December 3, 2024 • 8 mins
A key priority has been ticked off for Auckland FC, with this weekend's second New Zealand A-League derby against the Wellington Phoenix at Mt Smart officially a sellout.
With the 25-thousand seat capacity reached, the North Bank will open up for families, in the hopes of adding another one-thousand people to the attendance.
Auckland FC boss Nick Becker is thrilled with the numbers.
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sports Talk podcast with Darcy Wildergrave
from News Talks.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
It'd be Footballers of Flavor now and we're joined by
a CEO of Auckland f C, Nick Becker. Nick, good
day to you.
Speaker 3 (00:19):
I trust you well very well. Thank you Darcy. How
are you?
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Yeah? No good? It's been a crazy well, it's been
a crazy couple of months since you guys have joined
the A League and now we've got to a situation
where you're more than selling out Mount Smart on the weekend.
In fact, you've had extra seats. That's wildest dream stuff, Nick, No.
Speaker 4 (00:37):
It is, it's it's sort of you know, if I've
said this to a couple of times, if you had
asked me to write down what the perfect start would
look like, I don't think it would have been as
bold as to.
Speaker 3 (00:46):
Say how it is.
Speaker 4 (00:47):
So it's an amazing response from all of Auckland and
Orkland Sea fans to you know, we're going to get
close to eighty thousand people over our first four home matches.
Speaker 3 (00:57):
So for me, that's incredible.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
So are there still requests? People still going? I missed
out on one thousand, you've got any more?
Speaker 3 (01:05):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (01:05):
I'm getting a hounded every it's a lot.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
Of new friends.
Speaker 3 (01:09):
Mate.
Speaker 4 (01:09):
Ah, God, exactly, I've never been this popular, Darcy.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
No, it's it is great.
Speaker 4 (01:16):
But you know what I think, I think it's really
I mean for us go Meetia is a really good
stadium to watch football. But it's also got that atmosphere
and the fact that we've actually now got the demand
there and the scarcely that's creator around it.
Speaker 3 (01:28):
I think it's really good for the game.
Speaker 4 (01:29):
It's good for the fans that have got in there early,
especially for our members who brought all you know, they
baptist from day one and got all season of the
whole season membership, you know. And it's going to be
an amazing atmosphere come this Saturday.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
Nick, how many Phoenix fans are coming up? How many?
Did you a lot for them or did you selfishly
take a lot of them? You don't want any black
and yellow out there in the crowd.
Speaker 4 (01:49):
No, no, no, no no. We gave them a good bay.
So I don't know the exact numbers. I think there's
about sort of eight six eight hundred in there. They
sold that out so that that'll be packed with the
yellow fever. And I think you know, the rivalry that's
already started between them and the port.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
It is brilliant.
Speaker 4 (02:03):
I think it's brilliant for not only for football fans
but for general New Zealand sports fans as well. You know,
football's at that piece that brings the tribalism, that brings
that sort of atmosphere, and you want to have that
passion in there. You want to have bragging rights for
Christmas come, you know when you're when you're giving your
mates for your family down in Wellington. Stick for for
Auckland winning both of their first two derbies.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
The drive for extra capacity it's about to get next
one thousand people in there. Where did that come from?
Was that demand or the fact you maybe wanted to
take something else off the Phoenix which is a home
record for an A League match.
Speaker 4 (02:38):
Oh no, I mean, you know, like we want to
sell as many tickets and get as many UK and
their C fans in there as we can. And you
know the great thing down at that sort of North
end is that you've got the big grassy bank there
And we started when we were first out there at
the stadium, before we'd even started playing, we talked to
them about if we did sell out the three stands,
(02:59):
the East, West, and South.
Speaker 3 (03:00):
Would it be possible to put fans on there?
Speaker 4 (03:01):
And they all agreed, and so we decided to put
family tickets down there, so you could family of four
or an hour and a child and that gives that
kind of really cool family atmosphere there. There's a fans
owned there's a big, infaivorable slide down the bank, and
I you know, it's gonna be a brilliant atmosphere. Imagine
being an eight ten year old football fan and going
along to that game for the first time.
Speaker 3 (03:22):
It would be an incredible experience.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
Now, when I was that age, odo it's been rolling
down the hill, wouldn't paid any attention what's going on?
Speaker 4 (03:29):
You can go down the slide now you'll have to
do it.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
Thank you. Nick Becker, CEO of Auckland f C joining us.
So why the demand have you done much advertising? How
much have you pushed this or how much of this
is actually organic?
Speaker 3 (03:41):
Nick?
