Brad Lewis: Congratulations Auckland FC, I’m hooked

A wise Mexican chap named Dani Rojas once claimed that “Football is life”. Old mate is certainly onto something, if you ask me.

Full disclosure: I am a passionate football fan. Liverpool is my ride-or-die. I’d take a Premier League title over the continued success of my marriage. Love you, hun.

But living so far away from my beloved Reds has its obvious challenges – a regular seat at Anfield seems an almost impossible dream.

So, when Auckland FC reared its head, I decided to dive in like a Vinnie Jones two-footer, immediately jumping on the blue-and-black bandwagon by investing my hard-earned cash in season tickets for myself and my football-mad young son.

Ultimately, the success of this club in a city that struggles to continually support anything other than a winning team if you're not named the All Blacks will be judged in at least a decade's time.

But day one was about as good as it gets. I won't head down the hyperbole route and label this the greatest live sporting experience I’ve been to because it wasn’t that.

What it was, was a stupendous day out with my family, a cool vibe at a jam-packed Mt Smart, and the quality of on-pitch product to match the occasion.

Auckland FC, congratulations - I’m hooked.

What was super encouraging to me - and even more so for the franchise - was the amount of punters wearing club merchandise.

Of course, there were hundreds of kids wearing Messi or Ronaldo shirts, but I’d estimate 50 percent of the fans I saw were decked out in Auckland FC kit - and most of those were 18-plus in age.

That tells me that a decent amount of the 24,000 who attended game one will be back - not merely getting reeled in by the hype of a shiny, new product before casting it aside and moving on to the next fad.

Football fandom is on the rise in New Zealand - especially among our youth.

I recently attended a school fair with my kids and there wasn’t an All Blacks shirt in sight. Instead, it was a sea of NBA, NZ Warriors, and for the majority - football shirts.

This new generation is drawn towards football because of the weird, annoying, self-indulgent tools they follow on YouTube. Mr Speed, Iso-beast, the Logan brothers - or whatever they’re called - they all love football.

My son doesn't support an EPL side, he supports players. He has a shirt for just about every major player in the EPL, Bundesliga, and La Liga (thank you, Henderson Night Markets for your very cheap knock-off kits).

So, it was to my surprise that as we were exiting Go Media Stadium on Saturday afternoon, the little guy asked if he could get an Auckland FC shirt for his upcoming birthday.

When we got home, he was immediately on to his Xbox to play EA Sports FC. But not with his usual go-to’s Manchester City or Real Madrid. Nope, he wanted to play as the Black Knights.

He can’t wait until Sunday’s round-two clash with Sydney FC. Just like his dad, he’s officially all-in, and I would suggest there are many more in the same boat.

I have faith in the football-loving community in Auckland to get in behind this club. The time is right for a well-run, professional football club in my home city and Auckland FC have just nailed a volley top bins.