Perhaps it was inevitable. Auckland Kings had not even 'officially' been granted entry into next season's Ericsson Cup competition before the knives, er, make that machetes, were out. Making sure the new year kicked off in controversial mode yet again, Sydney Olympic general manager Frank Martin let fly with a stinging attack on the governing body, reminding SocAus boss Basil Scarsella until that mysterious 'five year plan' surfaced there were to be no major alterations to the structure of the national league.

This particular pot had been simmering after for almost a year, of course. The whole concept of an Auckland team had been debated for the umpteenth time through the media in March last year, when a certain David Hill was in charge, but the debate was fairly one sided - the Kings were coming.

A year is as good as an era in Australian soccer, however, and Hill's departure has again raised hope for the traditional clubs who continue to look for every conceivable angle in an effort to raise public and media opposition to the Kiwi entry. Even the question of airfares has been poo-pooed, but they were using that same argument before Perth gained admission too. To be perfectly blunt, their lack of vision is appalling.

Okay, we'll be perfectly polite. The attitude of the traditional clubs is somewhat, er, disappointing. For years they have complained about clubs being axed from the league, even using arguments such as creating a larger platform of opportunity for the youth players of this country. But at what point does the Ericsson Cup become a sheltered workshop for the traditional clubs, as opposed to genuine expansion and genuine wider community involvement?

Auckland, like Perth and northern Sydney, have a ready made market for top quality soccer. And compared to what they have been offered in the past, the Ericsson Cup represents top quality soccer. There seems no reason why (presumably) Ericsson Stadium wouldn't be packed once the Kings made it into the top half of the table. And that is perhaps what irks the traditionalists most - the vision of a Kiwi team coming in, fielding a virtual national side and dominating 'their' competition.

This selfish paranoia reminds us of Kevin Sheedy prior to the West Coast Eagles entry into the Victorian Football League. Maybe the VFL did die with their inclusion, but the AFL was born - and a much stronger competition was developed. Would it be so wrong if Australia was the pioneer of a truly Southern Pacific competition?

In case nobody has noticed, the Auckland situation has almost been forced upon us. Australian clubs have nowhere else to go. Charlie Dempsey and his family have obviously decided that an Oceania Club Championship is still not ready for the drawing board, despite FIFA's constant noises about a World Club Championship.

He may have a point. The prospect of South Melbourne or Marconi meeting Real Madrid or Cruzeiro defies imagination and until the region can produce two or three super clubs then the prospect of Brisbane or Perth meeting Inter Milan or Boca Juniors remains a daunting one.

If one of the Oceania 'super clubs turns out to be Auckland, so be it. At least it will drive the Australian clubs to higher levels. And while one long-term ramification of the Kings' entry will be to strengthen the Kiwis' national team, at least it will create a real contest in Oceania. For football to really progress in the region, we need at least a two-horse race.

Er, not withstanding that aberration last October, of course.