Tim Brown: On buying into the new Auckland FC league franchise

All birds founder and former All Whites footballer Tim Brown has bought into the new Auckland FC league franchise.

Brown has taken a 1.56% stake in the club.. alongside fellow former All Whites Winston Reid and Noah Hickey.

Tim brown told Heather du Plessis-Allan he sees nothing but good coming from this.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now All Birds founder and former All Whites footballer Tim
Brown has brought into the New Auckland FC, a league franchise.
He's taken a one point five percent a one point
five six percent stake in the club, alongside former All
Whites Winston Reed and Nowhere Hicki and Tim Brown's in
San Francisco. Hey Tim, how are you doing? Tim? I'm well,
but how have you changed loyalties like this? You used

(00:21):
to play for the Phoenix man?

Speaker 2 (00:23):
Yeah, well I did. Yeah, and my family's still in
Wellington and I grew up in Wellington. But look, the
opportunity came when I met Bill Foley a number of
months ago and I jumped on it. Look, I think
this is this is about New Zealand. It's about New
Zealand sport. It's about one of the biggest cities in
the world that doesn't you'd have a professional football team.

(00:44):
And it's so exciting and it's really a privilege to
be a part of it.

Speaker 1 (00:47):
Do you do you reckon that this could turn into
something bigger than the Phoenix has managed to turn into
in Wellington?

Speaker 2 (00:55):
I think so, Yeah, I think so. I mean, you know,
it's it's I mean club initially and then it'll be
a women's club. You know, I think there's so much
potential for the sport of football to connect into Asia
and into the world. I think coming off the Olympics,
you know, anyone who doesn't understand the power of sport,

(01:16):
you know, to connect people and for it to be
a way that New Zealand values are exported to the world.
I don't think they're looking at this the right way.
And certainly as someone who lives in America, you know,
the Football World Cup's going to be here in twenty
twenty six, the Olympics in twenty twenty eight, the Rugby
World Cup in twenty thirty one, so you know, sported
its best does some great stuff for us. And then
on a grassroots level, you know, there's forty odd thousand

(01:39):
young kids playing soccer, you know, every weekend in Auckland
and seven year old clubs, and then the rivalry with
Wellington is only going to be a good thing. So
I see nothing but good coming from this.

Speaker 1 (01:50):
But okay, so what do you think is the secret
ingredient that makes the Auckland Club bigger than the Phoenix?
Is it, Bill Foley? Is it the size of Auckland.

Speaker 2 (01:57):
What is it well, nothing, Yeah, it hasn't played a game.
And Wellington, I know I've played for them, has done
a great job and last year on the field performed
really really well. I mean, I think what Bill Foley
brings first of all is a deep love for New
Zealand and he's also got a really extraordinary expertise in

(02:17):
building successful clubs. The Las Vegas Golden Knights is the
ice hockey team in the NHL, arguably one of the
most successful new franchises in American sport, which is saying something.
No one thought that ice hockey could work in the desert,
and he bought it there and then won a Stanley
Cup in the third or fourth season, and it's now
one of the most valuable franchises in that league. What

(02:40):
he's done with Bourne, with in the Premier League and
then now growing network of football clubs around the world
in France and Scotland and other places, it's a really
amazing opportunity for young Kiwi boys and girls and players
to have an opportunity at this club and hopefully take
their talents around the world on the back of it.

Speaker 1 (03:01):
I got to ask you about all birds, do you
have much confidences can turn around. I'm getting a bit worried.

Speaker 2 (03:07):
Good pivot, I really do. You know? People forget that
All Birds is not even ten years old. But before
it became a business in San Francisco, you know, I
know personally it was a bad idea for a long time. Yeah,
people came out of the woodwork to say it would

(03:28):
never work, and then we had a glorious run and
then now we're back in another chapter where people are
doubting it. Look, we just came out of a board
meeting today. There's so many good things happening. There's a
lot of work to do, but gosh, the comeback would
be really lovely and I believe it can happen.

Speaker 1 (03:46):
Are you guys preparing though, for the chance of delisting?

Speaker 2 (03:50):
No?

Speaker 1 (03:52):
Right, so you're confidence of what it'll stay on the
NASDAC Yes, I love the confidence. Tim, Thank you very much,
really appreciate your time, mate and thing. Thank you for
coping with that pervot. That's Tim Brown, All Birds founder
and former All Whites footballer.

Speaker 2 (04:05):
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