Wellington Deputy Mayor Justin Lester "would advocate" taxpayer money "being spent to keep the Wellington Phoenix in the A-League," according to Hamish Bidwell of the DOMINION POST.
Welnix, holders of the club's license, "remain in negotiations with Football Federation Australia for a 10-year extension to the Phoenix's tenure in the competition."
The existing license expires at the end of this season and the Phoenix and FFA are said "to be waiting on third parties, such as the Wellington City Council, to deliver on pledges of assistance." Provided those eventuate, the club's status in the league "would likely be secured."
Lester said that the council has been "involved in discussions of that nature with Welnix 'but there is nothing signed, sealed, delivered yet.'" Lester: "I would very happily support a financial contribution to the Phoenix if that means they remain in the city and we have an ongoing license. But there's a process to go through and it needs to be signed off."
Phoenix GM David Dome described "negotiations being at a pivotal point, where a deal could be done very quickly or the whole thing fall over." But Lester said the Phoenix "were too valuable to Wellington for an extension to the licence not to be agreed to." Lester: "We'd lose an enormous amount. The Phoenix goes into the huge football market in Australia, all across the eastern coast but also into South Australia and Perth. Just in terms of the advertising that brings, because we're a distinctly Wellington team, that's huge" (DOMINION POST, 1/14).
