KEY POINTS:
The Wellington Phoenix are almost certain to go into their second A-League season without a marquee player.
In welcoming this week's signing of what has been described as an historic five-year agreement between Football Federation Australia and the Professional Footballers' Association, Phoenix chief executive Tony Pignata said there would be no hurry by his club to chase a marquee player.
The new deal - known as the collective bargaining agreement - sets out a finite path over the next five years in terms of salary caps, minimum wages, relocation allowances and other benefits.
The salary cap has been increased from A$1.8 million ($2.2 million) last season to A$1.9m for the 2008-09 season. There will be annual increments of A$100,000 until the 2010-11 season, with subsequent increases in line with the consumer price index (CPI).
The minimum salary for an under-21 player rises from A$30,000 last season to A$35,000 for season four (2008-09) and an over-21 player will now receive a minimum of A$42,000 this season and A$45,000 next season. Future increases will be aligned to the CPI.
Of the relocation allowance - now set at between A$10,000-$25,000 "depending on circumstances" - Pignata said it had been in place in the past and that the club pays "what is required to bring players from Australia, Europe or elsewhere to Wellington".
Pignata says that while the minimum wage for a young player appears "reasonable" he points out many of them were living away from home for the first time and needed to be looked after.
The club has signed 20 players (of the allowable 23) for the new season with all but Costa Barbarouses in training with coach Ricki Herbert. Barbarouses is playing on loan in the NSW State League and returns in July.
There are gaps in the roster for another two imports and a marquee player, with Pignata saying the signing of two strikers is the priority.
Of the marquee player - they had Socceroo Ahmad Elrich filling that role for the latter part of last season - Pignata said there was no urgency.
"Apart from the provision to have that player's payment outside the salary cap, he must meet all other criteria," said Pignata. "It could be we might have a marquee player in our current squad. To be recognised as such, he has to have played a certain number of games internationally.
"We can leave that spot open as we did with Ahmed Elrich ... It was a case of him becoming available and we did not have to find a lot of dollars to secure him."
Attacking midfielders Leilei Gao and Daniel are the two imports on the Phoenix roster, leaving Herbert with the chance to look offshore for his remaining players.
The club has a planned three-match tour in China next month as their major lead-in to the new season which begins on July 14 with their first Pre-Season Cup match - away to the Central Coast Mariners.
The season proper kicks-off on August 24.
