Soccer-Australian top flight's newest club to be called Auckland FC

New Zealand's second team in the Australian top flight will be known as "Auckland FC" and wear a blue-and-black striped kit similar to that of Italian giants Inter Milan. Auckland FC, coached by championship-winning Australian Steve Corica, will join the league in the 2024-25 season and launch a team in A-League Women in the following season.

New Zealand's second team in the Australian top flight will be known as "Auckland FC" and wear a blue-and-black striped kit similar to that of Italian giants Inter Milan. The A-League's newest entrants, who are owned by American billionaire Bill Foley, will also be nicknamed "Black Knights", the club said on Thursday.

The Black Knight Football Club, a consortium led by Foley, owns Premier League team Bournemouth and stakes in a number of other professional soccer clubs. The nickname is also a throwback to the Auckland-based New Zealand Knights who competed in the A-League's first two seasons but folded in 2007.

They were replaced by current side Wellington Phoenix based in the nation's capital. The expansion club said it had arrived at the name Auckland FC after a "wide-ranging consultation process" that showed a desire to anchor the team to its home city and reflect a "strong football heritage".

"We can’t wait to get started, nurture talent, accelerate the pathway for promising players here and overseas, and showcase Auckland and its culture," Foley said in a statement. Auckland FC, coached by championship-winning Australian Steve Corica, will join the league in the 2024-25 season and launch a team in A-League Women in the following season.

 

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