Victoria Patriots FC - What we know:

- Victoria Patriots FC is the working title. The name of new Club, colours and strip design will be selected by fans.
- AIM: To be Victoria's 3rd A-League Club
- Whos Behind the Bid? Former Socceroo Steve Horvat is the bid leader.
- WHERE? They're basing themselves out of GEELONG
- MORE Information will be released regularly in the coming weeks.

LINK: https://twitter.com/Patriots_FC

Sponsored by the United Patriots Front.

The United Patriots Front!?  Fark off...

They're the United Front of Patriots

I thought we were the Front of United Patriots.

Thought Football would be a bit to woggy for Reclaim Australia really. What a shit name, even for a working title.

looks very dodge, quickly put together this afternoon.

However quite like the ideas of the page though. that sort of unity front, building the club from the bottom up similar to Melbourne Victory is the way to go. The names Melbourne Patriots or Geelong Patriots would sound wonderful. Patriotic as a victorian i assume?

You tried so hard not to say "United Front" there didn't you?

I just don't understand how nobody in the room thought that there may be some seriously unwanted connotations invoked by that name.. #AmateurHour  

This.

Who is actually behind this bid other than Steve Horvat being the spokesperson ? 

Good Question! 

Darryn Lyons - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darryn_Lyons -

He held the position of Mayor of Geelong from 2013 to 2016.
He posted on twitter about 5 hours ago "Pls RT and follow US #mayor #geelong" in reply to the Official Patriots Twitter post, 

I'm putting it out there

West Victorian Wombats

Terrible name choice. A state based name is stupid especially when theres two other teams in the state. Geelong is far more logical if thats the base they want. 

And Patriots would be the worse name in the league. 

worse than Roar? really?

Ive found better bids in my morning shit

Sounds very scrapped together last minute.
Is this the actual bid that was working behind the scenes putting a bid together?

What they thought we would think



What we think

Lets hope the "working title" doesn't end up being the name of the team, because it's deadset shithouse.

This.

Someone sack who ever came up with it.

If this is South Melbourne's only rival, they are already in.

I know the FFA want to go mainstream, but this is ridiculous.

Put that name to bed quick smart. Just terrible.
Steve Horvat has some good taste in music though.

SMFC must be loving this.

Patriots Front Utd?

At least it's a football name 😉

what a fkn ridicluously shit name.

either way victoria needs a geelong team and a dandenong team asap.  i dont understand why the ffa is waiting 2 years.  there is no good reason other than incapable management.

now is the time.  2 clubs per year and a second division. australia could have an actual competition in 3 or 4 years.

Should be shot down immediately, purely because of that name

Because this is better than promotion relegation. 






/bluetext

The new active support might have a few issues with the RBB
 

Does anyone in this thread know what "working title" means

Needs a lot of work then. ;)

Pretty sure Melbourne Heart was only a working title as well but they stuck with it because it got enough publicity.

If they persist with keeping with this dumb name, then it is inevitable that they will want to keep it to not lose the momentum they've gained.

They had a dodgy poll in the Herald Sun, IIRC.

Awful name. Just call it Geelong. People in Victoria already know Geelong is in Victoria.

Even Geelong Galaxy in the Victorian women's league is a better name.

Ok name seems to need some work to increase popularity and define the region better.  Grab something that is already established overseas:


Geelong Police XI FC

should do it.

Victoria Patriots

Victoria patriots?!?!?

That name is horrible. I actually don't give a shit about any other positives of their bid. If that's their name hell no. I know it says working title but the heart was a working title that stayed. Seriously I can't get past how bad that name is.

Geelong Mel Gibsons

Fuck off we're full

-PB

Victoria patriots?

Good to see the Year 7 kids have been given some task to do over the school holidays in putting together this bid, my kids just play on playstation the whole time. Bravo for your efforts young fellas!

C'mon, worse than Roar 😂😂😂😂 you do know we have a team called Victory right??

But look, before we all get sidetracked can we just agree that the silly name quota is full and send them on their way?

At least Victory has precedent in other countries around the world. 

Rawr is famous for its presence in depressed girls chat room usernames. 

