ON behalf of everyone at Wellington Phoenix FC I-d like to welcome you to our second season in the Hyundai A-League. Year one was successful for us in so many ways and now it-s the club-s ambition to take the next step. As part of our commitment to keeping our valued members informed about what is happening inside the club we will be sending out regular, monthly e-newsletters. This is the first edition. Coming editions will have exclusive news about the club, interviews with players and special membership-only promotions with club partners. “In the Nix” is your exclusive connection to your club. We trust you will enjoy it.
Tony Pignata
Chief executive
Click here to view the latest ‘In the Nix’ newsletter
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Phoenix members get chance to renew for big season
WELLINGTON Phoenix FC members have been given the first opportunity to renew their memberships from June 9 as the capital club gears up for its second season in the Hyundai A-League.
More than 2500 people backed the club by signing on as members in its stunning inaugural season in 2007/08 and now the club is hopeful of pushing that number in excess of 5000.
New members will be able to sign up from June 23.
Phoenix chief executive Tony Pignata said the success of every club in the Hyundai A-League was built on its members.
“Membership is probably the most important factor for any club. For us to survive and keep moving forward we have to rely on funds and membership is the key method of generating revenue in the club. It provides the stability in knowing that we-ve got a large group of people who support the club.”
But Pignata said membership went beyond simply being a method of generating income.
“We view our members as part of the family, as part of the club. There are great benefits to becoming a member and, importantly, they get to interact with us.”
Getting 2500 members in season one was a huge result for the Phoenix given that only a few of the other established clubs in the Hyundai A-League have membership bases in excess of that number.
“Last year was sensational in terms of membership and we-re confident that the level of interest out there will translate into a significant rise in memberships this season,” Pignata said. “Our motto in season one was ‘The Phoenix is Rising-. Now that aim is to take that further, to gather everyone and ‘Rise as One- – meaning that everyone is in this together, be they fans, players, coaches or management. Our goal is to be one of the best supported clubs in the competition.”
To that end, season one members have the first right to renew their memberships for season two from June 9, with significant additional benefits for those who get in early.
Along with big savings on standard ticket prices, season one members will get the first opportunity to purchase seats of their choosing at Westpac Stadium. They also have the chance to purchase extra seats for friends and family who may not have been members in season one, meaning they will be able to sit with their mates in the red-hot cauldron of Westpac Stadium.
“Feedback we received from members last season was that many members would have liked to have sat with guests and friends on certain occasions,” Pignata said.
“However, due to a lack of general admission seating in season one we were unable to meet this demand. Because season one members have first right of purchase, it means they can block-book memberships to ensure they can sit with their mates in areas of their choice.”
In addition, a general admission bay has been introduced to allow season members to sit with guests who purchase single match tickets.
And there are other membership innovations for season two.
The club has introduced an alcohol-free family zone and special “benchwarmer” membership packages for out-of-town supporters.
Pignata said both ideas were aimed at making the club and its 11 home games this season as accessible as possible for everyone.
“Families are important to us and we wanted to create an area that is safe and secure for family groups but which is close to the action. The benchwarmer memberships are exciting because they allow supporters who can-t make it to all 11 of our home games can enjoy the benefits of membership at a significantly cheaper price. We have a lot of supporters outside of Wellington and New Zealand and this allows them to be part of the club.”
Renewing members also get another great perk.
In partnership with the club-s major sponsor, Sony, two home theatre packages comprising an X-series 40” Bravia LCD TV, a Blu-ray DVD player and an integrated home theatre TV cabinet worth $7500 each are up for grabs. People who buy season memberships before the draw dates automatically go into the draw.
There are two draws – one on July 1 for memberships taken out in June, and another on August 1 for all memberships taken out before July 31, meaning that renewing members who purchase before June 30 will be entered in both draws and have two chances to win.
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