firstly, can you explain to us why would they need state government approval? I don't claim to be an expert in this area, but surely they only need approval from the local council (who are most likely major stakeholders in Western United). 

and secondly, where do you get this idea from that absolutely nothing has been done? are you suggesting Bisetto and Horvat are blatantly lying to everyone and you know more than them? as @Waz says, it sounds like conspiracy theory stuff. 

It's a good question.  Do they need approval from two levels government?

Only slightly related, we've all heard how this part of Melbourne is experiencing strong population growth.  I was surprised to learn the other day that 19% of the population of Tarneit is of Indian heritage.

All @MarkfromCroydon is stating is that the appropriate planning permits do not seem to be in place yet. He is not saying nothing has been done, just that the planning side of things is yet to be seen. Any development of this type needs to undergo various approval processes as part of the public planning notifications act. That involves submitting numerous planning notifications which are available to the public to view and then submit any objections should they arise. This is very strange as that part of the process can be drawn out and delayed should there be any serious objections. In order for this project o be delivered under their proposed timeline it is very strange that these notices have not been submitted yet. Hopefully we see them before the year is out.
When it comes to state government approval, this is more for the required road and rail infrastructure that will be required.

They may or may not need  approval from both levels. Depending on whether they need to amend the scheme or just obtain a permit. The Victorian planning system has a number of pathways. 

The key key issue is that the system is very ‘public’.
As of today, whilst there may have been secret back room talks, and whilst Wyndham acting as landowner and local council are supportive, no formal request for planning permission has been lodged with either body that will act as the responsible or planning authority to determine the request.

Put it this way.
The proposed national second division has more formal approvals in place and is closer to being settled than this stadium is.

read @MarkfromCroydon's post from earlier in the week that has been quoted numerous times. "Zero. Zip. Nada. Nothing."

and read my post from yesterday quoted below:




in what way are you surprised? do you think 19% indian heritage is high or low? it seems low to me. People are now referring to the Wyndham region as Little India (or slang variations of that). And we all know how much Indians love Football. They go almost as crazy for it as they do for cricket. 

In @MarkfromCroydon original post he is clearly referring to the planning process which he states very clearly.

It may currently be 5-6 weeks away from approval, however once planning notices are submitted that can change dramatically. Hopefully it doesn't, but the potential is definitely there for delays.

I’m not an expert in planning so don’t quote me. It looks like the area concerned is subject to a DA already which clears the path for a wide range of developments and shortens the planning process (providing the planning application is within the DA guidelines ie the council are exoecting a planning application for a stadium so the approval process is well underway). 

Not you specifically but there are lots of people hostile to WU hence my “axe to grind” comment. It’s intriguing and I think the FFA might regret not giving WU a home derby v victory in a few weeks time, they’re not (seemingly) getting much love down there. 

All the more reason to service the demand and sign Sarpeet and Roy in future..that would make 5 ex-Phoenix boys + coach 

they are doing a special screening for the game at a few sites around the west 

Love how people are being defensive re: WU's stadium when Mark is just stating plain facts. 

Personally I would believe publicly available planning information over what some CEO says.

Put it these way  the same public proposal is the same ones mv are dealing with.  Planning is a drawn out process unless businesses like highpoint and chadstone getting  planning permits straight away due to the apparent benefits to the locals

This thread deserves some kind of award for unfounded speculation.

Yes, but speculation in which direction?

360 degrees 

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/football/a-league/116431564/mark-didnt-tap-me-up-andrew-durante-reveals-why-he-left-wellington-phoenix?fbclid=IwAR3K7VRq-bgqfOYP51ApCOa5u9E4J8ueCGUbXn8XM9Y_Wn7Ku7Q5heIAc9g

Yuel is injured for a few weeks after impressing in preseason so unfair 

First time caller, long time listener from the sidelines.

I just wanted to talk about what people are spouting as “facts” and “developments” as opposed to “someone at the club saying something and people believing it as the truth”. Particularly when we’re apparently dealing with serial liars here.

1
Bisetto didn’t “move into a new role to oversee the stadium development”. He was moved on because he never had the expertise to run a football club and he had done such a poor job in the first 10 months of the club’s existence. They can’t sack him entirely because he’s a shareholder, so they’ve just had to move him sideways because it was becoming untenable –which is obvious to see when you consider how few memberships they’ve sold, how little cut through they’ve had with the media and the public, how poor their sponsorship base is, the debacle of the Kardinia Park (Geelong) ground negotiations, releasing news about the Berisha signing on AFL Grand Final day, not hiring a media manager until six weeks before the season (just to name a few examples). They claim that “this was planned from Day 1”. But if “this was planned from Day 1” then why did we not know about it until it happened? And if it was so well planned, why did it occur barely two weeks out from the season and with no successor in place straight away?

