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The Wellington Phoenix will be granted an A-League licence extension; the only uncertainty is its length.

Welnix still want an additional 10 years in the league, while Football Federation Australia (FFA) have not upped their initial offer of four. But provided an appropriate broadcasting rights deal can be brokered, Welnix chairman Rob Morrison is confident they'll gain the tenure they've sought all along.

"We only see four years as a starting point," Morrison said.

HAGEN HOPKINS/GETTY IMAGES Wellington Phoenix chairman Rob Morrison, right, is confident of doing a deal that'll satisfy coach Ernie Merrick and everyone else.

Since the FFA announced that they were not accepting Welnix's request for a 10-year extension, it has been widely assumed that the Phoenix could fold at season's end. The Save The Nix movement was born, as fans on both sides of the Tasman rallied behind the club.

Morrison said Welnix had been impressed and encouraged by the support, but that predictions of the club's demise were premature.

"The thing about the negotiation is it's about an extension. It's not about not existing, it is about an extension."

To get one longer than four years, Morrison said the club had to generate more income from around New Zealand. There are ways and means but, in his view, it all came back to television viewers.

The Phoenix will remain a Wellington club that takes two or three matches a season to other centres. That immediately puts a ceiling on how many people can watch the team in person.

"So because the majority of the population aren't going to come to games in Wellington, we need to attract more people to watch the broadcast. If you get bigger numbers there, you get better broadcast revenues," Morrison said.

Being a good team that plays winning football helps, but "broadening the footprint" is the most effective method. Morrison said Welnix had been in negotiation with broadcasters about more magazine, panel and highlight shows, which would give the A-League and Phoenix a continual television presence between matches.

The FFA negotiated the existing New Zealand television rights deal with Sky. There's some irony in them now turning around and citing broadcast revenue as a reason not to grant the Phoenix a 10-year extension.

"We've said 'we didn't do that deal, don't blame us'," Morrison said. "But we're also conscious of the fact that we need a better number, so we have been working on it and we [Welnix and FFA] agreed the other day that it's better for us to work on it.

"Obviously in the final deal the FFA need to be happy and negotiate it because it's their rights to negotiate, but it's better for us to continue working to get the parties to the table."

Welnix would have preferred this entire licence negotiation had been conducted in private. They're "disappointed" by the FFA's various public statements and the scrutiny that's been placed upon Phoenix coach Ernie Merrick and the players as a result.

"But we want to get the best deal that we can and if that takes a little bit longer and there is additional publicity around that, that's a cost," Morrison said. "But if we end up with a better deal for the club and it's a deal that keeps us in the A-League for a lot longer, then that's a great outcome and it's worth it."

No deadlines are in place. Morrison said they promoted shortcuts and compromises and this had to be a deal that stood the Phoenix in good stead for years to come.

However, he is conscious that the members of the Phoenix squad who are off contract at the end of the season are able to negotiate with other clubs after December 1.

"There are parameters that we're working within, but the players are aware that we're working to achieve a result that's good for them and the club and the fans and everyone else."