Speaker 4 (03:42):
Well, I think a large part of it has been organic,
and that comes from both with you look at our
hardcore fans support they created at themselves. You know, we've
encouraged it. We've asked them what can we do to
support it. But the hard work and the bringing the
community that has been done by them. I think we've
worked hard to embed ourselves into the football community but
also into the wider Auckland community as well, and it
(04:04):
kind of you know, my team has done a fantastic
job and that I'm super proud of them. It also
helps that we've got a good, high profile ownership group
as well, and so people are genuinely interested in what
we're doing. Having five wins from five also really helps Darcy.
So you know, all of those combined. There's no one
silver ball, I don't think, but at the moment things
seem to be working well for us.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
Tell you what five from five helps. People want to
see a win and we talked about this at the
start of the season and we've talked to a number
of people, former Knights and Kings player. What do they
have to do. They've got to start off well, they've
got to win. People love winners and they'll turn up
on mass And I suppose also you've got the population
base to work with as well, and you're centrally located.
Speaker 4 (04:44):
Yeah, it's that and the growth of football in Auckland
over the last sort of five ten years as well,
Like you know, the number of kids who are playing
it now, young boys and girls in it, and the
percentage growth.
Speaker 3 (04:54):
Each year is double digits.
Speaker 4 (04:56):
You know, with the boys, we'll overall it's over ten
percent growth, but especially in the girls it's up to
twenty five percent. So we're really excited about bringing a
women's team next year. And then you've got that kind
of broader seventy three clubs in the Northern region, over
one hundred thousand people playing the game. It's it's the
football has just taken off.
Speaker 3 (05:11):
And then all of the other.
Speaker 4 (05:13):
Really you know sort of cultures and communities coming into
Auckland and and there's one thing that often ties them
together and that is the beautiful game. So yeah, I
think timing for football in the city, it just felt
right to bring a professional club into it.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
So what happens if Auckland FC meet Wellington Phoenix in
a knockout finals game? Is there a chance of it
being taken to a place like Eden Park?
Speaker 4 (05:38):
Well, to be honest, that that one's outside of my
my hands ready, because that what what how the A
League is structured is the finals are actually run by
the league itself, so you know the kind of Wellington
found this in terms they got the biggest the biggest
crowd that they've ever had last season for their semi final.
But all of the all of the upside, the revenue
(06:00):
of the like that goes into the league coffers. So
it's a sort of a bit of a bitter sweet one.
We we would advise on where we think the finals
should be played, and the league would probably want the
biggest outcome that they could get. Who knows is Eden
parking being available, all those sorts of things.
Speaker 3 (06:15):
I'd love to keep.
Speaker 4 (06:16):
It at go Media, but we'll see where it goes.
Speaker 3 (06:19):
Let's let's not get too ahead of ourselves. Darcy, tell me.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
About the timing of the Derbys. Did you have any
influence at all with the A League around when they
were going to occur? Because it's extraordinarily convenient that you
get these high energy games early in the season to
create that spark, create that want, and create that that competition,
that that rivalry. Have you had much to do with
(06:42):
that yourself or David.
Speaker 4 (06:43):
Dont Yeah, So both Dome and I sat down with
the league at the start of the season talked about
what good fixs could look like for us. I mean
it's a bit of a request combined with a bit
of luck because you have to have it. You know,
things like stadium availability and the draw working out with
all the other teams have to work. But you know,
we obviously got that early early derby down and Wellington,
(07:05):
which I think was a really good way to start
the derby piece, and then to have a return leg
so soon back up at Auckland just before that Christmas
and just as you know, the weather is starting to
get nice and people are starting to think, right, my
holidays are coming on now. You know, there's loads of
kids that have broken up from school over the next
kind of this week and next and to have that
kind of holiday feeling happening and the derby we thought
(07:25):
it was work out really well.
Speaker 3 (07:27):
Luckily for us that has.
Speaker 4 (07:29):
And then just because of a quirk of the fact
that there's thirteen teams in the league, we get a
third derby on February to twenty second as well at
go Media Stadium too, so that's going to be super
exciting as well.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
You're calling him Domy. It's a bit friendly for the opposition.
Does he call you Becky?
Speaker 4 (07:46):
Not to my face, to be honest that I've only
calling him because that's what he's doing for You know that, Darcy.
Speaker 3 (07:51):
Don't try to Becky Domey.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
Darcy is just all a big lover. And Hey, Nick Becker,
thanks so much for joining us, really looking forward to
Please have you gonna pull a victor out like you've
done previously? Could you not leave it to the last
ten minutes?
Speaker 3 (08:05):
I know, tell me about it.
