April 26, 2025 • 10 mins
A fierce desire to play for each other is behind Auckland FC's historic run to the A-League's Premiers Plate.
The Black Knights will lift the silverware as the best regular season team following this afternoon's clash against Perth Glory at Mount Smart.
Auckland FC CEO Nick Becker joined Piney to discuss.
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Vine
from Newstalk zed b.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Auckland FC have sealed top spot and the Premier's Plate
that after second placed Melbourne City drew nillall with Adelaide
United last night. That result leaves Auckland in an unassailable
position with just one match remaining this season for Melbourne City.
So this afternoon, regardless of the result against Perth Glory,
Auckland will lift the Premier's Plate in front of an
(00:35):
expected sold out home crowd at go Media Stadium. Club
CEO is Nick Becker, who joins us our on Weekend Sport.
Thanks for your time, Nick, and congratulations to you and
everybody involved in the football club. With the messages flying
around last night when the final still blew at Amy
Park at around what eleven thirty quarter to twelve or.
Speaker 3 (00:53):
So, they were piney, thank you for having me on.
But yeah, it was a slightly odd way to clinch
the plate, but I guess it sort of just shows
we have been the best team across the whole season.
But but to be citty at home on the sofa
about midnight and finding out that we'd won it by
a draw between City and Adelaide was a bit odd,
(01:16):
but still that doesn't change the feeding, which is fantastic
and it's what we set out to do in our
first year and we've achieved and it's sort of blown
us all the way.
Speaker 2 (01:24):
It certainly won't dilute the occasion this afternoon. Well, now,
can you confirm the plate itself will physically be at
go Media Stadium this afternoon?
Speaker 3 (01:33):
Yeah, it'll be there for sure, and so it's going
to be presented by the apl A Leagues Chairman Stephen Conroy.
So he's flying over. I believe he arrives this morning
or maybe got in last night, and he'll be presenting
here to the team immediately up. So everybody who's coming
along I thoroughly encourage him to stay. And it also
looks like the rain might be easing out as well,
(01:55):
so that's also a bonus.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
Yeah, did any part of you sort of hope that
Melbourne City would win last night so you could go
out there this afternoon and secure the plate with some
sort of result.
Speaker 3 (02:07):
Yeah, you know what, I actually I had a gut feeders.
That shows how good my gut feeders are that they
would actually win and would have to would have to
get a result there and look, it doesn't matter at
the end of the day. I mean, the good thing
is we go into this game knowing that we were
finished top. Nobody can beat us the boys. I'm sure
we'll play with a lot of freedom and players premiers
against Perth. I'll still want to get a result there
(02:28):
and and have a kind of, you know, a to
get a bit of revenge from the fact that Perth
is one of the only two teams that beat us
this season and and be able to kind of, you know,
have a victory and lift that plate in front of
our home fans with the amazing feeling.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
Why do you think this team has been so successful
this season.
Speaker 3 (02:48):
There's there's no one thing. I think we kind of
set about right at the start. We had a plan,
I guess was the was the key part to it.
I think, you know, sort of having a really clear
vision of what we wanted to achieve. We got the
right people and from the start, you know, terramit Flin
come in as our directory of football immense the experience
and fantastics whom as well. He did a great job
(03:08):
and recruiting Steve Kaarroker, who we know as an amazing manager.
In my opinion, the best manager a Leavel without a doubt.
You know, he's won it before, he knows what it
takes to win it. So he had those two people
together and then we looked at weh knew what the
style we wanted to play. We recruited really well. We
worked really hard to find not only great footballers, but
(03:30):
great people as well. And I think there's also another
element of having a core of KWI players in the squad.
