The A-League - how big can it get?

[Riccardo11]

I think there are enough teams in NSW for now, and while Canberra makes a strong case, you are at risk of saturating the market in one state while ignoring others.

A second team in Queensland is a given, the Fury have actually reformed (as the Northern Fury) and are looking for readmission, playing in the state league right now. Given the Pheonixs crowds (worst in the league this year and last year) and the issues with being in different confederations, it's unlikely another NZ team would be given a go, especially with how badly the Knights went.

It will be interesting to see how the FFA Cup goes.

 

[Freomaniac]

He alienated a lot of potential fans when they were starting up. It's one thing to do it to a team well established where the fans are stuck with the team, but as they were so new, many would've given them up for good.


Maybe you should actually do your research and get some facts before you post, Gold Coast averaged way more than 5k before the crowd cap was bought in. At the time their home crowds were similar to the league average.


Spoken like someone without a clue.

Gold Coast actually had decent crowds to begin with. Over 11k to a mid-week pre-season fixture (how many other teams in the A-league have done this?), over 20k to their first game and were averaging way more than 5k before the crowd cap was introduced. Fickle market yes, but the interest was clearly there to begin with. How can a crowd grow if only 5k is allowed to attend and crowds were above that before said cap? How can a team succeed if an owner restricts the growth of a fanbase so he can make a few extra bucks. If Freo/GC Suns/GWS/WSW any expansion clubs etc. were started with a 5k crowd cap at a ground that can fit way more they would've been doomed for failure as well. Who would choose to support a farcical organisation in the first place?

They didn't fail because they were based on the Gold Coast, if they did they wouldn't have got over 11k to a mid-week pre-season game. They failed because they were poorly run. They weren't a dumb investment, it was just dumb ownership.

The FFA made a massive mistake by removing both GCU and Fury after two/three seasons. If they were going to expand they should've given the teams a reasonable time to prove themselves. The AFL didn't boot the Swans despite how poor their crowds were in the early 90's, being in Sydney for over a decade at the time because they knew if they persisted and gave them a proper chance with competent ownership, they were every chance of succeeding. GWS crowds have been poor in the first two seasons, but you won't see the AFL remove them because they know that give them a proper chance and they will eventually do well.

Try again and come up with a proper argument.

Again the A-league was in a bad financial situation at the time. The whole TV rights was only worth 19 million a year from 2006-2013. The A-league cap was 2.25 million. So it was unsustainable at the time Both Fury and GCU were losing 2-3 million a year.

Under the current TV deal now at 37 million a year, they could be propped up now.

 

[Silent Alarm]

He alienated a lot of potential fans when they were starting up. It's one thing to do it to a team well established where the fans are stuck with the team, but as they were so new, many would've given them up for good.

See, how did Clive Palmer alienate people? He's a twat but his embarrassing twattery like a Dinosaur Park hadn't come in by then. He hadn't tried to show up the FFA by then. All he did was say that his franchise was going to be unbeaten and was basically boasting. How is that alienating your potential fanbase? I've never gotten a good answer. You can wax lyrical about how we in Australia purportedly love an underdog (what a load of total horseshit, by the way) but the fact is we're no different to anyone else and higher attendances correlate with more success.

How many punters would be "corrr jeez, I don't know about this A-League club, the owner reckons they'll win!"

Spoken like someone without a clue.

That's alright. I've heard your voice on the Bay 13 podcast and the way you speak and... well I won't be harsh, but I'm pretty happy with my lot actually.

Gold Coast actually had decent crowds to begin with. Over 11k to a mid-week pre-season fixture (how many other teams in the A-league have done this?), over 20k to their first game and were averaging way more than 5k before the crowd cap was introduced. Fickle market yes, but the interest was clearly there to begin with. How can a crowd grow if only 5k is allowed to attend and crowds were above that before said cap? How can a team succeed if an owner restricts the growth of a fanbase so he can make a few extra bucks. If Freo/GC Suns/GWS/WSW any expansion clubs etc. were started with a 5k crowd cap at a ground that can fit way more they would've been doomed for failure as well. Who would choose to support a farcical organisation in the first place?

They didn't fail because they were based on the Gold Coast, if they did they wouldn't have got over 11k to a mid-week pre-season game. They failed because they were poorly run. They weren't a dumb investment, it was just dumb ownership.

That's not really a great crowd all things considered...

