Nick Becker: Auckland FC CEO on second leg of A-League Semi Final

Auckland FC have the second leg of their A-League semi-final clash against Melbourne Victory tomorrow night.

It’s the home leg for AFC – with Go Media Mount Smart Stadium expected to be a sellout with 28-thousand fans.

The club’s CEO Nick Becker told Mike Hosking the team aren’t getting ahead of themselves – and are solely focused on this game.

He says it would be a brilliant achievement to reach the Grand Final in the franchises’ debut season.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Part two of the Auckland de FC this weekend as
they take on Melbourne second leg of course, of the
playoffs won the last week. Home ground this week sold out,
of course, Aukland def C boss Nick Beck is back
with us. Nick. Morning to you morning, Mike.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
How are you well?

Speaker 1 (00:12):
Thank you? If you win this weekend? Will you be
as hungover as if I talk to you next week
as you were last time?

Speaker 2 (00:20):
No? Well, listen, if we win, that's a very good question.
I appreciate it. But if we go through it, I
certainly hope we do. This Saturday. It's going to be
a massive week for the club as we'll lead into
our first ever home ground final. So that's the plan.
I think I'll behave myself. But if you asked me
that question in two weeks time.

Speaker 1 (00:37):
It could could be a whole different story. The who
do you play are you? Are you ahead to the
final and winning the whole thing yet or are we
just taking this weekend.

Speaker 2 (00:46):
No, we're definitely not getting ahead of ourselves and that's
that's definitely been a big message from from everyone from
Bill right down to you know, like sort of Steve
and the coaching staff have said to the boys a
few times this week we've set them down and said, look,
you know we we're on that. We've had a fantastic season.
It's been an amazing journey so far, but nobody wants
it to end. And if we start thinking about a
Grand Final, we can slip up. And it's all about

(01:08):
having that focus in concentration. To be honest, If I
think if they play like they did last Saturday, where
they were just hungrier, they wanted it more immense and defense,
and then you know, to get a one dollar away
is exactly the position you want to be coming too
a home seer.

Speaker 1 (01:23):
Final, exactly. The bottom line affect crowd aside, homeground advantage
aside the bottom line effect. Having extra games at home
must be good for business.

Speaker 2 (01:33):
You would think so much, but unfortunately, the way that
the structure of the ale goes is the majority of
that particular money goes off to to the A League,
to apl who run it. So although there are a
few advantages for it and certainly it helps out our
retail sales, the structure of the camp at the moment
as it is, and I mean it's probably down to
fact it's only a young competition where it's only twenty

(01:53):
years old. But they come in and do a smash
and grab and take our final, our final texting money.
So it's not as lucreative as you'd hope it to be.

Speaker 1 (02:01):
You need to rearrange that.

Speaker 2 (02:03):
I do agree, and we're going to plan. That is
on high on the list of things to do.

Speaker 1 (02:09):
And that well, that was the other thing. I didn't
realize that away goal thing had gone years ago and
all sorts of competitions around the world. Why did that go?
And is that good or not?

Speaker 2 (02:16):
I think the goal should be treated as as as
a goal. I think the goals of goals. You don't
like it to be parts with a double goal from
away thing. That could have been an own goal, could
have been a terrible goal, you know. It sort of
could have been a referring era of viar era, you know.
So I think the fairby is to have a goal
as a goal and you win it. You win it
in the time, or it goes into extra time and
it goes down to penalties. If it's all locked up after.

Speaker 1 (02:39):
That, okay, well, good luck this weekend. Most of the
nations behind you, as far as I can work out,
Ni Bigger, who's the boss of Auckland FC.

Speaker 2 (02:45):
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