Perfect time to go to a round of 64 then.

- 12 A-League
- 10 NSW
- 10 VIC
- 10 QLD
- 6 WA
- 4 NNSW
- 4 TAS
- 3 SA
- 3 ACT
- 2 NT

(Don't look too much into what state is allocated how many spots, I just wanted the numbers to add up to 64 lol)

Absolutely not. It takes genuine content to get “likes” and I’d say 8k before a ball is licked is pretty good. 

makes sense, but it might not be affordable. the round of 64 involves 32 games. this could involve 20-25 games where the away team has to travel. thats comparable to 4-5 rounds of the HAL. who's gonna pay for this? 

The FFA, it's their competition.

Claudio Marchisio linked with WU (OzFootballTwitter). Free agent after leaving Zenit 1 year into 2 year deal. 33 years old. 

Would be phenomenal 

I don't know how possible this is. His latest contact was around 9.5 million dollars AUD per season at Zenit which he didn't even get most of it due to his fitness issues. 

He should therefore demand less in a shorter, smaller league. Zenit quite obviously overpaid and realised it. 

Incentive for the FFA to grow the Cup and have another revenue stream.

He'll probably demand the same or probably a couple million less. Zenit didn't even overpay, it would of only went past his Juve salary on match conditions which he didn't get. I can't see him going from 12-10 million AUD to 9 million AUD (which he is angry that he didn't receive most of it) then to 2-3 million AUD, which is around what most A-league/Fox Sports/FFA can dish out on a guest.

Fan forum in Ballarat tonight, will be interesting if there’s any questions regarding the stadium choice in Ballarat.

Anyone know if there stadium to be build is going to be a oval>? or rectangle?. Just because of AFL in that area might want somewhere to play.  

Rectangular 

They have said it will be rectangular and strictly football exclusive. 

If they're even entertaining the thought of building an oval so that the AFL can be satisfied they should forfeit their license on the spot. The AFL have more than enough spots to play their fumbleball in that god forsaken state. 

Think AFL are looking to fix Whitten Oval up in the future so completely separate.

I don't get this post. are you trying to be funny? One of the benefits of this bid is that the AFL can't get their dirty fingerprints all over the stadium design as its privately funded. This would have been the concern had Team 11 received its government funding for Dandenong stadium. I can imagine the AFL weaving its heavy governmental influence over it. 

You guys really fell for that?

There bloody should be.

Speaking to my old man who lives in Ballarat today and he was confused as to why they'd go for Eureka/Mars Stadium, he said it's so windy there any ball that goes over head height gets swept away!

Just regionalise the draw for the Round of 64. WA/SA, VIC/TAS, NSW/ACT, NNSW/QLD. The NT team can be the wildcard.

Team 11 should be asking for, and getting State government funding for the stadium on the basis it is a multi functional stadium suitable for football AND AFL-X.
You have to play them at their own game.
Every local club should be doing the same.

They basically said the FFA have facility and broadcasting requirements that Morshead Park doesn't meet. I tend to agree. Mars is the wrong shape but it has much better facilities.
They will play a pre-season match at Morshead Park, possible against Roar or Glory on September 21, but any competition games will be at Mars Stadium.

I didn't get a great sense that they were going to be here for the long haul with regular-season games. Ballarat seems to be a stepping stone until the new stadium is built, after which we might get a pre-season game each year. I mean, that's better than what we have now but it's hard to get attached to a side when there's no certainty they will continue to represent us.

Rudan is a grumpy bugger, but he seemed genuine in his desire to win the league. There were questions about recruiting local lads, and he just said point-blank, the only thing that builds an A-League club is winning trophies. They will provide pathways but there are no free passes for Geelong and Ballarat players.

Given that they need to make the new stadium work financially, there really isn’t going to be any expectation that they will play regular season matches at Geelong or Ballarat.

From Ballarat it is an easy drive to Tarneit but the train is less direct but not a deal breaker. 

Having an academy focus on the wider western region and playing pre-season matches there and possibly some FFA Cup matches will still provide a significant boost to football.

As for the players, I would have liked to see more NPL players get an opportunity, but it’s fairly clear that Rudan is thinking about results first this year.

You're a pretty frequent poster on Western United threads Heart_fan, are you thinking of making the switch?

Not on the agenda but I do want to see them succeed for the good of the competition.

I live in the Western suburbs and think they have potential to make it work, but the 2 year delay in playing in Tarneit is a significant challenge they will have to overcome. Likely calling themselves the Nomads would have likely been more fitting. 

Making sure it is a genuine attempt to engage with Geelong and Ballarat will be key in the meantime, and let’s hope they can continue to build that in the future. 

You're going to turn. From one shambles to another. how sad. 

Haha... nah. No need to move. City may well be harder to connect with, but they are still my team :)

surprising post for someone who comes across as a bit of a football purist. We should be moving away from the idea of playing in multi purpose stadiums. As a Victory fan, I want my club to have a long term goal of building its own stadium. even if it takes 20-30 years, I would still like to see a strategic plan from my club to make this happen.

engage with Geelong and Ballarat?

We'd better get a wriggle on then, there aren't too many available locations left for a major stadium in central Melbourne. Once the E Gate is gone (if it isn't already), I think that's about it.