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Via FoxSports: Link

Socceroos skipper Lucas Neill has been sounded out to invest alongside businessmen Nick Tana, the former Perth Glory owner, Paul Lederer, owner of Primo Smallgoods, and investment guru Anton Tagliaferro.

There is even talk of Neill returning as a marquee player the season after next.

Team names and colours will be put to the fans because, unlike Gold Coast, the FFA is determined to get the community on board.

Plans for the Western Sydney team went into overdrive a week ago when it became obvious Palmer wanted to get rid of his failed franchise.

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I think there is a good chance this will happen, and pretty sure FFA already started planning this before they got rid of GC because they don't want a 9 team comp.

A west sydney team was always needed and going to happen, its just a shame it had to be at the expense of another team.

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It will happen, they'll be rushed in, and it will be because they need 10 teams for the next tv deal. The deal already looks like it will be average, let alone if there were only 9 teams, resulting in one less match a week.

This. They will come in faster than a Dugandzic run down the wing.

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I think there is a good chance this will happen, and pretty sure FFA already started planning this before they got rid of GC because they don't want a 9 team comp.

A west sydney team was always needed and going to happen, its just a shame it had to be at the expense of another team.

western sydney is the place in australia which has the highest amount of kids playing football, so this should work, as long as its not rushed.

imo, gold coast should stay for another year, even if the FFA (and all of us) has to put up with Clive Palmer.

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But seriously what would that achieve.

If we're ever going to get to a 14 team comp then we need to keep GCU. FFA/Lowy should fund them next season whilst looking for a buyer with some brains. Then get the ball rolling on WS and Canberra for the season after next.
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So they would rush another Sydney team rather than accept Ivan's bid for a Canberra team which he has been fighting for in 3 years and is basically (what he claims) that he is financially prepared and all his papers have been sorted out. (there is an article on foxsports, that's what I'm referring to..) So wouldn't it be logical to put in the canberra team for next season and have that year to build a 2nd Sydney team PLUS another potential team for 2014? Or we can just fold the victory team and have these 2 new teams come into play to make it even. ;)

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If we're ever going to get to a 14 team comp then we need to keep GCU. FFA/Lowy should fund them next season whilst looking for a buyer with some brains. Then get the ball rolling on WS and Canberra for the season after next.

That's true, personally I don't have a problem with Gold Coast staying in the comp, just without Clive Palmer involved.

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So they would rush another Sydney team rather than accept Ivan's bid for a Canberra team which he has been fighting for in 3 years and is basically (what he claims) that he is financially prepared and all his papers have been sorted out. (there is an article on foxsports, that's what I'm referring to..) So wouldn't it be logical to put in the canberra team for next season and have that year to build a 2nd Sydney team PLUS another potential team for 2014? Or we can just fold the victory team and have these 2 new teams come into play to make it even. ;)

If this second Sydney team fucks up, then at least there is still one Sydney team about. I know Canberra seem to have their shit together, but there is only a few months till they would have to start playing. If a Canberra team died, that would be the end of the A-league in that state.

I'm thinking that West Sydney will (hopefully) be the last major risk the FFA make, in an emergency situation. I remember reading that Canberra had been told they would have to wait a further 5 years before being considered. I take this as the FFA are hoping to have prepared another team by then, so that the competition can increase to 12, presuming West Sydney stick around. However, this is probably too forward thinking for the clowns at the FFA, and we'll see a 13 team league by next season.

As for Gold Coast? They're finished. They weren't a team for the city, they were a team for Clive Palmer. Without him, the club loses what little identity it had.

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But seriously what would that achieve.

a better t.v. deal and more time to achieve a greater amount of time to incorporate the Western Sydney team into the A-League next year.

even possibly find a new owner who engages the community (and has money!)

liking the idea of the FFA sponsoring them for a year, if this does happen, get miron back.

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a better t.v. deal and more time to achieve a greater amount of time to incorporate the Western Sydney team into the A-League next year.

even possibly find a new owner who engages the community (and has money!)

liking the idea of the FFA sponsoring them for a year, if this does happen, get miron back.