2
Horvat – who doesn’t have a background in these sorts of things – saying that “everything is five or six weeks away from being ticked off” is not a development. Again, it’s just someone saying something in response to a question. Just like they said last year that construction would begin the day they got the licence – it didn’t. Just like they said the new train station on site was already budgeted for by the Government and they’re going to bring forward the time lines – it’s not budgeted until between 2023-27 and there are no plans so far to bring it forward. Just like they said when they actually got the licence that construction would begin on the stadium in March – it didn’t – and that the stadium would be built in time for the start of Season 3 – running out of time. Just like they said in the article in The Australian in July that “all the planning approvals are now in place” – they’re not – and the first sod would be turned by Round 1 of the A-League season – it hasn’t been, unless they’re starting today. As recently as last week I’ve heard they’re still desperately going around trying to find backers for the stadium because they don’t have the money to actually build the thing. Croydon Mark is not a conspiracy theorist, he just obviously has a little bit of insight in to what actually needs to take place for these things. Public land can’t just be handed over / developed like this without an element of public consultation and/or public reporting – just as was the case with Victory in Footscray, just as Team 11 had to do last year publicly consulting about the proposed stadium land in Dandenong. Take 20mins to go through Wyndham Council minutes from the last 12 months. There are barely any references to the A-League bid / stadium development. And when it is mentioned it’s just in passing. There is nothing significant. So that process clearly hasn’t started in earnest yet. And, yes, the State Government do need to pass approvals because the land was previously – after work done in conjunction with the State Government – zoned to be a significant town centre. Sporting Stadia was not allowed on that site. That’s not to say that decision can’t be amended, of course it can, but the documentation pertaining to that decision making process will be publicly available when it’s underway. There’s no mention of it anywhere.

Despite what it may sound like, I actually want these guys to succeed. I think there’s room – down the track – for up to five Melbourne teams, inclusive of South Melbourne and Dandenong. Anybody living in Melbourne would appreciate that Melbourne’s sporting landscape should be able to handle that if those clubs each have significant points of difference. But, if the West crashes and burns then, quite rightfully, the rest of the country will be looking at us and saying “City have very few fans, the West is a disaster, clearly there is no need for another team there”. Which would be a huge shame, because South and Dandenong would be far bigger successes than the West (and potentially even City) based on the current landscape. Add in all the Rudan innuendo, the fact they said they wouldn’t sign any Victory/City players and would promote a lot of youth/NPL talent (clearly haven’t followed through)and plenty of other rumours of things going on behind the scenes and it hasn’t been a great start. Let’s hope it improves for the League’s sake, because last year's decision making 'process' is starting to look decidedly flakey.

Killer first post. I look forward to the next one. 

Yep, probably the best first post ever.

I bet there's quite a few lurkers who have been holding off on making a first post. More the merrier, I say.

I also supported the Team 11 bid over this Western one, even though I am based in the West and do feel it has some potential.

The issue is that using such assumptions that they would have e been more successful, or that CEO’s were moved on due to underperformance, is simply an opinion, not a fact. We don’t know the actual events, but given their timelines to get everything up and running, I honestly don’t feel they have done a bad job.

The squad looks solid, they have a great training base to use for a few years and still appear to be using the same optimistic language about the stadium, so I find it hard to believe they aren’t closer than people give them credit for.

We will see, but one thing is for sure, the FFA/Independent HAL will certainly be well aware of how things are tracking on all fronts. Smoke and mirrors will be hard to use for too long without substance. 

Great post. I wonder do you work in the local council?  As this sort of post sounds  like some  if the convo's being held in the town planing area of wyndham city

Just a thought - but, what about turning Western United into a Geelong team, the way it was originally intended? 

There’s been lots of green and black advertising in Geelong lately, so maybe they should just cut their losses and become a Geelong team. 

But seriously though, I truly hope things are still on track for the club re the stadium, but they could do worse than to just call Geelong home full time and build a stadium there instead. 😜

/wishfulthinking 

Kwabena Appiah has signed as an injury replacement for Valentino Yuel.

Western United really are the biggest example yet of the FFA not believing in the 'football is nothing without the fans approach'. Literally chose money quick money over areas which actually need a team and this season will show why this was the wrong decision.

The trouble is that WU was chosen on the strength of building its own stadium.
Without that, they had nothing when compared to Dandenong or Sth Melbourne

Well, with all the doomsdayers around, they looked awesome, the team has an excellent structure on the pitch, skipper Diamanti is deadly with his shot on goal, Jertec is classy and Kurto is world class, among others.

Awesome? Hardly. Big call after 1 game against a team that will likely finish bottom.

If they can beat Perth that will get them some momentum