The Wellington Phoenix have been fined a million dollars by Football Federation Australia for failing to hit their required off-field targets this season according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
Despite improving their home attendances by almost half and television rating also on the rise the Phoenix still fell short of satisfying the contractual demands of their temporary A-League licence, which runs out at the end of next season.
The report says as part of the four-year extension the Phoenix signed three years ago to remain in the A-League, the club agreed that it would meet certain benchmarks related to broadcast revenue each season.
If the Phoenix failed to hit the specified revenue number, the agreement set out a prescribed financial penalties which is understood to rise for each year of the agreement.
The Phoenix have just seven players contracted for next season. Photo: Photosport
"Every club in the league is expected to perform in their own geographic area, but also add value to the overall league," said Football Federation Australia chief executive David Gallop.
"On one hand, Wellington are a very settled and secure financial part of the A-League in terms of their ownership structure but, on the other hand, they do hold a unique position which puts them under scrutiny in some quarters," he said.
Rob Morrison the chair of Welnix - the group which owns the Phoenix - said the fine is "no big deal".