Gold Coast are gone once and for all, can't see them coming back again next season at all tbh.

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Gold Coast are gone once and for all, can't see them coming back again next season at all tbh.

too tell you the truth mate, i think they're gone too. if i was Frank Lowy and had the same amount of money and was the boss (or whatever he is) of the FFA, i would consider running gold coast just for the one extra season, as it would enhance the t.v. rights deals.

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too tell you the truth mate, i think they're gone too. if i was Frank Lowy and had the same amount of money and was the boss (or whatever he is) of the FFA, i would consider running gold coast just for the one extra season, as it would enhance the t.v. rights deals.

If I was in Frank Lowy's shoes and had the same amount of money and was the boss, I'd;

Quit my job for some easy, fairly relaxing, part time job

Buy AAMI Park and kick everyone else out for Heart. As well as making sure they're financially stable for at least the next ten years.

Buy a couple of nice houses and cars for my family.

Donate 90% of the rest to charities, leaving 10% for me to live on.

But that's just me.

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If I was in Frank Lowy's shoes and had the same amount of money and was the boss, I'd;

Quit my job for some easy, fairly relaxing, part time job

Buy AAMI Park and kick everyone else out for Heart. As well as making sure they're financially stable for at least the next ten years.

Buy a couple of nice houses and cars for my family.

Donate 90% of the rest to charities, leaving 10% for me to live on.

But that's just me.

you win mate! ;)

but i think gold coast should be saved (or at least tried to be), even if its just for one season

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The FFA needs to be careful not to rush in a Western Sydnet team to soon, theres no point bringing them in next season if they going to have no fans, and make no money.

Exactly the reason Canberra > Western Sydney. But fark, a succesful West Sydney team would be awesome for the league - just doesn't seem practical atm.

Edited by Che
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Exactly the reason Canberra > Western Sydney. But fark, a succesful West Sydney team would be awesome for the league - just doesn't seem practical atm.

How does Canberra seem practical at all?

Purely just look at population figures:

These are the rough population markets you are looking at:

Sydney (Excluding the Greater West): 2.5 Million

Greater Western Sydney: 2 Million

Melbourne First Half: 2 Million

Melbourne Second Half: 2 Million

Brisbane: 2 Million

Perth: 1.7 Million

Adelaide: 1.2 Million

Newcastle: 550,000

Canberra: 360,00

Central Coast: 300,00

Greater Western Sydney figures equal second in a list of the current A League sides (With WS and Canberra included) whilst the only place Canberra beats is CC.

I really don’t understand why CC even have a team, it is like giving Frankston a team: They only got a team so they could use a empty fairly new stadium.

GWS is also growing at a rapid rate, I am sure a lot faster than Canberra.

Alongside this WS has the most people active in the game in any part of Australia.

It has also always been a hotbed of activity for the game as emphasised by the amount of NSL teams that came from the region including Olympic, United and Marconi.

Alongside the fact that the League can point to three Derbies a year for Fox to telecast, what does Canberra offer?

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It’s weird that I sound so Pro-NSW in this thread but TBH Wollongong probably deserve a chance before at least North Qld and Gold Coast do...

The fact that these too places have fairly transient populations should of been researched further (Townsville – Military, GC – Tourism).

This is another worry about Canberra as its population due to Parliament is rather transient as well with many leaving for the weekend.

If you think about it: NQF never really looked that viable.

Then the fact that nobody really went to GCU games when they had decent side making finals was not all completely Palmers doing.

Wollongong had 300,000 people who actually reside always in the area which is only 50,000 shy of those in Canberra anyway.

They also have a strong history in the sport with the former NSL side Wollongong Wolves who are still a dominant NSWPL side who attract decent crowds and players.

Wollongong also has a strong history of coming out to support their local sides in other sports such as NRL and NBL.

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Keep in mind the "Canberra Capitals"(the Fibs for short) could appeal to an audience from Batemans Bay to Albury and as far north as Wagga Wagga. So 360,000 in Canberra + 40,000 in the Queanbeyan City Council and the surrounding towns I mentioned you would have nearly 500,000 people to draw a crowd from. And these are county people, who dont mind driving long distances to get to places.

