$1m Budget bonus a lifeline for Phoenix

Wellington Phoenix told Sport New Zealand representatives, including former NZ Rugby boss Steve Tew, that the football club would probably collapse without urgent financial assistance.

So the A-League team, which was rescued in 2011 by a consortium of wealthy backers, was handed $950,000 of taxpayer money yesterday to keep it afloat and return to Australia to complete its season amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

The money was part of a $4.6 million spend by Sport NZ, the first release of investment from the $265m Sport Recovery Package announced last month as part of Budget 2020. NRL team the New Zealand Warriors got $200,000, Netball New Zealand $2.2m to re-launch its ANZ Premiership, and NZ Rugby $1.25m to help Super Rugby Aotearoa also this month.

Phoenix general manager David Dome said in a statement: ‘‘Without this support professional football, which is a critical part of football in New Zealand, could be lost indefinitely’’.

Sport NZ chief executive Peter Miskimmin said the Phoenix painted a grim picture in April when Tew – who was contracted to assess how much each sport would receive in emergency assistance – met with the club.

‘‘You have to go back nearly two months when we were having these conversations, it was pretty dire at that point,’’ Miskimmin said.

‘‘The risk to us, and the Phoenix was, if they did end up folding they would give up their licence to the A-League and that would have been a barrier to any New Zealand team going back into the A-League.’’

The big loser was basketball, which received nothing despite its revamped seven-team NBL being on the verge of starting this month, too.

Miskimmin said the difference was, the NBL had not been finalised when the initial funding discussions were had.