There's enough rumour doing the rounds to fill a week's worth of women's magazines _ mortgages allegedly being paid, four-figure sign-on fees and brown envelopes stuffed with cash being exchanged behind Turkish restaurants on The Strand.
But the five Tauranga City United players who have defected this season to play for Matamata Swifts say they're motivated by fun.
Tauranga City's relegation from the Northern Premier League last season has hit the club harder than anyone could have imagined, with eight first-team regulars and several more fringe players leaving for other clubs, two of them Waikato-based.
All will be playing in leagues at least one step lower than if they'd stayed at Tauranga, who are in the Northern first division when it kicks off in April.
Tauranga City United's first team squad from last season is spread wide, with Matamata Swifts signing Jon Allen, Grant Cooper, Tom Pamment, Jack McKenna, Tim Miller and Federa tion League players Mark Knell and Neil Slater.
Nathan Fry, Ben Steward and Reece Edmonds have gone to Hamilton Wanderers, who finished mid-table in the Northern Premier League last season, while Jindrich Hahn and Dion Bartosh have drop ped down three levels to play in the lowly Bay 1 for AFC Fury.
Tauranga stalwarts Kevin Manville and Geoff Rickard have retired, leaving just three of last season's first-team regulars _ player/coach Ian Stringfellow, Mark van der Salm and Tom Livesey.
Cooper, Tauranga captain and player of the year in 2008, said his move over the Kaimais was motivated solely by the promise of enjoying his football this season.
"I felt I played well last season and I was captain, so it wasn't a decision I took lightly," the 34-year-old former national league defender said.
"But I wasn't enjoying it last year _ there was just something missing. I know mine and the other guys' names are mud around the Bay for apparently deserting Tauranga City, and some of the talk about Matamata paying my mortgage is bloody ridiculous.
"I was going to leave a couple of years ago but stuck it out because I didn't want to leave Tauranga in the lurch. I've only ever played for three clubs in my life but the way it's being por trayed I've jumped ship every season."
Matamata's Tauranga-based coach Duncan Lowry, who initially emigrated from Northern Ireland to play for Mount Maunganui, says he didn't set out to sign the bulk of the Tauranga City United first team squad.
"I've been phoning Jon for the past three or so years to come and play at Matamata because of our connection at Greerton, but it's snowballed from there _ Tim and Coops are mates of Jon's and the others heard about it, came over for a look and liked it too.
"I didn't set out to gut Tauranga City, but if players aren't happy where they are and aren't excited where they are and can find a happy fit with us then good on them."
Lowry was unrepentant about Tauranga players dominating the Swifts in the Federation League this season, with the seven Tauranga defectors joining Lowry, Andy Birchenough, Jed Parkinson, Gary Darkes, Dai Lowry and Brazilians Leo Partini and Andre Freitas in the team van for the 40-minute trip to Thursday trainings.
"I'm comfortable with the setup, the club's comfortable with the setup and our board of directors is comfortable with the setup, although with some of the comments being posted on some of the websites, clearly others aren't, with suggestions we should rename ourselves Matamata City United or Tauranga Swifts and shift our base to Tauranga.
"In all honesty I couldn't care if there was 15 going over from here each week _ it's my head on the block and if we don't win the league this season I'll be happy to step aside."
Allen said a big part of the shift west was reuniting with Lowry, the coach he played under during his two seasons at Greerton Rovers.
"I need a change to help recharge my footballing batteries and Duncan has presented me with just the sort of challenge I need. I can't wait to get stuck into pre-season training and work with Duncan, Birchy [Swifts captain, Andy Birchenough] and the rest of the players."
McKenna, 17, played the latter half of last season for Tauranga while Pamment has been there three years. Miller played mainly for the club's second XI last season.
While many in the Tauranga club are gutted at the mass exodus, Stringfellow _ who has stepping into the coaching breach again after quitting midway through last season _ was philo sophical.
"As a group last year we weren't good enough to stay up but the guys who have left have been loyal to Tauranga and to me over the years and I'm not going to bag them.
"I hope they enjoy their football at whatever level they're leaving for, but now is the time for the club to move on because we can't afford to look back."
Stringfellow said the writing was on the wall once Tauranga was relegated.
"The fact a lot of last year's players have gone is not a huge surprise, although maybe the number is. But we've been relegated twice in recent years, getting back in two years ago by default, so that shows we have been poor."
Lowry said the ``perks' offered to the Tauranga players were available to every Matamata player.
"A few of the boys enjoy snowboarding, and it just happens that the club has access to a ski lodge on Ruapehu, as well as an apartment in Australia and up the Coromandel.
"No one's getting paid and there's no secret deals being done. At the end of the day, all anyone wants in life is to enjoy their footie and feel wanted."
Lure of Swifts guts Tauranga
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