Under the spotlight - Andy Costigan, 13th September 2006

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On Wednesday September 13th, Richard Allan caught up with the Phoenix General Manager Andy Costigan to get his views on the team, the rink and the fixtures that lay ahead.

Richard Allan:
You've been the Phoenix Media Director since pretty much day one, and recently you've been announced as the new Phoenix General Manager. What does the GM position entail, and how much has it added to your workload?

Andy Costigan:
Well, the number of phone calls and e-mails I'm now getting has doubled if not trebled since my GMship was announced (laughs). As well as dealing with matters around the team, I'm handling a fair percentage of all the primary contact with the league over our situation. This of course intensified significantly with the news we all learned of together the other Sunday evening. I know some people may still think that we knew in advance - nothing could be further from the truth and the pressure on us all has certainly increased as we try to bring things into line whereby we can play to our original fixture list albeit it in alternate venues. I've always been Neil's deputy at Elite League Board Meetings and so some of the extra responsibility was kind of already in place. as for the Media side of things, the interest has indeed increased as newspapers, radio stations and TV all want to know what the latest is and what's happening next.

RA:
You're working closely with Phoenix Coach Tony Hand, and you've now had the chance to see the team he's put together in action on the ice. What are your initial thoughts on the Phoenix squad?

AC:
I have to say, and I stress this is only my opinion, that I think Tony has done a terrific job recruiting the group of players we now have here with our club. Right from the moment they signed paperwork and my dialogue with them began, I began to get really good feelings about the character of this squad. Kurt Kleinendorst used to say he'd take a little less to get a little more and by that he meant if he made up in the character side of a player what the player might lack in speed or skill, he'd take the character guy every time. And when the players began arriving in what was a hectic and stressful weekend, and we began to break the news that the rink was not quite on schedule (before the Sunday announcement), not one and I mean not one of them gave so much of a hint of "well, I don't wanna be here..." You could see in their faces that, "well, if this is the deal, then this is the deal." In fact some of them admitted they'd been in similar if not worse situations elsewhere so the "que sera, sera - whatever will be, will be" ethic came right to the forefront.

Then you have to throw in that four of them lost baggage on their inbound flights and in particular, Scott Basiuk was almost a week without everything he'd started out with... and not one word of complaint or moaning about how things were, not one word!! Sure, they were on the phone asking for updates on their baggage etc, but I mean it, not once did any of them complain and that speaks even more for their character in my eyes. As for the playing side of things, as I said in my little round-up earlier, I think on the practice schedule they'd had and everything else, three points out of four from two games on the road was a terrific start.

RA:
This past weekend, the eagle-eyed would have spotted you helping out on the Phoenix bench during the game against Hull Stingrays. What is your role on an away match night?

AC:
Dead simple Richard, I'll do whatever I can to help our team succeed short of knobbling the opposition (laughs). Firstly on game nights, you have to put aside personal considerations - there is no I in team!  Things that any individual doesn't like go out of the window in the bigger picture of making things right for the team to perform to their best!

I deal with all the necessary administrative things. I'll talk to the host club officials, I'll liaise with the match officials and the relevant matchnight personnel and then get on with whatever needs doing around the team. If that means filling water bottles, I'll find the tap. If that means mixing the drinks, I'll mix the drinks. I'll tape sticks, I'll do whatever I can and as quickly as I can. We have a good understanding amongst the off-ice staff, we all work together and it too is a team effort. I'm personally very lucky that my long-suffering - my words, not hers  - missus who puts up with all my tantrums (and I have been known to throw a few in my time), is always on hand to pitch in if I get tied up in something for longer than usual. After the game, it's a case of liaising again with all those I spoke to before the game ensuring we get the game video or DVD, the game sheets, checking with the referee over any disciplinary issues and if necessary arranging any medical attention for any Phoenix player who has taken a knock etc. Then I get round to dealing with media things like phoning through radio and newspaper reports. Then it's back to helping Paul with the equipment if needed and ensuring that the team leave the host building in good time for the bus and in good order for the host club.

RA:
The news of the delay in opening our home rink came as quite a blow to the fans. How has the prospect of playing on the road until the end of November affected the team?

AC:
In a strange way, with almost no effect. As the guys signed for the Phoenix, we didn't try to hoodwink anyone about where we were with the building. as soon as we knew it would not be on time we kept the guys informed. We told them as soon as we knew that a couple of home games would likely have to be played at alternate venues and to be honest when I got to the Sports Cafe late that Sunday evening after another trip to the airport... to hear the news that Neil had only just been told, momentarily my heart sank. Going straight into the room where the players in attendance were waiting and hearing the news for themselves I was stunned by their reaction... or should I say lack of it. They were marvellous, simply marvellous. They took the news on the chin and you could just sense them rolling up their sleeves. Hence my line when introducing them of "when the going gets tough, the tough get going." Our team had already displayed their colours in those few short minutes and I think the fans who were there could see that.

