Surprise results as A-League’s expansion teams are decided

The need to expand the A-League has become a hot topic of late, especially as the TV rights deal is up for renewal in the 2017-18 season.

Proponents of an expanded competition believe an extra two teams would be needed so as to create more television content which would lead to a better TV rights deal for the league.

So the idea has a fair groundswell of support but these new teams must come from somewhere. While not arguing for the need to expand, assuming the league was to expand for the 2017/2018 season, who will the new teams be?

On the way I will develop some criteria that should deliver the answer.

The issue is so important that delegates from all over Australia, including many Roar commentators, were willing to forgo the delights of winter for an all-expenses paid conference at a Port Douglas resort.

To assist them, FIFA has despatched a special advisory committee with experience gained from the 2022 Qatar World Cup bid.

As they sat down to their entrée of oysters they were handed this list. It is all the cities/regions that have previously put their hand up to have an A-League team. In accordance with David Gallop’s mantra of “fish where the fishes are”, they are sorted by population.

1.   Auckland   1,418,000
2.   Gold Coast 557,822
3.   Tasmania    495,354
4.   North Queensland (Townsville/Cairns) 442,333
5.   Ipswich (Ipswich/Towoomba)   422,010
6.   Canberra   391,645
7.   Sunshine Coast 306,909
8.   Wollongong 268,944
9.   Geelong   250,651

The source for these figures is either Wikipedia or the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2011 census, with places in brackets added together. The sauce for the oysters was mornay.

The lead in time is relatively short. The teams need to be ready to rock and roll, leading to the first criteria.
Criteria 1: the stadiums must be in place now

Applying Criteria 1 takes out the Sunshine Coast and Ipswich so our list is down to seven.

Congratulations the Auckland Whales you are the first cab off the rank. Take your jerseys and suit up for season 2018. Is it that easy though?

Wellington Phoenix’s position in the league has often been called into question with regards to the Asian Confederation. Adding a second New Zealand team could be risky. And besides, there may be a revolt from Australian football fans if a New Zealand side took one of the expansion slots.

Criteria 2: The two new teams must be from Australia

Now we have Gold Coast and Tasmania in the top two positions. Will the Tasmania van Diemens take the field in 2017? No.

There are a variety of reasons why they wouldn’t, but an easily definable one is the home stadiums.

AFL/cricket stadiums don’t look great on TV or make for a fantastic fan experience for football. As the lobster and barramundi is brought out, we can look at Criteria 3.

Criteria 3: The new teams must play out of rectangular stadiums

Applying Criteria 3 knocks out Geelong and Tasmania. So that brings the list down to the following: Gold Coast, North Queensland, Canberra and Wollongong. I believe this will be the shortlist that the FFA will be looking at for the next expansion, and I wouldn’t argue if any of these four were chosen.

After a desert of Tiramisu and salted caramel ice-cream, our delegates headed out for some well deserved rest, where even Roar commentators from different sports were seen laughing and joking with the diehard football ones.

Arriving back from the swim up bar with cocktails in hand, our delegates filed in to make the final decision.

As the FFA advisory committee were reluctant to leave the pool, our delegates were now on their own. Could they just take the top two names off the list, Gold Coast and North Queensland?

Remember both these teams have failed before. It would be a huge risk for the FFA to reinstate these teams after they have already been kicked out only recently. How would they decide? After twice trying to chat up the barmaid, one of the delegates invoked the “once bitten twice shy rule”.

Criteria 4: Teams that have previously been kicked out of the league cannot reapply
And out onto the plate drops two names: Canberra and Wollongong.

The Canberra Pollies and the Wollongong Wallys will be the two new expansion teams. After a few more days of rest and recreation, our delegates head back to cooler climates and the more serious business of posting bitter comments on sports websites.

As the final results come through, which two teams did our erstwhile colleagues from the FIFA advisory committee recommend? A handwritten scrawl on the back of a beer coaster from the swim up bar contained their answer: Bali and the Maldives.

Push for third team in Sydney as A-League aims to cash in on World Cup hype and record SBS ratings



AUSTRALIAN soccer wants a third Sydney team in the A-League — smack bang in NRL territory — as part of future expansion and its next broadcasting deal.

Former NRL boss David Gallop plans to attack Sydney’s south, where the Cronulla Sharks are struggling and St George Illawarra have all but abandoned Kogarah Oval.

