A-League The A-League Expansion Thread

[Shoei]

With how powerful and strong the Wildcats have always been i am surprised that there hasnt been a 2nd WA NBL team.

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This is the problem though, people take the attitude of "well one is super successful....two will be as well!"

Teams like the Wildcats are successful because they are the only team, the WA market is tiny for sports outside of AFL. They are the sole focus of basketball in Perth, they fill the need in the market perfectly. Adding a second team brings nothing. You're not going to suddenly create Wildcats 2.0.

 

[giggler99]

Gallop and the rest of the FFA knob jockeys want Wellington out - they stand to gain far more $$ by having more Sydney and Melbourne teams.

If they were smart they'd bring in a second Brisbane team and South Melbourne.

(Really surprised at the lack of comments regarding another Qld team)

mmmm... maybe because it was an utter disaster last time with the two Qld teams being epic failures. don't think Queensland deserves another team nor Brisbane either just yet. I mean the Roar can hardly get Suncorp half full when on a good run and have been a shambles off field for most part since inception.

I believe its best to stick to where the game has been more historical and cultural significant for this round of expansion. VIC/NSW/SA

 

[Heardy_101]

Fair point. Gold Coast went arse over head and North Queensland were dragged down with them, although they probably could have remained.

 

[giggler99]

Fair point. Gold Coast went arse over head and North Queensland were dragged down with them, although they probably could have remained.

Definitely. If they where set up and run properly with a little bit of foresight.

One was run by an egotistic maniac who isolated the fans and used the club as an avenue for his political gain. Never a good idea with the FFA blinded by Palmers big $$$ mix that with the Gold Coast’s bad history of national sporting ventures and you have an utter disaster.

The other was only setup and used by the FFA in order to appeal to FIFA delegates our football’s demographic appeal for our failed World Cup bid. As soon As that failed the Fury where doomed! FFA didn’t give a s**t! Just killed the club with one swift blow! even when the community was rallying to try and save the club the FFA wanted no part of it! They Just tossed them out with the next garbage disposal like they meant nothing! It’s always left a bad taste and the region will find it hard to trust the FFA anytime soon.

I still think done right and with a clear plan of development Gold Coast could work but not for a while yet. Community focus should be the key not hot shot billionaires!

North Queensland you can forget about it while the FFA are running the league. An independent League may consider it in future particularly if we ever set up a period system, still a very slim chance of that!

 

[Heardy_101]

Don't get me started on the FFA. As I said they have more $$ to gain by having clubs in Sydney and Melbourne.

 

[Colonial]

FFA set to reject $15 million sale of Wellington Phoenix to Sydney

By Dominic Bossi

15 May 2018 — 5:18pm


A Sydney-based consortium will proceed with its plans to bring an A-League team to the city's south west despite the likely decision of Football Federation to block its proposed $15 million purchase of Wellington Phoenix's licence.
The FFA looks set to reject the transfer of the Phoenix's licence on the grounds of maintaining the integrity of its current expansion process, despite Wellington reaching an agreement for its sale and relocation to Sydney.

Wellington Phoenix's licence is up in two years' time and it is unlikely to be extended unless there is a drastic uplift in the club's off-field performances. The proposed terms of the sale to the Sydney consortium would have seen Wellington Phoenix close its doors and the A-League effectively end its partnership with New Zealand football.
It's understood the proposal included a 100 per cent transfer of Wellington's ownership over a two-year period to the South West Sydney Football Club bid, leading to a new team playing out of Campbelltown Stadium in the short term. Despite earlier reports, it was unlikely the proposed sale would include the new team playing home games in the New Zealand capital and Sydney.
The FFA is understood to have informed both parties it will not allow the sale to go through while other entities are bidding for expansion to a 12-team competition. The FFA is set to formally reject the proposal in the coming days.

The looming rejection of the sale, however, has not deterred South West Sydney FC going ahead with its bid for an A-League licence after submitting a proposal to fund and build a stadium near Badgery's Creek airport.
The group, which is comprised of several local clubs and associations, has approached Liverpool Council with a view to constructing a 15,000-seater stadium in the surrounding precinct of the new airport, having gained funding approval from its private backers. The proposal is for a single-tiered rectangular arena with full roof covering for all seats.
The bid is one of three from Sydney that has already been made public as part of the current expansion process, alongside a separate bid from Campbelltown City Council for a team in the growing south-west corridor as well as Southern Expansion, based in Sydney's southern suburbs and Wollongong.



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[Aucklander]

I don't know how the hell the Phoenix are meant to recruit with all this crap going on. Surely the fans simply won't turn up if they think they owners are just trying to get as much money as they can for the licence?

 

[Andonis1997]

The key thing about that article is the fact that it's the Sydney Morning Herald, discussing a Sydney club.

Until David Dome or Rob Morrison speaks out, I'm not going to believe it.. But god my faith is wavering right now.

 

[Andonis1997]

YAAAAAYYY

 

[nobbyiscool]

FFA set to reject $15 million sale of Wellington Phoenix to Sydney

A Sydney-based consortium will proceed with its plans to bring an A-League team to the city's south west despite the likely decision of Football Federation to block its proposed $15 million purchase of Wellington Phoenix's licence.
The FFA looks set to reject the transfer of the Phoenix's licence on the grounds of maintaining the integrity of its current expansion process, despite Wellington reaching an agreement for its sale and relocation to Sydney.

So in other words, what some of us thought a few weeks ago was right - FFA would rather see Wellington fall over and take $10m for a license fee themselves than to see Wellington's owners bail themselves out.

