Why Auckland FC threaten to rival Blues, Warriors as records keep tumbling

By Bonnie Jansen

This Super Rugby Pacific and NRL season promises fierce competition for fan attendance as the Blues and Warriors contend with the new team on the block.

Auckland FC has already set a high standard for live sport in Aotearoa, as well as set a high bar for live sport - and they’re well aware of it.

After their ninth home game of their inaugural A-League season - a 6-1 derby victory over the Wellington Phoenix - Auckland FC have so far welcomed 159,043 fans to Go Media Stadium, an average of nearly 18,000 per match with three of those games being sellouts.

That statistic is particularly impressive, given football’s historical track record in New Zealand. In over 16 years, the Phoenix have sold out their home stadium just once, during last season’s A-League semifinal.

Prior to that, the largest crowds for a New Zealand football matches came during the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup - where Eden Park thrice hosted matches exceeding attendances of more than 40,000.

The record for a men’s match came during the All Whites’ 2017 World Cup intercontinental play-off match against Peru in Wellington, albeit as a one-off affair.

In the 2024 Super Rugby season, the Blues’ average home attendance was less than 15,000, even as they ended a 21-year wait for a title. The Warriors, meanwhile, haven’t struggled to get bums on, seats selling out every home match last year - the first time any NRL side has achieved that feat.

So, how is this football club, in an oval-ball-preferred nation, exceeding expectations and striking the perfect balance between fandom and fun so early on?

The secret lies in their in-game entertainment, which offers an American-like fan experience. This season, matches have featured fireworks, flyovers, DJs, skydivers, a beach, and their ever-present giant inflatable slide on the north bank.

That matchday experience has also seen the creation and sustained presence of “The Port”, Auckland FC’s official supporters group.

“There’s no one silver bullet,” Auckland FC chief executive Nick Becker told the Herald. “But we’ve been playing some fantastic football and winning.

“Our core product is really strong. The kickoff time has been perfect, Saturdays at 5pm. The community really got around that [and] it’s really appealed to both our hardcore, the Port, and the families too.

“The Port has been immense and they bring that colour, that noise atmosphere along but I think what we’ve done in the family-fan zone has been fantastic. The queue for the slide is there from the moment we open the gates to when we are finished for the day.

“I think that has been a huge success.”

Becker told the Herald his events crew have had a major focus on making sure attending fans are rewarded for turning up, with an experience that can’t be matched by watching on television.

“It’s meant that parents are pretty relaxed about the fact they know if their kids are going to get bored, there’s other entertainment that they can go and do and engage with,” he explained.

While there have been suggestions that the Black Knights’ matchday experience is simply a manifestation of billionaire owner Bill Foley’s wealth, Becker asserts that the nature of sport as entertainment in 2025 means no expense should be spared in the quest to get fans into Go Media Stadium.

“We know that fans are seeking out live experiences and adding to the entertainment of football broadens our reach and helps bring visibility to the sport.”

Becker says executing this level of entertainment and experience is a must when it comes to ensuring business success - especially with Super Rugby Pacific and the NRL back in town.

“We’re not setting out to teach any lessons or anything like that but it’s looking at where sport is going now in live sport,” he said of his team’s competition.

“People still want to have that emotional connection which live sport delivers in spades, but you also want to have that entertainment value and something that is for the whole family.”

Competing with the title-winning Blues and Warriors for viewership won’t be a new feeling for the club.

“We’re competing across summer with things from the beach, through to the movies, through to festivals, through other things that are going on.

“It’s great value for money [coming to our games], cheaper than the movies.

Becker revealed this weekend’s top-of-the-table clash will be circus-themed with a 15m Ferris wheel as well as a Disneyland-esque teacups ride.

Auckland sit eight points clear at the top of the A-League ladder - a number that could extend to as much as 11 this Saturday if they overcome the second-placed Adelaide United.

When asking Logan Rogerson if an Auckland FC game is worth attending over a rugby or league match, he noted their playoff berth should be incentive enough.

“We’re doing well at the moment and hopefully we can be the first Kiwi team to win silverware,” Rogerson said.

“That’s a big enough reason to come down and support us on the weekends.”

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission