Auckland City is on the verge of tying up a relationship with A-League club Sydney FC which has disappointed Knights officials.
The relationship would see Auckland become something of a feeder club for the glamour outfit, recommending players who could immediately play at A-League level or be recruited into the
youth set-up. In return, Sydney could be expected to send players to Auckland to play in the NZFC who are not yet ready for A-League level.
Auckland City coach Allan Jones said the coaching staff at both clubs had built a close relationship following last year's Oceania Club Championships in Tahiti and had kept in touch ever since.
This link has been further strengthened by the fact former New Zealand Soccer chief executive Bob Patterson is now operations manager at Sydney FC. Auckland even offered Kiwitea St as a training venue for Sydney when they were in town to play the Knights.
"The benefits to both clubs are obvious," Jones said. "The quality of the A-League being what it is, this is a superb opportunity for players from Auckland to play at that level. This is a chance for our players to go into probably the most professionally-run club in the league."
While it is seen as a positive development by both Auckland and Sydney, the news was greeted with some disappointment by Knights chief executive Steve O'Hara.
"If a New Zealand club wants to ship players off to an Australian club, they are free to do what they want," he said. "But we are disappointed by that."
Jones was typically forthright when asked about how the Knights might react.
"The Knights see us playing any week they want," he said. "If they want our players they only need to ask. Do we need an agreement with them? If they don't get the first choice, that's their problem. We don't go out of our way to send them to Sydney, we just have a relationship with them."
Patterson agreed. "I hope the Knights beat us to those players, from a Kiwi perspective, but we are going to be putting those processes in place to allow Sydney FC to have options on those players," he said. "If the Knights want to do this, it's something they have to develop and work out where they want to go."
- HERALD ON SUNDAY
