FEW PEOPLE can claim to have experienced the joys of having played sport at an elite level and then almost instantaneously switched to an administrative role to serve the franchise.
Matt Hastings belongs to that exclusive club as a Hawke's Bay United football player who this summer assumed the mantle of events and marketing manager for the franchise as well as Central Football.
Consequently one can argue Hastings is suitably qualified to understand the dichotomy of the administrative and playing components in a bid to find a happy medium in a season.
A passionate bloke who was known to give everything on the field to the collective no matter who he played for, the 28-year-old is at pains to find a jointly exhaustive solution to have football lovers file through the gates of Bluewater Stadium in Napier to watch the province's premier team compete.
The parochialism, that almost mirrors the intensity with which the Hastings/Napier amalgamation is debated between the cities' fathers, has to a degree robbed the Park Island venue of spectators.
In the halcyon days of the National League, the compact home ground of the Napier City Rovers used to be at its capacity.
"Yes, we are Hawke's Bay United and it's played at Bluewater Stadium but we represent every single club in Hawke's Bay," Hastings says before the Brett Angell and Leon Birnie-coached franchise team kick off against Wellington Phoenix Reserves tomorrow at 2pm.
"We're here for the local community and the best players available, whether they are from Maycenvale United, Havelock North, Napier Marist or Eskview United."
Bay United have lost all their players from last summer's squad, bar the Auckland pair of captain Ross Haviland and striker Sean Lovemore.
Striker Fane Morgan, defender Harry Morton and reserve goalkeeper William Stockill are home-grown players while midfielder Ryan Tinsley is Rovers' English import based in Napier after playing in the Central League last winter.
Under previous coach Chris Greatholder and assistant Perry Cotton, the franchise created history two summers ago in making the first ASB Premiership play-offs in about a decade of competition before following it up with another the next season.
Under Angell, the new kids on the block have shown enough intent and nous going into round six of the national summer league to indicate they are capable of making the play-offs, if not going further this season.
They have lost narrowly away to powerhouses and defending champions Auckland City and drawn with the other O-League campaigners Team Wellington at home.
While they are perched on the seventh rung of the premiership ladder on five points, following a win and two draws, the Bay have played at least one fewer game than most of the eight other sides.
Phoenix have also played four games and sit a point above in fourth place with two wins and as many losses.
Hastings says having a heavy foreign presence in the Bay squad isn't much different to the Hawke's Bay Magpies, Hawks basketballers or CD cricket.
With Angell and Birnie at the helm, the football team will have a solid Bay presence in three to four years.
"The players now are excelling coming through the first team so we can't blame anyone for that," he says, emphasising the province loses talent who drift outside for tertiary education as well as jobs or lifestyle.
Bay-born midfielder Tom Biss (Waitakere United), former captain Bill Robertson (Team Wellington) and Fergus Neil (WaiBOP) left the region on cordial terms.
Former first team Phoenix player Biss is in the golden boot race with the Nix Reserves pair of Joel Stevens and Tyler Boyd, as well as the Wellington duo of Luis Corrales and Michael Gwyther, all on three goals each.
"We [Bay United] are getting great results and still wearing the black-and-white shirts so people should come down to support us," Hastings says.
Playing at any other venue isn't practical with the HB Sports Regional Park's all-weather running track creating a visual moat-like effect for pavilion fans.
"There's no point in going to McLean Park from a cost perspective when we can't even fill Bluewater Stadium."
The squad trains at Petane Domain, Eskview, to break away from the Rovers mould.
"We're not running out of the Rovers clubrooms but in our new offices across the road," says the former Rovers player of the new buildings adjacent to the hockey stadium.
To pull 6000 at the Park Island venue will be fantastic but he feels boosting the numbers to watch tomorrow's game will be an ideal start against an opposition who thrive on attacking footy.
Opening the gates free of charge down the road is something the franchise will give some thought to, to give fans a taste of Bay United if the opportunity arises but, realistically, it needs the money like other franchises to operate efficiently.
Central Football CEO and franchise general manager John McGifford and franchise chairman Bob Patterson are doing their utmost to ensure the Bay will eventually become a common denominator with the many age-group teams flourishing.
The franchise, he hastens to add, provides a vital platform for youngsters to develop over summer as opposed to waiting until every winter to hone their skills in pursuit of elite football.
The time and work invested, that goes unnoticed in the background, to bring players up to a standard "have opened up my eyes".
"We're not here to spoonfeed but give them the game experience.
"I missed out on a lot as a player so I want to ensure these players will get that."
Phoenix assistant coach Valerio Raccuglia says anytime they come to Park Island it's a tough day and they aren't expecting it to be any different tomorrow.
"But we're focused more on developing kids and not results based with players about 15 to 16 years old," Raccuglia says of the Andy Hedge-coached side.
While they are a feeder team to their Ernie Merrick-coached A-League campaigners, some of the youngsters often come straight out of academies without having had even Central League experience.
"We play front-half football so it's a great experience for the kids at this level."
Raccuglia has seen the Bay play a preseason game against WaiBOP in Napier when he brought his winter club for the under-19 league at Park Island but is mindful that means nothing.
"We always play to win so for sure it'll boost our morale if we do that."
Raccuglia enjoys coming here and urges fans to turn up so Phoenix can give them "a show for their money".
-WaiBOP have forfeited points to Wanderers Soccer Club for fielding an ineligible player in their win on November 22.
They have also been fined $2000 but have the right of appeal.
MATCH DETAILS
WHO: Hawke's Bay United v Wellington Phoenix Reserves.
WHEN: 2pm, tomorrow.
WHERE: Bluewater Stadium, Park Island.
HB UTD: 1. Joshua Hill (GK), 19. Facundo Barbero, 11. Mario Alberto Barcia, 12. Saul Halpin, 4. Ross Haviland, 10. Viktor Lekaj, 9. Sean Lovemore, 5. Fin Milne, 24. Fane Morgan, 20. Harry Morton, 8. Alex Palezevic, 2. Wade Randle, 22. Billy Scott, 13. Joseph Sowden, 26. William Stockill (RGK), 6. Ryan Tinsley.
Coach: Brett Angell.
Ast coach: Leon Birnie.
PHOENIX RESERVES*: 6 Joshua Brindell-South, 7 Kenny Cunningham, 12 Tyler Boyd, 14 Alex Rufer (c), 23 Matthew Ridenton, 28 Xavier Pratt, 29 Joel Stevens, 30 Oliver Sail (GK), 31 Andrew Blake, 32 Tamupiwa Dimairo, 33 James McGarry, 35 Sam Wilson, 36 Cherbel Khouchaba, 37 Nathaniel Hailemariam, 38 Justin Gulley, 39 Joel Bell, 40 Marcel Kampman.
Coach: Andy Hedge. Asst coach: Valerio Raccuglia.
GK coach: Chris Pile.