The club’s position beyond this year is unknown as they try to find out exactly why their 10-year licence extension was rejected by Football Federation Australia.
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The Fury spent two seasons in the A-League, bailed out by the FFA before folding after 2010-11, while Gold Coast lasted a season longer before its licence was terminated.
A request for a 10-year A-League licence was declined by the FFA, throwing the Wellington-based club’s future into doubt.
His comments come as supporters mount a campaign to keep Phoenix in the A-League.
Though FFA told Phoenix they had the right under their current licence to seek a four-year extension, the chances of anything beyond that appear negligible with the governing body saying the decision had been taken “in the best interests of Australian football”.
“FFA has carefully evaluated the role and contribution of the Wellington franchise in terms of game development, player pathway, commercial factors, broadcast rights and the long-term strategic outlook”, Gallop said in a statement.
The financial element aside, the club has the added complication of distance and the fact that it falls under the Oceania Football Confederation and not Asia, like the competition’s nine Australian outfits.
Reports out of Australia have also suggested that the Phoenix could be replaced at the end of the season by a third team from Sydney.
A team in either the St George region or Sutherland Shire in Sydney is gaining momentum, with the FFA eager to tap into one of the biggest markets for registered players in the country.
However Wollongong Wolves are believed to be keen to bid, while ACT Football has consistently lobbied for a Canberra team to join the competition.
“We’re looking at a few more investment into the club, but you can’t do that with a five-year licence”.
The Phoenix have also questioned the FFA’s reasoning for their long-term exclusion.
“Do we need another one?”
Among others to spend time at the Phoenix are All Whites trio Shane Smeltz (now Sydney FC), Kosta Barbarouses (Melbourne Victory) and Marco Rojas (FC Thun in Switzerland). “A fifth will maybe make one too many”.
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“If I was the Phoenix owners and I saw them turning around and offering me four years, that to me says that they believe that in four years they will have the wherewithal to manufacture a club in Sydney – or wherever else they want one – at the expense of the Phoenix”, Mr Cross said.
