EXCLUSIVE: Canberra has given Wellington Phoenix a significant boost in the push for A-League Youth League inclusion with the ACT likely to become the New Zealand club’s Australian base.
Phoenix officials have been in discussions with Capital Football Federation to see if there would be any objections to a Wellington presence on its turf.
A Capital Football board meeting has raised no protests and now Phoenix will step up their bid for inclusion when the FFA competition gets underway in August.
Wellington CEO Tony Pignata hopes this latest development will only strengthen the club’s position in its talks with the FFA.
Speaking exclusively to au.fourfourtwo.com Pignata said: “We wrote to Capital Football about the situation and it is my understanding that there is support from its board today. Clearly it is a welcome situation to be able to go to the FFA with this development.”
As first revealed by this website, Phoenix are less than impressed at being overlooked for the Youth League and feel the competition should include them.
To that end they are prepared to endure the costs of basing their youngsters on Australian soil although the exact costings and details have yet to be worked out.
If the club succeeds in pushing its case to the FFA then it is likely that a group of around 10 youngsters would be based on Australian soil with Wellington-based players flown across the Tasman to supplement the squad for matches.
Phoenix will now look for further discussions with the FFA. Pignata said: “We believe it can be done. We established an entire football club in only a few months. We’re pretty determined.
“With ourselves included we feel the league would be all the better for it. You’d then have eight teams and no need for a bye.”
Phoenix believe by looking to base their set up in Australia they are showing willingness to compromise. They would also be prepared to endure greater costs than rivals.
When first revealing Phoenix’s determination to push this through, Pignata said at the time: “If the other seven teams in the A-League have the opportunity to take advantage of the new youth structure but we don’t then that’s clearly not something we are happy with.
"We wouldn’t want to find ourselves falling behind the other clubs in that way.”
A Capital Football board meeting has raised no protests and now Phoenix will step up their bid for inclusion when the FFA competition gets underway in August.
Wellington CEO Tony Pignata hopes this latest development will only strengthen the club’s position in its talks with the FFA.
Speaking exclusively to au.fourfourtwo.com Pignata said: “We wrote to Capital Football about the situation and it is my understanding that there is support from its board today. Clearly it is a welcome situation to be able to go to the FFA with this development.”
As first revealed by this website, Phoenix are less than impressed at being overlooked for the Youth League and feel the competition should include them.
To that end they are prepared to endure the costs of basing their youngsters on Australian soil although the exact costings and details have yet to be worked out.
If the club succeeds in pushing its case to the FFA then it is likely that a group of around 10 youngsters would be based on Australian soil with Wellington-based players flown across the Tasman to supplement the squad for matches.
Phoenix will now look for further discussions with the FFA. Pignata said: “We believe it can be done. We established an entire football club in only a few months. We’re pretty determined.
“With ourselves included we feel the league would be all the better for it. You’d then have eight teams and no need for a bye.”
Phoenix believe by looking to base their set up in Australia they are showing willingness to compromise. They would also be prepared to endure greater costs than rivals.
When first revealing Phoenix’s determination to push this through, Pignata said at the time: “If the other seven teams in the A-League have the opportunity to take advantage of the new youth structure but we don’t then that’s clearly not something we are happy with.
"We wouldn’t want to find ourselves falling behind the other clubs in that way.”
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