You know, we're in New Zealand team, majority of New
Zealand players in our squad, and they sort of set
the tone and sort of show what it was like
to be a key sports team, so that that happens
from the start as well.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
You mentioned before that it was your stated aim to
you know, to be contenders straight away. You were bullish
about that. So was your owner Bill Foley or your
majority owner Bill Foley. Did you, in your heart of
heartsnak predict that you would do this in the club's
first season.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
I you know what, as right at the start, I
was I was confident with pulled to get a good
squad would be competitive. You know, I knew that from
the start. But then as those games started rolling the
first six wins and then you know, we started just
getting results and getting results in the last minutes. You
just saw that the team were actually playing like a
(04:24):
proper unit and they played together, they played for each other.
I started to believe, you know, before Christmas, and then
I looked over at old step Kroker one day and
I could tell his I so he was like, we
can win this and instead of that, that feeling and
that kind of it all started to build. From Christmas
and into the new year. You know, we had a
bit of a blip with the Perth trip, but I
(04:45):
think that it was actually needed that set us up
for the for the strong finish that we've had. So
I mean, right at the start, Piney I was I
was hopeful. I wasn't I wouldn't have put the house
on it. But throughout the season it definitely built. It built,
it built, which is what what good teams do, I guess.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
And you've set the standard off the field as well.
Your regular season average crowd is going to be in
the region of eighteen thousand, and I mean, having experienced
it a number of times myself, it's the best place
to be on the day of a home game. How
satisfying is what you've built off the field around this
football club.
Speaker 3 (05:21):
Ah, the Aukan fans have been a revelation. They've been
absolutely amazing. The thing that's by mere way is there's
two parts, so it's one whole city of organ that's
got round it. So you've got such a wonderful, diverse crowd,
but you've got you know, your hard core support at
the heart of them support. But then the other thing
that blows me away is that the number of families
and the kids out of there and the fun and
(05:43):
joy that they bring to the games is it's just
you know, you can't buy that is just such an
amazing organic piece and it's something that we're super proud
of as a club.
Speaker 2 (05:55):
What do you and Steve Curriker talk about when you
get together, great question, Well.
Speaker 3 (06:03):
We'll talk a lot. I mean there's always something to
about with the with the squad, the players, the football
and stuff. But Steve's just a he's a good guy.
He's a passionate about football, but he's interested a lot
of things. He loves living here in Auckland. We often
talk about good places to eat, places where we've been like,
you know, it's he It's really nice to see both
(06:24):
Steve and Terry come over to Aukland and like really
embrace the sety and get around it. They love it here.
They're having a fantastic time.
Speaker 2 (06:31):
And how much contact do you have with your majority
owner Bill Foley.
Speaker 3 (06:35):
Bill's fantastic and Bill supports you know, I speak to
him probably at least twice a week. We've got you know,
some ball structured in every week. But if ever I've
got a question or a querium likewise, if he wants
to about the club. The great thing about him is
he just picks up the phone calls, you know, there's
no sort of mass groning around having to do this
or that. It's like he's already he's a really good,
(06:55):
straightforward man to deal with, and he's smart and he's
got a lot of experience, so he's he's he's a
great rock for us.
Speaker 2 (07:02):
He won't presumably be here today, but do you do
you hope that he can make it across across during
the final series.
Speaker 3 (07:09):
Yeah, no, he's actually in Bournemouth at the moment. They've
just announced the taking on the whole of Vitality Stadium.
I think it's a big game gets United, but he
is coming down to the finals. So we've got our
home semi final be on the Saturday, the twenty fourth
of May att Go Media, and then if we make
it through to the big Dance, it to be a
week later.
Speaker 2 (07:28):
So here and that's I know there's been a little
bit of chat back and forth about this, but that
Grand Final, should you make it, will be at go
Media Stadium.
Speaker 3 (07:38):
I certainly hope. So I don't actually get the final
call on it. I've given my input and the a
legally great at listening and taking our point of view
on board. Ultimately, it's their cool they managed the whole
final series. But I'd be fingers crossed and I'd certainly
hope to see it at go Media. It's been our
home ground all season. That's where we'll play our semi final,
(08:00):
and definitely the players and my finings of all the
fans want to be there as well.
