Debuts for Auckland FC and Liam Lawson this coming week
New talent, big ideas, and deep pockets are heralding an exciting new era in Kiwi sport.
On Saturday, Auckland FC – our newest A-League football team – will play their debut against the Brisbane Roar.
Then on Monday, rising Formula One star Liam Lawson takes the wheel as a fulltime driver for Red Bull at the US Grand Prix.
Newstalk ZB senior sports reporter and podcast host Elliott Smith told The Front Page the introduction of another A-League team has one goal: money.
“It was a very attractive proposition given by Bill Foley and his investment team to get the expansion. [The] A-League has not been shy about wanting to expand and wanting to increase their reach around Australia but also in New Zealand. Foley has the kind of billionaire pockets that can service the A-League and set up a team in Auckland,” Smith says.
“They’ve got all the right parts. They’ve got a lot of exciting players from both New Zealand, former internationals and current internationals. So I think it’s a pretty good mix.”
Whether they can sustain it commercially, and fan-wise, is the big question, Smith says.
“Football is not the kind of sport in New Zealand that it is abroad, Wellington Phoenix have had a good backing from their city and others around the country for some time. But, whether it’s enough to be commercially sustainable as a fan-driven enterprise, I think the jury is still out.”
The Wellington Phoenix brand has dominated football in New Zealand – so, how will they fare with some local competition? Smith said the arrival of Auckland FC won’t be welcome news to them.
“Because it cuts off their commercial opportunities to an extent as well. They can’t go up to Auckland or go to big businesses and go, we’re the only football team.
“So that cuts off their point of difference to an extent. Now there are two.”
Another exciting addition to the country’s global sports exports is Lawson – who will be returning to Formula One and driving for Red Bull’s sister team, RB.
He’s taking the spot of Australian Daniel Ricciardo alongside Japan’s Yuki Tsunoda for the remainder of the season.
Newstalk ZB sports news director Clay Wilson told The Front Page it’s felt like a bit of a saga over the last six to 12 months.
“This is something that Liam Lawson has probably been working towards and on the verge of for the last four or five years,” Wilson says.
“We saw what he could do last year, stepping in at much shorter notice. He did very well and is clearly someone who can adapt very quickly. He has the skills and talent.
“The difference this time, however, is that last time there was not, and he won’t agree with this, but the perception was there wasn’t that much pressure on him because he was brought in so late notice. He was only in there as an injury replacement.
“Whereas these last six races, it’s really a test case for what Liam’s going to be doing next year. So there is pressure on to perform and perform well if he wants to ensure that he gets a fulltime drive with Racing Bulls, that second team.
“But, there’s a lot of talk about whether he might even be in contention for the proper Red Bull team and that seat alongside Max Verstappen because there’s pressure on Sergio Perez.”
Listen to the full episode to hear more about these exciting debuts, and what it could mean for rugby in New Zealand.
The Front Page is a daily news podcast from the New Zealand Herald, available to listen to every weekday from 5am. The podcast is presented by Chelsea Daniels, an Auckland-based journalist with a background in world news and crime/justice reporting who joined NZME in 2016.
You can follow the podcast at iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
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