December 5, 2024 • 11 mins
Squad depth is being pinpointed as a key reason for Auckland FC's flying start to life in football's A-League.
The Black Knights have won their first five games without conceding a goal to sit at the top of the table.
Former All White David Chote joined D'Arcy Waldegrave to explain the success behind the start up club.
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sports Talk podcast with Darcy Wildergrave
from News Talks.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
It'd be it's a warm welcome to the program at
now to our favorite football correspondent from all David Choke.
To David welcome, Hello, how are you?
Speaker 3 (00:21):
How nice to be welcome in sat fire manner good.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Das great to hear, looking forward to and there's an
understatement the weekend where the second of three derbies as
it happens in the A League. This time it's the
turn of the Auckland Football Club to host the Wellington
Phoenix and it's ak FC. We want to focus on
David Choke. What is with this phenomenon? It's exploded. Why
(00:47):
the success, why the popularity? What the.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
Well From day one dark they sort of made every
step a winning step, from sort of appointing chief executives
through to Steve Carriker as a manager, probably regarded as
one of the best managers in the A League. Although
he fell out at Sydney, he's highly regarded and has
done a fantastic job with them on the pitch at
(01:12):
Terry mcflynn. Behind the scenes, a wealth of experience, particularly
in around the A League. They've recruited well. Their squad
is deep and strong. They look like the real deal
from day dot.
Speaker 2 (01:26):
Is it a symbol of saying, though, that they win
and you can take all that stuff away regardless of
who was there. They win and that's that's enough.
Speaker 3 (01:34):
Yeah. Yeah, build it and they will come. That's sort
of the old adage. But if you win, they'll keep coming.
So as long as the Auckland side keeps winning, I
think they will keep building a following and the interest
will build and build. Everyone loves a winner, and at
the moment they're winning and making it look relatively straightforward
with that way.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
Previous iterations like the Knights and the Kings failed. They
just simply did not have the success or was the
love for football, Not in Auckland where they poorly manage
two cracks at it both abject fail. Not this tun around.
Speaker 3 (02:08):
Yeah. No, I think the resourcing is the big chap,
the big difference. Bill Foley is a sports entrepreneur, while
he's a man who made his money in finance and
has interests and wineries and tourism and lots of things.
And he's certainly been able to get him behind this
Auckland FC club grab people from all over and put
together an ownership group and a working group that had
(02:30):
made it a well resourced outfit. So resources aren't a problem.
I think if you look back in the day these
things were. If you think of Wellington Phoenix, I think
it was Terry Cerrape's first time round and sort of
a single sort of entity trying to sort of plug
away if you like. But no, this is a far
more rounded organization. Auckland f C have got the on
(02:51):
and off the field right and it comes through on
the park.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
Right here, right now. They had extra ten thousand seats
out of nowhere. Do they sell those two?
Speaker 1 (03:03):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (03:03):
Well, if they keep winning they will. But the crowd
number is so good. I looked at Wellington, and have
looked at Wellington for many years, thought well, if they
can pull ten thousand a week, they've done very very well.
It looks like this Orclands I'd have the capability of
pulling twenty. Are the warriors if you like, and they
can become a real sort of fixture in the calendar
(03:24):
for Aucklanders to get out and support their favorite sports team.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
They've got the port who are having the time of
their lives. It looks like it I'm not unlike yellow Fever.
But besides them, who are these fans? Where do they
come from? He couldn't idea about what kind of people
are going to that is that spread helping things?
Speaker 3 (03:44):
Yeah, look, I think it's similar in Wellington. When you
look in the crowd, there's lots of families, lots of
mums and dads, lots of kids, you know that age
group sort of from anywhere from sort of five through
to fifteen enjoy going along to the football and enjoy
buying the football kit. They're all kidded out. I see
here the Orcans I sold out of merchandise the other day,
or as good as it's that kind of crowd of
(04:07):
family day, a family day out. And then you've got
the likes of the Port and the Yellow Fever, the
two sort of tribal bases that will grow as well.
And that's sort of full of those passionate football fans
who love to get involved. Remember, supporting a football side
is not a spectator sport, it's a participant sport. You
get involved and there's people who love that going out
on the weekend and singing and dancing and chant and
(04:30):
getting your shirts off, swinging the banners and really having
a good time. So it's more than just a game
of football for them, it's sort of a lifestyle.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
How many songs do you reckon? They can get down
by the end of the season. They've got a few
more in them, do you reckon?