No worse than Melbourne Victory. 

Brisbane Oink and Brisbane Baaaa were already taken.

I prefer a glory hole anyday

fuckennnnnn wogs get out of our sport fucken

fuck youuuu slavic people fuck youuuuuu our fuckin sport - oops, I just ate my own poop...

allah akbar your houses, socccccccahhhhhhhh is aussie as friday sick days    - oops, I just ate my own poop...ntttntntntntt

Victoria Gayweekenders fc. Not too bad.

Victoria Bitches - Sponsored by VB

More BBL teams on way - Sutherland

James Sutherland, the Cricket Australia chief executive, has given a strong indication that the Big Bash League is set for further expansion, dangling the carrot of a Twenty20 team for the Geelong region by way of encouraging a healthy crowd for Kardinia Park's international debut on Sunday.

Located around an hour's drive south-west of Melbourne, Geelong has played host to BBL practice fixtures in recent times, and will step up further as a venue when Australia's makeshift T20 team hosts Sri Lanka in the second of three matches - preluded by an encounter between the Australia and New Zealand women's teams.

While Kardinia Park is likely to feature at least one BBL match next season as the number of matches expands, Sutherland spoke in terms of "when" not "if" in response to questions about the addition of a Geelong T20 side in future. "I know there's a group here that's very keen on continuing to develop the ideas around that," Sutherland, a lifelong supporter of the Geelong Cats AFL team, said.

"We're expanding the BBL next year in terms of number of matches. I'm not quite sure how long it will be before we expand the number of teams. But I do know that when we do, Geelong will be a very strong candidate.

"We've seen practice matches for the BBL down here and we've seen good crowds here before. But this is really the first major test - to have an international match here. We know there's a lot of enthusiasm, culturally cricket is really strong down here, over 20,000 participants in the region. But I'd like to see on the weekend just how the community supports big-time cricket coming here."

CA's plans for the BBL have been carefully modulated over time, with the governing body conscious of not growing the number of teams too quickly in order to avoid the fates of other sports such as football, rugby league and basketball that grew the number of teams in Australian competitions before having to cut them back as local markets could not sustain them. Two extra matches per team next season is an early step in the expansionist direction.

"The expansion of the Big Bash League in number of games does present an opportunity," Sutherland said. "I think we'll have a bit of an indicator on Sunday to see the response of the local community and from Melbourne and other regional areas around here to see how much they embrace international cricket here, and who knows, it might well be Big Bash here next season as well."

Cricket's calendar, both international and domestic, is set for considerable change over the next few years as a result of the competing forces of changes to the structure of Tests, ODIs and T20 internationals and also the continued expansion of T20 leagues around the world. England and South Africa have unveiled new T20 tournaments in recent times, with the latter's to be scheduled in November and December immediately prior to the BBL.

At the same time Sutherland has been selling the concept of a Test match league currently under discussion at the ICC. He has floated the possibility that numerous former certainties of the Australian home summer, like the Boxing Day and New Year's Test matches, may no longer be guaranteed for Melbourne and Sydney as teams find themselves facing different obligations.

"I'd like to say they are [quarantined] but they're not totally guaranteed," Sutherland told the ABC. "I think we would like to see it unfold in such a way that we can secure those matches but it's actually a very congested schedule through the traditional Australian summer.

"I think one of the good things is that visiting countries do really enjoy the experience of playing in a Boxing Day Test match and a New Year's Test match in Sydney but that doesn't necessarily guarantee that we'd be able to secure that, but we'd like to think we will be able to."

Sutherland has also indicated he is not perturbed by the fact of the Australian Test side currently preparing for a tour of India while a T20 team plays at home, pointing to the success of Marcus Stoinis in New Zealand and the belated selection of Michael Klinger for the T20 matches as positive offshoots.

http://www.espn.in/cricket/story/_/id/18675146/more-bbl-teams-way-james-sutherland

Not good for Geelong team

http://outside90.com/victoria-patriots-appoint-advisory-board-242/

Surely this puts rest to the supposed notion that this bid will be backed by non-Football people?