Cashing in on the World Cup hype and record SBS ratings, the subject of A-League expansion and long-term strategic planning have been discussed among FFA heavyweights in Brazil.

Corporate powerhouses Westfield and Nike have already indicated they will support the new venture.

There is talk of Socceroos legend Tim Cahill, who recently purchased a waterfront home in the Shire, becoming the face of the club.

Home grounds under consideration include Shark Park, Kogarah Oval and Wollongong.

As World Cup fever sweeps the nation and gives soccer another huge growth spurt, FFA is firming up plans that they hope will become a reality with the next TV deal in 2017.

The competition has remained stable at 10 clubs for the past three seasons, but several key stakeholders, including Frank Lowy, are pushing for a 12-club comp. The new markets under consideration are not likely to include provincial cities in the wake of FFA’s disastrous Townsville and Gold Coast play.

Instead, the major capital cities are under the spotlight.

On day one in the job as FFA chief executive, Gallop said A-League expansion should happen in markets where there are “millions of potential fans, not just hundreds of thousands”.

In Rio for the World Cup, Gallop told me: “The connection to the grassroots and our massive participation base is what sets our game apart. It makes sense to link clubs and communities in any expansion plan to keep the growth trajectory of the A-League on a steep incline.

“We need to fish where the fish are.”

Ironically, Gallop was the man in his rugby league chief executive days who always insisted that nine Sydney clubs and a saturation coverage of the city was the way to go.

For soccer, that means the focus will be Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Of these major markets, it’s understood that Sydney’s south and south-west and Brisbane’s west and south-west are regarded as prime territory for expansion.

Outside of the Shire, the other Sydney option is to take advantage of the south-west growth corridor from Liverpool to Campbelltown, where the planned new Badgery’s Creek airport will supercharge the economic growth in a region where soccer already has a massive following.

A third Sydney team to join Sydney FC and the Wanderers might seem ambitious at first glance, but the numbers show a huge market potential and a third club would deliver more of the
A-League’s hottest property — Sydney derby matches.



In the 2011/12 season, Sydney FC had the city’s market to themselves and had an average crowd of about 12,000 and membership of 7000.

The next season, the Western Sydney Wanderers were born and the Sydney soccer market changed forever.

Two seasons later, the market growth is phenomenal. Last season, Sydney FC had a crowd average of about 20,000 and membership of almost 12,000. The Wanderers packed Pirtek Stadium every week and ended with a 16,000 crowd average and a capped membership of 16,000.

On a fortnightly basis, the Sydney market went from 12,000 average attendances in 2011/12 to a combined 36,000 average in 2013/14. Membership went from 7000 to a combined 28,000.

They are staggering increases.

The Sydney basin is the heartland of Australian football, with 40 per cent of all registered players in this region. That’s more than 200,000 participants. Not only that, there are hot spots that don’t have a direct connection to an existing A-League club.

In my patch in the Shire, you’ll find the biggest suburban soccer association in Australia, the Sutherland Shire Football Association with about 20,000 players in 26 clubs, including Lilli Pilli, the biggest in the country.

Next door is the St George association, where the late, great Johnny Warren first kicked a ball on the fields of Botany.

This combination of grassroots numbers and heritage makes for a powerful case, just like the
Wanderers in the west of Sydney.

Illawarra A-League expansion on the horizon with South Sydney team

A report from News Limited says a new A League team based in the Sutherland Shire could be part of the national soccer league in 2017.

The team would make use of Kogarah Oval, Shark Park and WIN Stadium as home grounds in a move that could boost interest in soccer in the Illawarra.

Ever since the Wollongong Wolves left the national soccer competition in 2004, the region has been calling for another seat at the national table.

"They [Football Federation Australia] saying to us they're thinking of ways to maximise the [A League] brand and they see our region as a key to it," Mr De Gabriele says.

"We have a terrific nursery and they want to make sure the Illawarra can tap into the A League and FFA programs.

"We meet them one on one on a regular basis and they say 'don't get disillusioned because you didn't get a home of football, we're still supporting you'."

The move would see soccer make inroads into traditional rugby league areas currently held by the Cronulla Sutherlands Sharks and the St George Illawarra Dragons.

