November 9 2016 - 6:25PM

 

  FFA set to introduce A-League expansion framework after meeting with Tasmanian bid

   

• Dominic Bossi

     

Football Federation Australia will fast track the expansion of the A-League and invite bids for new licences after meeting representatives from Tasmania this week. An FFA spokesman confirmed that a meeting with representatives of a Tasmania bid took place in Sydney where it is understood the governing body decided against granting the state its first professional football team of any code and signposted the criteria for a successful bid.

These include broadcast appeal, financial strength driven by membership and fans, as well as servicing football player bases. Sources described the negotiations as "a real discussion" between the FFA and a bid that was brought to the table with heavy financial backing and government and corporate support but which was not enough to convince the governing body to award the group a licence for next season. As revealed by Fairfax Media last week, Tasmania's submission had no shortage of experience in football administration with Melbourne Victory shareholders Harry Stamoulis and Robert Belteky and former Tasmanian NSL player David Clarkson leading their charge.    At the meeting, the representatives produced a letter of support from the Tasmanian government for an A-League licence as well as a pledge to refurbish stadiums at costs between $20 million and $30 million.

The team would have primarily been based out of Hobart, while also playing matches in Launceston, but that appears to not have allayed the FFA's concerns particularly about infrastructure and broadcast appeal.Representatives of the Tasmania bid were the first of what is expected to be an influx of parties ready to meet with the FFA in the hope of gaining an A-League licence. While the door was not shut on the Tasmanian bid following the meeting, being one of six regions that have already signalled their interest to the FFA prompted the organisation to introduce a set of criteria for expansion that will be unveiled by early next year. 

The FFA has not provided a specific framework for interested bidding parties but is now prepared to open the process to the market and will invite bids from across the country for inclusion in the A-League by as early as January. Expansion of a 10 to 12-team competition will likely occur in the 2018-19 season coinciding with the introduction of a new broadcast deal next season. Any new entrant into the A-League will likely have to prove a strong connection to a grass-roots player pool, the ability to promote a sense of passion and tribalism within its region as well as attract TV audiences. It's for this reason Brisbane, Southern Sydney and Geelong are considered the frontrunners for inclusion in the next stage of A-League expansion. But that could change once the process is opened to bids with specific criteria. It's understood bids from Western Australia and South Australia will also be put forward to the FFA next year. Head of the A-League, Greg O'Rourke told Fairfax Media last month that any new entrants to the competition will not be placed "surgically" by the FFA.  ​"We need any new team to be successful in its own right but also be providing a benefit to the whole competition. That will mean that broadcast and commercial sponsorships will be enhanced by the additional team or teams. Applicants will need to provide a solid mix of both commercial and football business plans," he said. "In the short to medium term we should expect the league to expand via selection of 'fit for purpose' licences against a commercial and football criteria  that sees growth for the whole of game."

http://www.theage.com.au/sport/soccer/ffa-set-to-introduce-aleague-expansion-framework-after-meeting-with-tasmanian-bid-20161109-gslo04.html

So bye bye Tasmania, very disappointing.

Tasmania was never going to be picked by the FFA, maybe down the line though. 

and regional teams are out.

Canberra out then. Auckland in.........

With government backing and stadium development it is crazy to reject Tasmania, although the article did say the rejection was for next year.

Really don't get how the A-League will be any better with Geelong over Tasmania. Not much more the Tassie bid could really do. Strong financial support privately and with the government plus a guarantee of $20-30million in infrastructure. Would've met every benchmark talked about in that article in regards to community and grassroots support.
Really feel the FFA have shot themselves in the foot here.

No its not it might be a smart decision. it needs to add to the appeal of the whole league and provide real value not like what wellington are doing which is literally squatting on a licence giving nothing back and instead bringing the league down as a whole.

Tasmania by the sounds of it will have to earn their place in the future once pro/rel gets in.