It was a club's first competitive hit-out

They were playing Fulham – not just a Premier League club, but an alright one with one of the most well known and favoured Socceroos playing for them

The Gold Coast has a population of 600,000 people

And an hour away is a city of two million, where a few Premier League and Fulham fans would've travelled down to

I don't put any credence into that number. Sydney FC could go play a game against Cardiff City down in Wollongong and they'd ship just as many tickets. It's barely a barometer of a massive, roaring fanbase.

Who would choose to support a farcical organisation in the first place?

Clearly you. How about those Lions? Losing privileged, pampered boys, winning bupkis, slowly being eclipsed by the Suns... so maybe Queenslanders and GCU patronisers actually do enjoy supporting flawed organisations.

The FFA made a massive mistake by removing both GCU and Fury after two/three seasons. If they were going to expand they should've given the teams a reasonable time to prove themselves.

They made the mistake of expanding for the sake of it. They expanded for ego and didn't expand for economics and little deals. Typical Aussie soccer governing. Those three clubs were all redundant and pointless. I liked the Fury too but they were never a smart investment, were they? Heart are just pointless. Western Sydney has been obvious from day dot but little favours for the wise men of the East (of Sydney) never allowed for it to happen.

The Queensland expansion sides were there for the World Cup bid and not much else.

Nobody really needed them. We don't need any more A-League clubs anytime soon. That expansion was always stupid and entitled supporters should be thankful they had some s**t-kicking club.

The FFA made a massive mistake by removing both GCU and Fury after two/three seasons. If they were going to expand they should've given the teams a reasonable time to prove themselves. The AFL didn't boot the Swans despite how poor their crowds were in the early 90's, being in Sydney for over a decade at the time because they knew if they persisted and gave them a proper chance with competent ownership, they were every chance of succeeding. GWS crowds have been poor in the first two seasons, but you won't see the AFL remove them because they know that give them a proper chance and they will eventually do well.

The AFL didn't boot the Swans because there's a point to their expansion. The AFL of the 1990s is much richer than the A-League of 2014 is. The FFA couldn't organise a kid's party, let alone economically evaluate and calculate the viability of two terribly performing (off-field) clubs. It's the same reason the AFL allows your lot to continually run at a loss as well. If A-League clubs were run and owned by the A-League and members, it'd be finished – you can't compare a behemoth to the FFA.

 

[NUFC Tiger]

I think there are enough teams in NSW for now, and while Canberra makes a strong case, you are at risk of saturating the market in one state while ignoring others.

A second team in Queensland is a given, the Fury have actually reformed (as the Northern Fury) and are looking for readmission, playing in the state league right now. Given the Pheonixs crowds (worst in the league this year and last year) and the issues with being in different confederations, it's unlikely another NZ team would be given a go, especially with how badly the Knights went.

It will be interesting to see how the FFA Cup goes.

I'd like to see Fury get a second chance and maybe Wollongong as well (think they got something like 5000 fans to a pre season game?).

On a second NZ team, not sure if you saw this but there are a few folk in NZ trying (still in its very early days) to see if Auckland can sustain a team (possibly Auckland City which has an established fanbase of around 2,000).

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/soccer-football/news/article.cfm?c_id=86&objectid=11219695

Wellington's average crowds are just a bit under 9,000 which isn't too bad all things considered. They had a couple of games in the last 2 years where they've drawn 20,000 or so I think (so there is potential there if they can get it together on the pitch).

 

[____]

See, how did Clive Palmer alienate people? He's a twat but his embarrassing twattery like a Dinosaur Park hadn't come in by then. He hadn't tried to show up the FFA by then. All he did was say that his franchise was going to be unbeaten and was basically boasting. How is that alienating your potential fanbase? I've never gotten a good answer. You can wax lyrical about how we in Australia purportedly love an underdog (what a load of total horseshit, by the way) but the fact is we're no different to anyone else and higher attendances correlate with more success.

How many punters would be "corrr jeez, I don't know about this A-League club, the owner reckons they'll win!"

Already explained it in detail in my last post with the crowd cap, but if you choose to ignore that point then it's up to you. There's a good reason why you're the only one here that thinks the crowd cap wasn't a completely stupid idea.

Also it's one thing to say you'll win but it's another thing to say you'll go undefeated in your first season (would've been okay if GCU would walk the walk but they didn't get close to doing so). While people in SEQ do love a winner, they still want to feel like it's their local team and not someone's toy (many GC residents didn't go for them for that reason but have no problems going for the Suns or Titans before they self-destructed).

