Hi forumites.

I hope I don't upset mariners supporters with this post but here goes.

After spending last week staying in Parramatta for Adelaide's match with the wanderers and also venturing over to Manly and seeing the CBD it got me thinking about Erebus Territory map and the different sub regions that make up Sydney using the train routes that I had to work out where different suburbs were.

With the reasonable success of Western Sydney Wanderers into the A-League (derbies aside) I know their was a thread on here about is there room for a third Sydney club but having a look at the Sydney map wouldn't the Mariners be classed as the third Sydney base club or if not wouldn't they take supporters from the North Sydney area upwards? Would the Mariners represent both the Central Coast and North Sydney or am I going down a forgetbale past that was the Northern Eagles in the NRL?

With the Wanderers taking the West and from what I can tell Sydney FC taking the south and east would it be easier for North Sydney people to travel to Gosford rather than going through to Allianz stadium.

Not that anyone has the right to tell you who you support but Im basing it geographically. Depending on the success of both Sydney FC and the wanderers there would be room enough for two more Sydney Clubs.

it'd make their shit crowds seem even worse, given they wouldn't have the "population %" argument.

funnily enough i live in sydney but CCM have always been geographically closer to me than sydney fc dont know if that means anything though sydney is a massive city

Edited by swarth: 28/12/2012 01:42:51 PM

:lol:

SydneyOlympic, Sydney United etc etc.

It could just be me - but I've always considered the Smurfs as the second Central Coast team (Central Coast South if you will). It's all in your perspective I guess ;)

The North Shore doesn't relate to the Central Coast geographically, historically or transport wise. It relates in each of those areas to Sydney.

North Sydney to Gosford is about 1hr 45m according to the City Rail website and 60min+ by road from large parts of the North Shore. I've seen research that mentions 30min+ is the point at which fan harvesting commences to drop and at 60min+ it reduces to a rump. Central Coast already markets to the parts of the North Shore closest to it but I think it would be a waste of time trying to extend their area further south.

I'll bite. Never for the first one and no to the second because the Wanderers are already located in their area.

3rd Sydney Team = Penrith.

Dusted off Erebus' old map:




As a Western Sydney fan, do you really think that Penrith is seperate enough for a team? Do people in Penrith feel the same way, ie not many Penrithites at your games?
What about Southerland? Sharks always seemed a healthy club, is that area suitible for another team? Or are they just Sydney FC's catchment?

Obviously I'm not from Sydney so this is all just fun theory for me.

i always thought of CCM as a team sandwiched between sydney fc and newcastle jets

Sutherland is one of the biggest areas for sydney fc it would be a major blow to their crowds.

Ok rephrase would people in North Sydney relate more to Sydney FC or the Central Coast? If all I hear is tribalism and territory pride from Sydneysiders who should have which catchment area and thought would Central Coast try and claim North Sydney as there own or Sydney FC or would this be considered and even battleground.

They would relate to Sydney and not to Central Coast at all unless they were born up there.

That's how I thought of them too...Many Northern Spirit fans now wear Yellow and Blue..Don't know who is left just 'waiting for a team' like the WSW fans were?

To answer the topic question - only if Wollongong is considered the 4th Sydney team.

Answering the Original post, a lot of ex Northern Spirit fans follow CCM and I know a few people from the Hornsby area who prefer to follow CCM than Sydney FC

Its a shame the Northern Eagles didnt pick up pace though it could have set up a comradery between the Norther Beaches and the Coast

whaa? Hornsby to Gosford is 45 minutes by train and the moment you get onto the F3 its like a 20 minute drive to Gosford.

I understand this idea but completely agree that northern Sydney doesn't relate to the Central Coast culturally, historically etc.

Edited by jparraga: 28/12/2012 05:16:35 PM

I quoted the maximum train trip which is from North Sydney not the Upper North Shore. The car trip figure was taken from google maps. The road trip from Manly was 10 minutes more as would be further up the Northern Beaches.

Ah right, not quite what I had in mind when thinking of North Sydney

I used the extremities of the region to show that a lot of the area north of the harbour could not be considered a reasonable trip to Gosford.

No need for an extra Sydney team, just bring in Wollongong.

