In advance of the Wellington Phoenix’s second trip to Auckland’s Eden Park on Saturday 15 February, the club is offering an unprecedented level of access for fans via a series of unique TradeMe auctions.
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The match next Saturday will see the Wellington Phoenix take on Melbourne City FC at their ‘second home’ at Eden Park, promising a battle between two of the Hyundai A-League’s top sides – and with the Phoenix’s all-time unbeaten streak at this venue on the line.
As part of this match, the Phoenix will also be fulfilling eight fan experience auctions, allowing the public to experience this match as a player, a reporter, a VIP, or even an overnight camper. Other ‘Ultimate 8’ auctions include an opportunity for fans to run their own goal-kick challenge at half-time, or for a person to attempt to kick a ball from the roof of Eden Park and into the goal on the field below.
Wellington Phoenix General Manager, David Dome, says that he believes many of these experiences are the first of their kind to be offered by a professional sporting club in New Zealand.
“Fan engagement is extremely important to us; we always want those people who attend our matches to have a great time and to come away buzzing from the overall match experience.
“As a club we consider ourselves progressive and always looking to try new things, and we wanted to push the envelope by offering something absolutely unique for fans – so we’re very excited to be able offer an unprecedented level of fan engagement through these ‘Ultimate 8’ auctions.”
“Eden Park is an incredible venue to play in, and through these auctions we’ll be able to share this experience with people who might otherwise never get to be on the pitch or to see behind the scenes of a major sporting match.”
Dome says that the rooftop goal-kicking experience in particular is something that he predicts will be a unique experience for the public.
“Hats off to Eden Park for working with us to make this activity happen; it’s something that’s never been done before in the history of the stadium, and they’re worked hard to ensure that all the health and safety precautions are in place to make this an incredible experience for the lucky fan.”
The eight auctions can be found either on TradeMe or by going to www.prod.wellingtonphoenix.aleagues.com.au/edenpark, with all auctions closing at 7pm on Tuesday 11th February.
All proceeds from this auction are going towards the Phoenix Football Fund, which will help young footballers in New Zealand to develop their skills through the Wellington Phoenix Academy Programme.
Dome says that the funds raised from these auctions will allow the next generation of football players to experience success in the Hyundai A-League or overseas.
“As a club we’re committed to youth development in New Zealand, and we’ve seen Wellington Phoenix Academy graduates like Liberato Cacace, Ben Waine and Sam Sutton enjoy success in the Hyundai A-League this season.
“We want to be able to foster young players so they can achieve success like Libby, Ben and Sam have to date, which is great for us as a club and for the future of football in New Zealand.”
