Phoenix fight for A-League life
Barely 24 hours after toppling front-runners Brisbane Roar in a stylish 3-2 win, Wellington Phoenix are fighting for their A-League future.
The club's request for a 10-year A-League licence was declined by Football Federation of Australia, who instead offered the option of requesting a four-year licence until the end of the 2019/20 season.
There are arguments to be made for the Phoenix's retention, the most compelling being the attractive brand of football the Ernie Merrick-coached side are now producing.
As well as providing a pathway for New Zealand players, the Phoenix have solidified and resurrected careers for a range of Australian footballers.
Most notable is striker Nathan Burns, whose 13-goal stint with the Phoenix last season led to his Socceroos recall after a five-year absence.
Burns's career had stalled after the midfielder left Adelaide for stints in Greece and Korea, but blossomed after Merrick snapped him up for the Phoenix.
Former Socceroos defender Jon McKain spent two seasons with the Phoenix, while striker Corey Gameiro, now with Melbourne City, played in Wellington three years ago as a promising 20-year-old.
Among others to spend time at the Phoenix are All Whites trio Shane Smeltz (now Sydney FC), Kosta Barbarouses (Melbourne Victory) and Marco Rojas (FC Thun in Switzerland).
Keepers Liam Reddy (Mariners) and Danny Vukovic (Victory) also suited, as did Brisbane defender Jade North, who scored for the Roar in the Phoenix's third-round win on Saturday.
Merrick has just this season signed on two promising young Aussies in defenders Troy Danaskos and Dylan Fox.
Wellington have also played a part in developing Oceania players, the most prominent being Roy Krishna, who scored nine goals last season and has two from three games this year.
Wellington's financial stability since Welnix took over from the embattled Terry Serepisos in 2011 has been solid, with the emphasis on making the Phoenix a sustainable business.
In contrast, short-lived ventures North Queensland Fury and Gold Coast United have come and gone in recent years.
The Fury spent two seasons in the A-League, bailed out by the FFA before folding after 2010-11, while Gold Coast lasted a season longer before its licence was terminated.
More recently, Perth Glory were booted out of last season's finals and fined $269,000 for exceeding the salary cap by around $400,000.
Newcastle Jets were put into voluntary administration earlier this year when debts of $2.7 million forced the FFA to take back its A-League licence, while Central Coast Mariners have also struggled financially.
One of the Phoenix's problems has been that New Zealand belongs to the Oceania Football Confederation, while Australia is part of the Asian Football Confederation.
And while the quality of the Phoenix's football has impressed, crowd numbers have been distinctly underwhelming, with just over 6100 at Westpac Stadium for Saturday's win.
But with very few away fans making the journey to Wellington, there's been no chance of any off-pitch problems, as seen in Sunday's Sydney derby which was marred by brawling between Western Sydney Wanderers and Sydney FC fans.
FFA boss David Gallop said on Monday his board's decision was made "in the best interests of Australian football".
The Phoenix's contribution to broadcast revenue is seen as minimal, while other factors stacking up against their inclusion centre around game development and commercial factors.
