Jack Tame: Auckland FC is taking me away from Super Rugby

As a sports fan, I suppose it was actually a genuinely meaningful moment.

I was sitting on the couch last night. 7.28pm. Sleeping baby in my arms. Remote in my hand. A decision to make.

Do I watch Moana Pasifika play the Highlanders? Neither of which is my first choice team but Super Rugby is Super Rugby and it was a local derby, no less. Or do I switch channels and watch the Phoenix play Melbourne City in the A-League? Again, not a result I was particularly invested in or angsting over but a game I knew enough about to at least know it was being played.

It’s kind of ridiculous, the extent to which our household has been caught up in the Auckland FC ride. After we attended the first couple of games – and loved it – my wife ended up splurging on memberships for the rest of the season for me and our 8-year-old boy.

From a live sport perspective, they’ve absolutely nailed a couple of fundamentals. For starters, there is an amazing family atmosphere. They’ve had various play areas for the kids: blow-up football arenas, a huge artificial beach behind one of the goals for the kids to make sandcastles, and an enormous blow-up slide stretching the length of the northern embankment, sliding down which on day one I very nearly lost my shorts. Games kick off at 5pm so you’re home with the kids by 8pm at the latest.

I think one of the most under-rated qualities is the stadium. Warriors fans know this, too. Go-Media (Mt Smart) was a sell-out last weekend for the derby. 27,000 people. The atmosphere was incredible! And while most games don’t get quite that many fans, it’s always closer to full than empty. You never get that feeling you sometimes get in big stadiums, when it feels like you’re watching a game in the midst of a zombie apocalypse. I really hope sports administrators take note: it is so much better to watch live sport in a full mid-size stadium than to watch it an empty big stadium.

Anyway..back to my decision. My vote with the remote.

In some ways, I reckon the real measure of Auckland FC’s success is the stuff on the periphery. The stuff that’s bigger than the team. I’m not naïve enough to think they’ll keep winning forever!

Since the start of the A-League season, our boy has become obsessed with football. He spends hours in the backyard practising skills and accidentally kicking his ball into the neighbour’s swimming pool. He went and picked up ‘The Encyclopaedia of Football’ from the library, and makes me read to him as his bedtime story the excruciating detail contained within. Last week I had to read a whole chapter on football pitch turf preparation techniques. He’s eight! He sat there, transfixed, as I ran through a paragraph on the drainage system at Wembley.

And, if I’m honest, I have been affected too. At least I realised I have, last night, when instead of picking the game I would’ve picked to watch every Friday for the last thirty years, I switched from an exciting, close game of Super Rugby to the A-League instead. I switched from an exciting, close game of Super Rugby to the A-League instead. I wonder how many households in New Zealand might be doing the same.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:07):
You're listening to the Saturday Morning with Jack Teams podcast
from News Talks at me.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
And as a sports fan, I suppose it was actually
a kind of genuinely meaningful moment. I was sitting there
right on the couch last night, seven twenty eight pm,
sleeping baby in my arms, remote in my hand, and
a decision to make do I watch Moana PACIFICA play
the Highlanders, neither of which is my first choice team,

(00:36):
but Super Rugby Super Rugby and it was a local
derby no less? Or do I switch channels and watch
the Phoenix play Melbourne City in the A League Again
not a result I was particularly invested in or angsting
over in any way, but a game that I knew
enough about to at least know it was being played.

(00:56):
It's kind of ridiculous the extent to which our household
has been caught up in the Auckland FC ride. After
we had tended the first couple of games this season
and absolutely loved it, my wife ended up splurging on
memberships for the rest of the season for me and
our eight year old boy. And it's funny from a

(01:18):
live sport perspective, you know, being there in person they
just seem to me to have absolutely nailed a couple
of the fundamentals. So for starters, there is a really
really good family atmosphere. It feels safe, it feels fun.
They've had various play areas for the kids, blow up
football arenas, a huge artificial beach behind one of the

(01:39):
goals for the kids to make sand castles, and an
enormous blow up slide stretching the length of the Northern
embankment sliding down which on day one I very nearly
lost my shorts. Games kickoff at five pm five pm.
That means you're home with the kids by eight pm
at the very latest. If it was a seven pm
kickoff or seven thirty wood as be is enthusiastic, probably not.

(02:03):
I think two that one of the most underrated qualities
in the whole equation is the stadium. Now Warriors fans
know this well. Go Media Stadium. Mount Smart Stadium was
a sellout last weekend for the Auckland FC Phoenix derby.
About twenty seven thousand people were there and the atmosphere
was incredible, and while most games don't get quite that

(02:26):
many fans, it is always closer to full than to empty.
You know you never get that feeling that you sometimes
get in big stadiums when it feels like you are
watching the game in the midst of a zombie apocalypse.
I really hope that sports administrators take note of this point.
From a fans perspective, it is so much better to

(02:47):
watch live sport in a full mid size stadium than
to watch it in an empty big stadium. Anyway, back
to my decision, my vote with the remote. In some
ways I reckon. The real measure of Auckland f C's
success this season is the stuff on the periphery, right,
the stuff that is bigger than the team. I'm not

(03:09):
naive enough to think they're going to keep on winning forever.
And since the start of the A League season, our
boy has become utterly obsessed with football. He spends hours
now in the backyard practicing skills and accidentally kicking his
ball into the neighbor's swimming pool. He went and picked
up the Encyclopedia of Football from the library and makes

(03:30):
me read to him as his bedtime story. The excruciating
detail contained within Last week, I had to read a
whole chapter on football pitch turf preparation techniques he's eight.
He's eight, and I was sitting there reading to him.
He's at there, transfixed as I ran through a paragraph

(03:51):
describing the drainage systems at Wembley. If I'm honest, though,
I've been affected too. At least I realized I have
last night, when, instead of picking the game I would
have picked to watch every Friday for the last twenty
nine years, the last thirty years since the inception of
Super Rugby, I switched from an exciting close game of

(04:13):
Super Rugby to watch the A League live instead. And
I just wonder how many households in New Zealand might
be doing the same.

Speaker 1 (04:22):
For more from Saturday Morning with Jack Tame, listen live
to News Talks ed B from nine am Saturday, or
follow the podcast on iHeartRadio