Victoria Patriots FC has announced the appointment of an advisory board for its A-League bid.

VPFC is vying for Victoria’s third A-League licence in the next round of expansion to take place in the 2018-19 season.

The club will be based in the south-west Victorian suburb of Geelong, often referred to as the state’s second city.

Headed by club founder and spokesperson Steve Horvat, the board will feature three members all with a football background.

Those people are business strategist Joanne Plummer, chairwoman for the Geelong Regional Football Committee and chairwoman of board at Barwon Water, venues veteran Paul Sergeant, director of PMY Group, and auditor Maurice Bisetto, president of Moreland City FC.

We are pleased to announce our Advisory Board: Joanne Plummer, Paul Sergeant & Maurice Bisetto. Read all about it: https://t.co/7lL4HnZYWk pic.twitter.com/yxBDzpqBnj

— Victoria Patriots FC (@Patriots_FC) February 15, 2017

Horvat, a former Socceroo, says the appointments are another triumph on top of strong community feedback.

“To have three quality individuals like Joanne, Paul and Maurice as part of our bid is a major triumph for us,” Horvat said.

“We are not just putting together a bid; we are building a club.

RELATED: Daily Football Show cracks a million listens

“All three members of this advisory board bring incredible experience in business development, financial and stadium operation expertise.

“And just as importantly these are people with football firmly imprinted in their DNA. They live and breathe it and they want what’s best for our club and for the game.

“These are fundamental core values that everyone in this club will uphold.



“We will be adding some more exciting names to our club as time goes by, as well as releasing more information about our bid.

“It’s safe to say, however, that the feedback we are getting from fans across the region is fantastic. We have received suggested names, colours, club badge and uniforms designs, some of which are truly amazing.”

The Geelong bid is likely to be up against the likes of South Melbourne, Wollongong and Tasmania.

Geelong A-League hopefuls 'will be new Wanderers', says Horvat

That's the message of founder and former Socceroo Steve Horvat, as he plots a path into an expanded competition for the Geelong-based entity.

Borrowing from the trail-blazing Western Sydney Wanderers template, Horvat values firm foundations over eye-catching headline-grabbing as the route to sustainability.

"The model has to be right... I am already getting calls about coaches and players," he said. "But right now marquees are the last thing on my mind.

"All we are focusing on is building a sound business model.

"You look at start up franchises and Weatern Sydney Wanderers would have to be the most successful in this country's sporting history.

"They got a lot of things right... they listened to the community and we've taken a lot of that on board.

"We are not sitting here building a bid, we are actually building a club."

Geelong the latest to confirm A-League bid

A Geelong consortium has entered the race for one of the two spots up for grabs when the A-League expands in the 2018-2019 season.

Horvat views a broad-based shareholding as the key to standing the test of time in a volatile arena.

"It's not about one or two people funding a club because we have seen what hasn't worked in the past," he added.

"We don't want a single-source investor who loves the idea for a couple of years then gets sick of his plaything."

Geelong - the city which produced Socceroos like Josip Skoki and Matthew Spiranovic - has the largest growth rate of participating players in Victoria at over 20 per cent each year.

"The game is expanding at a great rate in this region and we need to capture that and bring that to the table if you are going to get an A-League license."

With an advisory board already in place and plans afoot for a boutique stadium, Horvat believes the bid has the

ingredients for success in its journey to become the third Victorian A-League team alongside Melbourne Victory and Melbourne City.

"This is not something that has just been thrown together," he said.

"We had initial discussions with the FFA as far back as 15 months when they came down here.

"They were fervently made aware of the region's desire to get into the A-league, even though at that stage it wasn't even on the radar.

"That was before the new TV deal... but the reality is that there was always going to be a Geelong bid and that's what has happened."


South Melbourne say expansion must not be delayed as viewing figures dwarf A-League

A-League aspirants South Melbourne have urged FFA to "show leadership" and push on with expansion amid the release of viewing figures which placed South ahead of any A-League team last weekend.

Horvat contends that the club will be well financed, insisting "it's the least" of their problems.