Speaker 3 (04:44):
Yeah, I'm not sure who's writing the lyrics, but there's
a wag or two in the crowd will come up,
So we'll come up with something that's got to be organic,
that's got to just happen in the UK where it
sort of was born. I suppose some of the chants
are just so amusing, and that's we're going to make
sure we keep a sense of humor and keep that
passionate support alive. But yeah, you need the odd wag
(05:05):
or two too, keep the lyrics flowing.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
How instrumental do you think David Choke is the venue?
Speaker 3 (05:14):
Yeah? I think that's going to be the next challenge them.
I think they probably and Bill Foley's talked about it
early in the piece about sort of creating a stadium
maybe for ten to twenty thousand, somewhere in that number,
a small stadium. I think he mooted somewhere around the
waterfront that'd be fantastic. I think that'll be the next
iteration for this franchise, because if they get their own home,
(05:34):
then they get themselves a nice little stadium. And if
I look around the A League, that's what's happening. Those
sides across the ditch are moving away from the big homes,
largely looking for small little stadiums, community stadiums where perhaps
you can get ten thousand people in the sell out
week in week out, starve yourself accordingly, and create a
real sort of day out to remember.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
But for the here and now, how instrumental has the
venue been and attracting people. The fact that they're it's
not the middle of town, but it's as close as
they're going to get. That must have helped. Surely.
Speaker 3 (06:09):
Yeah, look it has. But I think I recall when
they first came on the scene, people were worried about
it as if any you're thinking, yes, going to the
football crowd to that side of town, well, I'd say
they're coming from all over north, south, east, west. They're
coming in and they're prepared to go that far. Timing
of the matches will be important as well. I think
sort of those early evening kickoffs are the other way
to go. But they'll be able to control that to
(06:31):
a certain extent in negotiation with the a leg. But
the venue certainly has aided them in pulling together a
crowd and sell out on the weekend. Who would have
thunk it?
Speaker 2 (06:43):
Well at last, David, this is the thing. How long
will it last? They string together a couple of losses,
maybe they get their beans a couple of times momentum,
how long can they keep this going for if you
take into account the possibility of a poor run, which
happens in football.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
Oh and look, how long can that last? What marriage
is on everyge? Don't last that long? Move out seven years.
People get pretty tired and board of things. Look, there
will be a time when there will be a dip,
there's no doubt about that. But they're riding away the
success at the moment. As long as they keep winning
at the moment, I think the crowds will keep coming.
It was a wed old day last week. And when
they get thirteen or so thousand, I mean on a
(07:22):
pretty miserable day, that's a good number to get into
watch a game of football. And remember football is still
a minority sport. Against the likes of the rugby and
even the league I think in Auckland has far more
tradition about it. This tradition is just starting. This is
a side that started from scratch. They're starting to form up.
(07:44):
But yeah, look the crowds may well do. I've got
in my head if they could be pulling between ten
and fifteen thousand, I think Bill Foley and the ownership
group would be pretty happy.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
The way they play, the way they present, what they
actually do on the part, I'm sure for the hard
core that's very important, but for the general bandwagon jumper,
has that done anything for the traction of the fan base?
Speaker 3 (08:06):
Two thoughts there, because in talking to football folk that
those people who are football nerds, they love the game
and they watch it. The football in the A League
hasn't been of the highest standard the season, There's no
question about that. It's it's not as strong as it
was in years gone by. It's a development league very
much at the moment, and therefore the football for the
football purists might not be as good as they've seen
(08:27):
in the past. But for your average Joe Punda, I
don't think it matters. I said the other day, Look
when mum and dad take along their twelve year old kids.
There for the there for the selfies, for the Instagram,
for the opportunity to say we're out at the Auckland Nights,
to swing a flag, to wear the black and blue.
You know, it's a day out and the football in
some ways is a bit of a sideshow.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
We know that the a League control or all and
take all the money when it comes to the finals
when it really counts. What it's the chances of them
if the Phoenix and Auckland FC have to take each
other on in a knockout match, of that shebang being
taken to Eden Park because you'd well it should sell out, right.