This is why we'll never get to a 16 team league here. Why would you invest in this league while the FFA still runs the league, rather than it being independent? The FFA looks after themselves before they look after fans and owners, and yet we keep them in charge of the friggen league.

 

[Andonis1997]

So in other words, what some of us thought a few weeks ago was right - FFA would rather see Wellington fall over and take $10m for a license fee themselves than to see Wellington's owners bail themselves out.

Don't take any of that quoted article seriously.

YAAAAAYYY
View attachment 498305

But yes, FFA want us to fail.

 

[Heardy_101]

FourFourTwo Australia reporting that the Brisbane Strikers have withdrawn their bid due to financial and lack of clarity regarding bid criteria.

(The clarity with the bid criteria is pretty easy, either you're from Sydney or you're not)

Leaves Brisbane City as the only Qld A - League bid at the moment.

 

[ioppolo]

Two Brisbane teams is surely a pisstake?

 

[Established1870]

FourFourTwo Australia reporting that the Brisbane Strikers have withdrawn their bid due to financial and lack of clarity regarding bid criteria.

Saw that too.

(The clarity with the bid criteria is pretty easy, either you're from South Sydney or you're not)

EFA

Leaves Brisbane City as the only Qld A - League bid at the moment.

GCU are bidding too but I don't see either of them getting in.

 

[craigos]

So in other words, what some of us thought a few weeks ago was right - FFA would rather see Wellington fall over and take $10m for a license fee themselves than to see Wellington's owners bail themselves out.

This is why we'll never get to a 16 team league here. Why would you invest in this league while the FFA still runs the league, rather than it being independent? The FFA looks after themselves before they look after fans and owners, and yet we keep them in charge of the friggen league.

My thoughts are that FIFA are not willing to step in purely because of the World Cup coming up. I'd be very surprised if an independent A League doesn't exist by the 19/20 season. I would go as far to say it's a major factor in why the FFA just happened to make it official to expand the league, I think that FIFA have said to them if they don't get their house in order before start of next season that it will be the last season they are involved at all.

The coverage the Tassie NPL gets in the media down there (both print and TV) is second to none in this country. I hope that things like that are considered when it comes time to announce the expansion teams. My only concern is that unlike a year or so ago when they were pushing for a team (and were voted as the team most people wanted to see included) is that they seem to have been very quiet in the media over here.

 

[Heardy_101]

Saw that too.



EFA



GCU are bidding too but I don't see either of them getting in.

Love that EFA, you're right.

GCU won't even get looked at. And neither they should. Not unless the numbers are right

 

[Established1870]

GCU won't even get looked at. And neither they should. Not unless the numbers are right

GCU are a lot different now. Same name but a completely different mentality compared to what they were like under Fat Clive. I think there are definitely more deserving areas (Wollongong, SM, Tassie, Canberra, Auckland) but if a second division was to happen then they should be one of the first ones in.

 

[darko]

So I saw the list of 15 bids and can someone tell me wtf is Belgravia Leisure? I googled it but I don't believe it.

 

[darko]

IMO South Melbourne and Wollongong should be the next in. Canberra and Tassie the year after. Delaying them 1 season gives them a chance to get all their affairs in order.

 

[Heardy_101]

South Melbourne for sure.

Also some interesting comments

https://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/let-six-new-teams-in-to-bolster-a-league-declares-bleiberg

Can't see 6 coming in at once.

 

[Andonis1997]

South Melbourne wouldn't have posted about the fake news with us meeting with them for merger talks on their official page had they thought they were in with a chance.

I'm desperately wanting Wollonging and Tassie/Canberra.

 

[Heardy_101]

South Melbourne wouldn't have posted about the fake news with us meeting with them for merger talks on their official page had they thought they were in with a chance.

I'm desperately wanting Wollonging and Tassie/Canberra.

Depends who runs their pages. Page manager may not have a clue about the official bid.

 

[Bomberboyokay]

Gallop and the rest of the FFA knob jockeys want Wellington out - they stand to gain far more $$ by having more Sydney and Melbourne teams.

If they were smart they'd bring in a second Brisbane team and South Melbourne.

(Really surprised at the lack of comments regarding another Qld team)

South Melbourne aren't getting in. Draws people away from Victory and City and brings back the ethnic thing.

 

[Kangapirate]

South Melbourne aren't getting in. Draws people away from Victory and City and brings back the ethnic thing.

Anthony Di Pietro has quoted that he is backing expansion in Victoria as long as it isnt South Melbourne. I dont blame him as MV would risk losing a reasonable percentage of fans but also sponsorship and backroom staff who are very connected to SM. Its by far the biggest threat to MV and the chairmans concerns are valid.

He would be keen on something like team11 where he would be confident of squashing them like heart/City.

I think if it was based on merit you would go wollongong and south melbourne, the rest will need a couple hundred million to get the infrastructure these 2 clubs already have in place. Neither will ever get in though.

 

[Andonis1997]

Anthony Di Pietro has quoted that he is backing expansion in Victoria as long as it isnt South Melbourne. I dont blame him as MV would risk losing a reasonable percentage of fans but also sponsorship and backroom staff who are very connected to SM. Its by far the biggest threat to MV and the chairmans concerns are valid.

He would be keen on something like team11 where he would be confident of squashing them like heart/City.

I think if it was based on merit you would go wollongong and south melbourne, the rest will need a couple hundred million to get the infrastructure these 2 clubs already have in place. Neither will ever get in though.

Why not Wollongong?