"There are things that need to be worked out in terms of facilities but I have no doubt the region will come together," he added.

"We are working with (stadium designers) Populous on an incredible facility for the entire western region of Victoria which will be nothing short of sensational.

"There's a view, not just in Geelong but as far as places like Ballarat and Bendigo, that we will do what needs to be done.

"This bid aims to encompass all of Western Victoria.

"This gives us a point of difference to whatever else is out there.

"People might see Geelong as an AFL town but it has a rich history of producing not only Socceroos but players at all sorts of levels."
http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/article/2017/02/23/geelong-league-hopefuls-will-be-new-wanderers-says-horvat

Western Melbourne Wanderers

Any consortium claiming to be the next Wanderers should be refused bidding rights, it's become a silly throwaway line now.

To be the next Wanderers your region needs to have had decades of regular top flight football played there, Geelong has never had that.

Exactly. The reason the FFA went to the West of Sydney despite having no real bids was that the data was saying this area had the most potential it just needed the right model. Geelong is an unknown. Growth in participants is different to a long history in the game.

but josip skoko

Good thing Horvat made no such claim.

He made the claim they can be the next wanderers..you cant be the wanderers without decades of previous top flight exposure..parramata stadium use to host some of the biggest nsl games ever played..geelong hasnt.

Article said that; Horvat didn't.

His quotes were about the community consultation that the Wanderers did with their bid as well as shunning the single owner model being the way to go.

In general terms, It's very important to check which parts of an article are the quotes from the source and what parts are written by the journalist to help you make up your own mind on the news.

How this guy got picked against Iran instead of Ivanovic

No, I'm not over it.

Victoria Patriots: Our A-League bid reveals plans for soccer stadium

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THE region’s A-League bid team has revealed draft plans for a 15,000 to 20,000-capacity boutique rectangular stadium to host Victoria Patriots games.

The masterplan, designed by architecture company Populous, features a stadium based between Boundary Rd and Ghazeepore Rd at Armstrong Creek.

However, bid advisory board member Jo Plummer revealed to the Geelong Advertiser yesterday that multiple locations were under consideration for the region’s first premier soccer stadium.

The local consortium, which hopes to secure an A-League license when the competition expands, has not hidden its long-term ambition of playing out of a purpose-built stadium.

The plans are, without a doubt, the biggest statement of intent that the region’s consortium is serious about securing an A-League franchise.

“It would be really great for the region and for our bid to have a purpose-built rectangular stadium. That’s absolutely on the agenda,” Plummer said.

“In terms of its position, it needs to tick all the boxes. It needs to consider the greater western Victoria region so there are a number of options that we could look at.

“(But there are) a couple of stages. There is a stadium (Kardinia Park) in the region and we are in conversations with the Trust in that space.

“Going forward, one would think given the capacity we have at that stadium, there would always be a role for them to play.”

The potential sporting precinct also includes plans for multiple grass and synthetic soccer and hockey pitches, 18 tennis courts and parking.

Proximity to Melbourne, public transport and the amount of land available are three crucial factors the advisory board would have to weigh up before making any commitments to one location.

Plummer said investment needed to build the purpose built stadium would be “modest” and the consortium was not locked in to how it would look ascetically.

“There are a number of different solutions (in terms of how the stadium would look),” Plummer said.

“We want to make sure, first up, is that the designs meet the outcomes you are after. Those outcomes are that you have really good viewing space for spectators to be a part of the game and creates an incredible atmosphere.

“We are probably looking at somewhere around a 15,000-20,000 seater so whatever option, depending on its location, there would be a number of different ways we can achieve that (capacity).”

Victoria Patriots is the bid’s working title only with the team’s name and colours to be decided by the fans if FFA awards them a spot in the league.

Plummer was announced alongside Paul Sergeant and Maurice Bisetto on Victoria Patriots’ advisory board last month.

She said the trio had been working tirelessly to make sure the region’s bid was as strong as possible.

“We are lining up our strategic stakeholder engagement plan and really progressing our conversations and lining up the ducks,” Plummer said.

“We really want to make sure that the whole region has time to be engaged and exposed to the opportunity and to buy into that.