But games at Kogarah Oval in Kogarah and WIN Stadium in Wollongong have decreased in recent years, and regular use of those grounds would be welcomed by stadium administrators.

Mr De Gabriele says not only could the region support a club in south Sydney, it would draw fans from elsewhere.

"Identity is a challenge but these days even teams that are geographically created don't geographically operate.

"I don't think distance is a problem - people follow a brand and a club and what their heart tells them to follow.

"The idea of having some games in the Illawarra means everyone can get to it."

The FFA has already indicated they are interested in two new teams for the competition by 2017 when the TV rights deal is up for renewal.

It makes sense that South Sydney could be a viable option for the code.

Mr De Gabriele says another club would help bring the league up to a 12 team competition, which he says is ideal.

"Some of the other codes are running too big [with too many teams] and are watering down their bases.

"We could have a Japanese or Korean side - there's always ways of expanding the world game."

Timpano points to Illawarra for next A-League expansion


Jacob Timpano

South Coast Wolves captain Jacob Timpano has urged Football Federation Australia to ensure the Illawarra is the base for its next expansion move, or risk the region facing elite oblivion for decades to come.

On the back of the Wanderers' success in the A-League and the World Cup in Brazil, FFA officials want to capitalise on the groundswell of support for the code by establishing another team in NSW.

FFA officials are studying the feasibility of building a southern Sydney outfit, based at Kogarah or Cronulla, which could also play games at WIN Stadium.

However, fears have been raised about the prospect of Wollongong, who last played on the national stage in 2004, being squeezed out of the process by rich Sydney backers.

A former Sydney FC and North Queensland Fury defender, Timpano said the FFA simply could not turn its back on the Illawarra region in preference for another team in the Sydney market.

"If the Illawarra doesn't feature in those plans it would be a massive blow for the region and its supporters who have long fought for a return to the national fray," he said in his weekly Illawarra Mercury column (page 31).

"They are the very same fans who watched the Wollongong Wolves claim back-to-back NSL titles more than a decade ago before their untimely departure from the scene in 2004.

"But since then the rise of the A-League has given new hope for a return.

"Yet with two clubs already in the harbour city and two more a stone's throw away [on the Central Coast and Newcastle], a fifth team in NSW would more than likely rule out further expansion in the state for the near future."

Football South Coast suffered a significant setback last year when funding for the Home of Football development at West Dapto was committed to by the previous Labor government, then scrapped by the current Coalition government.

NRL club St George Illawarra have cut their home games back from six to four at WIN Stadium this year, to alleviate cost pressures by playing at the more financially lucrative ANZ Stadium at Sydney Olympic Park.

Timpano is adamant the South Coast should not be satisfied by being thrown the crumbs of an A-League franchise and hosting just a handful of games for an otherwise Sydney-based franchise.

"Wollongong wants and needs a team of our own," he said.

Wolves to showcase A-League claims against Mariners

Retired Wollongong A-League star Mile Sterjovski and fellow former Socceroo Paul Okon during the FFA Cup draw on Friday.

FOOTBALL

It's been playfully labelled the Mile Sterjovski Cup.

With the draw live on television, South Coast were one of the last to be drawn from their pot, as they booked an FFA Cup date with former A-League champions Central Coast Mariners, likely to be played on Tuesday, August 19.

The clash may not have the pulling power of the rabid support of Western Sydney Wanderers' Red and Black Bloc, or the navy blue army following Melbourne Victory.

But there is no questioning the Mariners' credentials as an Australian football powerhouse and a model for success for any future South Coast A-League franchise.

After completing his official duties with the draw on Friday, Sterjovski admitted he enjoyed the prospect of his two former clubs meeting in the round of 32.

"It's pretty funny," he said of the Sterjovski Cup reference.

"I knew as soon as I drew it out that it was the Mariners and I had the Wolves in the back of mind during the draw, waiting to see when they would come out.

"It was an honour to be part of the first ever draw, it's a great initiative and helps close the gap a bit between the A-League and the semi-professional clubs.

"It's also perfect timing for the FFA to capitalise on the growth of football in Australia, with the World Cup, the A-League and the Asian Cup to come.

"Hopefully it will be a stepping stone to promotion and relegation in Australia and it would be great to see Wollongong back in the elite competition."

Injured Wolves captain Jacob Timpano, a former Sydney FC and North Queensland Fury defender, admitted holding his breath as it became clear the team would be drawn against an A-League club.