Speaker 3 (09:07):
Yeah, once you get to the knockout phase, that's when
everybody wants to get on the bandwagon. That's when you
will sell out a stadium or two. Look, I think Auckland,
given their start, would absolutely be eyeing finals football. I
think the jury still out on the Knicks. I think
they've started as well as they could have hoped given
the amount of change they've gone through. They don't seem
(09:28):
to have the same depth as squad to me, so
I won't call them finalists just yet or even confident
about getting in the Sex, But I think that the
finals will be reality for Auckland in year one. That's
the way I'm seeing it.
Speaker 2 (09:43):
Just a bit of blue sky thinking mate, just looking
at the positives and we'll finish on this. David Chotin
As always, thanks very much for your time. Can they
survive twenty nine rounds with the same energy behind them
and the same traction behind them. It's a long season,
great first five all at last.
Speaker 3 (10:02):
Yeah, Look, I think that is a big question, Dars.
It'll be a big to say that they'll ride a
wave all the way through the season. You go into
that sort of Christmas New Year period where it's holiday
season in New Zealand, everyone heads to the beach. There
might be a flat patch and the players may feel
that sort of waning of enthusiasm. But I'll tell you
what come finals football. I think it'll swing back in
(10:24):
like a second wave and they will drag crowds from
all over all and beyond. Wellington have done it for years.
When they get to the finals, the big crowds come
and you see people flying in from the South Island.
So there is a New Zealand base there that comes
in for the big game. So that's what Land will
be hoping a finals run at the right time of year,
playing their best football, you would hope.
Speaker 2 (10:46):
And Andy Duff, producer Extraordinary, pointed out to me he goes, look,
twenty six thousand in a sellout game. That's probably more
than the entire amount of people that turned up for
the entire Kings or Knights season in one game.
Speaker 3 (11:01):
I think not only have they collected more points than
the Kings or Knights collectively in five weeks than either
side did in their time in the A League, they
will have actually blown the crowd numbers well out of
the water soy at different times and it's good times
to be a Aukland FC fan. Take your head off
to them. They've done a fantastic job arriving in this
(11:23):
A League so successfully.
Speaker 1 (11:25):
For more from Sports Talk, listen live to News Talks
they'd be from seven pm weekdays, or follow the podcast
on iHeartRadio.
You're listening to the Sports Talk podcast with Darcy Wildergrave
from News Talks.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
It'd be it's a warm welcome to the program at
now to our favorite football correspondent from all David Choke.
To David welcome, Hello, how are you?
Speaker 3 (00:21):
How nice to be welcome in sat fire manner good.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Das great to hear, looking forward to and there's an
understatement the weekend where the second of three derbies as
it happens in the A League. This time it's the
turn of the Auckland Football Club to host the Wellington
Phoenix and it's ak FC. We want to focus on
David Choke. What is with this phenomenon? It's exploded. Why
(00:47):
the success, why the popularity? What the.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
Well From day one dark they sort of made every
step a winning step, from sort of appointing chief executives
through to Steve Carriker as a manager, probably regarded as
one of the best managers in the A League. Although
he fell out at Sydney, he's highly regarded and has
done a fantastic job with them on the pitch at
(01:12):
Terry mcflynn. Behind the scenes, a wealth of experience, particularly
in around the A League. They've recruited well. Their squad
is deep and strong. They look like the real deal
from day dot.
Speaker 2 (01:26):
Is it a symbol of saying, though, that they win
and you can take all that stuff away regardless of
who was there. They win and that's that's enough.
Speaker 3 (01:34):
Yeah. Yeah, build it and they will come. That's sort
of the old adage. But if you win, they'll keep coming.
So as long as the Auckland side keeps winning, I
think they will keep building a following and the interest
will build and build. Everyone loves a winner, and at
the moment they're winning and making it look relatively straightforward
with that way.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
Previous iterations like the Knights and the Kings failed. They
just simply did not have the success or was the
love for football, Not in Auckland where they poorly manage
two cracks at it both abject fail. Not this tun around.
Speaker 3 (02:08):
Yeah. No, I think the resourcing is the big chap,
the big difference. Bill Foley is a sports entrepreneur, while
he's a man who made his money in finance and
has interests and wineries and tourism and lots of things.