“Working with people in the first instance as early as possible is always going to lead to a better outcome.”

http://www.geelongadvertiser.com.au/sport/victoria-patriots-our-aleague-bid-reveals-plans-for-soccer-stadium/news-story/cbbdcc42447b5ed3dcc579997401e4ac

Right down south of the city in the Armstrong Creek development area, but right next to Waurn Ponds train station, so there's direct access from Melbourne.

I am skeptical about any location outside of the centre of the city tbh - that area next to WP station is literally paddocks with some McMansions in the area.

Also cute that the Geelong Advertiser is referring to it as "our" bid.

This is an advantage of representing areas outside of the city, I guess.

I certainly hope that the FFA do Not sit on their hands and distribute two licenses to new franchises, one being your club the Vic Patriots. Just do not call it Victoria as they don't represent all of Victoria. Even South Victoria would be realistic and much more appropriate, given the name doesn't eventually fully change. We also have more than enough blue coloured teams, may the colours be different, even black and whit, whatever. Cheers.

West victoria even. Tbh "Geelong FC" has the best ring to it. The patriots thing is such lurid, cringeworthy PR im just gobsmacked. Why on earth would you want to get off on that foot if you dont need to. The "football people" heading this bid must've missed that one eh? 

They should only get in once the stadium is built. Fullstop. A new regional expansion team is already a slow burner as it is. But playing out of a 36k arena will be underwhelming at best. I think Geelong is a much better idea than Casey though.  

Sure if they want to base their training base in Armstrong's Creek then its great for the emerging region but it would be stupid to attempt to have a stadium out of the CBD unless someone can provide a reasonable counter argument suggesting otherwise.

Name wise, i'd hope they do change it to a Geelong based name. 
Sure you can represent the people of the Surf Coast but the Cats do this perfectly with Geelong in it's name.
It's the regional go to place for all the smaller surf coast towns.

My suggestion would be Geelong Seagulls with a logo similar to Brighton & Hove.
It actually has historical links to the cities sporting sides.

Previously, the Geelong Football Club had been known as the Seagulls, with the dark blue and white striped uniform representing the blue water of Corio Bay and the white seagulls that inhabited the area.

Anyway looking at Kardinia Park on maps. I hope they look at somehow working amongst the other codes here to include a rectangular stadium within this precinct to show they are serious.

They could easily fit a 15k seater in the Kardinia Park complex - if they wanted to go any bigger they'd have to shift existing facilities, but 15k boutique stadium would be fine for quite a while. It's near all the existing infrastructure, it is in the main sporting complex of the city and it doesn't cut the city in two - both north and south residents of the city can attend with relative ease. Not to mention lots of pubs in walking distance.

Armstrong Creek would be fine as a training base (heck, maybe they could work something out with Deakin Uni at their Waurn Ponds campus) but their matchday stadium needs to be at Kardinia Park - whether that be Simonds stadium or a new stadium.

Your probably right in a sense that there's the space for a 15k seater in the Kardinia Park precinct.
It's probably more the associated politics of booting either the cricket or local aussie rules & netball sides out of their ovals which could pose a potential issue.
But most definitely it's the best location that the city & region can present.

Yeah something in the Kardinia Park precinct would be ideal for sure.

A-League expansion bid: Simonds Stadium to host A-League football in Geelong if licence granted

SIMONDS Stadium will host Geelong’s soccer matches if a team from the regional town is granted an A-League licence.

Geelong’s bid, operating under the working title of ‘Victoria Patriots’, is deep in discussions with stadium management regarding its plans for entry into an expanded 2019-20 competition.

And while there has been talk of a boutique rectangular stadium being built in or around Geelong, Kardinia Park Stadium Trust chief Michael Brown said the Patriots would make their A-League debut at Simonds if its bid is successful.

“We’re in discussions with the Patriots,” Brown said.


Michael Brown, CEO of the Kardinia Park Stadium Trust.
“They need somewhere to play, we’re keen to have them here, and we’ll strike a good financial arrangement for them.”

The ground’s capacity is currently 34,000.