Speaker 2 (08:06):
Everything just seems to have gone so well. Have you
made any mistakes?
Speaker 3 (08:12):
Oh yeah, we made plenty. We made plenty, But I
think you know you kind of You're always going to
make a lot of mistakes in your start up here
I mean the hardest bits for us were actually convincing
people were the real deal before we started playing, so,
you know, trying to get on commercial partners, trying to
you know, forecast what our retail sales will be. I mean,
(08:33):
I think my biggest mistake is was we ordered two
thousand jerseys at the start of the season. We went
on to sell over twenty thousand. So I say, that's
the right stinker. Don't you got.
Speaker 2 (08:45):
A bad got a bad mistake to make those better
than the other way around, doesn't it? Imagine if you'd
ordered twenty that Imagine if you'd ordered twenty thousand and
only sold a couple of thousand, have been a lot worse.
So what do you reckon? It's going to be like
there this afternoon and you know, at around seven o'clock
this evening at full time when they're play tended over.
Speaker 3 (09:05):
I think there's just going to be it's going to
be a massive celebration, right, and it's going to be
like the players will be so pumfort this is. And
we spoke to them to click to theirs and group
right at the start and sort of said, look, this
is the first year and the group of players are there,
you know, the be few that will move on. We
know Alice Polson's going back to Bournemouth and stuff like that.
(09:26):
So this is the only one season that they'll all
be together. Let's go ahead, let's go forward and achieve
something special. They've done that and so that's I think
that kind of feeling and emotion will come out tonight
after the game when we're listening that plate and you
just see a whole bunch of very very very happy
boys and rightly so they deserve to be.
Speaker 2 (09:44):
Yeah, and thousands of very happy fans watching on as well. Nick,
thanks for taking the time on match day. Congratulations on
this achievement. I know you feel like there's more to
come over the next month or so. We'll send a
few hours all right, cheers Finally
Speaker 1 (09:57):
For more from Weekend Sport with Jason Faine, listen live
to News Talk ZEDB weekends from midday, or follow the
podcast on iHeartRadio.
You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Vine
from Newstalk zed b.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Auckland FC have sealed top spot and the Premier's Plate
that after second placed Melbourne City drew nillall with Adelaide
United last night. That result leaves Auckland in an unassailable
position with just one match remaining this season for Melbourne City.
So this afternoon, regardless of the result against Perth Glory,
Auckland will lift the Premier's Plate in front of an
(00:35):
expected sold out home crowd at go Media Stadium. Club
CEO is Nick Becker, who joins us our on Weekend Sport.
Thanks for your time, Nick, and congratulations to you and
everybody involved in the football club. With the messages flying
around last night when the final still blew at Amy
Park at around what eleven thirty quarter to twelve or.
Speaker 3 (00:53):
So, they were piney, thank you for having me on.
But yeah, it was a slightly odd way to clinch
the plate, but I guess it sort of just shows
we have been the best team across the whole season.
But but to be citty at home on the sofa
about midnight and finding out that we'd won it by
a draw between City and Adelaide was a bit odd,
(01:16):
but still that doesn't change the feeding, which is fantastic
and it's what we set out to do in our
first year and we've achieved and it's sort of blown
us all the way.
Speaker 2 (01:24):
It certainly won't dilute the occasion this afternoon. Well, now,
can you confirm the plate itself will physically be at
go Media Stadium this afternoon?
Speaker 3 (01:33):
Yeah, it'll be there for sure, and so it's going
to be presented by the apl A Leagues Chairman Stephen Conroy.
So he's flying over. I believe he arrives this morning
or maybe got in last night, and he'll be presenting
here to the team immediately up. So everybody who's coming
along I thoroughly encourage him to stay. And it also
looks like the rain might be easing out as well,
(01:55):
so that's also a bonus.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
Yeah, did any part of you sort of hope that
Melbourne City would win last night so you could go
out there this afternoon and secure the plate with some
sort of result.
