Phoenix have done their best too, today’s game offering a free ticket for every one sold. ‘Nix for nix’ I think translates as ‘Phoenix for nowt’. A catchy catchphrase, but their marketing needs more work, as I’ve been in Wellington a couple of days and had no idea. This means that when I buy my ticket, the guy behind the counter insists I take a free one. A Kiwi behind me hears what’s going on and instantly says ‘I’ll take it’. He gives me 20 dollars for it, meaning we both save about a tenner in English money. Bargain. (This also encourages me to spend more money on beer, which wasn’t such a bargain.)
I’m in New Zealand on holiday and have engineered to be in Wellington for this game. Is this the southern-most top division side on the planet? I ask Google and it comes up with Dunedin...but what constitutes top division, when it’s New Zealand and your 2 premier sides play in the (Australian) A League? I don’t know, but I’m claiming it. England’s cricket team are in NZ too, but despite mates asking me if I’m going, the cricket is travelling the opposite way to me. Next time!
The Sky Stadium is as drab as it comes from the outside. Grey metallic façade all the way round, with grey breezeblocks underneath. As the biggest stadium in Wellington, shouldn’t this be some kind of flagship? Instead, it wouldn’t look out of place in an industrial estate in Milton Keynes. Plus it’s round. Perfect for cricket (except when England played here the other week, it was at the 12,600 capacity Basin Reserve) but for football and rugby, the pitch is miles away. Is it as bad as West Ham’s London Stadium? I’d say so. The best thing (about both) is that there’s a walkway to the stadium, a la Wembley Way. Indeed, the walk from Wellington’s quayside is one of the nicest walks in football.
Phoenix, top half of the A League, are at home to Macarthur, a suburb of Sydney. Needless to say, the visitors bring zero visitors. An early Macarthur penalty is met with ‘Who are ya? Who are ya?’ from the Phoenix ultras in one corner. The cheer goes up as the keeper saves...but respite is brief, as the rebound is despatched. The rest of the opening half is spent mainly in the Macarthur half, but creativity is lacking and it’s actually quite a surprise when Phoenix equalise near half-time for one-all.
At the interval I decide to go and sit near the ultras, after first having my dinner. I’ve never had Chinese dumplings at football before, and at 10 for $18, (20 for $30) it’s not badly priced. I’m also on to my 3rd can of beer (after all, I have a 20 dollar windfall to spend). The club shop is fairly sparse, and I’m not extending to a shirt at 110 dollars or a 40 dollar scarf. Mind, the latter would come in handy, as for all the stadium is completely enclosed, the Wellington wind still manages to find its way in and I’m fairly chilly in the second half.
The fayre continues to be English League 1 at best and I’m left to muse on the fans’ chants. ‘Oh Wellington, is wonderful...’ is a lot more believable than ‘Burnley is wonderful’ (full of t*ts, f*nny and Clarets, since you ask). I can’t, however, make out why Wellington is wonderful. (Full of museums, fauna and a better quality of life?) I do enjoy a round of ‘Same old Aussies, always cheating’ as some supreme gamesmanship at 1-2 (yes, Macarthur have scored) has a Macarthur player going down injured on the byeline and his teammate hauling him by the leg further on to the pitch. Does the ref do owt? Of course not. There’s not much hanging on needed as Macarthur comfortably see out the game.
Walking back, I pop into The Old Bailey, a pub busy with Phoenix fans and the odd bit of memorabilia. Who doesn’t want a Phoenix flag on their Christmas tree? ‘What did you think?’ I ask a fan. ‘Crap’ is the succinct summary, before he launches into a tirade about how his other team is Everton and he’s worried the recently postponed Merseyside Derby will be scheduled at Liverpool’s behest and they’ll win the league at Goodison in that grand old stadium’s last season. That would be hilarious, I think. (I remain silent.)
The Damage:
NZ$ 22 ent
NZ$ 13.50 beer x 3 (cans of Emerson Pilsner and 1 Emerson’s Orange Roughy Pale Ale)
NZ$ 18 Pork, coriander and garlic dumplings (10 of)
= NZ$ 80.50 (£37)
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