KEY POINTS:
The future of the eight-team New Zealand Football Championship is in jeopardy with at least two franchises struggling to stay afloat.
Team Wellington officials are doing all they can to ensure they have a team ready for the November 8-9 opening round, but there are real concerns they and Waikato FC are struggling to meet funding deadlines for the fourth NZFC season. It is estimated clubs need to find $300,000-$400,000 to survive.
At a meeting between the clubs and New Zealand Football five weeks ago, all eight incumbents assured they would be ready to play.
Now a conference call involving the national body, the league manager and the franchises on Monday morning is seen as key to the competition's survival, at least in its present form.
"As I see it, there are a number of things which as a group we must consider," said NZF chief executive Michael Glading yesterday, who has set next Wednesday as the deadline for answers. "We either carry on with eight teams playing the three rounds and play-offs as in the past. We need to know how many teams will be ready to play. We also need to look at alternatives including a reduction in the number of rounds."
He also hinted there might be a review of the criteria which would allow a club like Waikato FC to move away from the obviously expensive option of playing at Hamilton's plush Waikato Stadium to something more modest.
"They [Waikato] are in real strife."
Glading said that while Team Wellington had assured him they had sufficient funding in place to get to the halfway point of the season, there were no guarantees beyond that. On that basis they had real doubts over their survival.
"They are talking about the hope of a White Knight turning up to bail them out," said Glading, "but realistically they feel they find themselves in a situation where they have to make a call. They would rather make that now than wait until the situation becomes irretrievable.
"It does not look good. We are operating in a [financial] world where things are upside down. That doesn't help."
With all franchises dependent on funding from charitable trusts, they have been hard hit by a fall-off in available revenue from that source.
Clubs pay NZF a $65,000 entry fee which covers all travel costs, the provision of match officials and administration costs.
"We are looking at any way we can screw down costs," said Glading, "but I still have to wonder how $65,000 grows to become $300,000-$400,000."
Glading would be happy to see the NZFC as an amateur competition but is mindful that New Zealand's representative in the O-League has to be as strong as possible.
The O-League winner automatically qualifies for Fifa's World Club Cup - a cash-cow with all NZFC clubs and the national body benefiting.
Rex Dawkins, chairman of champions Waitakere United said there were problems but he would not like to see any lessening of standards.
Asked what changes should be made, Dawkins said he did not believe cutting the league from three to two rounds would be in the best interest of the competition. Just as he feels the end of season play-offs should remain.
"It is no secret we came out of last season losing money," he said.