Speaker 3 (02:07):
Yeah, you know what, I actually I had a gut feeders.
That shows how good my gut feeders are that they
would actually win and would have to would have to
get a result there and look, it doesn't matter at
the end of the day. I mean, the good thing
is we go into this game knowing that we were
finished top. Nobody can beat us the boys. I'm sure
we'll play with a lot of freedom and players premiers
against Perth. I'll still want to get a result there
(02:28):
and and have a kind of, you know, a to
get a bit of revenge from the fact that Perth
is one of the only two teams that beat us
this season and and be able to kind of, you know,
have a victory and lift that plate in front of
our home fans with the amazing feeling.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
Why do you think this team has been so successful
this season.
Speaker 3 (02:48):
There's there's no one thing. I think we kind of
set about right at the start. We had a plan,
I guess was the was the key part to it.
I think, you know, sort of having a really clear
vision of what we wanted to achieve. We got the
right people and from the start, you know, terramit Flin
come in as our directory of football immense the experience
and fantastics whom as well. He did a great job
(03:08):
and recruiting Steve Kaarroker, who we know as an amazing manager.
In my opinion, the best manager a Leavel without a doubt.
You know, he's won it before, he knows what it
takes to win it. So he had those two people
together and then we looked at weh knew what the
style we wanted to play. We recruited really well. We
worked really hard to find not only great footballers, but
(03:30):
great people as well. And I think there's also another
element of having a core of KWI players in the squad.
You know, we're in New Zealand team, majority of New
Zealand players in our squad, and they sort of set
the tone and sort of show what it was like
to be a key sports team, so that that happens
from the start as well.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
You mentioned before that it was your stated aim to
you know, to be contenders straight away. You were bullish
about that. So was your owner Bill Foley or your
majority owner Bill Foley. Did you, in your heart of
heartsnak predict that you would do this in the club's
first season.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
I you know what, as right at the start, I
was I was confident with pulled to get a good
squad would be competitive. You know, I knew that from
the start. But then as those games started rolling the
first six wins and then you know, we started just
getting results and getting results in the last minutes. You
just saw that the team were actually playing like a
(04:24):
proper unit and they played together, they played for each other.
I started to believe, you know, before Christmas, and then
I looked over at old step Kroker one day and
I could tell his I so he was like, we
can win this and instead of that, that feeling and
that kind of it all started to build. From Christmas
and into the new year. You know, we had a
bit of a blip with the Perth trip, but I
(04:45):
think that it was actually needed that set us up
for the for the strong finish that we've had. So
I mean, right at the start, Piney I was I
was hopeful. I wasn't I wouldn't have put the house
on it. But throughout the season it definitely built. It built,
it built, which is what what good teams do, I guess.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
And you've set the standard off the field as well.
Your regular season average crowd is going to be in
the region of eighteen thousand, and I mean, having experienced
it a number of times myself, it's the best place
to be on the day of a home game. How
satisfying is what you've built off the field around this
football club.
Speaker 3 (05:21):
Ah, the Aukan fans have been a revelation. They've been
absolutely amazing. The thing that's by mere way is there's
two parts, so it's one whole city of organ that's
got round it. So you've got such a wonderful, diverse crowd,
but you've got you know, your hard core support at
the heart of them support. But then the other thing
that blows me away is that the number of families
and the kids out of there and the fun and
(05:43):
joy that they bring to the games is it's just
you know, you can't buy that is just such an
amazing organic piece and it's something that we're super proud
of as a club.
Speaker 2 (05:55):
What do you and Steve Curriker talk about when you
get together, great question, Well.
Speaker 3 (06:03):
We'll talk a lot. I mean there's always something to
about with the with the squad, the players, the football
and stuff. But Steve's just a he's a good guy.
He's a passionate about football, but he's interested a lot
of things. He loves living here in Auckland. We often
talk about good places to eat, places where we've been like,
you know, it's he It's really nice to see both
(06:24):
Steve and Terry come over to Aukland and like really
embrace the sety and get around it. They love it here.
They're having a fantastic time.
Speaker 2 (06:31):
And how much contact do you have with your majority
owner Bill Foley.
Speaker 3 (06:35):
Bill's fantastic and Bill supports you know, I speak to
him probably at least twice a week. We've got you know,
some ball structured in every week. But if ever I've
got a question or a querium likewise, if he wants
to about the club. The great thing about him is
he just picks up the phone calls, you know, there's
no sort of mass groning around having to do this
or that. It's like he's already he's a really good,
(06:55):
straightforward man to deal with, and he's smart and he's
got a lot of experience, so he's he's he's a
great rock for us.
Speaker 2 (07:02):
He won't presumably be here today, but do you do
you hope that he can make it across across during
the final series.
Speaker 3 (07:09):
Yeah, no, he's actually in Bournemouth at the moment. They've
just announced the taking on the whole of Vitality Stadium.
I think it's a big game gets United, but he
is coming down to the finals. So we've got our
home semi final be on the Saturday, the twenty fourth
of May att Go Media, and then if we make
it through to the big Dance, it to be a
week later.
Speaker 2 (07:28):
So here and that's I know there's been a little
bit of chat back and forth about this, but that
Grand Final, should you make it, will be at go
Media Stadium.
Speaker 3 (07:38):
I certainly hope. So I don't actually get the final
call on it. I've given my input and the a
legally great at listening and taking our point of view
on board. Ultimately, it's their cool they managed the whole
final series. But I'd be fingers crossed and I'd certainly
hope to see it at go Media. It's been our
home ground all season. That's where we'll play our semi final,
(08:00):
and definitely the players and my finings of all the
fans want to be there as well.
Speaker 2 (08:06):
Everything just seems to have gone so well. Have you
made any mistakes?
Speaker 3 (08:12):
Oh yeah, we made plenty. We made plenty, But I
think you know you kind of You're always going to
make a lot of mistakes in your start up here
I mean the hardest bits for us were actually convincing
people were the real deal before we started playing, so,
you know, trying to get on commercial partners, trying to
you know, forecast what our retail sales will be. I mean,
(08:33):
I think my biggest mistake is was we ordered two
thousand jerseys at the start of the season. We went
on to sell over twenty thousand. So I say, that's
the right stinker. Don't you got.
Speaker 2 (08:45):
A bad got a bad mistake to make those better
than the other way around, doesn't it? Imagine if you'd
ordered twenty that Imagine if you'd ordered twenty thousand and
only sold a couple of thousand, have been a lot worse.
So what do you reckon? It's going to be like
there this afternoon and you know, at around seven o'clock
this evening at full time when they're play tended over.
Speaker 3 (09:05):
I think there's just going to be it's going to
be a massive celebration, right, and it's going to be
like the players will be so pumfort this is. And
we spoke to them to click to theirs and group
right at the start and sort of said, look, this
is the first year and the group of players are there,
you know, the be few that will move on. We
know Alice Polson's going back to Bournemouth and stuff like that.
(09:26):
So this is the only one season that they'll all
be together. Let's go ahead, let's go forward and achieve
something special. They've done that and so that's I think
that kind of feeling and emotion will come out tonight
after the game when we're listening that plate and you
just see a whole bunch of very very very happy
boys and rightly so they deserve to be.
Speaker 2 (09:44):
Yeah, and thousands of very happy fans watching on as well. Nick,
thanks for taking the time on match day. Congratulations on
this achievement. I know you feel like there's more to
come over the next month or so. We'll send a
few hours all right, cheers Finally
Speaker 1 (09:57):
For more from Weekend Sport with Jason Faine, listen live
to News Talk ZEDB weekends from midday, or follow the
podcast on iHeartRadio.
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