Dunedin football fans may have to be content with watching the Wellington Phoenix on television next season.
The Phoenix announced yesterday it would play ''home'' A-League games in Napier and Christchurch.
The round three match on October 27 against the Newcastle Jets will be played at McLean Park, and the round five match against the Perth Glory will be played on November 9 at AMI Stadium.
Dunedin has hosted three Phoenix games. The first, a pre-season game in August 2011, was a massive success, attracting a remarkable crowd of more than 15,000.
The second (December 2011, 4600) and third (March 2013, 3000) were full A-League clashes but struggled to fill seats at Forsyth Barr Stadium.
However, there were mitigating circumstances. The second game was held close to Christmas, with students out of town, and the third was in the middle of a hectic time for the stadium.
If not a full A-League clash, it is possible the Phoenix could look at a pre-season game in Dunedin.
Dunedin Venues Management Ltd chief executive Darren Burden said there had been ''initial discussions'' with the Phoenix about a match at the stadium, but nothing had been agreed.
There is a suggestion the Phoenix will play a game a season in Christchurch for the next three years, schedules permitting.
''Vbase in Christchurch, who run AMI Stadium, approached us with the idea of us playing regularly in Christchurch,'' Phoenix general manager David Dome said.
''Our past games in Christchurch have been excellent and we wanted to show our support for the Garden City as the rebuild gets under way.''
The final game in the Phoenix's 2013-14 schedule still to be confirmed is the round 17 match on February 1.
The venue for this game is partly dependent on the availability of Westpac Stadium due to the Indian cricket team's tour of New Zealand.
