Football South Coast pushes Wollongong A-League dream
By ADAM PENGILLY Dec. 26, 2013, 10:06 p.m.

Ambitious Football South Coast boss Eddy De Gabriele has hinted an A-League franchise for the region could be a reality within three years, with several major backers already being courted.

In a wide-ranging interview with the Mercury, De Gabriele also said a W-League and National Youth League equivalent could be up and running next season.

The news comes as a big boost for the region's football fans, still stinging from FSC's $7.4 million Home of Football having its initial funding scrapped earlier this month.

But it's the prospect of an A-League franchise that will truly excite, with De Gabriele bullish about Wollongong's chances of being the competition's 11th franchise.

"Three years is possible," he said. "We have not stopped one day [working towards it]. In the football sense, the opportunities for us are totally within our own hands.

"Think about it: where else is the next A-League franchise going to come from? The other thing about the South Coast is this: it doesn't give home and away. It actually gives it home and home. With Western Sydney and Sydney FC . . . you suddenly have four games which are attendable [for away fans].

"We can pitch to this whole region and all the way down [the South Coast] . . . this is your team."

The Mercury has also been told there is a growing sense of confidence within FSC that they are Football Federation Australia's preferred option when expansion is next on the table. The logical time would be when the A-League's broadcast rights deal is up for renegotiation before the 2017-18 season.

Upwards of $4.5 million in bonds and bank guarantees would be the minimum requirement for a bid to even be considered, with the South Coast bid makers already speaking to a number of potential backers.

Failed franchises in North Queensland and the Gold Coast have already left a bad taste in the mouth of the relatively young A-League. But it hasn't stopped De Gabriele planning to step in to fill a breach in a South Coast market struggling in its support of the Dragons and Hawks.

"There is a massive opportunity on the South Coast now to link into what's happening on the national and international platform," he said. "Now is the time for us. That is where the opportunity is.

"You've got to pitch into the biggest market and the biggest market is the Sydney population. You could drag in a South Coast team, even if we get between 6000 and 10,000 [initially] and if we really get humming we could get 12,000, then all of a sudden you've got this whole big parochial group and you could get them travelling.

"All of a sudden, you might get 15,000 at WIN Stadium and then there would be a hell of a buzz."

The start-up costs for a W-League and National Youth League side are far less significant, with the bonds set as $250,000 and $350,000 respectively. Several W-League and National Youth League games have already been played at WIN Stadium, while the venue has provided the Matildas with an adopted home.

All would have benefited from the West Dapto development, which had its funding pulled in a Coalition post-election spending cut.

FSC were convinced the facility would have housed visiting Asian sides, while also leasing it to various community, sporting and school groups.

"Don't worry, we're going to continue with that," De Gabriele warned of a renewed push for it to be subsidised.

"It's about that being a regional hub for the southern part of NSW.

"The thinking has to be about how sport will become embedded as part of our social fabric as far as our day-to-day," De Gabriele said.

"It needs to be tied into its community as a group.

"Unfortunately, some people at the table of sport are self-centred. I believe the community cannot be fragmented in its support."

Why did I waste time reading that article. The most accurate comment the writer made was "I really have no idea on this one". Clearly he is correct in his summation of his understanding of the topic. ;)

Was that article about where to expand the A-League or where not to expand the A-League? :-k

Where to expand next for the A-League?

The year is 2018, and the A-League has announced that they will be adding another two teams to make 12.

After Australia’s successful world cup in Russia and Tommy Juric being named in the world cup best XI, the time is now to add an extra couple franchises. But where?

South and north Sydney has released their bids as have Auckland, Melbourne #3, Geelong, Canberra, South Coast, Ballarat and North Queensland.

Back to reality, who will be the next two teams to join the A-League (we are not debating if there will be another two teams for the sake of this article)?

Let’s go through the possibilities.

Auckland by the next crop of expansions will join the AFC, so that makes Auckland a possibility.

The largest city of NZL has a large enough base to support a team, but they have never embraced football. The recent world cup qualifiers have struggled to get 10k whereas Wellington got 30k for a dead rubber against Mexico.

I really don’t believe I can see more then 7,000 people game in game out if they had their own team, therefore the answer is no.

Geelong the second biggest city in Vic.

Do they have a large enough population to hold an A-League team? Geelong has a reasonable football culture along with the AFL. They don’t have a rectangular stadium but Kardinia Park is quite skinny.

It is possible, but it would be best to play some Melbourne Heart home games there to test the water.

What about a third team in Melbourne? This one is easy to answer. South Melbourne and the Heart need to merge to make an identity, and three teams is out of the question for one city.

What about the South Coast? They are in the same boat as Geelong and North Queensland. Do they have a large enough football culture? Practice matches are the key to determine this, but I would say no at this point.

Ballarat isn’t going to happen. The town is way to small to hold any sort of professional team. If accepted, maybe a Geelong team could play two matches a year in Ballarat, but apart from that there is no hope.

