Auckland FC
| File:Auckland FC logo.svg Club crest | |
| Company type | Professional football club |
|---|---|
| Industry | Sports |
| Founded | 14 March 2024 |
| Founder | Bill Foley (owner) |
| Headquarters | Auckland , New Zealand |
Area served | New Zealand, Australia (A-League Men) |
Key people | Bill Foley (owner and chairman), Terry McFlynn (head of football), Steve Corica (head coach) |
| Products | Football team competing in A-League Men |
| Owner | Bill Foley / Black Knight Football and Entertainment |
| Parent | Black Knight Football and Entertainment |
| Website | aucklandfc |
Auckland Football Club, commonly referred to as Auckland FC, is a professional soccer team based in Auckland, New Zealand, competing in the A-League Men, which is Australia's premier football competition. Established on 14 March 2024, the club operates under a license granted by the Australian Professional Leagues. Their home matches are held at Mount Smart Stadium, commercially branded as Go Media Stadium, situated in Penrose.
The A-League license for Auckland was secured in November 2023 with businessman Bill Foley as the owner, marking the league's third expansion phase. Auckland FC quickly made an impact by winning the Premiership during the 2024–25 regular season, becoming only the second expansion side to achieve this feat in their debut campaign, following the example set by Western Sydney Wanderers in 2012–13.
History
In March 2023, the Australian Professional Leagues announced plans to introduce new clubs in both Canberra and Auckland for the 2024–25 season. By October 2023, businessman Bill Foley was named the preferred bidder for the Auckland franchise, which was officially confirmed on 21 November. Foley noted that key branding decisions were still pending but expressed a personal inclination toward the name "Black Knights."
On 14 March 2024, Auckland FC revealed its official name, logo, and first home kit at their headquarters in Auckland. The club’s pinstripe jersey combined electric blue and black hues and was produced by New Balance. The "Black Knights" nickname draws inspiration from Foley’s other sports ventures and his connection to the United States Military Academy. The club appointed Terry McFlynn as director of football and named Steve Corica as their first head coach. In May, Auckland FC announced their initial four player signings ahead of their debut season.
Auckland FC’s first match in the A-League Men took place on 19 October 2024 at Mount Smart Stadium against Brisbane Roar, where they secured a 2–0 victory in front of a sold-out crowd of 24,492 spectators. The team remained unbeaten through their opening seven league fixtures, including a 2-0 triumph over Wellington Phoenix in New Zealand’s inaugural derby held at Sky Stadium. Their initial defeat arrived unexpectedly with a 4-0 loss at home to Western United.
Concluding the 2024/25 campaign as A-League Men Premiers, Auckland FC became the first New Zealand-based side to claim silverware in the competition. Despite this achievement, they were excluded from participation in the AFC Champions League Elite due to New Zealand's affiliation with the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC). By finishing among the top two teams, Auckland qualified directly for the Finals Series semi-finals but were eliminated by Melbourne Victory following a 2-1 aggregate scoreline, bringing their championship aspirations to an end during their inaugural season.
Club badge and colours
The team’s official colors are electric blue paired with black, reflecting Auckland’s traditional royal blue heritage. The club crest prominently features a central A representing the city itself, incorporating design elements that symbolize Rangitoto Island and the Sky Tower. The black knight helmet visor and stripes signify ownership by Black Knight Sports & Entertainment. The abbreviation AFC is also displayed on the emblem.
Sponsorship
| Period | Kit provider | Main shirt sponsor (front) | Sleeve shirt sponsor | Back shirt sponsor | Front shorts sponsor | Rear shorts sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024– | New Balance | Anchor / Go Media | McDonald's / Alvarium | ANZ / Liberty | Cupra | Barfoot & Thompson / Ebury |
Stadium
Mount Smart Stadium, known commercially as Go Media Stadium due to sponsorship, serves as the home venue for Auckland FC. Located in Penrose approximately 10 kilometers south of Auckland’s central business district, this stadium accommodates up to 25,000 spectators. Owner Bill Foley has expressed intentions to utilize this facility for several seasons before initiating construction of a new waterfront stadium with a 20,000-seat capacity. Due to scheduling overlaps with the New Zealand Warriors rugby league team, Auckland FC conducts its training sessions at North Harbour Stadium.
Before Auckland FC's inception, Wellington Phoenix staged games in Auckland at both North Harbour Stadium and Eden Park. Auckland’s previous representation in Australian competitions came from Football Kingz and New Zealand Knights, who played at North Harbour and Mount Smart Stadiums but eventually ceased operations due to financial difficulties.
