Rob Morrison is a member of the New Leagues Working Group, which consists of other club bosses, FFA directors, the presidents of Australia’s regional federations, and representatives from the players’ union and the women’s football council, and has been charged with laying out a new governance model for professional football in Australia.
The working group is set to produce a report by the end of March, which would enable a new governance structure, accountable to the clubs instead of FFA, to be
2019-20 season.
As things stand, with FFA in charge, the Phoenix are only guaranteed one more season in the A-League, needing to hit targets in key metrics including match attendances and television audiences to trigger a three-year extension of their licence.
While the club is paying attention to those metrics, which it views as indicators of a strong business as much as anything, it is clear those in charge are increasingly confident the Phoenix will be here to stay once the clubs are in charge. in place for the
‘‘Our day-to-day work within the club is that there is an ongoing future for this club for quite some time,’’ Dome said.
‘‘Many, many, many years. At the moment the other clubs have licences until 2034.
‘‘We see coming out of this thing that the Wellington Phoenix license will be exactly the same as the other A-League clubs, and however long their licences are for, we will have that same tenure.
‘‘We don’t see ourselves as any different and the other A-League clubs don’t see us as any different as well.’’