Soccer: Wellington has edge for Cup warm-up

New Zealand Football chief executive Michael Glading said NZF had to avoid a sticky financial situation and exorbitant ticket prices. Photo / Richard Robinson

There was a time when Auckland would have been a shoo-in to farewell the All Whites on a World Cup campaign. Not any more.

If the All Whites do play a farewell match, most likely against a South American team such as Colombia, on May 20, then the Queen City will have to duke it out again with Wellington, whose flashes of fervent soccer support have seen it become the unofficial home of the professional game.

The All Whites' preparation for South Africa should take another firm step forward this week when the contract is signed for the team to be based at the Serengeti Golf and Wildlife Estate, situated between Johannesburg and Pretoria.

Starved of suitable lodgings from what remained on the Fifa approved list, New Zealand cast around for a base and came up with the residential community where the motto is "Secure Living in Africa".

The compound features a Jack Nicklaus Signature golf course. The base will be handy for the opening match against Slovakia in Rustenburg - short flights will take them to Nespruit and Polokwane for the matches against World Cup holders, Italy, and also Paraguay.

Fifa has okayed the Serengeti estate, but has yet to do the same for any of the four training venues nearby.

Less assured is whether the All Whites will play a match in this country before the finals.

The intended opponent would be a South American team which hadn't qualified for the finals, to help the All Whites prepare for their final Group F match against Paraguay.

New Zealand would bankroll the visitors, and New Zealand Football chief executive Michael Glading said NZF had to avoid a sticky financial situation and exorbitant ticket prices.

"At the moment, I'd say the chances of the game being played are 50/50," he said, not over-confidently.

Next issue: the venue.

Auckland City did Auckland proud in the Fifa world club championship, and they have dominated the domestic scene, with bitter rivals Waitakere.

But Wellington has grabbed the soccer limelight in many ways.

Its support for the World Cup qualifying match where the All Whites beat Bahrain in front of a wildly enthusiastic crowd - the fans displayed a spirit way beyond our normal sporting demeanour - means NZF feels extremely loyal to the capital, according to Glading.

Indeed, that fervent support Ryan Nelsen's All Whites received may well have made the difference in propelling New Zealand into the World Cup finals in June.

Travelling spectators, many from Auckland, played their part, but the city and a stadium capable of generating a red-hot atmosphere were the undoubted stars of the show.

Auckland would have struggled to back the game with a similar passion.

Glading plays down the Auckland versus Wellington debate for now, saying that securing the game is his priority, but the issue remains with future ramifications.

How times have changed. The A-league franchises failed miserably in Auckland, with the country's soccer reputation rescued by the Wellington-based Phoenix, who are now positioned to make the top-six playoffs for the first time.

In the early 1980s, Mt Smart Stadium was the unchallenged home of the All Whites' historic World Cup campaign, but Auckland has been usurped by Wellington's excellent Westpac Stadium, affectionately nicknamed the Cake Tin.

Auckland almost needs to be given the chance to show that it can get behind the national side, and the NZF will also be mindful of fostering the game in the country's largest city.

But the Bahrain match remains hard to ignore, as does an often lethargic Auckland sports community.

North Harbour Stadium would almost certainly be the venue if Auckland hosted the game but this is a stadium which still looks like a work in progress, and is nowhere near the quality of Westpac Stadium.

As for the remainder of the All Whites' build-up, they are set to play two European sides, almost certainly including Serbia, during a pre-World Cup camp at altitude in Austria, and should get one game against a World Cup finals team in South Africa.

There are plans to base a squad made up of A-league and New Zealand Championship players in a camp in the Middle East, following the already confirmed full international against Mexico in Los Angeles on March 3.

This team could play a club match and A-international in a country such as Qatar, with a ranking close to New Zealand's in the 80s, or Turkey, who are ranked 41.