New Zealand Football hopes that a new broadcast deal with Sky TV "can help produce a self-sufficient business model this year," according to Simon Plumb of FAIRFAX NZ NEWS. NZ Football "has agreed a package deal with Sky, guaranteeing that eight All Whites and six Football Ferns matches will be screened live to Kiwi fans between June and November." Previously, NZ Football "has had to pay big fees for games to be televised -- and games are already the main reason NZ Football's business model consistently runs at a loss." The books "are being balanced by transfers from an 'International Teams Activity Reserve,'" set up in '10 after a NZ$10M windfall in 2010 World Cup prizemoney. With the reserve "running out and lucrative World Cup qualification made harder after FIFA changed the rules," NZ Football CEO Grant McKavanagh wants the organization "to start breaking even without using the reserve." McKavanagh said, "I want us to be self-sufficient this year, but it's not easy. The key for us is getting people to the home internationals, we're only selling about 15-20 percent of seats for games. That's what kills us" (FAIRFAX NZ NEWS, 6/16).
