The Roar's A-League men tips and predictions: Elimination finals
The first week of A-League finals presents two brilliant battles.
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Opinion
The pandemic has thrown up more than enough challenges for the A-League Men over the past two seasons.
But spare a thought for the Wellington Phoenix, who had to play their match against Melbourne Victory behind closed doors, due to being unable to find a local commercial partner for the Round 12 clash at WIN Stadium.
It is just the latest alarming development for a club that has suffered more than any other local sporting team through COVID-19.
Many people had expected the APL and FA to step in and help out the troubled club, but so far, they have distanced themselves from the situation.
Head of the APL, Danny Townsend, was surprisingly quoted as saying “it was not the job of the APL to help the Phoenix find a commercial partner for the match. It’s part of their own stadium negotiations.”
It is an interesting stance the APL is adopting, considering the amount of support they have given in propping up struggling A-League Men foundation club, the Newcastle Jets.
While David Dome and Rob Morrison have put on brave faces on media duty for the Phoenix over the past two seasons, both will be fully aware of how financially crippling it has been, since the pandemic forced the shift to NSW.
Wollongong has a long, historical past with Australian football and every year, its name is thrown out as an option for a new A-League Men franchise.
WIN Stadium is one of the most underrated in Australia and is an absolute must-visit for travelling fans – its view of the Pacific Ocean needs to be seen first hand.
Basing the Phoenix there would give both the FA and APL the opportunity to see whether the football-loving people of Wollongong could get behind an A-League Men team.
Unfortunately for all parties associated, it has been a failure.
To turn the lights on at WIN Stadium, it costs $30,000 and this is before you start adding amenities like stadium security, police, paramedics and food trucks.
The people of Wollongong are yet to fully get behind the team, with crowd figures regularly under 2500. The three matches played this season have seen an average of just under 1350 spectators.
Once you factor in the accommodation of a full squad of players and coaching staff added to the stadium running costs, there is no simpler way of putting it: the Wellington Phoenix are bleeding money.
While they may not have captured much support from Wollongong, if the Phoenix are allowed to play back in New Zealand, they will see their issues decrease.
The Phoenix have some of the best commercial partners in the league when it comes to stadium support, as well as the likelihood again of the bumper five-figure crowds that attended two games last season.
But what is the best course of action with the lack of commercial support in Wollongong, until the club can get back to New Zealand?
One option would be giving all their home games to the away team.
The Phoenix could work out an agreement with the other 11 A-League Men clubs in terms of match-day revenue and ticketing.
By doing this, the Phoenix would have more money coming in and less going out. However the big downside is they would constantly be on the road travelling.
On the field though, the Phoenix have been a surprise packet this year.
They have one of the best coaches in the league in Ufuk Talay as well as a squad filled with young players who have ability.
If the Phoenix were to win the two or three games in hand they have on other sides, they could firmly be entrenched in the top four.
That would be a wonderful achievement, considering many pundits picked them to finish in the bottom two.
But with the FA changing the name from the FFA Cup to the Australia Cup, many read into the notion that the writing is on the wall.
Several seasons ago, the FA were looking at removing the club for certain metrics not being met, including attendance.
For Wellington to rise like the bird on their emblem, they need to ride the latest storm.