Phoenix secure long-term future
The moment the Wellington Phoenix have been waiting for since 2007 has arrived.
Yesterday, it was announced that an agreement had been reached over the future of the A-League, giving New Zealand’s only professional football club long-term security, something it has never had before.
A positive outcome along those lines had appeared more likely than not since the move to an independent governance model was set in motion last October, but as general manager David Dome put it: ‘‘To have it written down is good.’’
The Phoenix are set to be one of 13 owners of the A-League going forward, alongside the other 11 clubs and Football Federation Australia, which has had full control from when the competition began in 2005 until now.
FFA had only issued the Phoenix short-term licences to compete in the A-League, while guaranteeing other clubs their places until the 2030s, putting them in a situation where they’ve found it hard to attract investment and to position themselves as a permanent part of the New Zealand footballing landscape.
The Phoenix’s current licence was set to expire at the end of the coming season, with the club needing to hit certain targets with regards to a range of metrics to trigger an extension.
But after yesterday’s announcement, that is something they will no longer need to worry about.
There are still details to be ironed out as to what exactly the new governance model will look like, but it is hoped full agreements between FFA, the Australian Professional Football Clubs Association, and Australia’s regional federations will be in place by August 1.
Dome said the move to an independent A-League was ‘‘a huge step forward not just for the Wellington Phoenix but for the league in general’’.
‘‘The announcement this afternoon is what we’ve been talking about for quite some time.
‘‘There’s still a bit of work to be done, but it’s strongly indicative that an independent league is coming out. An independent A-League, W-League, and a youth league in Australia, and the Wellington Phoenix is one twelfth of that.
‘‘All the clubs will own their commercial rights, their trademarks, and it will allow for much stronger investment into the leagues.’’