I've always thought of the Central Coast as North of the Harbour but I've never really been around the Northern part of Sydney and Central Coast except for going to Manly and North Head on school excursions, going to Central Coast stadium and bypassing it on the way up the Coast.
I'm from the Shire. I assume it is similar to us being heaped in with a Wollongong bid if that eventuated. You would probably have a fairly even split overall but depending on which suburb you live it would be far more heavily leaning to one club.

Yeah guess it's all up to interpretation. I've always thought of Sydney starting at the end of the F3 around Hornsby, with everything north of that being Central Coast up until Newcastle

Yeah, but getting on the F3 can be hell. Sydney has the worst transport system.

Geographically it starts at the beginning of the Hawkesbury River, but taking North Sydney as the extreme is a bit much. Its like saying West Sydney begins at Balmain.. Hornsby is a better area to go off

Gosford is around 45 minutes from Hornsby by rail - 35 minutes from the beginning of the F3 by car. The Mariners get some support from around Turramurra upwards and probably around Epping upwards. That said there would be more support for Sydney FC in those areas.

All the above puts it together imo - Hornsby is about the line though you have Mt.Kuring gai/Mt Colah and close suburbs further who would be more suited to travel to Blue Tongue due to the easy run up the F3.
Mariners have invested on training camps/academys etc in the KDSA GHFA therefore would pull some of the above regions but no way would can you include the gypos region into greater Sydney ! but why not put them in with WSW - afterall westies are westies ;)

no

I'm from Asquith - it's on Erebus' map, just north of Hornsby. I play in the Premier League side, and while it's not as if everyone has an A-League team, I'd definitely say on the balance, we'd lean Mariners. It's not everyone, but Gosford is a slightly shorter trip than the SFS, even if in every other way we identify as living in Sydney.

That said, there are more Liverpool/Chelsea jerseys at training than FC/Mariners.

As a somewhat-experienced football fan with many other A-league supporting friends up here, it's about 50/50. Here's a key...

Sydney FC have never played a trial or competitive match in the Northern suburbs of Sydney. (Manly-Warringah is NOT Northern Sydney, it's the Northern Beaches)

They've never even really made a pitch to us up here, other than basing the training at Macquarie Uni and doing a few half-hearted community local football drills sessions.

As for travel, it takes me 45 min by train from Beecroft, then 20 min walk to SFS. Mariners is slightly less, at about 50 min train 5 min walk. But there is no comparison, SFC has... an atmopshere.

I'm sure one day Sydney will be able to support a team at Chatswood area for the whole of the Northern Beaches, North Shore, North West as this area is the most affluent and one of the fastest growing especially out Castle Hill way. The new North West rail link will open some time around 2018-19, I think it's worth a look at a club in Northern Sydney then but you would need to provide major incentive to get people from the Northern beaches over- that area has the worst public transport other than the North West in the city - Sydney is a long way behind it's growth in terms of rail infrastructure right now... We need a Parramatta - Epping line, the North West line finished and open, and at least light rail from St Leonards and North Sydney out to Manly and up to Harbord.

There is a huge amount of football support not being properly tapped by Sydney FC particularly, as well as Mariners, from the Northern Beaches over to St Leonards to Castle Hill up to Hornsby. I don't think that many people here have felt connected to either SFC or Central Coast, and doubtedly never will.

But then we move into ground issues. There are absolutely [size=7]FUCK ALL[/size] stadiums North of the Bridge. North Sydney Oval is too close to the city for an A-league team hoping to capture all of the Northern third of Sydney, and Brookvale is a mile from the major population areas of Epping, Eastwood, Ryde, North Sydney, St Leonards, Chatswood, Hornsby and Gordon. I would recomend if a serious A-league bid was ever put forth from Northern Sydney districts, it should be based at Chatswood and a brand new ground would be needed... But I literally am completely talking out of my arse, won't even be considered possible for 20+ years, by then anything might be happening. It was pretty slack though how the Govt didn't even think .02% of a thought about the whole Northern Suburbs when deciding where to build a World Cup ground for a possible Australian World Cup, given Chatswood would be perfect and there is absolutely no sporting infrastructure up here. Rant over.

Edited by 4wanderer4: 28/12/2012 10:52:17 PM

Edited by 4wanderer4: 28/12/2012 10:53:01 PM