In March 2025, Auckland FC explored plans to develop Western Springs Stadium into a venue seating between 12,500 and 15,000, incorporating community sports amenities, hospitality spaces, and medical facilities. By July 2025, the club decided against pursuing this development and instead opted to extend their tenure at Go Media Stadium and North Harbour Stadium while focusing on expanding these existing infrastructures.
Supporters and rivalries
The Port is an autonomous supporters' group affiliated with the Black Knights. Additionally, the club manages a dedicated supporters' bar located at Tyler Street Sport within the Auckland CBD.
As the third Auckland-based team competing in Australia's premier league following Football Kingz and New Zealand Knights, Auckland FC maintains a rivalry with Wellington Phoenix, New Zealand's only representative in the A-League Men since the 2007–08 season. This rivalry escalated notably following the contentious loan acquisition of former Phoenix goalkeeper Alex Paulsen from AFC Bournemouth, which shares ownership under Bill Foley. Despite differing competitive achievements on the pitch, all three derby fixtures attracted crowds exceeding 26,000 spectators each time, consecutively setting new attendance records for domestic regular-season matches in New Zealand.
Ownership
The proprietor of Auckland FC is entrepreneur Bill Foley, who serves as general partner of Black Knight Football and Entertainment. This ownership group also controls English club AFC Bournemouth and NHL franchise Vegas Golden Knights. Foley additionally holds minor investments in French Ligue 2 team FC Lorient and Scottish Premiership side Hibernian.
At the club’s official launch on 14 March 2024, former rugby union international Ali Williams and toy company co-founder Anna Mowbray were introduced as co-owners. Williams previously represented New Zealand internationally as a lock in rugby union. In June 2024, Tim Bezbatchenko was appointed president of Black Knight to manage its worldwide sports holdings.
Auckland FC Reserves and Women's squads
Starting in 2025, the men's reserve team is set to compete in the Northern League, with football director Terry McFlynn responsible for overseeing the recruitment of players and coaching staff.
Although a women's team was announced in March 2024 with plans to join the A-League Women for the 2025–26 campaign, this initiative did not come to fruition.
Technical staff
| Role | Individual | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Head Coach | Template:Country data AUSTemplate:Namespace detect showall Steve Corica | |
| Assistant Coach | Template:Country data AUSTemplate:Namespace detect showall Luke Casserly | |
| Assistant Coach | Template:Country data NZLTemplate:Namespace detect showall Danny Hay | |
| Goalkeeping Coach | Template:Country data SCOTemplate:Namespace detect showall Jonathan Gould | |
| Head of Recruitment | Template:Country data AUSTemplate:Namespace detect showall Doug Kors | |
| Team Manager | Template:Country data NZLTemplate:Namespace detect showall Cam Kilgour | |
| Head of Medical & Performance | Template:Country data AUSTemplate:Namespace detect showall Elias Bourkarim |
Executive management
| Role | Person |
|---|---|
| Chairman | United States Bill Foley |
| Chief Executive Officer | Template:Country data NZLTemplate:Namespace detect showall Nick Becker |
| Chief Commercial Officer | Template:Country data NZLTemplate:Namespace detect showall Mike Higgins |
| Head of Football | Template:Country data NIRTemplate:Namespace detect showall Terry McFlynn |
| Head of Consumer Business | Template:Country data NZLTemplate:Namespace detect showall Rafael Turnbull |
History of captains
| Period | Captain | Achievements (as captain) |
|---|---|---|
| 2024– | Template:Country data JPNTemplate:Namespace detect showall Hiroki Sakai | First-ever club captain |
Top goal scorers
- Friendly matches are not counted.
|} |- |rowspan="3"|11 {{flagicon{NZL}} Callan Elliot rowspan="3"|1 | |- |{{flagicon{CHI}} Luis Felipe Gallegos | |- |{{flagicon{AUS}} Marlee Francois |}
National
- A-League Men Premiership
- Champions (1): 2024–25
Related topics
- Expansion of the A-League
- List of association football clubs in New Zealand
- Association football in New Zealand
External links
- Articles with short description
- Pages with broken file links
- 2024 establishments in New Zealand
- Association football clubs founded in 2024
- Football clubs based in Auckland
- A-League Men teams
- A-League Men expansion
- Auckland FC
- Football clubs relocated abroad
- A-League Men premiership champions
- A-League Men clubs