That's not really a great crowd all things considered...

It was a club's first competitive hit-out

A pre-season game isn't competitive. It's a practice match

They were playing Fulham – not just a Premier League club, but an alright one with one of the most well known and favoured Socceroos playing for them

Fulham - a team with a extremely small fanbase in this country (hell quite a few clubs in the Championship have a bigger fanbase than them) and a team that no-one particularly hates. Considering my previous point and that it's a pre-season practise match in the middle of the week on a cold winter, not many neutrals would go out of their way to watch that game.

But again if they were playing the champions of the Kazakhstani league, then you could say on a technicality they were playing a Champions League team.

The Gold Coast has a population of 600,000 people

The GC population will have a population of 800,000 people within a decade, currently the sixth biggest city in Australia and the fastest growing region in this country.

Could easily support an A-League team if done properly .

And an hour away is a city of two million, where a few Premier League and Fulham fans would've travelled down to

Again read my above point about the fact that Fulham don't have many fans, barely any rivals and most neutrals wouldn't go out of their way in the middle of the week on a cold night to watch a practise match, especially if it is a two hour round trip.

I don't put any credence into that number. Sydney FC could go play a game against Cardiff City down in Wollongong and they'd ship just as many tickets. It's barely a barometer of a massive, roaring fanbase.

Sydney FC also have an established fanbase as they are almost 10 years old, so a few thousand would make the trip down.

Clearly you. How about those Lions? Losing privileged, pampered boys, winning bupkis, slowly being eclipsed by the Suns... so maybe Queenslanders and GCU patronisers actually do enjoy supporting flawed organisations.

Considering I had been supporting the Lions for years before Bowers/Kelly/Johnson's destruction of our club, I'm not going to suddenly stop supporting my club. I'm not fickle. The Brisbane Lions at the time of Bowers' biggest mistake were 13 years old with another 10 years of the Bears and 100 years of Fitzroy in the V/AFL. We already had an established fanbase in Brisbane and Melbourne. 13 seasons as a merged club and 3 premierships, not a new club starting from scratch. Also the Bears didn't have many fans to begin with as they were also poorly run (like GCU was)

GC United were only a few months in their first ever season before Clive started with his crowd cap. Not many people become a established fan of a team in just a few months.

They made the mistake of expanding for the sake of it. They expanded for ego and didn't expand for economics and little deals. Typical Aussie soccer governing. Those three clubs were all redundant and pointless. I liked the Fury too but they were never a smart investment, were they? Heart are just pointless. Western Sydney has been obvious from day dot but little favours for the wise men of the East (of Sydney) never allowed for it to happen.

The Queensland expansion sides were there for the World Cup bid and not much else.

Considering Fury crowds were just below the average (with a very poor performing team, so reasonable to assume they would've been close to the average with a mid-table team) and that GCU had crowds similar to the average before the crowd cap - by using that logic every club in the A-League besides Victory and the Wanderers are "redundant and pointless".

Nobody really needed them. We don't need any more A-League clubs anytime soon. That expansion was always stupid and entitled supporters should be thankful they had some s**t-kicking club.

I did know plenty of GCU fans when they were starting up and quite a fair few wore GCU shirts around the street, so therefore "no-one needed them" was false. The expansion was stupid, not because it was on the Gold Coast, but because it was poorly managed - any new team in any code would've failed under the same circumstances - after all GCU got double the crowd that WSW did to their first ever game - difference is WSW was run well from the start and GCU wasn't. You haven't come up with a good reason why it failed because it was based on the Gold Coast rather than poor management.

The AFL didn't boot the Swans because there's a point to their expansion. The AFL of the 1990s is much richer than the A-League of 2014 is. The FFA couldn't organise a kid's party, let alone economically evaluate and calculate the viability of two terribly performing (off-field) clubs. It's the same reason the AFL allows your lot to continually run at a loss as well. If A-League clubs were run and owned by the A-League and members, it'd be finished – you can't compare a behemoth to the FFA.

There was also a point to Gold Coast (which I have already gone through in this post) and the North Queensland expansion. Obviously to expand the game (more people will watch if they have a local team to support) but North Queensland is an area that rarely every gets to see any professional sporting events in the summer - they only have the Cowboys in winter, the Fury when in the comp gave North Queenslanders an opportunity to watch live sport at the top level all year round. Cowboys get good crowds even at the bottom of the ladder, Fury crowds were decent especially considering poor on-field performances, no reason why they couldn't have succeeded.

