In March 2007, I got a call from a friend of Wellington football identity John Serepisos. He had heard that Ian Wells and I were struggling to come up with the cash needed to take over the failed Auckland Knights licence in the Australian football league. John knew someone who was keen to help. As everyone now knows, that someone was his cousin Terry.

Twenty-four hours later, Terry walked into his Century City Boardroom and showed Ian and me a bank cheque for $1.25 million. The Wellington Phoenix Football Club was effectively born.

The club has given Wellington a shot of life and transformed football in New Zealand. There have been many magical moments during the past four seasons. Wellingtonians have got to see weekly football of a standard seldom before seen in the country and to watch a batch of talented local youngsters emerge under their eyes. The sport, meanwhile, has gone from strength to strength.

It is no coincidence that the establishment of the Phoenix coincided with the All Whites qualifying for the Fifa World Cup for the first time in 28 years.

However, the continued success, or even existence of the club cannot be taken for granted. It is time for everyone who benefits from the team to contribute to its success.

Top of that list is New Zealand Football, an organisation close to bankruptcy just four years ago.

Thanks to the Phoenix, football and New Zealand Football’s bank account have been revitalised. However, the sport’s governing body continues to publicly downplay the Phoenix’s value and often completely dissociates itself from the club.

People consistently ask me why NZF is so uninterested in the Phoenix, and what I think it should be doing.

I believe it should now articulate a new vision for the game based around All Whites success at the Confederations Cup in 2013 and the World Cup in 2014, both hosted by Brazil.

A key component of this vision and plan should be a vitally important role for the Wellington Phoenix, which it will unequivocally support and endorse. It should acknowledge that Terry’s overall business issues are a concern, but that it is fully committed to seeing the Phoenix flourish.

Their commitment to directly supporting the Phoenix should come in the form of initiating and funding a Phoenix youth team in the Australian National Youth League. That would provide the Phoenix with a reserve team, create a pathway for young local players, and form part of our preparation for the under-20 World Cup which New Zealand will host in 2015.

NZF could also look at fielding a Phoenix Women’s team in the Australian Women’s League which would widen the appeal and support base for the Phoenix.

NZF could negotiate a weekly football television show that promotes and highlights the Phoenix and other important football activity. It could lobby Sky TV to show Phoenix matches as delayed broadcasts, rather than live, to boost crowds and revenue.

It could also work with rugby league, basketball, rugby union and netball to ensure sports funding agency SPARC recognises and respects the enormous value participation in professional Australian competitions provides for sport in this country.

A financial contribution, through NZF, to the Phoenix from SPARC would be a cost-effective and wise high-performance sport investment.

NZF could also work with the Phoenix to bring a top-flight team to New Zealand and generate profile and revenue for the club. For example, Glasgow Celtic recently played the Central Coast Mariners in front of 25,000 spectators in Sydney.

NZF could construct a relationship with Wellington City Council to provide financial and in-kind support to the Phoenix in the way the Rugby Union has with the Wellington Sevens.

NZF could sell Phoenix tickets and merchandise through a nationwide campaign.

For NZF to claim that the Phoenix are a private business and not its concern is not only utter nonsense, it is irresponsible and negligent.

The Phoenix are a much-loved treasure that have earnt respect and deserve to be supported, nurtured and treated with the utmost care.

Football in this country has already seen, with the Knights in Auckland, what happens when an asset is seriously neglected. It should not be allowed to happen here.