There are no guarantees beyond 2011 with the AFC unhappy about a team from Oceania playing in an Asian competition which could cost the club its place in the A-League.

Football Federation Australia, fellow A-League clubs and FIFA are more supportive though and Phoenix CEO Tony Pignata pressed the situation with both Frank Lowy and Ben Buckley at an A-League clubs meeting last week.

"It's with them (the FFA) and we are obviously very keen to have this situation resolved. I would like to think we'll know  where we're at come the start of next season," Pignata told au.fourfourtwo.com today.

"We are part of the A-League and I don't sense in any way that we are some kind of outcast when I meet with the other clubs. There is no-one stabbing anyone else in the back. We all work together to help this competition grow.

"We feel we have made a valuable contribution to the competition, we've established ourselves and now we want to push forward long-term."

Phoenix appear to have convinced their players that there is a long-term future with several having penned three year deals with the club.

"I think we've got around 75 per cent tied up on new contracts and we're still hoping a few more will follow," said Pignata. "I'm feeling very positive. I feel we are on the brink of something big.

"The All Whites have handed football a massive boost and as I was leaving the game (the play-off win over Bahrain) a lot of people were coming up to me and saying that it was great for Phoenix as well."

Phoenix are also confident that coach Ricki Herbert can continue to successfully juggle club and international commitments.

"We have a very good relationship with New Zealand and we knew about Ricki's All Whites commitments from the start," said Pignata.

While securing their future and pushing for the A-League finals are top priorities, so too is the establishment of a youth side.

Phoenix believe they are at a major disadvantage compared to rival A-League clubs. Other clubs can use the National Youth League to provide young players with valuable match action while also fielding senior players returning from injury or looking to push for a first team spot.

The club are unlikely to participate in the NYL in the near future and will instead push for inclusion in a competition closer to home.

Pignata added: "We didn't quite get there for this season but I'll be bulldozing hard for us to get that resolved for next season."