Soccer: Kingz hit road again - for Ericsson

By Terry Maddaford

The Football Kingz are going back on the road - but this time only across town.

Chairman Chris Turner confirmed yesterday that the Kingz' match against Marconi on April 7 would be at the Auckland home of the Warriors, Ericsson Stadium. It will be their third "home" match away from their North Harbour Stadium base, following games in Christchurch and Wellington.

"We are not convinced one way or the other on North Harbour Stadium," said Turner. "We are not saying we are leaving there, just that we want to test the water at Ericsson. We have long had an open mind on our home ground and we see this as a chance to gauge public support.

"We have a hard-core crowd of around 3500 at North Harbour and by playing a game across town at the same time, on a Friday night, we will be able to assess things.

"We got 9200 for the one-off game in Wellington. Who knows what we might get at Ericsson Stadium? A lot of people tell us that maybe they would come to a Kingz game if they did not have to cross the bridge. This is their chance to prove it."

The Kingz have the opportunity to shrug off a sub-par effort against Wollongong Wolves last Sunday when they meet the Graham Arnold-coached Northern Spirit at North Harbour Stadium on Friday night.