 

[scotty13]

I think the A-league in 5years can be the number 2 sport in Australia. I believe like some other it now sits AFL, NRL, A-league, RU. On the back of another WC it can push the local soccer comp up a notch or two.
I dont think in my lifetime will A-league become number one in any city across Australia, but is likely to sit number 2 in WA, SA, and Vic, and push for number 2 in NSW, Qld, Tas, NT. If Tas or NT were to get a team or at least multiple games in their states, could push A-league to number 2 in each area.

 

[Sydneyfan]

By 2025 - 2030, it would be encouraging to see new sides, along with the existing sides, in Darwin, North Qld, Gold Coast, Wollongong, Canberra, Auckland, Geelong and Tasmania, along with an additional Melbourne team and possibly a regional team based in Albury/Wodonga drawing supporting of Northern Victoria and Riverina. I'd like to see a B-League or some form of relegation, if the majority of these developments occur between now and then, the A-League should be in good shape.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[juss]

By 2025 - 2030, it would be encouraging to see new sides, along with the existing sides, in Darwin, North Qld, Gold Coast, Wollongong, Canberra, Auckland, Geelong and Tasmania, along with an additional Melbourne team and possibly a regional team based in Albury/Wodonga drawing supporting of Northern Victoria and Riverina. I'd like to see a B-League or some form of relegation, if the majority of these developments occur between now and then, the A-League should be in good shape.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I counted 10 extra teams you've listed there. In 10-15 years? That's almost 1 new team per year. No way the league has the funds, talent or interest yet to maintain that growth. Adding an extra two teams over the next decade would be a good result. Another QLD team a Tassie team would be good. Tassie don't have a team of their own in any major Aussie sport, I reckon the locals would flock to one even if the game isn't huge their yet.

 

[BORK]

The free to air ratings for the grand final(match itself and not including foxtel) were only 2000 in Perth and 9000 in Adelaide. The Derby was on in WA. A lack of interest from neutrals that should concern the FFA.

 

[____]

The free to air ratings for the grand final(match itself and not including foxtel) were only 2000 in Perth and 9000 in Adelaide. The Derby was on in WA. A lack of interest from neutrals that should concern the FFA.

Worth noting the Grand Final is on one hour delay on FTA. Wouldn't blame a football fan who doesn't have pay TV if they decided to go watch at a pub or watch an online stream.

For the Socceroos WC qualifiers last year I watched it online because I didn't want to wait an hour

 

[BORK]

Worth noting the Grand Final is on one hour delay on FTA. Wouldn't blame a football fan who doesn't have pay TV if they decided to go watch at a pub or watch an online stream.

For the Socceroos WC qualifiers last year I watched it online because I didn't want to wait an hour

The free to air audience for the game was still more than 3 quarters the size of the foxtel audience. I have not seen any city by city breakdowns for the foxtel audience though.

 

[FISTO]

See, how did Clive Palmer alienate people? He's a twat but his embarrassing twattery like a Dinosaur Park hadn't come in by then. He hadn't tried to show up the FFA by then. All he did was say that his franchise was going to be unbeaten and was basically boasting. How is that alienating your potential fanbase? I've never gotten a good answer. You can wax lyrical about how we in Australia purportedly love an underdog (what a load of total horseshit, by the way) but the fact is we're no different to anyone else and higher attendances correlate with more success..

He told them that Podolski is better then Bale.

 

[Mister_A]

4 new clubs over the next 9 years though wouldn't be too far of a reach I would have thought. If the Socceroos can turn things around and get a lot of people excited by football again (like the 06 vintage achieved), it would go a long way to helping grow the code here. Constant, year on year improvement for crowds and more big name imports coming from abroad would all show the league continuing to blossom.

Cannot overstate this point enough. The Socceroo's draw must have had the A-League clubs crying more than the FFA. If they somehow manage to break into the final 16 in Brazil the A-League would have a massive boost in fans, but that is just so unlikely it isn't really worth even hoping for.

 

[NUFC Tiger]

Definitely right! I think if the Socceroos give a good account of themselves in Brazil, it will help reinvigorate some interest in the game. Back in 2006, so many people tuned in to watching the games and it really caught the nation's imagination. If the Socceroos can do something similar, you'll probably see a nice boost to the A League next season.

Further to that, Australia is hosting the Asian Cup next year so if we can build some momentum and get some points on board with the local media/casual fans, it will hopefully build hype up for that tournament which can also help the A League by keeping the code in the limelight.

