May 14, 2025 • 11 mins
Auckland FC owner Bill Foley's revelling in his side's inaugural A-League football season success.
The Black Knights won the Premier's Plate for finishing top of the regular standings.
They begin their two-leg semi-final with Melbourne Victory away on Saturday, before the home fixture on May 24.
Foley told Mike Hosking the business model he's used at Bournemouth in the Premier League, and the Golden Knights in hockey's NHL has worked again.
“We knew we were going to have a very competitive team, and we overachieved.”
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Even if you don't follow football. The Auckland FC story
is one for the ages brain. New team wins the
comp in the first season. The playoffs for the title
itself begin this weekend, of course, in a home and
away affair set up by Bill Foley, who knows a
bit about sport, being part of the Vegas Golden Knights
who have been playing the Edmondson Oilers and this year's
Stanley Cup playoffs, and Bill Foley is back with us. Bill,
very good morning to you.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Yeah, good morning to you. Actually afternoon here, but that's
nice to talk to you.
Speaker 1 (00:24):
Make man, it's good to have you back on the program.
As far as the Golden Knights before we get to
Walkland the FC, As far as the Golden Knights are concerned,
I'm sure you're well aware of these statistical probabilities of
coming back from three to one. How bullish are you?
Speaker 2 (00:37):
Well, we have a ninety two percent negative chance, So
it's not good. It's not good. We just in game two,
I think we had like thirty five shots and they
had around twenty, and we had so many chances and
that goalie was unbelievable, and then it got to overtime
and we had more good shots and they got a
really a lucky break. And when I saw that in
(00:59):
game two, because we've lost game one, I thought, uh oh,
this is the problem. Because if we'd left Vegas one
and one, I knew we could win a game in
Edmonton and maybe back to two to two, and then
it's then it's a three game series in effect, and
with two two games at home for us. But now
we've got to the boys have got to fight back,
(01:19):
and they are. Then they're feeling good. I was. I
had lunch with the I went downstairs and had lunch
with them today and saw, I saw everybody, and I've
gotta went to one of our physios and I had
some treatment on my on my form, my back. They
kind of work on me once in a while. And
all the guys are down there and they all hang
out in the medical room and there they feel good.
(01:40):
They're confident, so I think they I think they they're
almost like what you said, it's almost like a challenge.
You know, everyone says, we have no chance. Let's go
prove we let's go prove we can do this, which
is which is a great attitude.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
Good well, good luck to die Auckland FC, I hope
from your disc since you've been able to see and
feel what's unfolded, because what a fantastic story.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
Boy, what a great year we've had. You know, we
knew we had a very we'd have a very competitive
team based upon you know, bringing Terry mcflinn in and
Steve Corca and then the way they worked with our
scouts and so on at Bournemouth, and we really we
really collaborated on putting the team together, especially with the
(02:27):
with the Visa the Visa players and the Marquee players.
So we knew we were going to have a very
competitive team and we overachieved. So I am. I am
thrilled for Auckland f C. I really am. They've just
come together and you know, we had a little a
little kind of laps, I would say, when we started
(02:48):
tying a bunch of games and in February and March,
and but we came back and we won some games
and and one of you know, we got the plate
and we we did it with a good number of point.
It's the spare. But now it starts over, doesn't it.
Now I'm playing you know, Melbourne victory away and uh,
let me playing at home. Next weekend weekend after this, uh,
(03:11):
and then if we succeed in that in that then
we're playing then we're playing at home in the finals,
which is unbelievable. I'm gonna, I'm gonna come down. I'm
coming down to the game.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
So you should is this, I mean, this is not
your first rodeo, as you say in America? Is how
much of this is a model in setting up a
business or a sports team or a competition, how much
of it's a moddel how much of.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
It's not, Well, it's it's it's art in terms of
hiring the right really taking the time to hire the
right people on the business side and on the football side.
So and that's what I I really really spend my
time doing interviewing, talking to people, making sure we were
(03:53):
going to be a team of character. And you start
with the with the executives. If they're if they are,
if they have have strong character, then they're going to
create a situation where they create character around them. So
in that part of it, it's a it's an art.
But in terms of a model, you know that I
did it with the Golden Knights, and I did exactly that.
(04:15):
We became a team of character and we became a
desirable place for people to play and they want to
play here. And then we at AFC Bournemouth. We went
in there and we made a number of different changes
that they weren't obvious on the surface, but we knew
what was going to happen as we made these changes
(04:35):
and it's worked out there, and we used the same
strategy in Auckland with with with the Black Knights. So
so I'd say it's a combination of art in a
model where do you draw.
