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Once said to be the biggest city in the world without a professional soccer team, the arrival of Auckland FC in the A-Leagues changes all that.
The grass is mowed, the stands will be packed, the players are all available and Steve Corica is a happy man ahead of Auckland FC's A-League Men arrival.
The expansion club play their inaugural match on Saturday when Brisbane Roar arrive at Mt Smart Stadium.
More than 21,000 tickets have been sold, with expectations of a sellout to herald the return of a professional football club to the city, 17 years after the New Zealand Knights folded.
It's sure to be an emotional occasion for Auckland's football faithful, starved of a team of their own for so long.
"It's a real history moment," Corica said on Friday.
"You can see by the amount of people that's going to turn up tomorrow, that it does mean a lot.
"They haven't had a team here for a long time ... and it's up to us to put on performances for him to keep wanting to come back.
"A full house is going to be amazing. I think the boys will really respond to that."
Crucially for Corica, he enjoys full availability from his squad, with Joe Champness returning to training on Friday, and only Colombian winger Neyder Moreno not considered as he arrived earlier in the week.
"Everyone's 100 per cent fit. So that's very good," Corica said.
Unlike the Knights - who folded in 2017 after two seasons and two wooden spoons - Auckland FC look set to contend.
One of those in the stands will be the man that made it happen: American billionaire Bill Foley.
Foley bought the license last year and has used his wealth and connections from elsewhere in his sporting empire to super-charge the new entrants.
His first moves were appointing two seasoned winners to key football posts: Corica as coach and Terry McFlynn, his fellow Sydney FC alumni, as football director.
"Everything has come together really well, I really believe we have an outstanding football staff," Foley told AAP.
"We're investing in our players, and we're investing in the staff, and trying to be a first class operation."
Auckland FC have piggybacked knowledge another of Foley's clubs - Premier League side Bournemouth - to help build what looks like a competitive team from season one.
"If we needed anything, or wanted to know about a (scouted) player, or what their players are doing, training-wise ... we got all this shared data, which is fantastic," Corica said.
Corica visited the English club prior to signing with the Black Knights and was impressed - but insists they won't be a cookie-cutter club.
"We've got our own ideas about how we want to play the game," he said.
The trip across the Tasman also marks a new start for Brisbane, with Ruben Zadkovich beginning his first full season in charge.
The Roar - who haven't won a final since 2017 - moved on 13 players in the off-season including captain Tom Aldred, signing almost as many.
Lebanon midfielder Walid Shour and Indonesian winger Rafael Struick are eye-catching acquisitions that will also enjoy their first taste of the league in Auckland.
