Soccer: Zero's man to make heroes of Kingz

By TERRY MADDAFORD


Anthony Lee is the kind of guy you feel comfortable with. A firm handshake, look-you-in-the-eye type. Nothing pretentious.

Down to earth. Someone who made, and lost, a million dollars (when his warehouse burned down and he discovered that, through a broker error, he was under-insured) before he was 27, but bounced back and is now ready to help steer the Football Kingz out of the mire.

Appointed this week as Kingz benefactor Brian Katzen's right-hand man and chairman of a yet-to-be-finalised new-look board, Lee - "Ants" to his mates - is determined to give it his best shot.

He has the credentials to pull it off.

From a modest rugby background and with little formal education, he got to within five units of finishing an accountancy degree after his Takapuna Grammar days. He then set out to make his fortune.

At 18 he headed to Australia and worked for Kentucky Fried Chicken. By 20 he was the youngest manager taking responsibility both at store and regional level.

He was, he admits, keen on sampling the company's products.

"More importantly, it gave me a good business background and an insight into franchising," said the 45-year-old. "I was going on courses with people from high-profile companies like IBM."

Back in New Zealand, he embarked on a business career that culminated some years later in England, heading the Student Support Centre (UK).

As the largest private education provider in Britain, the company had 500 staff and more than 100,000 students.

Lee remains chairman and a shareholder but has cut back his six or seven flights a year to England to about four.

And then there was the soccer.

Through good friend Duncan Martin, who was playing at Manurewa and later Papatoetoe, Lee became interested in football.

"Before that I thought soccer was a game for people who did not know how to play real sport."

Lee formed strong friendships with people inside the game, including Tony Levy, Fred Goodwin, Paul Steffe and Tommy Mason, eventually arriving in Britain. There he later faced disaster when newspaper tycoon Robert Maxwell died owing him hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Lee battled on, eventually balancing business life with soccer and becoming a Chelsea FC season ticketholder.

In those days anyone who turned up at Stamford Bridge could get in, he said. Then Ruud Gullit arrived and you needed a season ticket. He still has one.

Eighteen months ago, Lee was introduced to Katzen by former Kingz general manager Chris Turner.

"Brian asked me to step up to the plate and become involved with the Kingz," Lee said.

"He has serious money. I'm not in his league - but I was interested in what he had to say. At that time I had just launched [ sandwich bar] Zero's in New Zealand with Ryan Dawkins and my brother Mike. I was convinced I was ready to retire and play golf."

But he linked with Dawkins' father Rex and businessman Peter Bult at Waitakere City, eventually moving on to the Kingz.

"Peter and I formed a company aimed at creating a youth development path within the game.

"My vision now is to take that to a national level."

And he wants to see the Kingz, or whatever they might be "rebranded" as, succeed.

Lee has beaten the odds before. Who would bet he won't do it again?

ANTHONY LEE

* Born: Auckland, May 21, 1959.

* Education: Takapuna Grammar, AUT.

* Occupation: Company director.

* Sporting interests: Soccer (Chelsea season ticketholder) and golf (18 handicap at North Shore GC).