KEY POINTS:
Football in New Zealand is at a major crossroads and the national body could switch direction after three years of significant international activity.
Sparc want to have a much larger say in which way the game goes and are interested in investing more money in the sport as well as having an observer on the New Zealand Football board.
They are likely to offer a $300,000 handout initially to help NZF out of their present crisis but are waiting to see what decisions NZF make before committing more money.
Sparc currently invest about $1.26 million in the game, up from about $260,000 three years ago, but believe NZF should prioritise grass roots football over international activity.
This is one of the major issues the national body is wrestling with. They are reviewing the five-year strategic plan they introduced in 2006 ahead of the June congress, when a new board and chairman could be elected.
Three years ago NZF resolved to become more active internationally after a period of dormancy and set the goal of qualifying for 14 world tournaments in five years.
They are at present five for five but this has seen costs increase significantly, particularly for teams preparing for world tournaments (80 per cent of costs are taken care of by Fifa at these events) and is a large reason why they have suffered losses for the past four years.
Revenue has increased from $4.5 million in 2005 to $7 million but spending is outstripping it and they are facing up to a $450,000 loss in 2007.
As a member of Fifa, New Zealand must enter world tournaments but aspects of the team's preparations could be sacrificed to minimise these costs. Another option is to chase a move into Asia more aggressively, which would open up greater opportunities to earn money from broadcasting rights.
"We made a conscious decision as a board three years ago to look at a more expansionist way at the upper level," NZF chairman John Morris says. "We all know that you need to get the top team playing to have a profile for the game. In New Zealand's case, it's a lot more difficult than it seems.
"We are the top dogs in Oceania and we can qualify for all those tournaments. It's a huge boon for us but also a huge burden because of the costs involved. But we felt it was the right thing to do at the time. As long as we are in Oceania, we are going to struggle to get cash."
For former All Whites coach Allan Jones, who is now the chairman of the high performance advisory group charged with reporting to NZF, the answer is simple.
"You have to cut your coat according to the cloth," he says. "You can't prepare teams in the same way they have been doing but they have a national league they should put more time into and they need to develop coaches who can coach at that level and beyond."
Jones is an advocate for extending the NZFC season from six to 10 months and reverting it back to a club competition, complete with promotion and relegation.
"The club is the cradle of any sport. Beyond Australasia, I don't know anywhere in the world that doesn't have promotion-relegation and if everyone was playing twice as much as they are now, we would be a better footballing nation."
Jones says NZF needs to provide strong leadership, starting with the chairman, better facilities and improved coaching. Once the foundations are in place, success will filter through to the international level.
This way of thinking would be more in line with what Sparc want to see.
It's understood the Sparc board were flummoxed by NZF's decision to chase international success in the world's most competitive sport and thought they should focus on building the game from the bottom up.
In a letter from Sparc chief executive Nick Hill to NZF on January 30, obtained by the Herald on Sunday, he outlined their position.
"It is essential that if Sparc is to provide additional support, then that support goes to implementing a plan that will help place NZF on a credible and sustainable long-term path," Hill wrote.
"Secondly, because NZF's financial difficulties are not new, and it appears there are still systemic financial management and risk management issues, Sparc will seek a greater involvement at board and management level for a period of time until a greater level of confidence has been achieved."
The Sparc board meet later this month, when they will establish a formal position on football, but they are waiting to see which way NZF go.
The full extent of this might not be known, though, until the June congress when the entire review of the strategic plan will be complete.
This congress looms as a significant meeting and with only two of the present board guaranteed their places beyond June, a significantly different board could be voted in. There is speculation Morris will indicate his intention to step aside by then after six years as chairman but the position of chief executive Graham Seatter appears safe, given he is employed by the board.
NZF had proposed the idea of imposing a $10 levy on all players to help resolve their financial difficulties. While this was roundly rejected by the federations, Sparc appear supportive.
