Bonnie Jansen watches Auckland FC match from a Ferris Wheel. Video / NZ Herald
This Sunday at Go Media Stadium, Auckland FC (AFC) have the chance to lock in the A-League’s Premiers Plate - a draw against Perth Glory will be enough.
If they pull it off, the Black Knights will become the second expansion club to top the table in their debut season and the first professional New Zealand football team to lift a trophy.
Bonnie Jansenlooks back at AFC’s remarkable rise, breaking it down by the numbers from their opening match on October 24 through to April 27, ahead of their last two fixtures.
200,000+
The number of people through the gates for the club’s first 12 home games. It gave them an average attendance of 17,591. Sixty percent of membership passes were bought by adults, 15% by juniors and 25% family.
Alcoholic and non alcoholic beverages sold at Go Media Stadium throughout the season surpassed 200,000.
The average sized crowd at an Auckland FC home game is 17,591. Photo / Photosport
40,000
Roughly 40,000 of the 100,000-plus food items sold across the home matches were portions of hot chips.
37,361
The distance travelled in kilometres by goalkeeper Alex Paulsen from Wellington to Auckland, via English Premier League club, Bournemouth.
27,009
The club’s largest home attendance marked the highest ever for a regular-season A-League match in New Zealand. That crowd was for Auckland FC’s match against the Wellington Phoenix on February 22.
Auckland FC jerseys have been sold through direct and third-party channels - 1000 of those have been overseas orders. The club confirmed they were forced to restock merchandise five times across the season, which was three times more than anticipated. October was the club’s busiest month of sales.
Fans before the December 7 Auckland FC vs Wellington Pheonix football match at Go Media stadium in Auckland. Photo / Sylvie Whinray
5500
Roughly the number of unique cocktails served in the Black Knight members’ lounge at Go Media Stadium.
532
532 minutes or 8.9 hours is the length of time it took for Auckland to concede its first goal. The duration broke an Australian football record that had stood since 1986. Their first goal conceded came in their sixth fixture of the season against the Phoenix when Kosta Barbarouses scored in the 82nd minute.
23
The number of goals Auckland FC has conceded marks the fewest in the men’s competition this season.
21, 22, 23
The Go Media Stadium bays that are home to The Port - the club’s fanbase.
13
Auckland FC are 13 games unbeaten and counting.
11
The number of different goal scorers. Uruguayan import Guillermo May leads the charge with nine goals, Logan Rogerson and Neyder Moreno have eight and seven, respectively. All White defender Nando Pijnaker has four.
Neyder Moreno of Auckland FC has scored seven goals this season. Photo / Photosport
11
Auckland FC’s squad features 11 players who have had one cap or more for the All Whites. The Wellington Phoenix have seven senior New Zealand men’s players.
11
They’ve had 11 clean sheets in 24 games, highlighting the role AFC Bournemouth goalkeeper Alex Paulsen has played in their success.
10
Goals scored against the Phoenix across their three fixtures. The scores were 2-0, 2-1 and 6-1.
Auckland FC Logan Rogerson battles it out with Wellington Phoenix Alex Rufer during the derby in December.
Photo / Photosport
4
Auckland FC was the first A-League team to win its first four games. Their sixth straight victory took the Black Knights past Western Suburbs, which had won five in a row at the start of the 1977 National Soccer League season.
3
Three derbies won against the Wellington Phoenix.
2 arrests, 1 surgery
Two people were arrested after an Australian man underwent surgery for facial injuries after a tense confrontation between Auckland FC and Western Sydney Wanderers fans in the stands during a match at Go Media Stadium in April.
One person was arrested and eight fans evicted after a tense confrontation between Auckland FC and West Sydney Warriors’ fans at Go Media stadium this month.
1
Joe Champness was the only player to leave the club in its first year. The All Whites midfielder departed eight games into the season in December on “mutual consent”. Champness later told the Herald: “At this point in my career, I feel like I’m in my prime years of football. To take up the challenge overseas [is] what I should be doing.”
0
Zero women’s teams announced. The Herald reported earlier this month that Auckland FC’s plans to launch a women’s team next A-League season are facing delays. Despite initial assurances from club management when they launched in November 2023 that the team would be ready for the 2025-26 season, multiple sources indicate that the club has yet to confirm a definitive timeline for its debut.
Bonnie Jansen is a multimedia journalist in the NZME sports team. She’s a football commentator and co-host of the Football Fever podcast, and was part of the Te Rito cadetship scheme before becoming a fulltime journalist.