Was chatting to my boss just now and he has heard a rumour that the FFA has booked extra games at ANZ Stadium and Parramatta Stadium during the next A-league season.

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North Queensland had (or still have) a good good market irrelevant of population.

People playing or involved with football up there was huge for how small the area is, the support was good & probably have a better market for their size than most other areas did, unfortunately the only thing missing was investment. Some will argue that all of the above is nothing without investment, but anyone who thinks that would be deluded, as you cannot avoid development & involvement rates nor can you suggest it's not viable because of a smaller population.

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Having been to a Canberra cosmos game way back when, i am not convinced the ACT would be able to sustain an a league team just yet.

I do agree that they and all other places mentioned on here do deserve and will eventually be granted teams but first things first. West Sydney is the only logical option at this stage. Not only is is the only place with significant population but it is also arguably the heartland of Australian football. It will be a true test of how far the ffa has come in rebuilding its bridges. Lets face it. If you can't run a successful football club in west Sydney you are clearly not identifying with your target market.

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Canberra is a no for me, as well as any team in Tasmania. AFL haven't gone there for no reason

next club has to be Western Sydney, there is no other place in Australia that can support another team

I really don’t understand why CC even have a team, it is like giving Frankston a team: They only got a team so they could use a empty fairly new stadium.

Frankston? no. More like Geelong.

Edited by yelawolf
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would prefer a team in Canberra than gold coast, but would prefer WS to those two.

rather have gold coast than 9 teams, for a better t.v. deal.

a new and improved t.v. deal is pivotal for the growth and sustainability towards the future of the A-League.

would attract new supporters = bigger audiences

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How does Canberra seem practical at all?

Purely just look at population figures:

These are the rough population markets you are looking at:

Sydney (Excluding the Greater West): 2.5 Million

Greater Western Sydney: 2 Million

Melbourne First Half: 2 Million

Melbourne Second Half: 2 Million

Brisbane: 2 Million

Perth: 1.7 Million

Adelaide: 1.2 Million

Newcastle: 550,000

Canberra: 360,00

Central Coast: 300,00

Greater Western Sydney figures equal second in a list of the current A League sides (With WS and Canberra included) whilst the only place Canberra beats is CC.

I really don’t understand why CC even have a team, it is like giving Frankston a team: They only got a team so they could use a empty fairly new stadium.

GWS is also growing at a rapid rate, I am sure a lot faster than Canberra.

Alongside this WS has the most people active in the game in any part of Australia.

It has also always been a hotbed of activity for the game as emphasised by the amount of NSL teams that came from the region including Olympic, United and Marconi.

Alongside the fact that the League can point to three Derbies a year for Fox to telecast, what does Canberra offer?

Population isn't all that counts. The popularity of football matters as well, and the competition from other sports. The reason CCM got a team is because there is no competition from any other sport. Fact of the matter is, they are in the top half of the league in terms of attendances, and have never been one of the bottom few. At the peak of A-League attendances they were averaging 15k.

A rare good decision made by FFA when they gave them a team, a risky move given the population but its worked out.

Edited by Tesla
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To summarise most people's points:

-WS = Potential large fan base + Sydney Derby = More $$$

-Canberra = Not an immediate move, but if the footballing community of Canberra can show a financially sustainable model + A fanbase they should be given the go ahead.

Tiered league ffs.

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bit off topic but.. is there a country in the world that has a more pointless capital city than Ausrtalia with Canberra? I honestly can't think of one

Dodoma, Tanzania. Look it up. And don't hate on Canberra, it has feelings too.

How does Canberra seem practical at all?

Purely just look at population figures:

These are the rough population markets you are looking at:

Sydney (Excluding the Greater West): 2.5 Million

Greater Western Sydney: 2 Million

Melbourne First Half: 2 Million

Melbourne Second Half: 2 Million

Brisbane: 2 Million

Perth: 1.7 Million

Adelaide: 1.2 Million

Newcastle: 550,000

Canberra: 360,00

Central Coast: 300,00

Greater Western Sydney figures equal second in a list of the current A League sides (With WS and Canberra included) whilst the only place Canberra beats is CC.

