KEY POINTS:
The decision over handing the A-League licence to either Wellington or Auckland is said to be "too close to call".
There are two bids competing for the licence after the Wellington and Palmerston North bids merged this week to strengthen the case to move the team to the
capital. Wellington may appear to have the inside running but this perception has arisen largely because they have actually discussed their plans in public.
Little is known of the Auckland bid, headed by former Team New Zealand America's Cup boss and All White Alan Sefton, who is saying nothing publicly.
It's understood the consortium comprises four or five wealthy individuals, meaning finances are not a major issue.
It could come down to a choice between the convenience of being located in New Zealand's main city and Wellington's bid based on a professional, well-prepared and community-based approach.
Wellington bid chief John Dow says his team's bid centred on a stable business plan, backed by a proven record of Wellington supporting sports team and events financially and in numbers.
He said part of the plan was to look at extending the reach of the new club across the Tasman, raising memberships across expat Kiwi fans in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide to bring them into the New Zealand football fold. He knew that the FFA had been impressed with such thinking, recognising that the bid was trying to make itself a more integral part of the A-League.
"This is a football bid," Dow said. "It's not about people throwing money into a black hole and having an ego trip, which has been a problem in the past."
A-League boss Matt Carroll described the merger as "a wise move" and was confident Wellington could succeed as a base but stressed funding was the key. The two bids have until the end of the week to provide evidence of this.
Wellington's bid would see the team play all but about three home games in the capital with the rest in Palmerston North. They would look then look to play games in Auckland and Christchurch in the second season.
New Zealand Soccer will meet on Wednesday to discuss both bids and will come up with a preference before the FFA makes a final decision on February 15.
"New Zealand Soccer needs to have a preferred option," said NZS CEO Graham Seatter. "Although it's ultimately up to the FFA, they are going to look to us for guidance. At the moment, it's too close to call."
