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Alex Chapman: Bring A Plate, Lose The Whinging
Alex Chapman • April 28th, 2025 10:30 am
Photo: Photosport
There’s a great tradition in New Zealand: a bring-a-plate event.
It doesn’t have to be flash or fancy. It can be a lunch. More often it’s a dinner.
Regardless, it’s a way to unite people and make some memories.
At Mt Smart Stadium on Sunday, the A-League did just that; they brought a plate, and gave it to Auckland FC, as they made some memories.
A momentous occasion, a history-making celebration.
And yet, it wasn’t the food on the plate, but the new inscription on and how it got to be there, that has seemingly left a sour taste in some people’s mouths.
They’re a small group of dissatisfied eaters (okay, I promise that’s the end of the analogy), they're a group of fans passionate about their own side, though one that seemingly feels like they’re on the receiving end of some sort of robbery.
There’s a discontent, that huff and ongoing side-eye that you receive when taking the last piece of chicken or scoop of pasta salad.
Okay, maybe the analogy wasn’t over.
Loyal? Yes. Logical? Perhaps not.
Normally when you bring - or in this case, receive a plate - it’s not about how much money you have or how flash your item of choice is.
It’s about why you’re doing it.
Auckland FC celebrate their Premiers Plate triumph | Photo: Andrew Cornaga/Photosport
So the reasoning for not liking a club, thinking their existence is a bad thing because they’re owned by a billionaire is, frankly, bizarre.
What is the alternative? An owner who can’t afford to run the club? We’ve seen that before.
Amateurism? Well, this is professional sport.
An offertory or donations? I know football is a religion to some but this isn’t church.
As for ‘buying titles’ - well, there’s a salary cap. Enough said.
At the end of the day, toys and politics aside, surely it’s clear that AFC’s owners, when it comes to owning this club, are doing more good than harm?
And like him or not, Bill Foley has kept his word.
When the American billionaire fronted New Zealand media for the first time last March, grinning and donning his championship rings from titles his other teams have won, he set a clear target.
“Playoffs in three. Cup in six.”
The first – tick.
The second – well, it may not be the tableware of choice, but how about a plate? And with a trophy still a chance to join it in the cabinet.
It’s crazy to consider for a team hasn’t even existed for 14 months.
It’s hard to really think of the word to describe just what Auckland FC’s done.
Remarkable? Perhaps.
Exceptional? Clearly.
Astounding? Yes, that may be the best way of describing it.
Because they've done just that; they’ve astounded. They've shocked, surprised, startled, staggered and stunned.
A New Zealand team not only winning the Premiers Plate but being the first Kiwi side to do so… in their debut season.
Maybe that’s where the discontent from others comes from, not the ownership.
It’s been a season which has seen them average more than 18,000 fans at home, braving all sorts of weather, at a time when other teams are left with desolate stadiums, struggling to draw even a third of that support along.
It’s been - and will continue to be - an unprecedented season.
Speaking of unprecedented, how about a club being the first to earn promotion through the English football league system for three consecutive years?
A club which, coincidentally, also seems to trigger certain groups for being owned by billionaires.
Which, apparently, God forbid, can be a good thing.
Sound familiar?
Steve Corica | Photo: AAP
And yet, like AFC, Wrexham, are doing what others haven’t done before.
They've engaged with their community in a way that’s resulted in local businesses growing, the establishment of a charity, and saw one of their Hollywood owners swapping ‘La La Land’ for lagers, as he poured pints for supporters before his team put out a performance that left many sobbing in the stands.
How fitting that the Red Dragons and Black Knights will reportedly square off later this year.
For AFC, it’s seen one of their billionaire owners ring around for sponsors, hundreds of thousands of dollars of kit sold in the first few months (and that’s putting it lightly), while there have been stories of players kicking a ball around with kids at a campground while on holiday, chatting with people in public spaces, and, well, we’ve seen how they interact with the crowd.
They’ve added value.
And their loyal fans return the love, with the club growing a fanbase rarely seen on these shores, warmly welcoming the chance to add seats to the bandwagon as punters clamber to get a spot.
They’re a side led by the well-shaped beard, immaculately coiffed hair, and steely and sharp focus of Steve Corica whose face is now seen all around Mount Smart Stadium on masks or flags, even on the end of a beer-filled plate.
A man who, like some of his players, left family behind in other countries to be in the 09.
A man who, like some of his players, fought back tears when talking about what they’ve already achieved.
Winning trophies isn’t for everyone, and it seems neither is winning hearts. You can’t win them all.
Auckland FC may not even care, they’ve still got a far bigger job to do.
But how fitting that on King’s Birthday weekend, 21 years since the Kingz said goodbye, New Zealand’s newest football royalty, may have yet another crowning moment.
Bring a plate, or a cup, or a trophy.
Billionaire or not.
