1 week Ago
Kick-off: 5pm Saturday Oct 19 Go MediaMt Smart Stadium Kick-off: 4pm Sunday Oct 20 SkyStadium, Wellington The 2024-25 A-League Men season getsunderway on Friday night with a repeat of last year's GrandFinal between reigning champions Central Coast Mariners andMelbourne Victory. That fixture raises the curtain ona momentous A-League campaign for New Zealand. For the firsttime ever there will be two sides representing Aotearoa withthe upstart Auckland FC joining the WellingtonPhoenix.
Auckland have built a team from scratch whilethe Phoenix have embarked on yet another massive rebuild,following the loss of several key players for the secondoff-season in succession. Head coach:Steve Corica Key players: Hiroki Sakai, Jake Brimmer, DanHall Key signing: Alex Paulsen One to watch: JesseRandall Prediction: 8th Head coach: Giancarlo Italiano Keyplayers: Kosta Barbarouses, Alex Rufer, Scott Wootton Keysigning: Kazuki Nagasawa One to watch: IsaacHughes Prediction: 5th The presence of both teamsrepresents a massive opportunity for growth for each teamand football in New Zealand. However, to get bums in seats,eyes on screens and clicks on apps, some form of rivalryneeds to be drummed up between the two.
So what mightthat look like, and what can each team leverage to create aunique derby? A singular rivalrybetween two New Zealand teams in one sport makes theKiwi-lasico a unique proposition for fans. Popularteams such as the Warriors and the Breakers plough lonefurrows in their respective leagues while rugby uniondivisions are spread across numerous regions. Indomestic professional football there is now only one choice- you are either Auckland or Wellington.
Some of the best rivalries in football stem froma belief of an imbalance between each fan base or club. ThePhoenix could argue they are the David to Auckland'sgoliath. It's a bigger city, a richer owner, and part of amulti-club model which is already paying dividends.
Similarto how the wilting Manchester derby ignited, when City werepumped full of money to take it to United, this is a rivalrythe Phoenix needed. Meanwhile, Auckland will point tothe Phoenix's long-standing position within the A-League.They will consider themselves the upstart against theestablished elite, zoomer v boomer, TikTok v Facebook, adisruptor among the norm which can certainly generate someheat.
Player transfershave long been a way to give derby matches an extra bit ofspice. Think England legend Sol Campbell's North Londonswitch from Tottenham to Arsenal. Or Luis Figo's switch fromBarcelona to Real Madrid.
This is already happening,with Auckland snapping up Alex Paulsen, via AFC Bournemouth,just a few months after he was named the best goalkeeper inthe A-League as a Phoenix custodian. Meanwhile, CallanElliot and Logan Rogerson are also ex-Nix players now plyingtheir trade for the newbies. On the other side, thePhoenix plucked Marco Rojas from under the nose of Aucklandthis off-season and with only a limited pool of Kiwi andAustralian players available to form the bulk of each squad,it won't be long before someone is making the directswitch.
While it isimportant for this rivalry to have a little bit of aggro itshould still remain a 'friendly rivalry'. Think aboutthe Merseyside derby. Liverpool and Everton have no love foreach other, but a mutual respect born of being from the samecity, a city which often sees itself fighting the system andthe rest of the nation.
Auckland and the Phoenix arein a similar boat - the lone Kiwi sides among a sea ofAustralian competition. It's a rivalry, yes, butshould above all present an exciting opportunity to get oneover your neighbour before inviting them for a beverage ofchoice after. A truly Kiwi rivalry will only make this evenmore popular.
Phoenix v Auckland - Sat, Nov 25pm Auckland v Phoenix - Sat, Dec 7 5pm Auckland vPhoenix - Sat, Feb 225pm.
