Auckland FC embark on their first A-League Men’s season on Saturday (kick-off 5pm).
It is the first professional football team in the city for 17 years.
They face the Brisbane Roar at Go Media Stadium, Mt Smart.
Michael Burgess has been a sports journalist since 2005, winning several national awards and covering Olympics, Fifa World Cups and America’s Cup campaigns. A football aficionado, Burgess will never forget the noise that greeted Rory Fallon’s goal against Bahrain in Wellington in 2009.
OPINION
On Saturday evening,a painful wait of 6482 days will be over as football is reborn in this city.
The last time an Auckland professional football team took the field, Helen Clark was still Prime Minister. George W Bush was in the White House and Christopher Luxon was head of Unilever’s global deodorants category.
Richie McCaw was entering his second season as All Blacks captain, Alinghi were preparing to defend the America’s Cup in Valencia and a 15-year-old Chris Wood was turning heads at Hamilton Wanderers.
It was January 21, 2007. The New Zealand Knights beat Perth Glory 2-0 at North Harbour Stadium in their final match, just over a month after Football Federation Australia had revoked the club’s licence. The franchise had lasted just two seasons, with an average attendance of 3000 and finished with the wooden spoon twice.
Off the back of the previous failure of the Football Kingz, things were grim. There were debts and scars, broken promises and broken relationships, broken dreams and broken teams. While the domestic scene was healthy – with a strong interest and rivalry between Waitakere United and Auckland City in particular – the baton for the professional game was passed to Wellington. And that seemed to be that.
For a long, long time, it seemed there would never again be an A-League franchise in this city. It was too hard, the football scene here was too fragmented and there was no money. Even when there was some interest – Auckland City chairman Ivan Vuksich tirelessly explored options from 2011 onwards and even found potential overseas investors – doors were slammed in his face.
Australian powerbrokers wouldn’t even countenance that idea, as they were wholly focused on developing their own territory and saw no value or merit in assisting New Zealand. There were even strong questions over the existence of the Phoenix for a few years, with aggressive public statements from senior A-League figures and private debates behind the scenes.
Things were a mess. Given that, what is about to unfold on Saturday is nothing short of a miracle. A professional men’s team, with an academy and women’s side to come. Owners with deep pockets – including an American billionaire and Anna Mowbray – along with the involvement of popular sporting figures like Steven Adams and Winston Reid.
Francis De Vries (left), Cameron Howieson, Jesse Randall and Michael Woud were Auckland FC's first signings. Photo / NZME
An experienced coach and backroom staff and an exciting, talented roster. Significant corporate interest – from big players like Anchor and New Balance – and kids, from Massey to Maddils Farm to Mt Albert-Ponsonby – wearing Auckland FC replica shirts.
A near sell-out crowd. This is a beautiful time. This is a crazy time. This is also what the city needs – a bit of new sporting buzz and glamour to complement the Warriors, the Blues, the Mystics, the Northern Stars, the Breakers and the Aces.
On the field, we can expect a solid season. They won’t win the league but nor will they be in the cellar. They could start with a bang, given the anticipation and the early crowds, but we won’t see the best of this team until the turn of the year. That’s when the squad will start to find cohesion and coach Steve Corica will know more about his players, while the imports, many of whom arrived rusty, will need to garner match fitness.
Auckland FC have a kind early draw: they have two consecutive home matches and won’t have to go to Australia until late November. Things will get crunchy after Christmas, with a lot of travel and big opponents, but Auckland FC should be playoff contenders, especially given they will have a strong defensive base, including the best goalkeeper in the league and a strong back four.
This new chapter that starts on Saturday against the Brisbane Roar (5pm) is more important than the 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup. That event was amazing, with some profound legacy from player participation numbers and facility improvements, but it was also a sugar rush.
Auckland FC will be more of a slow burn but could change the sport. There’s a second pathway to the top, along with the Phoenix and from a much greater catchment area. There will also be local legends. Kids may idolise stars from the Premier League and La Liga but nothing beats your own team, seeing hometown heroes from your club.
Saturday is also a time to remember those who paved the way. This moment is for all the Auckland representatives of years gone by, from the team that played Manchester United at Carlaw Park in 1967 to the squads that featured at Newmarket Park. This is for administrators like Charlie Dempsey and Harry Dodds, along with coaches John Adshead and Kevin Fallon, who helped put the city’s football on the map in the 1980s.
This is for Ramon Tribulietx, Ivan Vicelich and all those involved in Auckland City’s Fifa Club World Cup heroics for more than a decade, which was a constant reminder of the footballing potential in the isthmus. This is for Chris Turner, Guy Hedderwick, Harry Ngata and all those who poured time, energy and money into the Kingz and Knights. This is for pioneers of the female game here – like Barbara Cox – and club stalwarts like Vuksich and Rex Dawkins.
And this is also for you, the young footballers, the old footballers and the parents and volunteers standing on the sidelines on winter-weekend mornings and chilly practice nights.