And he's certainly been able to get him behind this
Auckland FC club grab people from all over and put
together an ownership group and a working group that had
(02:30):
made it a well resourced outfit. So resources aren't a problem.
I think if you look back in the day these
things were. If you think of Wellington Phoenix, I think
it was Terry Cerrape's first time round and sort of
a single sort of entity trying to sort of plug
away if you like. But no, this is a far
more rounded organization. Auckland f C have got the on
(02:51):
and off the field right and it comes through on
the park.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
Right here, right now. They had extra ten thousand seats
out of nowhere. Do they sell those two?
Speaker 1 (03:03):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (03:03):
Well, if they keep winning they will. But the crowd
number is so good. I looked at Wellington, and have
looked at Wellington for many years, thought well, if they
can pull ten thousand a week, they've done very very well.
It looks like this Orclands I'd have the capability of
pulling twenty. Are the warriors if you like, and they
can become a real sort of fixture in the calendar
(03:24):
for Aucklanders to get out and support their favorite sports team.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
They've got the port who are having the time of
their lives. It looks like it I'm not unlike yellow Fever.
But besides them, who are these fans? Where do they
come from? He couldn't idea about what kind of people
are going to that is that spread helping things?
Speaker 3 (03:44):
Yeah, look, I think it's similar in Wellington. When you
look in the crowd, there's lots of families, lots of
mums and dads, lots of kids, you know that age
group sort of from anywhere from sort of five through
to fifteen enjoy going along to the football and enjoy
buying the football kit. They're all kidded out. I see
here the Orcans I sold out of merchandise the other day,
or as good as it's that kind of crowd of
(04:07):
family day, a family day out. And then you've got
the likes of the Port and the Yellow Fever, the
two sort of tribal bases that will grow as well.
And that's sort of full of those passionate football fans
who love to get involved. Remember, supporting a football side
is not a spectator sport, it's a participant sport. You
get involved and there's people who love that going out
on the weekend and singing and dancing and chant and
(04:30):
getting your shirts off, swinging the banners and really having
a good time. So it's more than just a game
of football for them, it's sort of a lifestyle.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
How many songs do you reckon? They can get down
by the end of the season. They've got a few
more in them, do you reckon?
Speaker 3 (04:44):
Yeah, I'm not sure who's writing the lyrics, but there's
a wag or two in the crowd will come up,
So we'll come up with something that's got to be organic,
that's got to just happen in the UK where it
sort of was born. I suppose some of the chants
are just so amusing, and that's we're going to make
sure we keep a sense of humor and keep that
passionate support alive. But yeah, you need the odd wag
(05:05):
or two too, keep the lyrics flowing.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
How instrumental do you think David Choke is the venue?
Speaker 3 (05:14):
Yeah? I think that's going to be the next challenge them.
I think they probably and Bill Foley's talked about it
early in the piece about sort of creating a stadium
maybe for ten to twenty thousand, somewhere in that number,
a small stadium. I think he mooted somewhere around the
waterfront that'd be fantastic. I think that'll be the next
iteration for this franchise, because if they get their own home,
(05:34):
then they get themselves a nice little stadium. And if
I look around the A League, that's what's happening. Those
sides across the ditch are moving away from the big homes,
largely looking for small little stadiums, community stadiums where perhaps
you can get ten thousand people in the sell out
week in week out, starve yourself accordingly, and create a
real sort of day out to remember.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
But for the here and now, how instrumental has the
venue been and attracting people. The fact that they're it's
not the middle of town, but it's as close as
they're going to get. That must have helped. Surely.
Speaker 3 (06:09):
Yeah, look it has. But I think I recall when
they first came on the scene, people were worried about
it as if any you're thinking, yes, going to the
football crowd to that side of town, well, I'd say
they're coming from all over north, south, east, west. They're
coming in and they're prepared to go that far. Timing
of the matches will be important as well. I think
sort of those early evening kickoffs are the other way
to go. But they'll be able to control that to
(06:31):
a certain extent in negotiation with the a leg. But
the venue certainly has aided them in pulling together a
crowd and sell out on the weekend. Who would have
thunk it?
Speaker 2 (06:43):
Well at last, David, this is the thing. How long
will it last? They string together a couple of losses,
maybe they get their beans a couple of times momentum,
how long can they keep this going for if you
take into account the possibility of a poor run, which
happens in football.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
Oh and look, how long can that last? What marriage
is on everyge? Don't last that long? Move out seven years.
