Bringing Australia and New Zealand to the global market

New Zealand’s Auckland FC have quickly made their mark on the A-League after being founded and making their debut in 2024.

They registered victories in each of their first three competitive matches, including opening home victories in front of sell-out crowds against Brisbane Roar and Sydney FC and victory in the first-ever New Zealand derby versus Wellington Phoenix FC, to stand top of the formative 2024/25 A-League table.

But behind their strong initial run is a strategic advantage in recruitment: Auckland FC is one of five A-League teams that TransferRoom, world football’s only transfer marketplace. Director of Football, Terry McFlynn, views this move as essential for the club’s ambitions and to give them a competitive edge.

“TransferRoom has been very supportive, right through the whole recruitment process,” McFlynn said. “We started back in November 2023. We built out our squad and the connections we made through TransferRoom, whether that was directly to clubs, agents or both, was very useful in getting us to the point we're at today.

“There's probably contacts via the TransferRoom that we didn't have internally. We do have a vast network of contacts within our football department, but as football is ever-evolving across the world, it's important to stay at the forefront of evolution and make sure we're at the forefront and getting access to the best talent if and when we can.

“Our strategy was very clear: to get as many Kiwi players as possible into our football club from day one. We achieved that by signing 18 New Zealand citizens. We signed three Australians and five visa players. So in terms of the platform itself, TransferRoom was very helpful when building a squad from scratch.”

Auckland join four other A-League sides now on TransferRoom: Wellington Phoenix, Melbourne City, Adelaide United, and Western Sydney Wanderers. TransferRoom is an online marketplace that connects over 800 clubs worldwide, providing real-time data on player availability, direct communication channels with club representatives, and an expansive network of agents.

For Auckland, as a newcomer to the league, this means immediate access to critical market information and the chance to make swift recruitment moves that can keep up with the competition.

Leveraging TransferRoom for early success

Building a squad from the ground up has been no small task, but Auckland’s use of TransferRoom has helped them land the right players to start strong. They recently signed Chilean midfielder Luis Felipe Gallegos (pictured above) from OFI Crete FC in Greece. The platform enabled Auckland to swiftly reach out to Gallegos’ agency, AIM Fútbol, to check his availability and kickstart negotiations.

“TransferRoom is a sort of an intermediary platform, where clubs will pitch players to other clubs and for us as a club,” McFlynn explained.

“We were starting from scratch, so we uploaded the profile of the players that we wanted in each position. OFI Crete spoke to us about Luis Felipe, and he was a profile that fitted exactly what we were looking for.

“Through the platform, we then connected with his agent. We had several conversations, the Head Coach, myself, the player, our Head of Recruitment, Doug Kors. It was pretty smooth in the end, so TransferRoom helped a lot in the acquisition of Gallegos to our club.

“Every player brings different attributes to the team, and his attributes are very much complementary to the other players that we've got in the group. Once we uploaded all the information that we were looking for, OFI Crete recognised that they pitched the player to us, and again, we had the conversations and thankfully he joined our club.”

AIM Fútbol are one of over 500 Trusted Agencies on TransferRoom and as a result they are verified as the representatives of their players, by those players.

“Agents have got a very important role to play in modern day football. And to have the agents verified and trusted on a platform like TransferRoom gives us that added security, that the people we're dealing with are the real people that are representing the players.

By plugging into TransferRoom’s network, Auckland FC have an infrastructure that allows for proactive rather than reactive transfers, a distinct advantage for a team that wants to establish itself quickly.

A-League’s growing presence on the global stage

With Auckland FC joining fellow New Zealanders Wellington Phoenix and three Australian sides, the two countries are now well represented on the TransferRoom platform. This alignment is seen as a boost for the A-League’s profile internationally.

Simon Ankersen, TransferRoom’s Director of Club Relations, said: “We’re thrilled to welcome these A-League clubs. TransferRoom allows them to be more effective in incoming and outgoing transfers by understanding and promoting talent in line with the demands of the global market.”

With access to over 800 clubs in more than 100 leagues and a network of 500 agents, TransferRoom has helped connect A-League clubs with the global market, enabling them to find the right deals without needing to travel or manage time-zone differences. Since being formed in 2017, TransferRoom has helped to facilitate over 6,000 transfers, enabling club decision-makers to make faster, more strategic moves.

Big long-term ambitions

While McFlynn is excited about the team’s early wins, he’s also keeping an eye on Auckland FC’s long-term growth. With TransferRoom, he has access to tools and data that will help him build a squad capable of sustainable success. The real-time updates on player availability, scouting reports, and direct communication options with agents and other clubs give him confidence that Auckland can continue to attract quality players.

“We've always said we're here to win,” McFlynn added. “We've never shied away from that. We're an ambitious club, we're a big club. With two professional teams in New Zealand, we've got a duty to New Zealand football, and we want to create opportunities and pathways for young New Zealand players into professional football. 

“TransferRoom is going to be very important for us. One of our goals is to create opportunities and pathways for young New Zealand players, into professional football and then beyond into Europe and South America and beyond. TransferRoom can help facilitate that, so we're looking forward to this partnership developing over the years.”

Melbourne City have also quickly had success in the transfer market through the platform, utilising TransferRoom to help make the signings of German Ferreyra, Yonatan Cohen and Andreas Kuen possible, also through direct agent connections.

Click here for the full story on how the five A-League clubs open up global market by joining TransferRoom.

Auckland FC are among 800 clubs on TransferRoom. You can find out how to join them here.