Anticipation builds after Phoenix game sells out Wellington's Sky ...
For the first-time ever, a Wellington Phoenix game at the Sky Stadium has sold-out.
On Saturday night, the Phoenix will host the Melbourne Victory in the second leg of the Isuzu A-League Finals Series semifinal.
And with approximately 20 percent of the 34,500 tickets sold from outside the Wellington region, it will be a big night for hospitality, accommodation, and retail businesses too.
Read more:
Wellington Phoenix v Melbourne Victory: What you need to know
Mayor Tory Whanau said it was going to be huge for the capital.
"This is such a historic moment, not only for the Phoenix, but for Wellington city," she said.
"There are going to be tens of thousands of people celebrating, making their way through the city. It's going to be an exciting time."
Yellow Fever - the 'unofficial' support group for the Wellington Phoenix - has organised a march to Sky Stadium, with flags, banners, and even flares.
Phoenix fans and visitors supporting the Melbourne Victory will pack Wellington's 'cake tin' stadium on Saturday. Photo: Photosport
Spokesperson Matt Weldon-Smith said they would be chanting for an entire 90 minutes.
"Wellington really needs this," he said
"It's a tough environment at the moment, especially if you work in government, but, between the Phoenix doing really well, the Hurricanes doing really well, and netball, it's a great time to be a sports fan in Wellington."
Weldon-Smith, who won an award for being the Wellington Phoenix fan of the year for the 2017-18 season, said it was incredibly meaningful for him.
"We've gone through some incredibly tough times, some incredibly hard years," he said.
Hospitality New Zealand chief executive Steve Armitage said the sold-out match is just what hospitality, accommodation and retail businesses in Wellington needed, too.
"Business has been a bit tough in recent times," he said.
"The cuts to the bureaucracy and just general tightening of things have meant that discretionary spend has noticeably dropped and hospitality has certainly been affected by that.
"So there's been increasing excitement about this weekend and speaking to a couple of operators yesterday they're certainly planning for a big Saturday night which will be much needed."
Geordie Craib, owner-operator of The Featherston, a city tavern in central Wellington, said Saturday will be a massive night of trade.
"It's going to be huge," he said.
"And it's a feel-good thing as well.
"Wellington needs something like this just to cheer up as it were, there have been job losses, and people aren't in town at the moment, and interest rates are high, and it's all a bit of doom and gloom."
And if the Phoenix win tomorrow night, Armitage said it will be an even better night for Wellington.
"Although, generally speaking, the restaurants, bars and clubs are expecting a good evening on Saturday, there's no doubt if we host the final, we should see certainly an uptake around accommodation as well, because I'm sure Kiwis will want to be a part of the action in the event that they do host the final," he said.
If they win, the Phoenix will compete in the grand final next weekend, for the first time in the club's 17-year history.
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