New Zealand Football are taking a risk by scheduling All Whites games at home. Photo / Getty Images
New Zealand Football hope the upcoming All Whites clash with Jamaica can be a profitable exercise - otherwise the prospect of future friendly internationals in this country could be in jeopardy.
The national body face a total outlay of around $450,000 for the February 29 game, a huge sum for a single match but a commercial reality.
"We are taking a financial risk but the aim has to be to de-risk as much as possible," says New Zealand Football CEO Grant McKavanagh. "From these kind of exercises, we want to be able to reinvest in the game, rather than fritter away hard-earned funds. We have to commercialise this game well, which we haven't always done well in the past."
It is a constant conundrum for football in this country. Oceania qualifying matches against the likes of New Caledonia and the Solomon Islands don't attract support outside diehard fans, while the team needs to face higher-ranked opposition if it wants to improve. In the past this has been most viable away from home, hence the past friendly matches against Australia in London (2005), Mexico in the United States (2010 and 2011) and China in China (2011).
But, since the 2010 World Cup, there has been awareness that the All Whites need to play in this country if the sport is to grow, despite the evils of the economics.
Teams ranked in Fifa's top 10 can charge in the region of US$1 million ($1.2 million) as a match fee and the figure is only slightly less for those between 10 and 20. New Zealand were able to attract 17th-ranked Paraguay in late 2010, but this was only viable as the South Americans visited Australia on the same trip, allowing NZF to share the costs with Football Federation Australia. For nations between 20 and 70 (Jamaica are ranked 48), the fee can be anywhere from US$50,000-US$200,000 ($60,400-$240,000).
The agent arranges the match, then takes 15 per cent, while the host country then has to stump up for return air fares, these days based on business class fares, as well as all other expenses incurred by the visiting team in the country.
It is always a rush; some of the All Whites won't even arrive home until February 27 or 28, though Fifa are said to be reviewing the future of such single-game windows, aware of the logistical problems created for geographically isolated countries.
"It is our responsibility to promote the game in New Zealand as long as it is commercially viable," says McKavanagh. "For our team to get better, we have got to put them up against the best possible opposition. That is the focus - however these games simply can't lose money; as my board likes to remind me, New Zealand Football needs to be a 'not-for-loss' organisation."
NZF have been unsuccessful in attracting support from ATEED, the branch of the Auckland Council who provide financial assistance to events in the city.
"They turned us down for funding because they claimed there was not enough time," says McKavanagh. "It is disappointing when we are putting on something we believe makes Auckland a better city, and there are plenty of other cities that would love to host it."
It continues a pattern of decisions by the council body, who have also rejected applications from other sporting bodies like the Phoenix and Breakers in the past.
Meanwhile, McKavanagh also revealed that the Jamaica match was "very close" to not being televised, as the national body were at loggerheads with Sky over the terms of the deal.
"I was at a point where, unless we could find a meeting of the minds and something that was commercial for football, there was a distinct possibility that this game was not going to be broadcast live," says McKavanagh. "It's been challenging for both parties. Ultimately there is a requirement for both parties to understand that they need each other and both bring a value proposition."