The Western United Thread

Jul 5, 2011
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FFA happy with Western United despite stadium delays | The World Game

Western United's in-your-face attitude and industrial A-League brand has met with head office approval but there's growing uncertainty about a move-in date for their new stadium.
The new A-League club, which announced Mark Rudan as coach last week, will begin life next season and play out of Geelong's GMHBA Stadium while building a privately-owned venue in Tarneit.
Club officials publicly maintain they'll set up house for the 2021-22 season but that prospect is growing more remote.
Almost six months on from winning the bid with ambitious promises of fast-tracked permits, there's been no turning of soil, as project managers deal with on-site issues.
Chief executive Maurice Bisetto said the club wasn't ready to give up on it and was carrying on its stadium design while navigating the planning process.
"It is an optimistic timetable but we're still on track to achieve that," he told AAP.
"We have a lot of stakeholders working hard with us to achieve that goal."
FFA chief Greg O'Rourke said he was comfortable with the progress, saying they'd banked on a 2022-23 move-in.
"I've seen project plans, the drawings, they're all recently dated with all the different work going on," he said.
"They're keeping me up to speed with all the challenges ... when we speak to the project people from the Council, they all remain ambitious."
A privately-funded stadium was central to FFA's decision to award Western United the A-League licence.
Bisetto said GMHBA Stadium would make an "absolutely great" interim home for at least eight of their 13 home games.
"In so far as playing football on an oval, it would be one of the better ones in the country to play on," he said.
Discussions with Mars Stadium in Ballarat and other venues are ongoing to house the club's remaining fixtures.
Rudan made a splash on his arrival at the club, saying the established Melbourne Victory-Melbourne City derby lacked atmosphere.
O'Rourke said he welcomed the added spice.
"It's exactly what we need to do," he said.
"When I was speaking to Melbourne City throughout (the expansion) process, they were asking me 'why are you putting another team in Melbourne when there are already two?' I said, 'putting a third one in will make you better'," he said.
"I like Western United's approach as being a working-class team ... being industrial.
"That will be a point of difference between them and the other two teams in Victoria.
"Them and the Wanderers returning to their new stadium are two really exciting good news stories for the A-League."
O'Rourke said Western United had met all of its license payments, which translates to sending more than $15 million to FFA coffers.

https://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/ffa...adium-delays?cid=football:socialshare:twitter

I'm telling ya this stadium is way way off! If it happens at all!
Working class team.. huh? they are spruiking that s**t now? lol when based in an area with no industry or people around! Full of sh!t!
 
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Bomberboyokay

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Wow Tarneit plan going nowhere. Didn't see that coming...

Not a fan of western united. If I didn't know the league I'd be saying west of what?
Western Melbourne should have been the obvious choice. Tsk.
Was keen to support them but can't get behind a name like that

Western Melbourne could be an odd name for a Geelong team.
 
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Jul 5, 2011
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Alessandro Diamanti signs up

Got a decent left peg on him, hopefully he can provide some value for the team and league

That's a very good signing he'll tear it up here, I remember when we we wanted to sign him but the FFA rejected it because he didn't fit their "Marquee fund metrics"
 
Jun 27, 2013
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That's a very good signing he'll tear it up here, I remember when we we wanted to sign him but the FFA rejected it because he didn't fit their "Marquee fund metrics"
You're a Napoli fan too yeah?

He always seemed to play as a right forward whenever he played for the Azzurri, wonder if that'll be his role here too, or if he'll play as a number 10?
 
Jul 5, 2011
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You're a Napoli fan too yeah?

He always seemed to play as a right forward whenever he played for the Azzurri, wonder if that'll be his role here too, or if he'll play as a number 10?

Sempre Napoli mate :thumbsu:

I think he'll want to play as a ten, but any position he'll dominate. He killed it in China, I remember he tore Victory a new one in one ACL match.
 

Roogal

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Good luck with Ballarat. An hour drive or catch 2 trains.
So in other words - like getting to Footscray from Chelsea or from Greensborough on the Metro :)

All jokes aside, it's probably not as daft as it first sounds for the Western United team to play their first Home Games only 50 and 60 mins away respectively in Geelong and Ballarat for 2020-2022 seasons. It will establish ground based support across a wide area which is a foundation on which to build a club. The Ballarat Courier have been reporting only very that the WUFC have been negotiating with the Ballarat Council to secure Mars Stadium for three games per season over three years.
 
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So in other words - like getting to Footscray from Chelsea or from Greensborough on the Metro :)

All jokes aside, it's probably not as daft as it first sounds for the Western United team to play their first Home Games only 50 and 60 mins away respectively in Geelong and Ballarat for 2020-2022 seasons. It will establish ground based support across a wide area which is a foundation on which to build a club. The Ballarat Courier have been reporting only very that the WUFC have been negotiating with the Ballarat Council to secure Mars Stadium for three games per season over three years.

Why wouldn't they play games at the brand new soccer facility in Ballarat?
 
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