International intrigue: Why FFA shut down Phoenix's W-League hopes
Fears that one of the Matildas' biggest rivals could be given a leg up on the road to the 2023 Women's World Cup have prompted a decision to effectively deny the Wellington Phoenix a spot in the W-League this season.
The Phoenix were set to confirm later this week that they'd been granted entry into the W-League and had reportedly even lined up New Zealand's new deputy prime minister Grant Robertson for the official announcement on Thursday.
Football Ferns star Rebekah Stott blocks a shot from Matildas skipper Sam Kerr.Credit:Getty
But the plans have been derailed by Football Federation Australia's refusal to adjust the W-League's player registration rules to allow Kiwis to not be counted as foreigners.
Such a change would have, in theory, allowed the Phoenix to field almost the entire New Zealand national team - and under the same coach, Tom Sermanni, who was ready to take on a dual role in charge of the W-League side.
FFA has been contacted for comment, but sources have indicated they are unwilling to entertain a scenario that would enable another country's national team to so directly benefit from being involved in an elite Australian competition.
While most of the Football Ferns' best players have contracts with clubs in Europe or the United States, some play locally in New Zealand, and a move to the higher-calibre W-League would have accelerated their development individually and helped them build greater depth as a team.
Former Matildas coach Tom Sermanni - now in charge of the Football Ferns - would have taken charge of Wellington's W-League team. Credit:Sam Hall
Both Australia and New Zealand, who are ranked No.23 in the world by FIFA, will enjoy the obvious benefits of playing on home soil at the 2023 Women's World Cup.
But the W-League developments suggest the new era of trans-Tasman collaboration in football since FIFA's hosting rights announcement in June has its limits.
FFA's position is also inconsistent with the rules that apply to the Phoenix in the A-League, where New Zealanders are not counted in the club's max allowance of five foreign players.
Wellington wanted those regulations to be mirrored in the W-League, and had a squad of mostly young players and fringe Kiwi internationals lined up to play the entire season, which begins on December 27, in Australia.
The Phoenix have now abandoned their W-League plans and won't revisit them unless FFA's stance changes, according to sources.
"The club can confirm it has been actively pursuing this course of action in recent months and are working with Football Federation Australia (FFA) on an entry into the competition in due course," Wellington said in a short statement on Tuesday.
"The club will not be making any further comment on an entry into the W-League at this time."
The situation is reminiscent of a similar dilemma in Australian netball after England won the Commonwealth Games gold medal in 2018. Then-Diamonds coach Lisa Alexander claimed that Super Netball's unlimited import rules gave them the impetus for the shock victory, saying: "That's our high performance system working for another country. I don't get it. I don't get to make that decision."
Others, including England captain Geva Mentor, argued that view was "narrow-minded" and dismissed the fact that international players helped boost the competitiveness and commercial profile of Super Netball.
Vince is a sports reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald.