Ali Williams: Auckland FC co-owner makes the case for new Western Springs Stadium

New images have given Aucklanders a closer look at the Western Springs Stadium proposal backed by Auckland FC and their billionaire owners.

The images and a new video feature in a campaign to generate public support for the stadium, which has been called Auckland Arena.

The website said there would be zero cost to the ratepayer with $300 million in private funding secured already to deliver the project.

Auckland FC co-owner Ali Williams says Aucklanders deserve a smaller, intimate 'family-friendly' stadium - and this presents the perfect opportunity. 

"You've got to remember that the sport is not just about the product on the field, it's about the vibe outside the field, around the field, it's about families feeling comfortable, it's about people being passionate and bringing communities together." 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Heather Dup to see Allen is the text number. Now
the owners of Auckland f C have launched a website
showing their plans for a stadium at Western Springs. They
want to build a fifteen thousand seat arena troublers. Of course,
Auckland Council is already considering two rival bids. But these
guys promise there will be zero cost to the rate payer.
We've got three hundred million dollars in private funding already secured.

(00:21):
Now Ali Williams, who's an owner obviously of Auckland f C,
is part of the team. Hey Ali, hello, well thank you.
You're a sucker for punishment, aren't you that?

Speaker 2 (00:30):
I am someone say, I'm a walking dartboard at the moment.
You only live once, right.

Speaker 1 (00:34):
Okay, we're going to deal with your punishment in order.
So let's deal with the stadium. Can you assure rate
payers not a cent right totally funded by other people?
Who's funding it?

Speaker 2 (00:45):
The good people and Anna and Bill currently and then
let's see where if we need or require more.

Speaker 1 (00:50):
Than Anna as and your wife and Bills and Bill Foley.

Speaker 2 (00:53):
Correct, yes, yeah, yes, I think I think if you
break these things down, why do they do things like this.
I think it comes from passion. And if you look
at you know, the two of them, along with the
others that jumped into Auckland f c. It stemmed from passion.
It does. And when you have the ability to affect something,

(01:13):
then that's where that passion takes over. And two of
them are very passionate about sport and about the greater
elements that they can make change, and then so they
commit to something like this and they see the opportunities.
And I suppose you mix that in with meving a
very passionate Aucklander and believing that the city and knowing

(01:34):
that the city is the greatest city in the world,
traveled around the world a lot, and on that sporting front,
you see that there's a massive opportunity for this, right,
there's a massive opportunity for Aucklanders to have an intimate
and boutique type of stadium that offers that family friendly
vibe that office.

Speaker 1 (01:51):
Don't we have so many like don't we have too
many stadia in the city already?

Speaker 2 (01:54):
Correct? No, we have Eden Park which caters for forty five,
plus we have smart Go Media that caters for twenty seven.
But do we have that North Harbor. We have North Harbor,
but well, I don't know what that cat's for at
the moment four thousand, because I think they took a
few seats away.

Speaker 1 (02:10):
And then we've got a massive cricket ground somewhere.

Speaker 2 (02:12):
But you've got to remember one hundred percent. But you've
got to remember that the sport is not about just
the product on the field. It's about the vibe outside
the field, around the field. It's about families feeling comfortable.
It's about people being passionate. It's about a community, bringing
communities together, so having a precinct that ties people together

(02:33):
so that the ninety minutes that you see on the
field is one element, but it's how you get there.
It's the food and beverage, it's the noise, it's the entertainment,
it's the lights, it's all that sort of stuff. And
if you look at Western Springs where it is now,
which we're we've gone out there call Auckland Arena. You've
got the zoo, you've got Motat. The zoo gets a
million people through. You've got Motat that gets two hundred

(02:54):
and fifty. It is already part of our community.

Speaker 1 (02:57):
And it's already like a precinct there's already and where
saying well, let's put sport in there as well, with
high performance with offices and stuff like that.

Speaker 2 (03:05):
This create a vibe. Let's create paddle courts, eight paddle courts,
basketball courts is massive shortage of basketball courts.

Speaker 1 (03:10):
Why not go? Like, why bother going through all this
kerfuffle with the council.

