A-League The A-League Expansion Thread

A-League

Do you support expansion

  • Yes, for the good of the league

    Votes: 65 82.3%
  • No, the league is fine the way it is

    Votes: 14 17.7%

  • Total voters
    79
Apr 12, 2012
45,989
41,667
AFL Club
GWS

PREMIER Peter Gutwein has set his sights on getting a state-based A-League soccer team as the clock ticks down on his ultimatum with the AFL.

Mr Gutwein says no national sporting competition is complete without a Tasmanian team.

Buoyed by the state’s entry into the National Basketball League, Mr Gutwein said it was a point of pride for Tasmanian sport.
 
Nov 20, 2011
6,253
5,909
South Australia
AFL Club
Port Adelaide
Other Teams
Portsmouth
Good, they should of been in instead of WU.

Regarding Western United, I can't see them lasting too long the way they are. No permanent home ground (yet) and there are some calls to send them down to Tasmania.

Goes along with the rumoured Manchester United takeover of Central Coast which would see them relocated to Sydney / North Sydney
 
May 5, 2006
62,726
70,017
AFL Club
West Coast
Canberra Cosmos great, but the league won't be complete until they reinstate Eastern Pride.

Expansion in NSW seems to have followed some kind of pattern. Sydney -> Western Sydney -> Macarthur (SW of Sydney, in case Andrew Embley reads BigFooty). Given there were already teams in Newcastle and Central Coast it makes sense to target those geographic regions.

Expansion in Victoria is... interesting? Victory, generic and successful. Victorian colours, V on the jersey etc. Heart/City, generic and just an unsuccessful Victory lite and now another generic Man City feeder club. Western United are supposedly going to play in a purpose build stadium in Wyndham, but currently play in Geelong, AAMI Park, Ballarat, Tassie, wherever... Melbourne is more centralised than Sydney. If you lived anywhere East of Truganina wouldn't you just go for Victory or City? It's not like there's a team in Bundoora and another in Dandenong.
 

Pacman82

Premiership Player
Oct 24, 2011
4,431
4,678
Earth
AFL Club
Brisbane Lions
Other Teams
SMFC | Celtics
Can't imagine much talent wanting to base themselves there, Canberra could barely field a team in the old NSL.
 
Jun 24, 2011
26,141
16,337
Adelaide
AFL Club
Carlton
Other Teams
ΠΓΣΣ LFC Sturt Steelers Nix
Not sure how credible these guys are, But I found this tweet scrolling through my twitter. Interesting, It's good knowing that the APL are looking ahead at least.


Here's hoping Western United turns into Canberra United and loses their current identity 🤞
 

acm21

Club Legend
May 7, 2019
2,683
1,379
AFL Club
Essendon
WUFC are goneskis surely without the promissed stadium.
Considering wufc are bankrolling Newcastle, I think they will be fine.


It seemed the plan was always to combine the wleague and aleague sides, especially with the y league side is connected with the wleague side. I would think this would be an expansion and not in place of another side. Depending on how the deals happen, another side could easily come on board.
 
May 13, 2012
15,809
5,960
AFL Club
GWS
Other Teams
Brumbies, Socceroos
May 30, 2006
17,516
10,292
Canberra
AFL Club
North Melbourne
And yet they can hold up a very popular NRL and Women's W League team without issue
The Raiders (and Brumbies) only really get popular when having decent seasons, and both (especially Brumbies) have times when they face pressure on their existence. And of course, the W-League is a very different beast budget-wise.
That said, of the areas without A-League teams Canberra would probably be the most likely. Unlike for example, Hobart there is a rectangular stadium of sufficient standard and capacity, and quite possibly a new one would get built next to Civic if three teams were using it (its unlikely the W-League side would move there full time).

Its not really my game, but should A-League expansion be the priority, or getting a second division up and promoting from there? With no relegation until both the A-League reaches 16 teams. With two up each year that would only take two years and give the clubs a chance to get going before hitting the big league.
And would the second division be new "franchise" type teams, or existing clubs? If existing clubs, with relegation back to the NPL possible once the second tier hit a reasonable size? Or a closed two tier-system? The full pyramid would cause all kinds of chaos with NPLs in each state. and necessitate a move to a winter league. Even the second tier with promotion/relegation would be problematic with salary caps, etc.
 
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