KEY POINTS:
Football proudly points to the fact that when they established a national league in 1970, it was the first of any sport in the country.
Since then, however, there has been less reason to boast. The present incarnation, the NZFC, is in poor health and needs serious medication.
It will limp to the start line on November 8 with all eight teams but is a shadow of what it was hoped it would be, having been reduced from three rounds to two.
Finding the right format has been a struggle. From 1970-1992, the halcyon days, it ran largely unchanged as a club-based national competition. It was of a relatively high standard and received good interest from fans around the country.
But since 1992, when the national league was disbanded for financial reasons, there has been a Superclub competition (30 teams divided into three regions before end-of-season national playoffs), the National Summer League (1995-98), North Island and South Island leagues (1999) and a revamped National League (2000- 2003) before the creation of the NZFC in 2004.
The high number of changes has done nothing for the credibility of the sport and it's hardly surprising interest has waned.
Finding the right format that is also affordable is the challenge facing New Zealand Football and they have promised to conduct a widespread review in the New Year.
The number of teams and format will be discussed, as well as suggestions the NZFC should start in January and cross over more with the regional winter leagues.
Allowing franchises to play in the Chatham Cup will also be on the agenda as NZF look to inject interest in their flagging cup competition.
As far as former All Whites and Auckland City coach Allan Jones is concerned, the formula is simple.
"The cycle will go back to the clubs again," Jones says. "Every other country other than Australia operates on that format because the life of the sport is clubs.
"As an amateur nation, we find it hard to find money, so we have to do what we can afford. The most realistic option is to run three regional leagues of 18 teams over two rounds and then have a national playoff. Teams would then get about 40 games a year.
"What we are doing now is a complete muddle. We have players playing in two different competitions [the NZFC and winter leagues] without any connection between the two. It's not the best way to develop clubs or players."
Auckland City chairman Ivan Vuksich admits the NZFC is not without flaws, particularly the lack of promotion-relegation, but says the current system is the best option.
"Too many clubs were lightweight, they went belly-up," he says. "The best shot is with franchises because it is easier to find sponsorship with regional teams but what New Zealand Football need to do is find the best franchise holders.
"They need the best entrepreneurs and people with the wherewithal to succeed. The Phoenix are there because they have an owner with passion and vision.
"There are plenty of those people around but I'm not sure they have the best eight at the moment. You need people who make things happen.
"[A lack of promotion-relegation] is a flaw in the system. It really relies on everyone doing their best but some taper off a bit because they know they won't be relegated."
NZF chief executive Michael Glading agreed changes needed to be made to breathe new life into the competition.
He favoured an NRL-style sudden-death knockout system that gave more teams a chance and also favoured promotion-relegation so there would be interest at both ends of the table.
"We have got to keep the interest going for more than just one or two teams if our product is going to be exciting for the public," he says.
"The NRL is really exciting and I would like to think we could duplicate that type of excitement. Bringing something to a climax is better than a long drawn-out process.
"But I'm not convinced that what we have is all that bad. We have problems. Whether they are terminal or need some adjustment, I'm not sure."