Speaker 1 (04:50):
The line as as as the boss or the owner,
and once you hire the talent, you want what's your
line in what you say, do involve yourself in or not.
Speaker 2 (05:04):
On the business side, I'm really pretty stand office as
long as things are going well. I'm really kind of
macro in my approach. Once we have the people hired.
On the sports side, I'm very involved. I reviewed with
Terry and Steve all the players were bringing in, why
(05:25):
we're bringing them in, what kind of support we had
in various positions. And I do the same thing at Bournemouth.
You know, we're constantly engaged and looking at looking at
players and figuring out our transfer window and who our
targets are and when I was over there in April
for about ten days or so, I spent most of
(05:45):
my time with the with our president of football and
our and our technical director and some of our scouts
and our recruiting people, really looking through all the players
we were interested in because we know it born we're
going to lose some players because we've had a pretty
good year and there are some targets that people are
going to come for. And unfortunately in Premier League, if
(06:10):
you're a smaller club, you just accept the fact that
you're going to lose some players to bigger clubs, but
you've got to be able to restock. In Auckland, what
we've tried to do is really have to be the
best place to play football. And we're lucky because we've
got a We're in a terrific city. We don't have
a there's competition in down in Wellington, but other than that,
(06:33):
you don't have two teams in the city, or our
two teams in Sydney, two teams in Melbourne, another team
just outside the town, so we don't have that competition
from a like level professional sports team. And I thought
we did a really good job in terms of reaching
out to the community and making sure that we talked
(06:55):
to all the local football clubs, that we showed them
how we were going to help them in terms of training,
training and academy development. So I felt like we used
our Vegas model and I transported it to Auckland and
it's working. That's a great I'm proud. I'm proud of
(07:16):
I'm really proud of what we've done.
Speaker 1 (07:18):
So, Bill, I reach somewhere the other day, you want
to get into NBA. If that's true. In buying in
as opposed to a startup, what do.
Speaker 2 (07:27):
You look for? Yeah, so this is if the NBA
were to come to Vegas, it's probably going to be
an expansion franchise, So it will be it will be
a startup. I'm not really interested in being a minority
owner of a team that's not based in Las Vegas
because I want to be close to where my base is.
(07:51):
I don't want to feel obigated to have to fly
to x y Z City to watch games. So we
are we're very interested in the end coming to Las Vegas.
We haven't made any formal approaches to the NBA. We
know that they're interested in Las Vegas and they're interested
in other cities, and so we're here and we're the
(08:14):
NBA knows who we are, and they know that there
is a group that's being put together that be interested
in a franchise, and then we'll be competing with other
people in terms of whether we get the franchise or not.
We do have the advantage of being part owners of
T Mobile Arena and our partners with MGM and AEG
and SHO'ST the Entertainment Group, they're great partners, and we
(08:38):
would try and get a larger ownership position in T
Mobile and then really improve the arena. It would be
probably spend three hundred to three hundred and fifty million
dollars upgrading the arena to make it a world class
best arena, best arena in America. So that's but we
(08:59):
haven't made any formal approaches, and we don't like to
talk too much about the leagues. Don't like like people
speculating and so on, so we're just being we're being quiet. Okay, But.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
I want to get to one business question if I can.
But before that, I got to know, if let's assume
you win Auckland f C win, they win the lot
opening season, fantastic. How do you maintain that level of success?
Speaker 2 (09:26):
I will maintain it. I'm one hundred percent confident most
of our players are going to be repeat They're going
to come back. We have we have targets in mind
in terms of other in terms of other players from
other leagues that might come in and take the place
of some of our some of our marquee players, or
some of our PISA players. But this will be This
(09:46):
will be a winning franchise for for as long as
I'm around, we will. You know, my job is is
putting the team on the field and giving the giving
the players the resources to win, and we'll win. I
can't say I can't. I don't want to say that
(10:07):
we're going to even win this league because if you
think back when we are national our inaugural season with
the Vegas Golden Knights, we went all the way to
the Stanley Cup Finals. In fact, we won the first
game and then proceeded to lose the next four four
games at Washington Capitals. So I remember that, and I'm
cognizant of that as we move into this playoff scenario,
(10:30):
and then if we are fortunate enough to get by
the Semis and then in the finals, so we're not
our people are taking nothing for granted.
Speaker 1 (10:41):
I can guarantee it fantastic, lovely to catch up with you,
good luck this week, in the ensuing weekends and we'll
get you back on again and talk some more sports sometime.
