Auckland FC delays launch of women’s A-League team

Bill Foley (left) with Auckland A-Leagues club CEO Nick Becker. Photo / Andrew Cornaga / www.photosport.nz

Auckland FC’s plans to launch a women’s team next A-League season is facing delays.

Despite initial assurances from club management when they launched in November 2023 that the team would be ready for the 2025-26 season, multiple sources indicate that the club has yet to confirm a definitive timeline for its debut.

While the exact cause of the halt is yet to be confirmed, the Herald understands players’ agents have had a lack of communication with the club’s chief executive Nick Becker, which he denies, while the process for staff appointments has been slow.

“Auckland FC remains committed to launching a Ninja A-League women’s team in time for the upcoming 25/26 season, due to start spring 2025,” Becker said in a statement to the Herald.

“From the very start, we said we had big ambitions with a goal for Auckland FC to be an inclusive club for everyone. Launching a women’s team is a significant part of that goal and we are ready to go as soon as we get the approval from the A-Leagues governing body.”

The A-League’s executive chair, Stephen Conroy said: “We are finalising our planning for the upcoming Ninja A-League Women 2025/26 season, and we hope to make a further announcement in the near future.”

The surprising development comes after the director of football Terry McFlynn told the Herald in January they were eager to announce the club’s first head coach by early February being down to a shortlist of three candidates.

Auckland FC's director of football Terry McFlynn faced a unique challenge in building the new club. Photo / Photosport

They planned to follow a similar timeline of announcements the men’s side had a year prior and were enthusiastic that they could match the club’s current success on the women’s side.

Steve Corica was announced as the men’s head coach on March 12 last year, while their first set of player announcements came at the end of May.

When the expansion club was announced in November 2023, owner Bill Foley assured fans the women’s team would receive attention and opportunities equal to the men’s team.

At the time, Foley explained that delaying the launch of the women’s team by a year would allow the club to concentrate its focus and resources on establishing a strong foundation in its inaugural season, without the need to divide its focus.

Why the hold-up?

Macarthur FC, like Auckland, also has a women’s team pending. While Aucklanders have been waiting a year for their women’s team, the fans of the South Western Sydney club have waited six.

It’s no secret the A-League isn’t in a strong financial position. Ahead of the current season, The Australian Professional Leagues (APL) confirmed funding cuts of close to 75%.

The head office’s contribution to clubs was slashed to $530,000 - down from $2 million in the 2023-24 season.

The expiration of the A-League’s current agreement with Network Ten and Paramount+ in Australia could be a key factor in the delay. The league may feel they’ll be in a stronger financial position when a new broadcast deal is finalised at the end of the 2025-26 season.

Sky signed a three-year renewal as the New Zealand broadcaster in September last year.

Auckland FC have always remained committed to its plan for the women’s team where they were understood to train and play at North Harbour Stadium in Albany - where the men currently train - and is already engaged in discussions with potential staff and players.

However, Auckland FC may not feel pressured to fast-track the inclusion of their women’s team in the A-League, especially considering the success of the men’s squad.

Change of plans

Delaying the launch of the Auckland FC women’s team next season could have major consequences for top players who had planned to or have returned home and committed to the idea of playing for Auckland FC.

Football Fern's Anna Leat in goal against the United States at Tokyo games. Photo / Photosport

Auckland FC management revealed in January they were targeting Football Ferns goalkeeper Anna Leat who departed her Women’s Super League club Aston Villa on mutual terms, citing she wanted to be closer to home.

McFlynn told the Herald her experience would be valuable to the new team.

“She’s on the list of players that we’re wanting to engage with as we start off the programme. It’s about having good-quality players and good-quality people in the building.”

The Herald understands Leat isn’t the only Fern who could be homebound, with AFC interested in Katie Bowen, Claudia Bunge and Jacqui Hand.

Bonnie Jansen is a multimedia journalist in the NZME sports team. She’s a football commentator and co-host of the Football Fever podcast, and was part of the Te Rito cadetship scheme before becoming a fulltime journalist.