If the options were tasmania, geelong, sth sydney or brisbane its clear as daylight that tasmania is last choice. 

I think the tasmania bid is interesting for novelty reasons but ince a couple of seasons go.by and we see a club struggling to pull ratings and attendances all it will do is become a burden to future growth of the league. There are at least 4 other places that would bring more to the table than Tasmania.

Address all the "specified criteria" you want. At the end of the day, they will choose the bids they want.

Smart decision, maybe in the next round of expansion. 

This so much

Yep, they were never getting in whilst there's still a potential for 2nd/3rd teams in big cities

Broadcast appeal :) as in appeal to the broadcaster not the actual broadcast appeal

We have a stadium pledge, strong financial backing and support from the state government.

FFA: that's nice, but are you a corrupt as fuck mining magnate who doesn't give a fat rats about football? 

Broadcast appeal is important but is far from the only factor at play. A viable team situated in Tassie delivers a return on investment in many ways...not to forget it would be bloody good for the game.

Yep, spot on.

#metrics

-PB

Some reasons if they rejected Tasmania for lets say Geelong. One it would create 6 more big matches in the league, it targets a big market in Melbourne getting more support in a major state, which in return may take some control over AFL.

True but why put a cap on it, if we have enough viable teams to run a 20 team comp then let's do it.

As long as the comp is viable and the clubs are viable then let growth occurs where it can.

Initial money injection i imagine and need to ensure that the teams will be somewhat competitive.

I don't think you have any idea what you are talking about.

What is broadcast appeal?I thought it meant people want to watch the team on TV?How does FFA measure that?
I would want to watch a team from Tasmania much more than one from Syd,Geelong or Canberra.Doesn't it really come down to the actual team and how it plays?
Most likely it means viewers in metropolitan big cities.
Tasmania has 500k and Geelong 200k.So it cant be number of fans.
WP and CCM have less than 500k people.
I think secretly they want derbies first.Most of the other criteria are arbitrary,with no guarantee of success.
Canberra,Geelong,Tasmania,Wollongong are all unknowns for tv appeal.But FFA are kidding themselves if they think a third Syd team or second Bris,Adel or Perth teams are guaranteed to be successful also. A poor performing team can easily end up a NZ Knights,which had $1mill people.

So a bid shouldn't be ruled out on broadcast appeal,unless they define what that is.Because. Tasmania with Ronaldo and Messi would have broadcast appeal as would Dubbo.

They measure it via ratings.

I take solace in your thinking that...long may it continue.

Geelongs TV ratings are counted in the Metro Melbourne

A positive step. Those with long memories may recall last year when I posted that Ffa needed to work out their selection criteria and release that to prospective a league clubs
/consortiums so the clubs knew what they had to do to maybe get a place in the league. It's been a while coming but it looks like thats what ffa is doing (soon).

One can only hope that the no for Tasmania is just for joining next year and it will get the green light sooner than later.

If they're going to go on ratings and appeal I'd imagine South Melbourne would have more appeal than Geelong especially their ratings vs Victory would be higher aswell.

I wouldn't have unlimited new teams Joffa. As an example look at Rugby where they had three Aust teams in Super Rugby, they now have 5 and the standard has turned to crap, and the lack of tough weekly competition has carried throughto the National team. Same when the Super League war ended - the NRL with 20 teams was of very poor standard. I would limit expansion to say, two teams now, and perhaps two more in a couple of years. I reckon the standard of the AL is well and truly on the rise and I reckon we need to be careful not to risk that.

Out of Launcestons 'The Examiner' tonight.

Financial support behind Tasmanian bid for soccer's A-League

Rob Shaw@TheShawThing

9 Nov 2016, 8:30 p.m.

I agree there has to be a line, and playing standards should be a factor, but the FFA need to get their act together and propose the framework for expansion in the A-League as mentioned here in the article, and for a second tier for that matter, or bids are going to continue to be disappointed.