Bill Foley, who is the owner of Auckland FC, as
you heard, the Vegas Golden Knights, Bournemouth in England. He's
got a couple of other operations around the world and
sport as well as hospitality of course, and one in
this country. For more from the Mic Asking Breakfast, listen
(11:03):
live to News Talks at B from six am weekdays,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
Even if you don't follow football. The Auckland FC story
is one for the ages brain. New team wins the
comp in the first season. The playoffs for the title
itself begin this weekend, of course, in a home and
away affair set up by Bill Foley, who knows a
bit about sport, being part of the Vegas Golden Knights
who have been playing the Edmondson Oilers and this year's
Stanley Cup playoffs, and Bill Foley is back with us. Bill,
very good morning to you.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Yeah, good morning to you. Actually afternoon here, but that's
nice to talk to you.
Speaker 1 (00:24):
Make man, it's good to have you back on the program.
As far as the Golden Knights before we get to
Walkland the FC, As far as the Golden Knights are concerned,
I'm sure you're well aware of these statistical probabilities of
coming back from three to one. How bullish are you?
Speaker 2 (00:37):
Well, we have a ninety two percent negative chance, So
it's not good. It's not good. We just in game two,
I think we had like thirty five shots and they
had around twenty, and we had so many chances and
that goalie was unbelievable, and then it got to overtime
and we had more good shots and they got a
really a lucky break. And when I saw that in
(00:59):
game two, because we've lost game one, I thought, uh oh,
this is the problem. Because if we'd left Vegas one
and one, I knew we could win a game in
Edmonton and maybe back to two to two, and then
it's then it's a three game series in effect, and
with two two games at home for us. But now
we've got to the boys have got to fight back,
(01:19):
and they are. Then they're feeling good. I was. I
had lunch with the I went downstairs and had lunch
with them today and saw, I saw everybody, and I've
gotta went to one of our physios and I had
some treatment on my on my form, my back. They
kind of work on me once in a while. And
all the guys are down there and they all hang
out in the medical room and there they feel good.
(01:40):
They're confident, so I think they I think they they're
almost like what you said, it's almost like a challenge.
You know, everyone says, we have no chance. Let's go
prove we let's go prove we can do this, which
is which is a great attitude.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
Good well, good luck to die Auckland FC, I hope
from your disc since you've been able to see and
feel what's unfolded, because what a fantastic story.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
Boy, what a great year we've had. You know, we
knew we had a very we'd have a very competitive
team based upon you know, bringing Terry mcflinn in and
Steve Corca and then the way they worked with our
scouts and so on at Bournemouth, and we really we
really collaborated on putting the team together, especially with the
(02:27):
with the Visa the Visa players and the Marquee players.
So we knew we were going to have a very
competitive team and we overachieved. So I am. I am
thrilled for Auckland f C. I really am. They've just
come together and you know, we had a little a
little kind of laps, I would say, when we started
(02:48):
tying a bunch of games and in February and March,
and but we came back and we won some games
and and one of you know, we got the plate
and we we did it with a good number of point.
It's the spare. But now it starts over, doesn't it.
Now I'm playing you know, Melbourne victory away and uh,
let me playing at home. Next weekend weekend after this, uh,
(03:11):
and then if we succeed in that in that then
we're playing then we're playing at home in the finals,
which is unbelievable. I'm gonna, I'm gonna come down. I'm
coming down to the game.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
So you should is this, I mean, this is not
your first rodeo, as you say in America? Is how
much of this is a model in setting up a
business or a sports team or a competition, how much
of it's a moddel how much of.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
It's not, Well, it's it's it's art in terms of
hiring the right really taking the time to hire the
right people on the business side and on the football side.
So and that's what I I really really spend my
time doing interviewing, talking to people, making sure we were
(03:53):
going to be a team of character. And you start
with the with the executives. If they're if they are,
if they have have strong character, then they're going to
create a situation where they create character around them. So
in that part of it, it's a it's an art.
But in terms of a model, you know that I
did it with the Golden Knights, and I did exactly that.
(04:15):
We became a team of character and we became a
desirable place for people to play and they want to
play here. And then we at AFC Bournemouth. We went
in there and we made a number of different changes
that they weren't obvious on the surface, but we knew
what was going to happen as we made these changes
(04:35):
and it's worked out there, and we used the same
strategy in Auckland with with with the Black Knights. So
so I'd say it's a combination of art in a
model where do you draw.
Speaker 1 (04:50):
The line as as as the boss or the owner,
and once you hire the talent, you want what's your
line in what you say, do involve yourself in or not.
