Chris Wood of the Whites walks off injured during the International Friendly match between the New Zealand All Whites and Australia. Photo / Photosport.co.nz
Chris Wood of the Whites walks off injured during the International Friendly match between the New Zealand All Whites and Australia. Photo / Photosport.co.nz
When Chris Wood has something to say, New Zealand Football should listen.
When Wood, Winston Reid, Bill Tuiloma and Joe Bell take the trouble of penning a letter to the board outlining their concerns and hopes, the directors should sit bolt upright.
Last Sunday, in the wake of theSocceroos clash at Eden Park, Wood spoke passionately and eloquently. It was a rare discourse from a player, but motivated by his personal experience of the past three World Cup cycles and his fear patterns were going to repeat.
While his comments relating to coach Danny Hay grabbed most attention, his broader message was that NZF had a chance, with the right investment and vision, to transform the sport, via this generation of All Whites.
His frustration – and willingness to speak out – can now be better understood with the revelations in the Weekend Herald that senior players wrote to the board in mid-July to outline their concerns over the reluctance to commit to playing in November, which would mean the All Whites would be back in hibernation for six months.
The response from NZF president Johanna Wood and deputy Scott Moran beggars belief. Instead of taking the chance to engage with the players – by initiating a phone call or zoom chat – they took almost three weeks to craft a 900-word letter, riddled with corporate speak and cliches. It's the kind of communication technique favoured by government departments but reflects terribly on the board.
The executive committee should be grateful that this group of players have such passion and drive to wear the silver fern, as it hasn't always been that way. This squad are desperate to improve and evolve – to really make a statement on the world stage – and are willing to give up their time (and sometimes money) to play. The vast majority also travel back in economy class, without complaint.
Chris Wood of the All Whites alongside Winston Reid. Photo / Photosport.co.nz
But the door was slammed in their face, as Wood and Moran said the board had endorsed the finance committee's decision about November activity. Since when does a finance committee have the final say? Where is the forward thinking, the drive to take opportunities, the sense that further sponsorships could be round the corner. Nobody is going to sponsor a team that doesn't play.
Granted, NZF and the board have an extremely tough task, to find viable matches with a limited budget. But they make it even harder with their conservative stance and lack of foresight. The profit from the Eden Park fixture, with a crowd of almost 35,000, would have covered November activity, with money left over. Then there are the intangibles; profile, opportunities for players to catch the eye, connections made with other federations. Europe is an ideal place to play, with most of the team based there.
And the All Whites are earning a decent reputation, after the Peru and Costa Rica matches. They'll offer a good game, with a good style, while the machine behind them are professional, reliable and low maintenance.
The All Whites are also the one national team that can generate revenue, whether it is television rights (Mexico in 2013 is the best example) or gate takings. Instead of "taking stock" over the last few months, NZF and the board could have been locking in a future programme for November and next year, to excite all stakeholders.
And Chris Wood, in particular, deserves a lot more respect than the board conveyed, as few have done more for the sport. Aside from his All Whites deeds, he's managed 52 goals in the English Premier League, including strikes against Manchester United, Spurs and Everton, the kind of advertisement and profile for the local game that money can't buy, while his transfer to Newcastle United led to a "club changing" downstream payment of hundreds of thousands to two of his former Waikato teams.
Finally though, why use 900 words when nine will do?
