Honestly any joint bid is detrimental for all involved. If FFA/Foster/Murray/Chinese investor want a successful Sydney team just make it based in Southern Sydney and connect with the one community to develop a great local following. By doing a haphazard half-here half-there approach you're expanding your potential support pool but shooting yourself in the foot.

Would WSW have been as successful if they split home games in Parramatta, Campbelltown and Penrith when they started?

the ones complaining about nsw clubs, sydney and melbourne clubs are what will propel the league forward. the competition will gain relevance by being in the newspapers of our big cities, not by trying to satisfy regional towns

NSW is literally 15 times the population of Tasmainia.

Sydney is literally 11 times the population of Hobart. 'Divide that by 5' and you're still >2 times better off in Sydney. (Not that Newcastle and CCM = Sydney either)

And this is before we start talking about corporate presence, disposable income, football infrastructure and history, transport, competition for stadium management etc.

Fixed.

^Yep

Well it's bound to happen anyway, you don't even need to justify it.
It's the first bid we know is an instant yes and it's rotten to the core, but that's the way it is.

So when that 'experiment' falls over, SE will default to Kogarah/New Saints Stadium (which may or may not be Les Murray's hopes and intention from day 1) Sutherland and Wolves will then bid to stand alone?

Not so bad after all? Is it all that different to Sydney FC being granted an exclusive licence in 2004?

How come there are so many people wearing Cronulla Shark jerseys down there then? All on holiday or is possible that some locals like the Sharks, even tho it doesnt really represent Wollongong?

Because people down here support heaps of different Sydney NRL teams.

No they didnt you clown. They got 4 years with a review at the end of the 4, at which point they will be granted another 6 if they meet the metrics which they most certainly aren't at the moment.

Enjoy the last 18 months.

Exactly, I expect there will be 2 added teams & a 2nd division within the next 2-3 years.
There are enough bidders.

Why is it 'rotten to the core'? Because it's in Sydney? Didn't you start this string with 'I don't personally see the difference to the Tassie bid, other than location'

What?
Because it's FFA, it's predetermined and nothing else will be considered before it, no matter how good the bid.
Yes

Incorrect.

He's not wrong. Most media traction comes from derbies. No major newspapers run back page stories on Brisbane vs. Newcastle.

You cannot ignore the fact the NRL is made predominantly from NSW and the AFL from Melbourne, along with the fact South Sydney have the one of the highest participation rates. The idea that FFA are Sydney-centric without good reason is just silly. It is where the media and population congregate. Research governs decision as it did with the West of Sydney. If this bid is organised then it will get a licence.

People still read newspapers?

FFA have made it clear that #1 factor for consideration will be based on population.

So now when any consortium that pops up from a highly-populated & soccer-rich area, it's immediately an FFA conspiracy against Tasmania? ...Really?

I'm from Wollongong and I would NEVER support this team.

For me it has to be a standalone Wollongong team (Wolves or whoever) or nothing...

I fear it would be just another St George Dragons...pilfer the region, use the area as a training and living place, but play 4 games every year and play the lower-drawing games here with the marquee games played in Sydney.

You can't tell me that the fans of the WSW and SFC (and even CCM or NJ) wouldn't want to travel down to the Gong for their away games if the Wolves were the expansion team...it's an easy trip, 90mins tops, train sation 15mins from ground...the supporter groups could march from the Station down Burelli Street straight to the ground and it would be great to see...

Wollongong reminds me a lot of CCM...they got a team originally why now can't Wollongong be considered as standalone...

Stupid idea. The Shire and Wollongong are two completely different areas. A club should represent an area not 2-3. It's ridiculous and what happens when the Wollongong Wolves come in? Sutherland and Wollongong can sustain 2 seperate teams. 

100% agree. I worked in the Shire for the last 4 years and Wollongong and Sutherland are two completely different places. It would be stupid to have a team playing in 3 different stadiums like a traveling circus. How can people grow an attachment to a club when they can only watch them 4 times a season at their particular venues?

I see what you did there.
It was a point in moot, whilst I would like to see our 'national' sport become 'national', on paper the bids are pretty much the same, but overall I couldn't give a fuck if it was Tassie or Sth Sydney, I would rather the most viable.
The FFA clearly wanted this type of bid and it will be accepted without doubt, it's not the fact it could be viable, it's no conspiracy theory against Tasmania, it's what all this delay criteria is about, it's an unbalanced playing field.

Thanks to the guys from Wollongong for responding. As I suspected the people from Wollongong would support a stand alone club and not a joint venture.  No reason why eventually both teams can't be in the A-league in the near future. 

you are wrong

Head count or Body count ?

I’m not from Sydney and really don’t know their southern suburbs either.
From an outsiders perspective, would it be better if they simply concentrated on the two concentrated regions of St George & Sutherland rather than tipping it’s toes where they cannot stand in the Illawarra region?
Those two districts noted would/should have enough pulling power to meet the required metrics anyway for both supporters and TV viewers.

It's a bit like asking CCM and Newcastle to amalgamate. It just wouldn't be considered. 

I can't believe some people believe this

All true, on top of that, there are strong footballing communities within easy reach of Sydney, so when all that is factored in, of course NSW will carry most of the A-League clubs now and going forward.

So many bids from all over, and all being told to sod off because FFA don't want it.

-PB

Three home grounds, could this be any worse?