Texas billionaire Bill Foley who is bank rolling the new Auckland A League club. Photo: Andrew Cornaga/www.photosport.nz
Analysis -'What's in a name?' William Shakespeare once asked. Actually, in football, a name means quite a lot. A club's name can accentuate historical links to institutions such as the army, railroads or universities or even an ongoing affiliation with other sports such as athletics or cricket.
Or, like the Wellington Phoenix, it might represent the rebirth of a club from the ashes of a previous firestorm. Auckland, the location of aforementioned firestorm, will soon step back into the breach of professional football - with US businessman Bill Foley's project building momentum toward a 2024-25 A-League Men debut. This Thursday, the club's official name, logo and overall brand identity will be unveiled.
What will it be? Foley has already dropped a massive hint, but here are some potential options for the newest professional football team in New Zealand:
Auckland Black Knights
Malik Buari poses for a photograph during the New Zealand Knights training session. Photo: Renee McKay
Some derivation of this name appears to be the frontrunner. Foley has a strong predilection for this moniker due to his time at West Point military academy where, you guessed it, the sports teams are known as 'The Black Knights'. Bar a huge turn-of-face this will be the new name of Auckland's latest football team, despite near universal disapproval among the football fraternity.
But hold on: the New Zealand Knights were the previous incarnation in Auckland and they flunked, with poor performances and even worse attendances. Their failure has long been a stick with which to beat a second New Zealand expansion team.
Perhaps they are taking back ownership of the word 'knights'. It's almost a valiant thing to do, some might even call it chivalrous.
Auckland Blue Knights
Potential logo Photo: Google
OK, so Knights is on the table but why black? Why not blue? Blue is the colour most regularly associated with sport and Auckland. Sure, black has its place on a national scale but blue would more accurately represent the city.
Saying that, the Blue Knights is also the name of a nationwide social organisation for retired police officers. Perhaps Foley doesn't fancy a World Wrestling Federation v World Wildlife Fund-style legal fracas on his hands.
Auckland Ninja Knights
Final knights-related shout here and, I think you will agree, by far the superior. Back in 2007, with the name hunt ongoing for what would eventually become the Wellington Phoenix, this was the only suggestion out of 250 contenders listed by The Post which incorporated the name Knights.
Why? Who knows and, frankly, who cares because ninjas are infinitely cooler than a colour palette.
FC Auckland/AFC Auckland
A flag bearer waves an AFC Bournemouth flag. Photo: Mike Hewitt
I know, yawn! However, this might be the best of the bunch. It's clean, it's crisp and it's timeless while also being modern - with most clubs moving away from nickname-type nomenclatures.
Foley's other two football ventures adorn simple prefixes, AFC Bournemouth and FC Lorient. Either one would also look good in front of Auckland. Boring? Maybe. But like a classic plain tee, this format never goes out of style.
Auckland Wanderers
The most likely suffixes for a football team, United and City, are already taken by other Auckland-based clubs. Perhaps Wanderers could be an option. Historically, this tack-on usually indicates a roaming team that began their football journey without a set home. With word of scheduling conflicts at preferred home option, Mount Smart, this tag may prove accurate.
Auckland Warriors
Greg Alexander. Auckland Warriors 1995. Photo: Alan Lee
Up the Wahs! Those scheduling conflicts mentioned above are with New Zealand's leading domestic club on and, most importantly, off the pitch over the past 12 months.
So why not jump on the bandwagon? Just straight up steal the name and hope a few people get confused and end up watching the other sort of 'footy'.
Tāmaki Makaurau FC
Something about this name just looks cool. The Māori name for our biggest city is already the default FIFA used throughout the Women's World Cup and would differentiate the A-League side from the already established Auckland clubs.
Not only that, but it would be an immediate statement of inclusivity and progressive thinking.
Aotearoa FC
Perhaps this is not just a team for Auckland but for all of New Zealand, laying the foundations for fixtures across the nation.
Christchurch, Hamilton, Rotorua, Napier. All would have the chance to see the nation's newest professional club. Just imagine it now, a packed house of 4,000 at Greymouth's Wingham Park. Bring on the roadshow.
Auckland Gryphons
Peter Griffin Photo: YouTube
Generating a high-stakes rivalry with the Phoenix is a must for the new franchise. Naming themselves after another, entirely more bad ass, mythological winged creature should do the trick.
Sure, a Phoenix is essentially immortal, but a Gryphon has the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle. Give no thought to the aerodynamics of such a creature, just splendour in its ridiculous but magnificent form.