Canberra, the nation’s capital, has long spoken about getting their own team. This one is a difficult one to answer. Is Canberra big enough to hold a team? Most likely. But as the NSL teams showed us Canberra doesn’t have a large football culture but times have changed.

I really have no idea on this one – have times changed enough that there will be a support base for the side?

Finally, what about North Sydney? This is probably the best of all options. They have a large population and the Northern Spirit did quite well in the NSL compared to the other teams.

The only downside is they could poach Sydney FC crowds. However, I say go for it.

Sugar coat it all you like champ.
It's a shit place to get to.

Two failed Qld expansion clubs.
Neither Perth nor Adelaide clubs support bursting at the seams.

Not sure what convincing, viable business case there is or has been put for elsewhere...

At the moment the A league is condensing itself into Sydney and Melbourne. starting to wonder if they really want the rest of the nation involved or not.

To be fair to Brookvale Oval, it's on a main road with at least 6 or 7 bus routes going through it, including 2-3 limited stops services to the City

Brookvale is probably the hardest NRL ground to get to for other Sydney siders, along with Leichhardt Oval. Both are not near train stations and require bus transport. Therefore, most people drive, and traffic and parking are a nightmare.

Must of missed that, will read later.

Question for sydney siders, how hard or easy is it for northern sydneysiders to get to Brookvale oval?

Edited by iridium1010: 21/12/2013 06:12:47 PM

should be called the wolfpack and not the wolf den

Wolves to A-League Cinderella club for direction
By MITCH COHEN Dec. 21, 2013, 3:11 a.m.

A community-based drive similar to the Western Sydney Wanderers is at the heart of the South Coast Wolves' plans for 2014, to increase support for the former NSL title winners.

After a forgettable 2013 season, the Wolves have begun to increase their profile inspired by the A-League's fairytale.

Members have joined community events including Football South Coast's Summer Football program and the Beach Soccer competition, Memory Walk and Jog for Alzheimers and Run for Wollongong.

South Coast Wolves president Bobby Mazevski said the club's community involvement includes plans in the works for programs with the University of Wollongong and William Campbell Foundation throughout next season.

It is hoped the campaign will eventually provide the basis for a push towards the region's end goal of a Wollongong-based A-League venture.

"It is a big community out here and we feel with some co-operation from Football South Coast, we can really tap into this and get this club moving and possibly at some point down the track push for an A-League spot," Mazevski said.

"I know that it is a long way away but why not have the Wolves back there.

"If we are ever going to have an A-League club I would love to see the Wolves be part of that."

While Mazevski acknowledged there would be some substantial financial hurdles to overcome before any moves could be made, he was adamant a community focus was the right path for the club.

"This is one of our big mottos for next year, we are really trying to engage the community," Mazevski said.

"We are sort of working off the same model as the Western Sydney Wanderers in some respects.

"A lot of work has been done outside with community events."

The community movement is intended to harness the region's massive football fan base.

"For us it is not just about being recognisable, but really getting people out there to support us," Mazevski said.

"We have got a lot of really mad soccer fanatics out there and we want to tap into that.

"We are already talking to a few people who want to start a little 'wolf den' style supporters group to create a little bit of atmosphere at home games."

The venue of those home games is still unknown with plans to play out of WIN Stadium still in the pipeline.

However, one key change to fixtures in 2014 has been established - with a planned move away from the Saturday night playing timeslot in favour of Sunday afternoon.

"We recognise that Saturday night is probably not the ideal time for many people. We want to get as many people out to games as possible," Mazevski said.

"We feel people should be coming to watch these sort of games so I guess part of that strategy is engaging the community and letting them know who we are, what we do and really inspire some people to really want to play for the club as well.

"But not just to play, to support."

So Ipswich Town F.C.

I admit, that was my first thought too. But there have been some positive noises from Ipswich City Council. Significant govt support could make a bid more viable than you think.

Ipswich? You're having a laugh!

How about simply Southern Wolves then?

Northern Sydney player numbers

Manly-Warringah - 15k
Northern Suburbs - 15k
Gladesville - Hornsby 12.5k
North West Sydney Women - 2.4k

Gold Coast playing out of a smaller venue, with bigger games to be played at Skilled after growth.

Ipswich? You're having a laugh!

Boo-hoo.

I like the Fury, and they seem to be on the right track.

My only problem with them is that I don't see them bringing a great deal to the league short-medium term, other than just being an ordinary regional team which doesn't really excite people. Good for longer term when the game should be in a much stronger position.

I think a Brisbane/Gold Coast/Ipswich triangle has better potential. Genuine local derbies where fans can actually travel away in numbers.

I think that might be the problem with most new teams when they start up. WSW is an exception, but any new licensees might face the problem of a slow start, like with Heart. Long-term though, I think all will be well. :)

Boo-hoo.

I like the Fury, and they seem to be on the right track.

My only problem with them is that I don't see them bringing a great deal to the league short-medium term, other than just being an ordinary regional team which doesn't really excite people. Good for longer term when the game should be in a much stronger position.

I think a Brisbane/Gold Coast/Ipswich triangle has better potential. Genuine local derbies where fans can actually travel away in numbers.