Nobody wants to have to be playing as many games as we're now likely to in buildings other than our own but hey, the option was to say, "thanks fellas, here's a months money to tide you over while you find a new club cos, we're mothballing again” - how do you think that would have gone down with the players and the fans?  Like the proverbial lead zeppelin I suspect!

RA:
 Having no home rink until the end of November must also put an additional strain on the supporting staff, would you agree?

AC:
And in ways that I think some people may not be able to imagine. Take for instance Paul Turner our Equipment Manager - he's responsible for the upkeep of all the players equipment, their sticks, skates, pads, body armour, laundry etc. Have you ever tried washing and drying 16 sets of sweaty - and I mean sweaty - undergarments?

During the summer, Paul bought new heavy-duty washing machines and dryers all ready to go into the new rink - those machines are currently in storage 'cos we haven't got a rink! Paul therefore has two options - visit a local launderette to Deeside and spend a large chunk of his day watching the washing go round and round... or take it home and do it himself! Then there's the drying... then there's the shorts and pads, gloves and skates to be dried, and it's not an easy or quick process, you can't stick 16 sets of hockey shorts in your standard airing cupboard!

And all this after loading and unloading the equipment van prior to getting to training and then having to do it all in reverse again when he gets home. Sixteen sets of kit to be manhandled as well as the skate grinder, our own physio table, the stick bags and a myriad of other things like the tool boxes etc. And while everything is either washing or drying, he gets on with equipment repairs and renewals - scouring the hockey suppliers for the best deals to make the most of his budget and save the club some money. Paul is a marvel as just like the players, there is never a word of negativity or complaint - he justs gets on with it and invariably with a smile... a quality bloke and we should be thankful that we have him as part of our club!

RA:
The revised fixtures have been published, with surprisingly little disruption to the game dates but some changes to the face off times. Why have the face offs been moved?

AC:
This one is painfully simple to answer Richard.

With no home rink till the end of November, we've had to beg, borrow and practically steal ice time from other venues and as a result other clubs and teams. We may be a bmibaby Elite League club, but when you need help in order to fulfil your fixture obligations, you simply have to take what's on offer as status counts for nothing. There is simply no other explanation and in fact, we have done fantastically well to keep to our original fixture list at all.

None of us wanted to be facing-off at 8.15pm on a Sunday but, there is no alternative. What would people have us do - cancel games, forfeit points? No chance! And so we've got the ice to make the fixtures and we've got times that, whilst not perfect, are workable. The possibility of another fixtures meeting to accommodate our situation, and indeed that of Cardiff, was a non-starter so if we'd had to move dates, we would have had little option.

Our primary aim was NOT to have to re-arrange fixtures and the only way to achieve that was to take whatever ice time we could get at whatever venue. Having said all that, I really want to go on record with thanking the teams at Deeside and Ice Sheffield for moving some of their own fixtures and face off times in order to help us as much as they could possibly be expected to. And the officials of the EIHA have also come up trumps in assisting them to assist us... never let it be said that the various bodies within British ice hockey don't or can't work together - they can, they do and they have!

RA:
Our first 'home' game is just over a week away, with the Phoenix taking on Sheffield Steelers at Deeside on Sunday 24th September. How much are you personally looking forward to that game?

AC:
Games against the Steelers are always high on my list of favourites. They are our closest rivals, it is a re-kindling of the War of the Roses, and it does give Simmsey and me the chance to banter like crazy... not that we don't every single day of the year anyway, but next week will see the 'abuse' cranked up three or four notches... and a lot of it isn't for the most delicate of ears let me tell you (laughs).

The Steelers have put together what looks a good squad since Dave Whistle left them somewhat in the lurch and Dave Matsos took up the reins and we know we'll be in tough games that weekend as we're in Sheffield on the Saturday don't forget... as if you had (laughs). I'm sure Thommo and Hewey will relish going up against the Phoenix having stayed on t'other side of the hills, I'm sure they'll get a good welcome too but, they're Steelers now and OUR players deserve and will get a much better reception !!

RA:
The Phoenix fans have been very supportive of the club all through the mothballing and now out on the road.  Have you got a message that you'd like to give to the Phoenix Faithful?:

AC:
Yes please Richard, there are a few things I'd like to add - some serious, some not so.