Speaker 2 (03:14):
I don't know why we bother doing a lot of stuff,
but I think it comes back down to why are
we doing this?

Speaker 1 (03:19):
Why high a gigantic piece of land and put a
stadium on there and don't ask permission.

Speaker 2 (03:23):
Because it doesn't work. Oh, it doesn't work. Stadiums So
unless the council, which we've all gone through that our process,
they don't work. They don't make money. We've got to
be very clear on that. They don't actually make money.
It's the whole precinct that we believe can make can
be sustainable. Okay, And that's when you sit there football team.
Do you think that makes money?

Speaker 1 (03:40):
Does it not lost money on this?

Speaker 2 (03:43):
No way does it make money.

Speaker 1 (03:45):
But we're having fun, aren't you?

Speaker 2 (03:45):
One hundred percent? But what are we doing for the community.
We've had over two hundred and twenty thousand people through
the gate. We believe in Anna and Bill. They believe
they're putting a positive influence on people and giving back,
and I think that's pretty admirable. Look, I'm just the
lucky person that's probably the taller one out.

Speaker 1 (04:02):
Of these, the trophy wife forgets to go.

Speaker 2 (04:05):
I am the trophy one. I do value myself as
the best plus one in the game. But look, I
just think we're very, very lucky as a city to
have these people that actually want to influence. And I
think you'll see that. You know it is there's a
lot of good intentions behind it. And this city needs
a stadium on that. It needs something like this to
really elevate us. I mean, some of the sports people

(04:27):
we create is unbelievable. And if you look at it,
this is not just for football. This is for all codes,
you know, from rugby all the way through the league
or whatever. Whoever wants to play out a fifteen thousand
seats stadium, that's it. And then you look at the
other side. It's also part of entertainment. Western Springs is
known for its concerts. You know, I went to Michael
Jackson way back. You know, we can still do that

(04:48):
forty thousand people at Western Springs, which will be unbelievable.

Speaker 1 (04:52):
Are you're going to cut the lunch of some people?
Aren't you? If you do this?

Speaker 2 (04:55):
What lunch? We can't? Oh?

Speaker 1 (04:57):
You know, like because you know, I mean I feel
like I feel like Eden Park might be a bit
gutted if you started.

Speaker 2 (05:03):
If you if you look at Neck and you see
what Nick Saughton has done with him, but he's unbelievable.

Speaker 1 (05:07):
It's pretty good.

Speaker 2 (05:08):
I mean, he has promoted this city like no one else.
He's told you what an asset we have, and he's
he's working. I've communicated with him on that, and you know,
if you look at it, he sits here and he goes, look,
you support the smaller numbers on sports, and we go
from there.

Speaker 1 (05:23):
Live on to him. Listen, question the other thing that
you're taking a hiding on is is that all about?

Speaker 2 (05:29):
Is that all about the good thing we're doing? And
we want to sort of half half or should we
should we do the other thing? What we're actually trying
to get is we're actually trying to see and hope
that the people of Auckland will get behind this yes
and and have some voice I.

Speaker 1 (05:44):
Feel like it's stadium fatigue. Ali, don't you think, well, yes, no, yes,
the pictures I hit the website, I thought, geez, that call.

Speaker 2 (05:55):
We want people to hit the website Auckland Arena dot
com and you know.

Speaker 1 (05:59):
But now listen to try tell me about this halipad,
right are you? I had had a look at the submissions,
right you had like ninety one percent to post? Are
you just depressed at the number of people who want
to say no to something like this?

Speaker 2 (06:10):
Look, we're going through a process with council. Yeah, that's simple,
and if you know the process, lets people have this, say,
let them have this, say, we're not going to take
that away. But as I say, we're just going through
the process and we were in the hands of the council.
So thank you on that question. We can move to
someone else if you really want to.

Speaker 1 (06:31):
We'll leave it there. Ali, listen, I really appreciate your time.
Thank you so much to Tally Williams, co owner of
Auckland FC and obviously very passionate about that arena at
Western Spring.

Speaker 2 (06:40):
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