Kiwis like to think that we offer something to the world. Leave Aotearoa and you realise how insignificant we as kiwis are on the world stage and sometimes we forget that Australia and Australians care far less about us, than we do about them. I say that to say that it would be detrimental to the A-League not to have a kiwi team, or a base in Aotearoa from which to build from.

Sure, this might be a typically kiwi view - 'they can't take our team away, they'll suck now!' but the A-League isn't just fighting a battle to be the major sporting competition in Australia. This is where I struggle to comprehend how the FFA have come to neglect grow. The FFA have outlined broad plans to grow football throughout Australia, forming some of the reasons why they don't want the Phoenix in the A-League no more which comes at the same time as the NRL's great kiwi talent spree.

There has never been more kiwis in the NRL as there are now and that will only increase as the number of kiwi youngsters moving to Australia to join NRL clubs at a young age. Regular readers of our rugby league pages will know that this is going down, but football readers might not know that NRL clubs are sniffing around Aotearoa and schoolboy rugby league tournaments for fresh talent. The strength of rugby league in Aotearoa (the Kiwis and rising numbers in the NRL point to this) has been noted by the NRL and with their support, the NRL 9s has leap-frogged the Wellington Sevens as the sporting carnival event of the year recently.

A second NRL team based in Aotearoa might be some way off, but the NRL are well aware just how popular rugby league is in Aotearoa So are the clubs - Melbourne Storm took their game against the St George Dragons to Napier this year. While the NRL is leading the way in this (can't forget about Super Rugby) the ANBL is also making a few moves towards greater integration between Australia and Aotearoa. The NZ Breakers are knee deep in a dynasty and we are starting to see Australian ANBL clubs sign kiwi players like Jarrod Kenny, as basketball and the ANBL continues to reach new heights.

With the Wellington Phoenix swiftly and efficiently laying down a development program which sees their tentacles stretch around Aotearoa's football scene, the A-League is in a prime position to benefit from this. Sure, the A-League and the FFA might not be reaping as many rewards as they want to right now, but apply a little foresight and you will note that football in Aotearoa (like the NRL and basketball) is on the rise both in terms of fan support and the standard of on-field action.

Huh? Football isn't on the rise you say? Well we've got quality and quantity in our #FlyingKiwis, the All Whites have one of the best squads I can remember (we just don't see it too often), the ASB Premiership is just about to be shown on TV and our national age-group teams now fill kiwis with pride instead of being non-factors ... and we just did a great job of hosting the Under 20 World Cup.

If the Niche Cache was the FFA, I would be pretty damn happy about keeping the Phoenix in the A-League because there's a nice little treasure chest coming my way. The FFA might have crunched the numbers and explored a variety of situations (it doesn't sound like they have) to prove my hypothesis wrong, but if they show some patience with the Phoenix - who have already shown signs of development/growth/improvement - then they will come to enjoy more broadcasting revenue and player opportunities.

The Australasian sporting market is jam-packed and everyone is fighting desperately to gain a bigger slice of the pie. While other competitions like the NRL and ANBL appear to enjoy the presence of a kiwi franchise, the A-League is heading in the opposite direction which is odd. Maybe David Gallop and the FFA have seen something that I haven't and they have come to view a more insular A-League as the better option, but for me this just doesn't make sense.

Shit, there might be a part three to this.