Forgotten heroes: The long, 45-year road that led to Auckland FC’s amazing A-League triumph

Auckland FC’s unforgettable A-League championship might have felt like an overnight success – but it has been a long time coming. Michael Burgess looks back on decades of football hope and hurt in New Zealand’s biggest city.

Over the next few days – maybe weeks – you are going to hear a lot about Auckland’s FC remarkable A-League title triumph.

People will say it is a dream come true – but actually it is much more than that.

For most of the past 20 years, it wasn’t even something you could contemplate, let alone begin to dream.

After the demise of the Football Kingz (2004), then the spectacular failure of the New Zealand Knights, who imploded so badly that the A-League had to step in and take over the licence in December 2006, it was hard to imagine there would ever be an A-League team in this city again.

That thought was reinforced by the travails of the Wellington Phoenix over several years, especially between 2013-2018, when there was an active groundswell of opinion in Australia towards kicking them out.

As crazy as it sounds now, there were senior figures in Football Federation Australia questioning the existence of the club – essentially, “why should the FFA assist in developing football in New Zealand?” was the argument – and it didn’t help that the Phoenix were struggling at times.

They weren’t achieving the right “metrics” and their licence came under threat, which activated a “Save the Nix” campaign.

With that context, the thought of a second A-League team here was bonkers. But it didn’t stop people trying, principally Ivan Vuksich and the Auckland City FC football club.

They are some of the forgotten heroes of Saturday night.

For more than a decade, they set the domestic benchmark, together with some remarkable achievements at the Fifa Club World Cup. They kept Auckland relevant, a constant reminder of the talent in this city.

And Vuksich, for many years, had a large filing cabinet in his office, marked ‘A-League’.

He was constantly pushing behind the scenes, meeting Australian powerbrokers, seeking financial partners, seeing if there was some way to make it happen.

For many years the door was slammed shut, with the FFA more interested in expansion in their own backyard, with ventures like Gold Coast United, North Queensland Fury, Western United and Macarthur FC.

The sea change only came with the change in league structure, as the clubs took over the running of the competition ahead of the 2019-20 season, and they came to realise that New Zealand’s biggest city couldn’t be ignored, with the size and capacity of the market.

Reflecting on Saturday night – and the last two seasons – it has been an amazing, unprecedented body of work by Steve Corica, Danny Hay, Terry McFlynn and Nick Becker, along with Hiroki Sakai and the playing squad.

Owner Bill Foley should also get a big chunk of credit, along with minority shareholders Anna Mowbray and Ali Williams.

But the pioneers of Auckland football need to be remembered.

This is a shared triumph. Saturday night was for Charlie Dempsey and Harry Dods, who did so much to put the Auckland association on the map in the 1970s and 1980s.

This is for John Adshead, Kevin Fallon and the 1982 All Whites gang, who created memories and magic at Mt Smart stadium that still linger today.

This is for Chris Turner and those behind the Football Kingz, along with Wynton Rufer, Harry Ngata, Chris Jackson et al.

This is for those who tried with the Knights, including long serving captain Darren Bazeley, Noah Hickey and Hay.

This is for everyone associated with the Phoenix who flew the flag for so long for professional football in this country, while their regular visits to Auckland were an annual advertisement for the potential interest here.

Without the efforts of Terry Serepisos, Ricki Herbert, David Dome, Rob Morrison and a long list of players, there might not be an Auckland FC.

This is for Auckland City FC – particularly Vuksich, Ramon Tribulietx, Gordon Watson and Ivan Vicelich – who raised the standards domestically and helped to change the style of play in the region.

This is for Rex Dawkins and all those behind Waitakere United, with their two visits to the Club World Cup (2007 and 2008) and the legendary derbies with Auckland City FC.

This is for New Zealand Football chief executive Andrew Pragnell, who made it a strategic priority to improve the relationship with Australia when he started in the role in 2018.

This is for the Football Kingz supporters behind Bloc Five, who brought a slice of European football fan culture to this country, inspiring Yellow Fever and The Port into the mega movements they have become today.

This is for Chris Wood, the kid from Onehunga who graced the biggest stage of all, making the impossible seem possible.

And this is for you. The fans who went along to games, especially in the first season, giving the club instant credibility.

Those who got their kids into club football, then brought them Auckland FC gear, as they developed a new admiration for Sakai or Guillermo May or Francis de Vries.

Those who sat in the wind and the rain at Go Media and screamed themselves hoarse, especially for Nando’s backheel, May’s long-range tracer bullet or all those home derby moments against the Phoenix.

And those who watched the team on television, then told workmates, neighbours and friends about the exciting new kids in town. Drink it in.

Michael Burgess has been a sports journalist for the NZ Herald since 2005, covering the Olympics, Fifa World Cups, and America’s Cup campaigns. He is a co-host of the Big League podcast.