Hawke's Bay United coach Brett Angell
Several codes such as rugby, cricket and basketball import players to compete at provincial level, so why not football?
That's the logic of Hawke's Bay United franchise coach Brett Angell as his team prepare to kick off their ASB Premiership season in Auckland tomorrow.
"We approached previous players and they chose to go elsewhere," says Angell before a new-look Bay United, bar Onehunga Sports Club pair of Sean Lovemore and Ross Haviland, face defending champions Auckland City at Kiwitea St.
The other familiar faces are Bluewater Napier City Rovers English import midfielder Ryan Tinsley, and Bay-born Rovers trio of Bayley Chadderton, of Napier, Harry Morton, of Tikokino, and Fane Morgan, of Hastings, as the Bay host Team Wellington the following Sunday at Park Island in what is a tough assignment against the two O-League campaigners first up.
"We'll just move on to the people who want to come here to support the regional talent," says Angell after a mass exodus of players from last summer following an impasse over the loss of previous coach Chris Greatholder, of Havelock North, who took the team to two successive playoffs - the first a historic maiden one.
As far as Angell is concerned, the new arrivals - a blend of overseas imports, players from the Central Football catchment areas, Auckland and Wellington - will become ambassadors of the province by virtue of living here.
"Come down, get to know them, get to see them and then make your opinions based on the facts of real life, not what's written or said or anything else," he says.
"What's gone on, has gone on. What's happened, has happened," he says of the departure dramas.
"Let the season unfold and let's make the assumptions from what people are seeing."
Angell believes his lads will fly the province and franchise flags as strongly as any predecessors.
"I'm hoping the home crowd will come to see what could be a very exciting season with some exciting talent."
Whether the players are capable of filling the shoes or not is their prerogative.
"It is what it is. They will, to the best of their abilities, represent Hawke's Bay United and the Hawke's Bay region.
"It's not a level playing field, anyway. If we all start saying 'I haven't got this or that ...'," he says, emphasising people have to work within the parameters of what's available.
Some of the other franchises, he says, will have the fiscal advantage to entice players.
"Whether that's the difference, who knows?
"At the end of the day, we accept what it is and we won't moan or groan about it."
Eventually, Angell says, the region will have players who'll perform on the O-League stage and "everybody will know who they are".
"What I say to the local people is 'come down to have a look at it and then decide what may or may not get you excited'.
"If we do it right, who knows where it'll take us to."
While some of the players may end up in the O-League, they won't represent the province but they'll still be footing it at a level not accessible to most before.
Auckland City FC (from): 1. Tamati Williams (GK), 2. Simon Arms, 3. Takuya Iwata, 4. Mario Bilen, 6. John Irving, 8. Tim Payne, 9. Darren White, 10. Ryan De Vries, 11. Cameron Lindsay, 15. Ivan Vicelich, 19. David Browne, 20. Emiliano Tade, 22. Andrew Milne, 23. Sam Burfoot, 24. Jacob Spoonley (RGK), 25. Fabrizio Tavano.
Coach: Ramon Tribulietx.
HB Utd (from): 1. Josh Hill (GK), 5. Fin Milne, 4. Ross Haviland, 6. Ryan Tinsley, 7. Troy Penny-Cook Morgan, 9. Sean Lovemore, 10. Viktor Lejak, 11 Mario Barcia, 12. Saul Halpin, 19. Facundo Barbero, 20. Harry Morton, 21. Kosuke Mimaki, 22. William Scott, 24. Fane Morgan, 26 Adam McDonald (RGK).
Coach: Brett Angell.
Assistant coach: Leon Birnie.