I really don’t understand why CC even have a team, it is like giving Frankston a team: They only got a team so they could use a empty fairly new stadium.

GWS is also growing at a rapid rate, I am sure a lot faster than Canberra.

Alongside this WS has the most people active in the game in any part of Australia.

It has also always been a hotbed of activity for the game as emphasised by the amount of NSL teams that came from the region including Olympic, United and Marconi.

Alongside the fact that the League can point to three Derbies a year for Fox to telecast, what does Canberra offer?

I agree that Canberra has little to offer in terms of the A-League bagging a substantial TV deal, but i think it could certainly hold its own as a club.

My ideal situation would be for it to serve as the rural NSW team, playing games in Illawara which adds at least another couple of hundred thousand to the list, or even somewhere like Bathurst or Goulbourn for a regional round. Combined population of at least 500,000 in my books. It supports a Super Rugby team (Brumbies) and an NRL team, which both get an average of about 13,000 per match, despite being during the same time of year (and as the case is, supporters often hating the other code). So it can definitely support an A-League team, no question in my mind.

The Second point for a Canberra team is that there is already an established entity developing a potental club, which has raised 4 million of the 6 million required by the FFA to establish a franchise. Outside of the now defunct Sydney Rovers, i don't see any entity like that for GWS. Moreover, there are already 2,000 members of the club. Which doesn't yet exist. If i'm not mistaken, there's about 5,000 Melbourne Heart members.

Moreover, soccer is incredibly popular here. According to the Canberra times, there are 18,000 registered soccer players in the ACT. That's 18,000 potential A-League fans without a team. Hell, the Canberra United W-League team attracts about 1,000 a game, which is the highest in the league.

There is definitely potential for a Canberra team, i have no doubt about that. When Gold Coast were dumped, front page of the sport was a huge article about how close Canberra is to getting a team. People here are legitimately excited about the prospect, how many in GWS are?

Canberra makes sense, But western sydney has the 'potential', which i in all honesty think is fairly bullshit based on my experience following the AFL expansion saga. That's my two cents.

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I agree that Canberra looks like a good base for an A-league team, but why suddenly rush them in, which could potentially screw them over? Like I said before, I'm hoping the FFA actually see the potential for Canberra, and are wanting to start them off when they are 100% ready. 4 million is still 2 million away from entering the league, and 2000 members is not enough to sustain a club.

Bring in GWS now, who will have the support of a local derby, and the greatest chance for quick members, and then bring in a more stable Canberra side a few years later. The FFA quickly jumped at the idea of Queensland, which clearly did not pay off. Why do the same with the nation's capital?

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I agree that Canberra looks like a good base for an A-league team, but why suddenly rush them in, which could potentially screw them over? Like I said before, I'm hoping the FFA actually see the potential for Canberra, and are wanting to start them off when they are 100% ready. 4 million is still 2 million away from entering the league, and 2000 members is not enough to sustain a club.

Bring in GWS now, who will have the support of a local derby, and the greatest chance for quick members, and then bring in a more stable Canberra side a few years later. The FFA quickly jumped at the idea of Queensland, which clearly did not pay off. Why do the same with the nation's capital?

It's 2,000 more and 4 million more than west sydney, i can't see how West Sydney are any more sustainable.

They aren't jumping quickly either, the Canberra idea has been knocked back several times already, 2008 being one of them. It's not the case of the ffa saying west sydney is a goal, its a case of Canberrans wanting a team, which is in my opinion why Canberra is a much better option.

http://www.foxsports.com.au/football/a-league/bid-leader-ivan-slavich-gives-up-on-a-league-team-in-canberra-after-latest-ffa-announcement/story-e6frf4gl-1226287305800 - shows how bullshit the ffa are being about this new team, people in Canberra have worked there asses off for basically nothing.

Edited by Che
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