Plans for the final stage of its redevelopment will be put to the Victorian Government before next year’s budget.

And if funding for the near $100 million project is granted, that spells good news for Geelong’s A-League hopes.

“In to that (new grandstand) will be purpose-built football facilities for home and away teams,” Brown said.


Simonds Stadium in Geelong may soon host regular A-League football.
“There will be changerooms, warm-up centres, all the things that teams need until such time that one day, maybe, we get a rectangular stadium down this way.

“Certainly we want them here, they want to come here. I’ve got a lot of time for all of the people involved.

“I know they’re working closely with government and it would be a great bonus for Geelong to have an A-League team.”

With Simonds Stadium available, Brown said Geelong’s bid is “ready made”.

And he is confident that with the advent of drop in wickets, a Big Bash cricket team could co-exist with an A-League club at the ground if that ever came to fruition.

Melbourne Victory will play a fourth game in four years at the ground next season, against Central Coast on Saturday, January 6.

Brown said nothing with regards to expansion should be read into Victory’s Geelong arrangement.

And with a more family-friendly time this season, the 2015 Asian Cup chief is confident the Mariners game will thrive.

“You get a million people flood to the Bellarine Peninsula over Christmas,” he said.

“The game last year was on a Monday night at eight o’clock, so we needed to think about a more family-friendly time.

“Now we’ve got a five o’clock game on a Saturday right in the middle of the holidays.

“It’s perfect and we’re expecting a big crowd.”

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/football/a-league/aleague-expansion-bid-simonds-stadium-to-host-aleague-football-in-geelong-if-licence-granted/news-story/0913127697d6758a16f04dcab8c00c65

Keen to see their patriotic uniforms. 

A new grandstand at an AFL ground for a Geelong team

A purpose built stadium for a team in South East Melbourne



Well gee fucking whiz isn't that a hard one

So no expansion next season either 

Old mate the Stadium Chief will say anything to get his $100M upgrade.

This. Check his statement below as if that will work. What a joke........

And he is confident that with the advent of drop in wickets, a Big Bash cricket team could co-exist with an A-League club at the ground if that ever came to fruition.

.

Please do not build a stadium in the middle of nowhere. 

If it doest fit at Kardinia Park find somewhere else in the city somewhere.

It will definitely fit at Kardinia Park - it's just a matter of the Council telling the Australia Rules mafia to fuck off.

However, the Council does seem intent on forcing facilities into the southern side of the city (which is a well established growth corridor) and there is plenty of space down that way to do it. However, it lacks everything else - especially public transport. Also, if it is built into the southern side of the city, I ca guarantee it will not get the support from the Northern suburbs. Kardinia Park is perfectly positioned in the middle of the city, and thus would truly represent the city very well imo. Build an Academy out in Armstrong Creek by all means, but play in the middle of the city for crying out loud.

I think the council would be a bit more diplomatic than that.

Then you don't know the Geelong Council.

The same mob who spent millions on Kardinia Park in the first place?

For a franchise that sold out Geelong, play only a few games at Kardinia only to have the rest of Geelongs games at Jihad? Ratepayers must have been thrilled when the Vuck accepted their pleas to play there. 

They finally got something worthwhile in their city. 

That "franchise" you refer to was established in 1859.

You are effectively explaining why the Council is more likely to be diplomatic, given they are the ones spending the money on an oval, i.e. they would clearly see some value in having a "franchise" operating continuously out of their  regional city since 1859.

I'm sure the Patriots will also do the city proud.

Go Patriots!

Shut the fuck up. 

Three cheers for the Pats!!

well in the highly unlikely event that VP get awarded with 1 of the next 2 licences, they will have to play out of somewhere. So it makes sense to start with games at Kardinia Park, with the longer term plan to play at the proposed rectangular stadium just south of Waurn Ponds train station (which is a strong growth area of the region and borders on the new suburb of Armstrong creek).

I should add that the state government announced last week the plan to duplicate the train line from South Geelong to Waurn Ponds (with an eventual extension to Torquay). So you would expect most/all Geelong trains to terminate at Waurn Ponds once complete.