Speaker 1 (08:07):
For more from sports Talk, listen live to News Talks.
It'd be from seven pm weekdays, or follow the podcast
on iHeartRadio.
You're listening to the Sports Talk podcast with Darcy Wildergrave
from News Talks.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
It'd be Footballers of Flavor now and we're joined by
a CEO of Auckland f C, Nick Becker. Nick, good
day to you.
Speaker 3 (00:19):
I trust you well very well. Thank you Darcy. How
are you?
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Yeah? No good? It's been a crazy well, it's been
a crazy couple of months since you guys have joined
the A League and now we've got to a situation
where you're more than selling out Mount Smart on the weekend.
In fact, you've had extra seats. That's wildest dream stuff, Nick, No.
Speaker 4 (00:37):
It is, it's it's sort of you know, if I've
said this to a couple of times, if you had
asked me to write down what the perfect start would
look like, I don't think it would have been as
bold as to.
Speaker 3 (00:46):
Say how it is.
Speaker 4 (00:47):
So it's an amazing response from all of Auckland and
Orkland Sea fans to you know, we're going to get
close to eighty thousand people over our first four home matches.
Speaker 3 (00:57):
So for me, that's incredible.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
So are there still requests? People still going? I missed
out on one thousand, you've got any more?
Speaker 3 (01:05):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (01:05):
I'm getting a hounded every it's a lot.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
Of new friends.
Speaker 3 (01:09):
Mate.
Speaker 4 (01:09):
Ah, God, exactly, I've never been this popular, Darcy.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
No, it's it is great.
Speaker 4 (01:16):
But you know what I think, I think it's really
I mean for us go Meetia is a really good
stadium to watch football. But it's also got that atmosphere
and the fact that we've actually now got the demand
there and the scarcely that's creator around it.
Speaker 3 (01:28):
I think it's really good for the game.
Speaker 4 (01:29):
It's good for the fans that have got in there early,
especially for our members who brought all you know, they
baptist from day one and got all season of the
whole season membership, you know. And it's going to be
an amazing atmosphere come this Saturday.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
Nick, how many Phoenix fans are coming up? How many?
Did you a lot for them or did you selfishly
take a lot of them? You don't want any black
and yellow out there in the crowd.
Speaker 4 (01:49):
No, no, no, no no. We gave them a good bay.
So I don't know the exact numbers. I think there's
about sort of eight six eight hundred in there. They
sold that out so that that'll be packed with the
yellow fever. And I think you know, the rivalry that's
already started between them and the port.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
It is brilliant.
Speaker 4 (02:03):
I think it's brilliant for not only for football fans
but for general New Zealand sports fans as well. You know,
football's at that piece that brings the tribalism, that brings
that sort of atmosphere, and you want to have that
passion in there. You want to have bragging rights for
Christmas come, you know when you're when you're giving your
mates for your family down in Wellington. Stick for for
Auckland winning both of their first two derbies.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
The drive for extra capacity it's about to get next
one thousand people in there. Where did that come from?
Was that demand or the fact you maybe wanted to
take something else off the Phoenix which is a home
record for an A League match.
Speaker 4 (02:38):
Oh no, I mean, you know, like we want to
sell as many tickets and get as many UK and
their C fans in there as we can. And you
know the great thing down at that sort of North
end is that you've got the big grassy bank there
And we started when we were first out there at
the stadium, before we'd even started playing, we talked to
them about if we did sell out the three stands,
(02:59):
the East, West, and South.
Speaker 3 (03:00):
Would it be possible to put fans on there?
Speaker 4 (03:01):
And they all agreed, and so we decided to put
family tickets down there, so you could family of four
or an hour and a child and that gives that
kind of really cool family atmosphere there. There's a fans
owned there's a big, infaivorable slide down the bank, and
I you know, it's gonna be a brilliant atmosphere. Imagine
being an eight ten year old football fan and going
along to that game for the first time.
Speaker 3 (03:22):
It would be an incredible experience.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
Now, when I was that age, odo it's been rolling
down the hill, wouldn't paid any attention what's going on?
Speaker 4 (03:29):
You can go down the slide now you'll have to
do it.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
Thank you. Nick Becker, CEO of Auckland f C joining us.
So why the demand have you done much advertising? How
much have you pushed this or how much of this
is actually organic?
Speaker 3 (03:41):
Nick?
