Football: Thanks for the win memories

Sam Allardyce is open to another trip Down Under but don't expect another EPL visit anytime soon. Photo / AP

But another EPL visit looks unlikely, writes Michael Burgess

The Football United tour is over — and it seems unlikely we will see more English Premier League teams in the near future.

The week-long festival of football will be fondly remembered, especially for the Phoenix's win over West Ham at Eden Park on Wednesday.

For his part, West Ham manager Sam Allardyce is open to another trip Down Under — "If it's the right time and we get looked after as well as we've got looked after this time" — but don't expect another EPL visit anytime soon.

The huge costs involved and New Zealand's small population base make the financial model particularly challenging. There's interest in this country, as shown by almost 20,000 people attending Eden Park on a midweek winter's night and more than 30,000 in Wellington yesterday, but maybe not enough.

Welnix attempted the maximise returns by having several games and spreading them around the country but didn't draw the numbers required to offset their investment.

One of the 'big five' clubs — Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal or Chelsea — might deliver packed stadiums but their massive asking price makes the proposition unrealistic.

It's also not easy to entice an EPL club to these shores. The Football United Tour was agreed after more than a year of negotiations, and could have fallen through had Alladyce not been such an enthusiastic supporter of the proposal, having visited Australia with Blackburn.

EPL clubs, especially those with recognised names and established reputations, are in demand across the globe. Asia has traditionally been a popular destination for pre-season matches, the US's thirst for EPL football grows every year, with nine Premier League clubs set to appear stateside this summer. Teams have also been courted by countries in Africa and South America. Hull City are the only EPL club that won't leave England during this off season.

If the Phoenix face another EPL club in the future, the game is more likely to be played in Asia.

Staging such a match in a country such as Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia or China would carry significantly less financial risk, while delivering a greater monetary return.

However, the Football United Tour should be judged a success. It has put football in the shop window at a time when rugby and league are normally at the forefront, and thousands of Kiwis have enjoyed a rare chance to see EPL teams in action.

There were some special memories — Alex Rodriguez's goal at Eden Park, former ambulance driver Albert Riera shining among much more exalted company and West Ham's Stewart Downing (the second-most expensive player, after only David Beckham, to take the field in this country) producing a wondrous save out of Phoenix reserve goal keeper Lewis Italiano.

The matches also gave Ernie Merrick's team the best possible pre-season buildup and who knows the amount of confidence they can take from such matches — whether it was Louis Fenton outwitting his All Whites team-mate Winston Reid, Riera and Rodriguez bossing the midfield at times or the young Phoenix players facing off against seasoned EPL talent?

Certainly Allardyce's admission after the Eden Park loss that the Phoenix "played at a tempo we [struggled] to keep tabs with" was a surprising one, and a ringing endorsement of the way the A-League club are trying to re-configure their playing style.

There are other benefits. The Phoenix have established relationships with both EPL clubs across various levels, something that can be invaluable, and several new corporate partnerships have been established as a result of the tour.