Sky is the limit
Come on Wellington, let’s get behind the Phoenix and sell out the stadium
They may have missed out on the Premiers Plate, but the Wellington Phoenix can expect to have the feverish backing of their own supporters when they start their A-League playoffs campaign.
Tickets started flying out of the door when general sales for the home leg of the semifinal, which kicks off at Sky Stadium at 6.30pm on May 18, began at 1pm yesterday.
The club told The Post it sold more than 1000 tickets in the first 10 minutes. Including members’ tickets, almost 6000 tickets were sold as of 3.30pm.
Local supporter Simon Morris, like many Yellow Fever fans, had expected
“If we don’t get north of 25,000, I think that’d be disappointing for the team, given how well they’ve played.”
David Dome, Phoenix general manager
a rebuilding season when the 2023-24 campaign kicked off: the Phoenix had just appointed a new manager in Giancarlo Italiano and had made few signings to replace big-name departures, instead relying on young players from its academy.
“There was no expectation,” Morris said, but what happened over the next few months were beyond their wildest dreams.
The club achieved a season of historic highs: its second-place finish the Phoenix’s highest ever, amassing a record 53 points.
But it fell agonisingly short of Premiers Plate glory when the Central Coast Mariners beat Adelaide United 2-0 on Wednesday night to finish on the top of the table.
“Nobody would have given it a thought, or thought of the possibility, at the beginning of the season,” Morris said.
The performance earned the club the right to potentially host the Grand Final, should they win their two-leg semifinal against either Melbourne Victory, Melbourne City, Sydney FC or Macarthur FC, as long as the Mariners were knocked out.
The club’s general manager, David Dome, expected crowds of more than 25,000 at a stadium that has a capacity of 34,500. “We will know exactly what we need to do going into that game, and a massive Wellington crowd could be a huge difference for that team to get across the line, and into the grand final,” he said.
“If we don’t get north of 25,000, I think that’d be disappointing for the team, given how well they’ve played. It’s one game away from a grand final.”
Football matches often top Sky Stadium’s highest attendances list. The All Whites’ qualifying match for the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Bahrain set a record crowd of 35,194; the nine games held at last year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup each attracted between 15,000 to 33,000 spectators; the last A-League home finals against Newcastle Jets in 2010 drew a crowd of 32,792.
The Phoenix’s last home game against Macarthur had an attendance of 15,428. Morris believed 25,000 would be “achievable”, especially if Metlink trains would be running.
Another local-based supporter, Lily Joiner, said after the FIFA Women’s World Cup more people had “jumped on the bandwagon” for live football. “Now that we’ve got the quality and some really talented Kiwis, people will definitely come along to support.”
Meanwhile, fans across the country were making plans to be in the capital for the semi-final. Hamilton-based Danny Milner, a moderator of an unofficial supporters Facebook group, had bought semifinal tickets for himself and his parents. He’s “dreaming big” about that night’s attendance, hoping it could get close to 30,000. “We’ve got people travelling from all over New Zealand just to be here and I think whoever we take on, their fanbase will join us,” Milner said.
Wellington mayor Tory Whanau wanted to see the capital’s residents turn out in droves. “I am so unbelievably proud of the club and how well they’ve done,” Whanau said. “I want to recognise how hard the team and all the staff have worked to give fans a spectacular season. Now it’s time for Wellington to do the same. Let’s all get along to the semifinal and show how proud we are.”
And supporters were dreaming of the day the Phoenix could finally grasp the elusive A-League championship. “We’ve come so far that I believe we can take it all the way now,” Joiner said.