I hope it doesn't happen purely as a token gesture but it would be good to see Ange including a few local based players in the final squad. I think he should and will choose the best team he can but if the A League can have a bit of representation (and those players get some game time), it would also help give the local league a bit of credibility against the cynics who dismiss it on the basis that 'most of the national team/best players ply their trade in Europe therefore the A League is an irrelevant league/not worth following etc'.

 

[wally funk]

Australia will be lucky to get a single point at the World Cup. We are that far behind our group opponents. Better to pin our hopes on a top four finish or better at the Asian Cup, and being held locally will obviously create a boost in interest, but particularly if we do well. It's just a shame there aren't more Socceroos playing in the A-League so that interest in particular players in the World Cup or Asian Cup could follow on more easily - recognisably - into the League.

As for whether or not there should be more A-League teams, I think it's a fine number for now. It's not exactly a good look internationally if clubs continually form and fold. Let the existing clubs settle for a while longer - ten years or so - and only then, if interest/crowds/ratings have grown considerably, should there be any need for any more sides.

 

[BORK]

Even if the Socceroos get hammered in every game there will be a slight boost this season because of the amount of high quality association football on free to air television to promote the game (plus no Ashes). Some posters here need to keep it in their pants though. The A League crowds thread in the gap between footy and cricket season was embarrassing followed by a near deathly silence from then on.

 

[mcuzzy]

I want to see the A-League become something much bigger than it is, but I'm not fussed with comparing it to our other sports, as long as it stays alive and strong.

 

[Zidane98]

I'd like to see the 10 current clubs get at least 5 more years to well and truly establish themselves. If any additional clubs were to be added one would need to be Townsville (done properly this time) and one of Canberra/Wollongong/Auckland.

 

[Freomaniac]

The free to air ratings for the grand final(match itself and not including foxtel) were only 2000 in Perth and 9000 in Adelaide. The Derby was on in WA. A lack of interest from neutrals that should concern the FFA.

Worth noting the Grand Final is on one hour delay on FTA. Wouldn't blame a football fan who doesn't have pay TV if they decided to go watch at a pub or watch an online stream.

For the Socceroos WC qualifiers last year I watched it online because I didn't want to wait an hour

Ratings for the A-league grand final....

Foxtel: Average rating for the 1st 90 minutes: 291,000
Average rating for Post game (extra time): 369,000

SBS: Average rating for the 1st 90 minutes: 223,000
Average rating for Post game (extra time): 301,000

Overall, 772,000 watched SBS 2’s coverage based on “five-minute consecutive reach viewing”.

If ratings were measured on people watched the game for 5 consecutive minutes, it means that over 1 million people in total watched it on Foxtel and SBS.

 

[jatz14]

Ratings for the A-league grand final....

Foxtel: Average rating for the 1st 90 minutes: 291,000
Average rating for Post game (extra time): 369,000

SBS: Average rating for the 1st 90 minutes: 223,000
Average rating for Post game (extra time): 301,000

Overall, 772,000 watched SBS 2’s coverage based on “five-minute consecutive reach viewing”.

If ratings were measured on people watched the game for 5 consecutive minutes, it means that over 1 million people in total watched it on Foxtel and SBS.

No ratings expert, but doesnt that mean that 500 000 watched the 1st 90 min, and 670 000 (including presumably the 500 000 that watched the 1st 90) watched the extra time.
You can only get over 1 mill if you assume the people that watched the 1st 90 min stopped watching and a different group of people then watched the extra time

 

[Freomaniac]

No ratings expert, but doesnt that mean that 500 000 watched the 1st 90 min, and 670 000 (including presumably the 500 000 that watched the 1st 90) watched the extra time.
You can only get over 1 mill if you assume the people that watched the 1st 90 min stopped watching and a different group of people then watched the extra time

As I said around 1 million different TVs watched the A-league for 5 continuous minutes.

Still as for the other ratings, 300,000 people watching the A-league grand final on foxtel isnt bad.

 

[NUFC Tiger]

Read this article a few days ago. A few interesting suggestions for possible expansion.

"Re-born franchises
For supporters of North Queensland and the Gold Coast, this expansion project will come too soon. There’s no doubt both should be revisited in the future, especially North Queensland, but the dust hasn’t settled sufficiently for either to make a successful comeback yet.