Speaker 4 (03:42):
Well, I think a large part of it has been organic,
and that comes from both with you look at our
hardcore fans support they created at themselves. You know, we've
encouraged it. We've asked them what can we do to
support it. But the hard work and the bringing the
community that has been done by them. I think we've
worked hard to embed ourselves into the football community but
also into the wider Auckland community as well, and it
(04:04):
kind of you know, my team has done a fantastic
job and that I'm super proud of them. It also
helps that we've got a good, high profile ownership group
as well, and so people are genuinely interested in what
we're doing. Having five wins from five also really helps Darcy.
So you know, all of those combined. There's no one
silver ball, I don't think, but at the moment things
seem to be working well for us.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
Tell you what five from five helps. People want to
see a win and we talked about this at the
start of the season and we've talked to a number
of people, former Knights and Kings player. What do they
have to do. They've got to start off well, they've
got to win. People love winners and they'll turn up
on mass And I suppose also you've got the population
base to work with as well, and you're centrally located.
Speaker 4 (04:44):
Yeah, it's that and the growth of football in Auckland
over the last sort of five ten years as well,
Like you know, the number of kids who are playing
it now, young boys and girls in it, and the
percentage growth.
Speaker 3 (04:54):
Each year is double digits.
Speaker 4 (04:56):
You know, with the boys, we'll overall it's over ten
percent growth, but especially in the girls it's up to
twenty five percent. So we're really excited about bringing a
women's team next year. And then you've got that kind
of broader seventy three clubs in the Northern region, over
one hundred thousand people playing the game. It's it's the
football has just taken off.
Speaker 3 (05:11):
And then all of the other.
Speaker 4 (05:13):
Really you know sort of cultures and communities coming into
Auckland and and there's one thing that often ties them
together and that is the beautiful game. So yeah, I
think timing for football in the city, it just felt
right to bring a professional club into it.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
So what happens if Auckland FC meet Wellington Phoenix in
a knockout finals game? Is there a chance of it
being taken to a place like Eden Park?
Speaker 4 (05:38):
Well, to be honest, that that one's outside of my
my hands ready, because that what what how the A
League is structured is the finals are actually run by
the league itself, so you know the kind of Wellington
found this in terms they got the biggest the biggest
crowd that they've ever had last season for their semi final.
But all of the all of the upside, the revenue
(06:00):
of the like that goes into the league coffers. So
it's a sort of a bit of a bitter sweet one.
We we would advise on where we think the finals
should be played, and the league would probably want the
biggest outcome that they could get. Who knows is Eden
parking being available, all those sorts of things.
Speaker 3 (06:15):
I'd love to keep.
Speaker 4 (06:16):
It at go Media, but we'll see where it goes.
Speaker 3 (06:19):
Let's let's not get too ahead of ourselves. Darcy, tell me.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
About the timing of the Derbys. Did you have any
influence at all with the A League around when they
were going to occur? Because it's extraordinarily convenient that you
get these high energy games early in the season to
create that spark, create that want, and create that that competition,
that that rivalry. Have you had much to do with
(06:42):
that yourself or David.
Speaker 4 (06:43):
Dont Yeah, So both Dome and I sat down with
the league at the start of the season talked about
what good fixs could look like for us. I mean
it's a bit of a request combined with a bit
of luck because you have to have it. You know,
things like stadium availability and the draw working out with
all the other teams have to work. But you know,
we obviously got that early early derby down and Wellington,
(07:05):
which I think was a really good way to start
the derby piece, and then to have a return leg
so soon back up at Auckland just before that Christmas
and just as you know, the weather is starting to
get nice and people are starting to think, right, my
holidays are coming on now. You know, there's loads of
kids that have broken up from school over the next
kind of this week and next and to have that
kind of holiday feeling happening and the derby we thought
(07:25):
it was work out really well.
Speaker 3 (07:27):
Luckily for us that has.
Speaker 4 (07:29):
And then just because of a quirk of the fact
that there's thirteen teams in the league, we get a
third derby on February to twenty second as well at
go Media Stadium too, so that's going to be super
exciting as well.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
You're calling him Domy. It's a bit friendly for the opposition.
Does he call you Becky?
Speaker 4 (07:46):
Not to my face, to be honest that I've only
calling him because that's what he's doing for You know that, Darcy.
Speaker 3 (07:51):
Don't try to Becky Domey.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
Darcy is just all a big lover. And Hey, Nick Becker,
thanks so much for joining us, really looking forward to
Please have you gonna pull a victor out like you've
done previously? Could you not leave it to the last
ten minutes?
Speaker 3 (08:05):
I know, tell me about it.
Speaker 1 (08:07):
For more from sports Talk, listen live to News Talks.
It'd be from seven pm weekdays, or follow the podcast
on iHeartRadio.
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