“I have been working hard to support the Wellington Phoenix and I am delighted my fellow Mayor from our sister city of Sydney agreed to back their bid for a 10-year extension in the A-League,” says Wellington Mayor Celia Wade-Brown.
After a letter from Mayor Wade-Brown, Mayor Clover Moore wrote to the Chief Executive of the Football Federation in Australia, David Gallop, and said participation by the Wellington Phoenix in the A-League is arguably now the major link between football in Australia and New Zealand.
“I think it would be a great shame – and a very short-sighted decision – if the Wellington Phoenix were to be excluded from the A-League,” she told Gallop.
“Australians, football in Australia, and the A-League, will benefit from maintaining and building relationships with our New Zealand neighbours,” she says.
Wellington Mayor Celia Wade-Brown also sought support from Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel following the game in Christchurch by the Phoenix last weekend.
Mayor Dalziel says the Phoenix participation in the A-League is a significant inspiration for all football supporters across New Zealand.
“The willingness to move the games around the country means we all get a taste of top class football and that is a good thing,” she says.