Firstly, I 'd like to say on behalf of the club and the team that the fans support is unbelievably appreciated, without the loyalty of our fans, this club would not be here today!

We all know what the prospect of the next couple of months means. More travelling for training for the players and the off-ice staff and more travelling for the fans to get to games - we apologise profusely for the additional costs the fans may incur and if we could have prevented all this, we sure as hell would have done. We know money is tight for everyone, not least the club. Running a team at this level is expensive, bloody expensive - pardon my language - somewhere in the region of £100,000 each and every month and that in itself puts us in a situation where we were looking at needing 2000 people per game in the new rink had it been ready now.

The 'loss' of the first ten home games means we have had to submit new business plans to the banks and investors, and work even harder to secure increased commercial sponsorship. Allowing for the successful acceptance of the new plans and additional sponsorship etc, we are still looking at a potential shortfall and once again the owner, Neil Morris, is looking at picking up those costs. And let me tell you, those costs are considerable - you and I would have walked away from this long ago had that kind of financial burden fallen on our shoulders and Neil has stuck at it and is continuing to do so.

The man is solid gold - crazy as a barrel-load of monkeys but, solid gold and anyone who thinks he's making money from this club is quite frankly in cloud-cuckoo land. I've told him on more than one occassion to beware of men with strait-jackets approaching from the rear but he won't be shaken from his absolute conviction that Manchester wants an ice sports facility and that the people of Manchester want a professional ice hockey team and a club to be proud of.

In terms of everything we've talked about Richard, it's kind of all been focussed on the Phoenix hasn't it - and so at this point, I want to stress that everything I've said so far goes for the Junior Programme and the three teams that we have in place there. They too have had to find alternate training venues, they too have had to cajole and plead with other teams to alter their fixtures and face-off times and they have had to cajole and plead with parents to do the smelly laundry, drive the players hither and thither to practices and games and again, not a word of complaint.

This is an AWESOME club. That word is grossly overused in modern day life but the efforts being put in by everyone to sustain and indeed grow this organisation are approaching superhuman. Four sets of players, all practicing and playing out of venues they can't call home, a support staff of equipment managers, parents and off-ice staff all putting an incredible amount of extra time in and a management team working it's reproductive organs off to bring us all what we hopefully all want - a vibrant, successful, growing ice hockey club that the rest of the country can grow to envy. And what part can the fans play in all of this - please, KEEP THE FAITH and come to as many games as you can to support your Phoenix teams and your club, your efforts too are nothing short of awesome and together we can and will prevail.

You can interrupt me if you like Richard, my throats going dry... oh no you don't (laughs)... there's more.

We're re-introducing Club Phoenix with an enhanced list of benefits to all members in terms of discounts at the Sports Cafe, club merchandise - once the rink shop is fully open and operational - car insurance, and a whole range of other incentives that we're currently finalising. We've extended the time period for purchasing season tickets as in the smaller venues till Altrincham finally opens, the only guaranteed way of securing a seat may well be through purchasing a season ticket... such is the demand we're getting from the visiting clubs for tickets for their own fans who want to travel to Phoenix 'home' games.

We know it's hard and we know it's more expensive than any of us envisaged but, there really was no alternative. When Neil and I approached the Elite League just over two years ago to ask for a period of mothballing - the agreement was for two years as at that time we were relatively confident that a new building could be put in place in sufficient time. In other words, had we not gone ahead this year, we might have stood to lose our Elite League status. With the Altrincham site secured around New Year, it was full steam ahead... or so we thought.

Had we dreamt that the building would be delayed to the extent it has been, we might never have gone forward this year.

We believed because we were and still are sure that the fans wanted Phoenix hockey to return.  We believed and we still believe this is absolutely the right thing to have done rather than risk all by sitting out another year.  We believe that despite the need to renew business plans and budgets and the time spent convincing banks and investors to stick with us; that despite all the ticketing traumas; that despite the countless hours spent fighting our corner and securing the support of sponsors etc that this club WILL prevail, WILL grow and WILL succeed and we want the fans to be able and proud to say they were there with us ALL the way.  We believe that with the fans support, with the fans faith and with the fans belief that kept them with us over two years of inactivity - that we can overcome this period of difficulty and come out of it stronger and more battle-hardened.

As I said at the Sports Cafe, "When the going gets tough, the tough get going..." and Manchester Phoenix fans have proved their toughness in staying the course this far, all we can ask is stay with it a while longer, this dark cloud WILL have a silver lining!

Andy Costigan was interviewed on Wednesday 13th September 2006

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