Nick Becker: Auckland FC CEO on the team's victory over Melbourne City

The CEO of Auckland FC is feeling very proud following the team's performance over the weekend.

Auckland FC is set to face off against Adelaide United in a two-leg A-League semi-final following their victory over Melbourne City with a 14-penalty shoot-out win.

Nick Becker joined Piney to recap the action.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Vine
from News Talks EDB.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Talking penalty shootouts coming up thirteen to one next un
with Melbourne Cities seventh penalty Asathaniel.

Speaker 3 (00:22):
Atkinson part pay homage to the gold keeping here in
MICHAELBT he's put on the FC taxing distance of the

(00:43):
City final.

Speaker 2 (00:44):
Here the key moment last night, Michael Vouch saving Melbourne
City's seventh penalty from Nathaniel Atkinson. Dan Hall then scored
and through they go. Auckland FC CEO Nick Becker is
with us, where did you watch the penalty shootout from.

Speaker 4 (01:02):
Well, as this tradition, I go down to the to
the sort of side of the pitch at the end
of the game, you know, to to kind of make
sure everything so finishing up okay. So I'd actually gone
down in the nineteenth minute think you were going to
win one nil.

Speaker 5 (01:14):
Then then City equalize and it's one all.

Speaker 4 (01:17):
So I go back up to my seat for another
half hour of extra time, came back down for the
penalty shootout and I had a very nervous Terence mcflynn,
our football director, sating next to me, and it was.

Speaker 5 (01:29):
A there was a lot of there was a lot
of like kind.

Speaker 4 (01:31):
Of you know, high high pressure, high anxiety, high nerveous, nervousness.

Speaker 2 (01:37):
It's I mean, you're almost in the lap of the gods,
aren't you. I Mean, there's nothing that Terry mcflynn can do,
There's nothing Steve Coriker can do, There's nothing you can do,
There's nothing anybody can do apart from those guys who
were walking up to the spot to take the penalties
and Michael Voud trying to stop them. You know how
how impressed, pleased proud were you of your team last night?

Speaker 5 (01:54):
Oh?

Speaker 4 (01:55):
Immensely, you know, like and you to remember, we haven't
had a lot of penalties as a team, just full
stop as a club, and and the couple that we've had,
they haven't been that convincing. So you know, the boys
obviously practicing at training, but I was, I was genuinely nervous.
And I haven't seen such a such an impressive shootout

(02:18):
live for for for a long time, if any And yeah,
you know, I I was over the moon for them.
They dug deep to have to play that long and
in such a high paced and and sort of you know,
like kind of high level of intensity of the game
and then to step up.

Speaker 5 (02:34):
And to put away seven in a row is very impressive.

Speaker 2 (02:39):
Quite something. And in front of the port too, that
was a coin toss. I don't think it would have
had quite the same I don't know, excitement drama down
the other end where where you know there aren't any fans. Basically,
how important do you think it was that it was
down the port end?

Speaker 4 (02:52):
It was massive, it was and it was literally down
to the flip of a coin. I think if it
had been the other end, you probably would have seen
the port empty at that end and run down the
other so but but no, it was huge, and you
know why it was. It just added to the drama
and of the game. And I thought, you know, actually
the Melbourne City players stood up to it as well,

(03:12):
and you know they'd score their pen and run over
the port and kind of give them the shush. So
it added to the to the excitement, It added to
the drama, and you know the port you say were
just massive.

Speaker 5 (03:23):
They were so.

Speaker 2 (03:24):
Huge, absolutely brilliant. So you focus now shifts as a
football club. The football players and the coaching staff start
preparing for a two legged semi final against Adelaide. The
first league of which is next weekend, next Saturday night
at six o'clock. How quickly does your focus now shift
to filling the stadium for that game.

Speaker 4 (03:42):
We already it started last night, so you know, we're
talking to everyone from NRF to see if they can
reschedule the games to earlier kickoffs in the local leagues
so football fans who are playing on Saturday can come
to the game. You know, we've already gone. We've got
everything ready for that. There's a member's pre sale that
starts at nine am tomorrow morning, Monday morning to that

(04:03):
run through till four pm and they're on sale to everybody,
all all Auckland football fans, all OrCam their Sea fans
really and we would love to see that place full
and rocking.

Speaker 5 (04:13):
You know, it was.

Speaker 4 (04:14):
It was a shame last night didn't have a great
crowd and I sort of understand it.

Speaker 5 (04:17):
It was. It was a four day turnaround.

Speaker 4 (04:19):
It was an elimination final that nobody really expected us
to be in.

Speaker 5 (04:23):
But we are now in the semi final.

Speaker 4 (04:25):
We now have a chance to push through and go
through to our first ever Grand Final, and if fortune favors,
that could even be back in Auckland.

Speaker 5 (04:33):
So to see a packed go media like.

Speaker 4 (04:36):
We filled it out in the season, like we filled
it out last season, would be fantastic And I really
would love to see all of our fans there.

Speaker 2 (04:43):
Absolutely, the players. You know, you often ear players to
say once they're out on the grass, they don't really
hear what's going on outside the white lines. But I'm
reasonably sure Nick, that a packed crowd at home helps,
doesn't it.

Speaker 5 (04:58):
Absolutely? And the players they notice and they feed off it.

Speaker 4 (05:02):
They I mean, they're sure when they're on there and
they're playing the game that that's what their their whole concentration.
But you see them get lifted like you know, you
saw it last night, even with that pack South stand
in the pork they lifted our boys. You saw Hiroki's
efforts right then. He's someone who feeds off the crowd.
And so you know that they the.

Speaker 5 (05:20):
Fans.

Speaker 4 (05:21):
If the everyone calls them the twelfth man and that type,
I think it's actually true. They play an immense part
in any game. And you know, I'm sure they'll come
along on that Saturday.

Speaker 2 (05:30):
So members can purchase from nine o'clock tomorrow morning, and
then anybody can get a ticket from four o'clock tomorrow afternoon.
The game is next Saturday, six o'clock kickoff as you
take on Adelaide United in the first League of the
semi A highly dramatic, emotion filled night last night. Let's
hope there's a couple of more to come for Auckland
f C before the end of the season. Thanks thanks
for joining.

Speaker 5 (05:50):
Us absolutely cheers Piney.

Speaker 2 (05:51):
Thanks Mate, no speak so Nick, Thanks Indey Nick Micker
their CEO of Auckland f C. So the members can
get tickets from nine tomorrow morning and then from four
o'clock tomorrow afternoon anybody can buy one. Next Saturday six
o'clock is the First League of Auckland f C semi
final against Adam Lage United.

Speaker 1 (06:07):
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