Speaker 2 (05:04):
On the business side, I'm really pretty stand office as
long as things are going well. I'm really kind of
macro in my approach. Once we have the people hired.
On the sports side, I'm very involved. I reviewed with
Terry and Steve all the players were bringing in, why
(05:25):
we're bringing them in, what kind of support we had
in various positions. And I do the same thing at Bournemouth.
You know, we're constantly engaged and looking at looking at
players and figuring out our transfer window and who our
targets are and when I was over there in April
for about ten days or so, I spent most of
(05:45):
my time with the with our president of football and
our and our technical director and some of our scouts
and our recruiting people, really looking through all the players
we were interested in because we know it born we're
going to lose some players because we've had a pretty
good year and there are some targets that people are
going to come for. And unfortunately in Premier League, if
(06:10):
you're a smaller club, you just accept the fact that
you're going to lose some players to bigger clubs, but
you've got to be able to restock. In Auckland, what
we've tried to do is really have to be the
best place to play football. And we're lucky because we've
got a We're in a terrific city. We don't have
a there's competition in down in Wellington, but other than that,
(06:33):
you don't have two teams in the city, or our
two teams in Sydney, two teams in Melbourne, another team
just outside the town, so we don't have that competition
from a like level professional sports team. And I thought
we did a really good job in terms of reaching
out to the community and making sure that we talked
(06:55):
to all the local football clubs, that we showed them
how we were going to help them in terms of training,
training and academy development. So I felt like we used
our Vegas model and I transported it to Auckland and
it's working. That's a great I'm proud. I'm proud of
(07:16):
I'm really proud of what we've done.
Speaker 1 (07:18):
So, Bill, I reach somewhere the other day, you want
to get into NBA. If that's true. In buying in
as opposed to a startup, what do.
Speaker 2 (07:27):
You look for? Yeah, so this is if the NBA
were to come to Vegas, it's probably going to be
an expansion franchise, So it will be it will be
a startup. I'm not really interested in being a minority
owner of a team that's not based in Las Vegas
because I want to be close to where my base is.
(07:51):
I don't want to feel obigated to have to fly
to x y Z City to watch games. So we
are we're very interested in the end coming to Las Vegas.
We haven't made any formal approaches to the NBA. We
know that they're interested in Las Vegas and they're interested
in other cities, and so we're here and we're the
(08:14):
NBA knows who we are, and they know that there
is a group that's being put together that be interested
in a franchise, and then we'll be competing with other
people in terms of whether we get the franchise or not.
We do have the advantage of being part owners of
T Mobile Arena and our partners with MGM and AEG
and SHO'ST the Entertainment Group, they're great partners, and we
(08:38):
would try and get a larger ownership position in T
Mobile and then really improve the arena. It would be
probably spend three hundred to three hundred and fifty million
dollars upgrading the arena to make it a world class
best arena, best arena in America. So that's but we
(08:59):
haven't made any formal approaches, and we don't like to
talk too much about the leagues. Don't like like people
speculating and so on, so we're just being we're being quiet. Okay, But.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
I want to get to one business question if I can.
But before that, I got to know, if let's assume
you win Auckland f C win, they win the lot
opening season, fantastic. How do you maintain that level of success?
Speaker 2 (09:26):
I will maintain it. I'm one hundred percent confident most
of our players are going to be repeat They're going
to come back. We have we have targets in mind
in terms of other in terms of other players from
other leagues that might come in and take the place
of some of our some of our marquee players, or
some of our PISA players. But this will be This
(09:46):
will be a winning franchise for for as long as
I'm around, we will. You know, my job is is
putting the team on the field and giving the giving
the players the resources to win, and we'll win. I
can't say I can't. I don't want to say that
(10:07):
we're going to even win this league because if you
think back when we are national our inaugural season with
the Vegas Golden Knights, we went all the way to
the Stanley Cup Finals. In fact, we won the first
game and then proceeded to lose the next four four
games at Washington Capitals. So I remember that, and I'm
cognizant of that as we move into this playoff scenario,
(10:30):
and then if we are fortunate enough to get by
the Semis and then in the finals, so we're not
our people are taking nothing for granted.
Speaker 1 (10:41):
I can guarantee it fantastic, lovely to catch up with you,
good luck this week, in the ensuing weekends and we'll
get you back on again and talk some more sports sometime.
Bill Foley, who is the owner of Auckland FC, as
you heard, the Vegas Golden Knights, Bournemouth in England. He's
got a couple of other operations around the world and
sport as well as hospitality of course, and one in
this country. For more from the Mic Asking Breakfast, listen
(11:03):
live to News Talks at B from six am weekdays,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
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