Football Federation Australia has provided as explanation for the inflexibility which has blocked the path for a professional Wellington Phoenix women's team to compete in the Australian W-League.
As revealed by the NZ Herald yesterday, FFA refused to change the competition regulations to allow New Zealanders to fall outside the Phoenix's allowed quota of four foreign players and one international guest player.
In effect, that scuppered any prospect of a Phoenix team taking part, as a maximum of five of their squad could have been kiwis. With the side seen as both a development pathway for our best young female players and a representative of football in this country, that scenario wasn't one the Phoenix would consider. By contrast, the club's A-League side (and their predecessors, the New Zealand Knights) have always had an exemption, with New Zealanders not classed as imports.
In a lengthy statement provided to the Herald, an FFA spokesperson said the organisation had "concerns about initiating changes to player eligibility rules at such a late stage without having engaged in a meaningful process of consultation with APFCA (Australian Professional Football Clubs Association) and W-League clubs."
"Furthermore, FFA (has) concerns about the impact of the change on the integrity of the competition and the ability of W-League clubs to manage playing squads so close to the commencement of the season. Under the circumstances, the current player eligibility rules will not be amended for the coming season," it said.