People get pretty tired and board of things. Look, there
will be a time when there will be a dip,
there's no doubt about that. But they're riding away the
success at the moment. As long as they keep winning
at the moment, I think the crowds will keep coming.
It was a wed old day last week. And when
they get thirteen or so thousand, I mean on a
(07:22):
pretty miserable day, that's a good number to get into
watch a game of football. And remember football is still
a minority sport. Against the likes of the rugby and
even the league I think in Auckland has far more
tradition about it. This tradition is just starting. This is
a side that started from scratch. They're starting to form up.
(07:44):
But yeah, look the crowds may well do. I've got
in my head if they could be pulling between ten
and fifteen thousand, I think Bill Foley and the ownership
group would be pretty happy.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
The way they play, the way they present, what they
actually do on the part, I'm sure for the hard
core that's very important, but for the general bandwagon jumper,
has that done anything for the traction of the fan base?
Speaker 3 (08:06):
Two thoughts there, because in talking to football folk that
those people who are football nerds, they love the game
and they watch it. The football in the A League
hasn't been of the highest standard the season, There's no
question about that. It's it's not as strong as it
was in years gone by. It's a development league very
much at the moment, and therefore the football for the
football purists might not be as good as they've seen
(08:27):
in the past. But for your average Joe Punda, I
don't think it matters. I said the other day, Look
when mum and dad take along their twelve year old kids.
There for the there for the selfies, for the Instagram,
for the opportunity to say we're out at the Auckland Nights,
to swing a flag, to wear the black and blue.
You know, it's a day out and the football in
some ways is a bit of a sideshow.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
We know that the a League control or all and
take all the money when it comes to the finals
when it really counts. What it's the chances of them
if the Phoenix and Auckland FC have to take each
other on in a knockout match, of that shebang being
taken to Eden Park because you'd well it should sell out, right.
Speaker 3 (09:07):
Yeah, once you get to the knockout phase, that's when
everybody wants to get on the bandwagon. That's when you
will sell out a stadium or two. Look, I think Auckland,
given their start, would absolutely be eyeing finals football. I
think the jury still out on the Knicks. I think
they've started as well as they could have hoped given
the amount of change they've gone through. They don't seem
(09:28):
to have the same depth as squad to me, so
I won't call them finalists just yet or even confident
about getting in the Sex, But I think that the
finals will be reality for Auckland in year one. That's
the way I'm seeing it.
Speaker 2 (09:43):
Just a bit of blue sky thinking mate, just looking
at the positives and we'll finish on this. David Chotin
As always, thanks very much for your time. Can they
survive twenty nine rounds with the same energy behind them
and the same traction behind them. It's a long season,
great first five all at last.
Speaker 3 (10:02):
Yeah, Look, I think that is a big question, Dars.
It'll be a big to say that they'll ride a
wave all the way through the season. You go into
that sort of Christmas New Year period where it's holiday
season in New Zealand, everyone heads to the beach. There
might be a flat patch and the players may feel
that sort of waning of enthusiasm. But I'll tell you
what come finals football. I think it'll swing back in
(10:24):
like a second wave and they will drag crowds from
all over all and beyond. Wellington have done it for years.
When they get to the finals, the big crowds come
and you see people flying in from the South Island.
So there is a New Zealand base there that comes
in for the big game. So that's what Land will
be hoping a finals run at the right time of year,
playing their best football, you would hope.
Speaker 2 (10:46):
And Andy Duff, producer Extraordinary, pointed out to me he goes, look,
twenty six thousand in a sellout game. That's probably more
than the entire amount of people that turned up for
the entire Kings or Knights season in one game.
Speaker 3 (11:01):
I think not only have they collected more points than
the Kings or Knights collectively in five weeks than either
side did in their time in the A League, they
will have actually blown the crowd numbers well out of
the water soy at different times and it's good times
to be a Aukland FC fan. Take your head off
to them. They've done a fantastic job arriving in this
(11:23):
A League so successfully.
Speaker 1 (11:25):
For more from Sports Talk, listen live to News Talks
they'd be from seven pm weekdays, or follow the podcast
on iHeartRadio.
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