Auckland FC’s A-League debut could hardly have gone better last Saturday, 2-0 winners over Brisbane Roar before a capacity crowd of 24,492 at Mt Smart Stadium who’s enthusiasm for the new club belied its lack of history.
For inaugural manager Steve Corica, the occasion proved early validation for the worth of the project he has built behind the scenes and is now leading on the pitch, having ventured across the Tasman after nineteen seasons as player, assistant and manager at Sydney FC.
‘The most important thing is we had a major turnout from our supporters, 25,000 and sold out. We’d had a three-and-a-half month pre-season so the boys were desperate to put on a good performance, and I think it was a fitting way to win’, Corica told Box2Box.
‘It’s going to be a different challenge this week but we’re off and running; 2-0 with a clean sheet is really good for our confidence defensively. All in all I think it was a perfect start, really, and thankful for the amazing support of the fans.’
The A-League’s chequered history of colourful private owners has brought distinct pain to clubs down the years: Clive Palmer’s scattergun ownership of the Gold Coast brought great mirth but ultimately drove the Knights from the league, while Nathan Tinkler’s Newcastle Jets licence was terminated after he placed the club into administration.
Some eyebrows have been raised at Auckland’s billionaire benefactor Bill Foley over the past year, the Texan making no secret of his desire for early success or to see the side named the ‘Black Knights’ in line with his personal brand. But his broad commitment to football seems genuine, and his New Zealand club look to have launched off solid footing.
‘He really loves New Zealand, that’s the reason he’s involved, and he wants to give opportunities for Kiwi players to express themselves. If they do really well and want to go overseas, well, he’s got other clubs. He owns Bournemouth, 30 percent of Hibernian, Lorient in France, and that ice hockey team in Vegas, if anyone’s interested!
‘He’s obviously having fun with all the football clubs he’s buying, and that there are opportunities to do well and then maybe down the track go overseas… that was a big selling point for us. When you start up a new club, obviously Auckland is a lovely city, but players look at the club and there’s actually no data, so it was challenging to get some players here.
‘Bill’s ambitious, he’s said in the media he wants to win a trophy in the next three years. I was well clear on what he wanted and that’s the reason I’ve come here. It’s a challenge of course, to start up and try and win straight away, but we’re going to give it our very best shot.
The new Auckland faithful’s next chance to pack Mt Smart comes this Sunday, with the narrative of Sydney FC’s visit to centre on Corica. His long association ended last November just four matches into his fifth season in charge, his sacking an unceremonious end to a tenure that reaped two Championships, a Premiership and an Australia Cup.
‘I was never going to end up staying at Sydney [forever], I always wanted to achieve more as well. At the time I departed, it worked out to be perfect for me as Auckland was coming to the fore. Obviously football’s about timing and this is my next stage now, and then we’ll see what happens after this one.’