"It's a great result to play an A-League club, it's a chance to show the strength of South Coast football," he said.

"It would have been great to have the Wanderers or Melbourne Victory here, just because of the amount of crowd support it would attract, but it's fantastic to be playing the Mariners.

"They're a hugely successful club in the A-League and all the boys can't wait to take them on."

It was Sterjovski - who developed through the Wolves system and won the 2013 A-League grand final with the Mariners - who pulled the Central Coast ball from Pot A to lock in the WIN Stadium showdown.

And being played on a Tuesday night in Wollongong, when the Mariners are just weeks into the pre-season preparations for the next A-League season, Timpano is bullish about the Wolves' hopes.

"It's a good chance of getting a result," he said.

"When I was playing for Sydney FC, we would play against state league opposition during the pre-season and we got beat on numerous occasions.

"At that stage of the year, there's not much difference in terms of standard, because we're well into the NSW Premier League season and are well conditioned."

Two years ago, Dapto Dandaloo played out a draw in a Central Coast pre-season encounter, while experienced midfielder Steve Hayes has trialled with the Mariners and Wolves product Josh Bingham is in their youth system.

Timpano, who played for Australia at under-23 level and was with Fury prior to the demise of the club in the A-League, said it was an opportunity to show he could still handle the national elite competition.

"I still feel like I'm up to that level when I'm fit."

Just Add :
Canberra United
Wollongong
Northern Qld team
Geelong
Tasmania
Auckland

=16

With second Division,
3 NSW
3 Vic
2 Qld
2 WA
2 SA
1 NT
1 ACT

=14

There is no 'just add' - we/they can only add teams where backers are prepared to back teams. It's going to be a hard slog because there aren't many cashed up football loving backers prepared to invest in the game. We've seen how hard it was to get WSW up and running - they had to self-fund, then had the fortune of two great seasons to pull in crowds to demonstrate the viability. FFA can't afford to hit-and-hope in Canberra, Wollongong, etc., so they need to have independently backed sides.

As I've said for several years - if you want to expand by two sides, simply invite bids and select the two most financially viable options - whether they are in new territories or not. If that means we end up with South Sydney AND Wollongong, and the league becomes even more NSW oriented, so be it.

Splitting games and identity between the shire, st george and Wollongong is a disaster waiting to happen. If South Sydney get a team then pick one stadium out of Jubille or Shark Park and leave Wollongong alone.

The splitting of grounds that St George Illawarra means the Illawarra side of the team often gets forgotten and the team ends up being perceived as a Sydney team, which pisses off Wollongong types. Illawarra deserves it's own team, there is facilities ready to go, a sense of identity in the community and too much history in the Wolves to just get lumped into some South Sydney franchise.

This so much. I think people will be surprised what a difference 10 years out of a national comp will do to a club, who let's be honest pulled mediocre crowds at Brandon Park. But playing at WIN stadium which is much more accessible and central they should match atleast CCM in terms of crowd numbers. I'd be shocked if they didn't.

I must admit I chop and change my next A-League expansion teams quite frequently since every day someone new brings about new reasons why a team should or should not be admitted into the A-League.

judging by the criteria and no disrespect to New Zealand the only teams I can see currently are now

3rd Sydney and a 2nd Brisbane.

However would a 2nd Brisbane team work or will it be like the The South Queensland Crushers NRL team?

Canberra will work if people are realistic about the crowds they will attract and to be honest at best will be around CCM/Wellington numbers.

as for other regional markets around the country maybe the A-League is just a bridge to far and the next best thing is to build a team that can on merit compete in the NPL.

That is what I will hope for is that every region far and wide, big or small will have some kind of football team NPL at the very least to support or play for.

I agree in principle but...

This could be the problem. A South Sydney team and a Wollongong team may be the most financially viable options, but if they are 'fishing' in the same area then they both are weakened. It really needs to be the best 'pair of bids'.

This would have to be addressed in the individual viability element of the bid - how big does the 'exclusion zone' need to be around the franchise.

Even if South West Sydney is viable, let's just give Sydney a rest for a while.

Again, South West Sydney is a massive and growing market, forecast to grow by an additional 300K people in just over a decade. THERE'S YOUR MARKET FOR A NEW TEAM RIGHT THERE!