Football: Heroics trigger windfall across the board

Auckland City FC 's players celebrate their victory after scoring a penalty during the 2014 FIFA Club World Cup match in the Moroccan capital of Rabat. Photo / AFP

Auckland City's heroics at the Fifa Club World Cup in Morocco have provided a huge financial shot in the arm for the sport in this country.

Each ASB Premiership club stands to bank nearly $100,000 as their share of the windfall from Fifa under the terms of the prizemoney split.

That's based on Auckland City achieving fourth place - they were due to play North American champions Cruz Azul in Marrakesh this morning (NZT) - which guaranteed US$2 million ($2.58 million) being brought into New Zealand's football economy.

If they managed another miracle and beat Cruz Azul in their fourth match in 11 days, their total winnings would increase to US$2.5 million ($3.22 million).

The money won't be a panacea, but will come as a massive relief for cash-strapped franchises. ASB Premiership clubs face annual operational costs of at least $250,000- $350,000 and that increases dramatically if they compete in the Oceania Champions League.

They are reliant on sponsors to stay afloat, which is increasingly difficult these days, along with grants, with only a minimal amount generated from gate takings.

The Wellington Phoenix, whose reserve team have joined the ASB Premiership this season, are excluded from any prizemoney. The money is split among teams who played in last season's competition.

It's believed that Auckland City will receive an estimated $1.5 million as their share, but it's not yet El Dorado for the Kiwitea St club.

"We were more than $120,000 in the red last year," explains Auckland City chairman Ivan Vuksich. "There are also various personal loans that have been taken out of close to $100,000 - these will need to be paid back first."

Auckland City have also spent around $150,000 on Club World Cup expenses, including a pre-tournament training camp and friendly against Uzbekistan in Dubai.

They also incurred about $120,000 in costs related to the Oceania Champions League, and will need to stump up at least that amount again for next year's 16-day tournament in Fiji, if they qualify.

There are also unexpected costs. Before this morning's match, Auckland had accumulated four yellow cards in the tournament and each team are charged more than $10,000 per booking by Fifa.