FFA and Wellington Phoenix have reached a 10-year A-League licence extension agreement.
The logistics of the agreement sees Wellington given an immediate four-year extension of its licence till the end of season 2019/20, with two three-year extensions till 2022/23 and 2025/26 if they can meet targets set by the FFA.
One of the key goals for Wellington is focused on an improved broadcast rights deal from New Zealand.
EXCLUSIVE: Listen to Wellington Phoenix general manager David Dome on the Daily Football Show at 4pm AEDT today
FFA Chairman, Steven Lowy said the FFA was delighted with the way the Phoenix dealt with the situation since FFA raised concerns in October last year.
“Garnering greater nation-wide support was seen as critical, as were the benchmarks on crowds and payments to the A-League,” he said.
“The Welnix Group has always had the good of the game at the forefront of its ambition and that is recognised in this renewed commitment to the A-League.”
FFA CEO David Gallop addressed the press with a degree of positivity regarding the long-term security of Wellington’s deal.
“The agreement with the Welnix Group for an extension of the Wellington Phoenix licence offers long-term security for the club as well as a critical lift in value for the Hyundai A League,” Gallop said.
“Great result for both organisations, great result for football across the Tasman. It’s important that we have put in benchmarks and hurdles to see the Phoenix grow and continue to add value to the A-League.”
“It may have taken a couple of months of negotiations but it’s a win-win for football.”
Gallop praised the support of New Zealand and Wellington’s fans in particular, who played a pivotal role in generating widespread support across the country and the A-League.
“We expect to see a renewed push to garner interest across all of New Zealand but acknowledge the support Wellington Phoenix has received from its fans, Wellington City Council, corporate partners and relevant stakeholders has been very important and it is a continuation of this support that is central to the long-term success of the club,” he said.
Wellington Phoenix chairman Rob Morrison said the deal will significantly aid the club’s future progress.
“The deal gives the Club the tenure which will enable greater investment and confidence from key partners and of course gives heart to the fans that have been waiting patiently for this,” Morrison said.
“There is still plenty of work to be done to secure the extensions contained in the 10 year deal, particularly building crowd and viewership numbers but if we didn’t believe it was possible to grow the club we would not have wanted the extension deal.”
“While we acknowledge that for fans the process has been frustrating it was important to find middle ground and do a deal that was a right for both parties.”
Morrison also had special words of praise reserved for the Wellington supporters that fought so hard to keep the club in the A-League.
“On behalf of the Club I would like to acknowledge the support of the other A-League Clubs and their fans who came out in the support of the Phoenix during the Save the Nix campaign. The Save the Nix campaign was an important part of the process and we are very grateful for all the support we received,” Morrison said.
“We now look forward to being part of the ongoing growth and success of the Hyundai A-League.”
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