Wellington Phoenix coach Ernie Merrick believes his side will be part of the future of the A-League, despite recent setbacks.
Despite the FFA's refusal to grant Wellington a ten year licence extension, Merrick is unwavering in his belief that the Phoenix can be part of the future of the A-league.
"I don't think there will be any problems whatsoever," Merrick said on Tuesday.
"I think the FFA will continue to do a good job in building up this league. That's what they have done up until now.
"This league now competes with the best leagues in Asia, certainly the J-League (Japan) and the K-League (Korea) are doing well.
"I think the A-League will continue to progress and we'll be a part of that."
FFA has stated that growing the league to 14 teams is at the top of the agenda, despite Wellington seemingly out of future plans.
"We're getting a lot of good publicity out of it and great support," the former Melbourne Victory coach said.
"That's the silver lining isn't it? That you discover how much support you've got, the number of people that really want to come and watch.
"And A-League clubs and their fans know that we're going to really put in a good performance of attacking football."
