With their first game confirmed for October 19, preparations for Auckland’s new professional football franchise’s inaugural season are well underway with stakeholders laying the groundwork for a successful entry into the A-League competition.
At a press event yesterday, Auckland Stadiums, a division of Tātaki Auckland Unlimited, confirmed football’s worst-kept secret that the Mt Smart ground will be Auckland FC’s home for the next five years after ratifying a partnership with Go Media.
Auckland has been without a team in the premier Australasian competition since the New Zealand Knights were dissolved in 2007, with the country’s representation in the A-League limited to the Wellington Phoenix.
The Times was invited for a look behind the scenes at the work being done to drum up support for the Black Knights’ debut.
When quizzed on what it will take to see football rise again in the Supercity, Auckland FC CEO Nick Becker said the game was now in a better space after the success of last year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup.
“73 clubs across the region and 100,000 people participate in the sport across the city and those numbers just didn’t exist 16 years ago – you are kind of comparing apples and watermelons, “said Becker of the current climate.
However, he added that getting people through the turnstiles was not a given, and the club was being proactive in garnering support from its core fan and player bases.
“We are conscious that a high participation sport doesn’t necessarily mean a high attendance. You need to drive that from the top and that is a key for us, “said Becker.
“That means going out to the clubs and playing friendlies. We are out in the community every day and we are taking players like (Fijian) Dan Hall out to Onehunga-Mangere football club which is predominantly Fijian.”
“We’ve created partnerships with the clubs that will benefit them as well. If the clubs sell a membership to Auckland FC through their network they get a royalty- creating a new revenue stream for them, “he added.
Hoping to maximise capacity, Becker confirmed all of Auckland FC’s games would be played at the family-friendly time of 5 pm on Saturdays throughout the summer.
“You have to work with your audience. A pre-dinner kickoff means the whole family can go and be home by 8- 8:30 and it doesn’t disrupt the whole night. We play in summer so the weather is nice and you don’t have to battle the Southern motorway to get here, “he said.
Recently released population figures show that 42 per cent of Auckland’s residents are made up of people born outside of Aotearoa, and Becker said another challenge for the club is to harness the universal love for the beautiful game by converting recent arrivals into fans under the “common language” of football.
Club initiatives will include creating family fan zones, food trucks and an entertaining match day experience underpinned by cultural days.
Hardcore supporters, known as The Port, will occupy Go Media Stadium’s South end.
Those travelling by train to the ground can enjoy apres match festivities at a Britomart bar which will be rebranded as Tyler Street Sports acting as the supporter’s home base.
Ticket prices will be announced as soon as fixtures are released, but season memberships are available now and Becker said packages equate to less than $20 per person per game.
The Coach speaks
Steve Corica won a premiership with Sydney FC and played 32 matches for his native Australia.
Establishing a solid fan base ultimately comes down to on-field results, and Corica is under no illusions that winning gets bums on seats.
“You start winning and people get behind you, “he said.
He is excited by the blend of youth and experience at his disposal, and said he is focused on silverware from day one:
“We don’t just want to fill up the numbers, we want to win trophies, that’s the aim whether it’s in the first, second or third year.”
Billionaire owner Bill Foley maintains a vast stable of professional sporting interests, including the champion Vegas Golden Knights NHL team and football interests with Premier League side AFC Bournemouth, Scottish outfit Hibernian FC and French club FC Lorient.
Corica said one of Foley’s directives for the new team was to provide “key opportunities for Kiwi players, but also chances to move on to his (Foley’s) other clubs,” adding that Auckland FC will share player data with its sister organisations.
“We want to be on the same page, share data from GPS units et cetera, which is great as it shows us where our players need to get to be a Premier League player. A big part of what guys want to do is play overseas at some stage and I think we can give them the opportunity if they’re good enough, “said Corica.
17 players have already been signed, and Director of Football Terry McFlynn hopes to have the club’s full roster of around 26 players finalised by mid-August. Corica said there are still a few positions left to cover;
“I think we’re looking basically down the spine of the team, number 9, a centre back and maybe a winger as well.”
Memberships are available at https://aucklandfc.co.nz/