Overseas
A Singapore side has been mentioned in various circles, but again it’s too soon to look at expanding the competition outside Australia. While such a venture would promise a massive market, great publicity and plentiful opportunities for owners and sponsors, it doesn’t make sense.

Given the FFA Cup has finally been given a green light, expanding to Singapore would put question marks over NPL sides with ambitions for gaining national recognition.

The A-League, ideally, should eventually move to a relegation and promotion system. It’s a long way off, and may be fanciful, but introducing a Singapore side would kill such dreams.

A third Sydney or Melbourne side
Barring a relocation of the Central Coast Mariners to north shore Sydney, which I’ll reiterate is not my suggestion or wish, the A-League should not be looking to expand in the country’s two most populous cities.

There have been suggestions that Sydney’s south is David Gallop’s next target, with certain areas feeling left out of other footy codes. But there are brighter prospects elsewhere for the next expansion plan.

While the populations alone make the cities appealing, Sydney FC has its own on-field problems to sort out without dealing with more competition, and Melbourne City needs a chance to establish a solid fan-base. Once those clubs have sorted everything out, then Sydney and Melbourne can flirt with ideas of a third club.

A rival for Brisbane
A second Brisbane team is a must, or a side that represents the southern part of the city and the encompassing areas such as Ipswich, Logan and even Toowoomba.

The western corridor was labeled as the “next big thing” by Gallop during his tenure as NRL chief executive. It would result in another derby, giving the Brisbane Roar a new rival without taking away its supporters.

The area from Logan to Toowoomba has strong roots in the game, and Logan in particular is a traditional football city. Could the South Brisbane Strikers be a viable candidate, perhaps playing out of the old ANZ Stadium? It’s definitely not ideal to stage games in a multi-purpose, but it’s the next best solution behind constructing a purpose-built stadium.

How the second Brisbane team would be established, including its catchment area, stadium and home base, would be a tough call. But it’s an area the FFA should strongly consider.

Entering football heartland
Wollongong can feel aggrieved to have been left out of the FFA’s expansion plans so far. They have a strong history in football, had a successful side playing in the old National Soccer League, and were never in financial strife until the breakup of the competition.

They have been constantly overlooked, and now is the time to get them on board. The support base would be there, the passion would be there and the infrastructure would also satisfy A-League requirements.

A big crowd at the South Coast Wolves’ FFA Cup round of 32 clash against the Central Coast Mariners on August 20 is a perfect chance for the Wollongong population to show their intent in getting A-League football to the region.

Bring football to the capital
Canberra is another potential candidate to fill one of the two expansion spots. While they already have rugby league, cricket, union and basketball in a region that has a population of 400,000, the A-League has one massive advantage over the other football codes.

They have the Australian summer all to themselves.

There is no reason why a population the size of Canberra cannot support a trio of football codes. They also have an established W-League side, the only one not affiliated with an A-League representative. Moving into Canberra would help grow the game at a grassroots level and assist the women’s game.

Out of the three most viable options – Canberra, Wollongong and South/West Brisbane – it’s hard to pick two winners. Each candidate has its own reasons to be one of the next teams to join the A-League, and it’s not an easy decision."

http://www.theroar.com.au/2014/08/1...um=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+theroar+(The+Roar)

 

[hey shorty]

Adelaide City are making a big push. Have to say it would be the biggest mistake the FFA could make.

 

[Beetlebum]

I don't think Adelaide or Perth can genuinely sustain a 2nd A-League team in the short to medium term. We average about 7-8k for crowds so that's either going to dwindle or the new team will struggle to pull a crowd large enough to remain viable. Either way there's no way Perth can sustain 2 teams, if they didn't think we could handle 2 teams during the 90's NSL days when Glory crowds were all over 12,000 there's no chance these days.

Canberra is the one that has always bugged me, I can't think of any league in the world where the capital city has no representative.

Agree with the point they make on overseas expansion, though having a team from New Zealand means we're already there.

South coast seems a no brainer to me, instead of the 3rd Sydney team they've proposed.

 

[NUFC Tiger]

I definitely reckon Wollongong would have to be a serious contender if the FFA want to expand (certainly prefer that to Melbourne or Sydney getting third sides). Would Brisbane be able to support a second club?

The Singapore team is an interesting idea - would presumably bring in quite a bit of commercial revenue/opportunities for the game.

Would be great to have a Canberra team but I think traditionally, they've struggled for crowds? With a stand alone W League side, perhaps (like the Fury having a Youth League team) might be a potential foundation for a team in future.