KEY POINTS:
All White Noah Hickey would happily move from Auckland to play for a Wellington-based A-League soccer side if it became an option.
For Hickey, where the franchise have their headquarters is less important than ensuring New Zealand continues to have a team in the competition.
"Auckland would be
best for a lot of players in that they wouldn't have to move, but if it's Wellington then it's great," he said today.
"We have to grasp the opportunity because it really is a privilege that the Aussies let us play in their league for a start."
Hickey said the best way to repay the Football Federation of Australia was to put a competitive team on the park.
He said losing a New Zealand presence in the A-League would spell "big trouble" for soccer on this side of the Tasman.
"I think it would be a complete and utter disaster for football and for sport in New Zealand."
New Zealand Soccer has provisionally backed a bid by a Wellington group to run an A-League club.
It has given the group until next Thursday to fund the additional funding to reach the minimum of $2 million in capital investment needed to get the operation up and running.
Hickey, who has a couple of overseas options on the table, said he hadn't been approached about playing for a Wellington-based side but was prepared to move south if he had to.
He hadn't spoken to former teammates at the Knights to get their views, although he acknowledged that he didn't have considerations like a family or children at school.
He said what was needed now was early confirmation that the Wellington proposal would proceed, because the recruiting of players "needed to be done two months ago".
"I'm waiting to see what happens, but I can't wait too long and nor can other players," he said.
"Hopefully they can get it cracking straight away because they're going to have to work hard to find the right players."
Meanwhile, Wellington bid head John Dow said he hadn't heard of any former Knights not wanting to shift to the capital, apart from All White skipper Danny Hay.
The central defender, who captained the Knights early in their debut season before leaving after a falling out with the previous management, said last month that he didn't want to leave Auckland.
"I'm not saying a team based outside of Auckland couldn't be successful, but it just wouldn't include me," he said.
He believed other senior All Whites would think the same way.
Dow, who is due to meet NZS chief executive Graham Seatter for further discussions on his group's bid, was confident there wouldn't be any hurdles preventing a Wellington franchise from becoming a reality.
"I don't envisage there being any great surprises next week," he said.
"We're football people and we want to do the best we can."
- NZPA
