For me the Gong is the obvious choice.

- Nice sized stadium
- strong footballing history
- NSW derbies a minimum of 4 a season.
- State League links
- strong local league
- Parochial population
- lack of competition in the market.

i do hope the ffa groom another region to go into the a-league with wollongong as 11th and 12th clubs.

i would be surprised if gallop has any intention of dropping wellington considering how new zealand warriors is an important part of the nrl.

Does seem like a no brainer. Maybe the main issue holding it back is a backer? Theres always Bruce Gordan who owns WIN and is worth around a billion, however i have no idea if he's interested in owning a football club. Its been rumoured that he was going to be the main backer before, but who knows. In saying that they got the cash together in 2009, so you'd think they'd be able to do it now with the salary cap now covered. Eddy De Gabriele is the bid leader and the rest of the South Coast board look like they could come up with the cash between them maybe, 5 million is no drop in the ocean though. I really hope they are included in the next expansion though, and Canberra. If they want 2nd and 3rd teams for major cities id hold off as long as they can to allow the other clubs to establish more, 10 years seems like a bit of time, but its not really in a sporting club sense.

Who knows maybe one of the reasons expansion was put off even longer (aside from television rights period) is that they are waiting to see what the AFC say and then they will go in and install an Auckland team. My mail is they already have support and financial backing tentatively worked out for an Auckland team and the backing of football NZ.

Agree that expansion needs to be in pairs.

Not sure about another NZ team though. Question is, where else? Brisbane or Canberra?

Auckland City eye A-League spot

By Michael Brown

2:38 PM Friday Mar 14, 2014

Save

Like on Facebook493


Tweet on Twitter33


Post on LinkedIn0


+1 on Google+0




AKL - Sport
ASB Premiership
Football
Mobile Sport


Auckland's Emiliano Tade kicks for goal. Waitakere United vs Auckland City FC, ASB Premiership semi-final first leg, Fred Taylor Park, Whenuapai, Auckland. Photo / Jason Dorday. Auckland's Emiliano Tade kicks for goal. Waitakere United vs Auckland City FC, ASB Premiership semi-final first leg, Fred Taylor Park, Whenuapai, Auckland. Photo / Jason Dorday.

Auckland City are talking to a handful of potential investors with the aim of getting a second New Zealand team in the A-League, with Wellington Phoenix owner Gareth Morgan at the top of the list.

Morgan is keen to see another New Zealand team in the Australian competition, and has held preliminary discussions with Auckland City chairman Ivan Vuksich, but doesn't want to drive the project.

The Football Federation Australia have outlined plans to expand the 10-team competition, with sides from Wollongong, Canberra, Tasmania and even Asia touted as possibilities. New Zealand represents an attractive market commercially, with opportunities around sponsorship and broadcasting.

Auckland City offers some potential because they already have a fanbase of about 2000 and have achieved good success, having won four national titles and played at five Club World Cups. They also go into Sunday's ASB Premiership final against Team Wellington at Kiwitea St as firm favourites.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=11219695


But Auckland has an inglorious history with Australia's top professional competition, with both the Football Kingz and New Zealand Knights dismal failures. What has given rise to some hope is the fact decent crowds have attended Phoenix games at Eden Park - 18,056 watched last month's 2-1 win over Adelaide United and more than 20,000 attended 12 months previously - although it's more difficult to sustain that over time.

"I think it would be great to have a second team from New Zealand in the A-League and the obvious place for it is Auckland,'' Morgan said. ``If Auckland, and probably Auckland City, were to get on the way to achieving that I would be more than willing to participate. But Auckland has to have its heart in because I don't want to drive it.

"If Auckland got off its butt, I would be there. I just think it would be good for the game.

"The conversations I have had with the FFA in Australia is that they are supportive of the idea.''

Morgan views his ownership of the Phoenix as ``social work'' because individuals don't go into football to make money. The 10 clubs in the league have annual turnovers between $6-$14 million.

Morgan will talk to new New Zealand Football chief executive Andy Martin about the proposal this month and Vuksich has already met with a number of potential investors.

"It's very early days but if there's a possibility of another A-League team in Auckland we would definitely be keen to be involved,'' Vuksich said. "I have people working for me trying to find investors and the signs are reasonably encouraging. There are plenty of people in Auckland who could do it, perhaps half a dozen, but it's whether we can get them interested.

"If it's promoted the right way, I think it's possible to get 10,000-12,000 fans at games. But Auckland is a difficult market and even the Blues [Super Rugby side] are struggling to get 15,000 fans to games.''

Morgan and Vuksich have also had very preliminary discussions about establishing a more formal relationship between the two clubs. A number of Auckland City players have gone on to the Phoenix, including Ben Sigmund, Jason Hicks, Matthew Ridenton and Albert Riera, and Wellington coach Ernie Merrick has his eye on a couple of promising youngsters.

Morgan would like to take it further and have formal relationships with all the ASB Premiership franchises but there are difficulties around players crossing over from amateur and professional leagues, not to mention the A-League is recognised as an Asian competition.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=11219695

As great as a AKL side would be, it really is a non-starter in the current environment (ie. AFC opposition to NZ participation in the HAL).

The other question really is.. How does this help drive Australian Football? It does certainly help NZ football if it works out, including a derby and more professional pathways for its players, but it can be seen as more investment by the FFA outside Australia that will be required. Whether the FFA will see that investment as worthwhile will be interesting to see if the option presents itself, and the AFC softens its stance, or Oceania joins the AFC at some point.

The downsides are that Australia itself offers very little in the way of expansion opportunities. Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane really hold the key to expansion over the coming decade. This is especially clear considering that the FFA has said it is only really looking at markets in the millions, not the hundreds of thousands, which tends to rule out markets like Townsville, Canberra, Geelong, Tasmania or even Wollongong on its own.

Edited by heart_fan: 6/7/2014 03:54:11 PM

I always hear people say this but what's your evidence this is true other than WP isn't allowed in acl?

I know when people on here blamed WP when we only got 1.5 spots in acl but gallop or Buckley (whoever was CEO at the time) came out and said that wasn't the reason.

I can only see Wollongong coming in if its tied into a Southern Sydney club somehow. It may not be a popular call, but its one that aligns with the FFA's comments of late.

As has been said, Gallop wants teams in their millions, not hundreds of thousands, for which Wollongong on its own really falls into the latter.

By linking into a Southern Sydney club gives it the potential to play home matches in Sydney and in Wollongong, broadens corporate support opportunities and allows the club to tap into a far larger catchment. This is also why CCM is working so hard to chase playing games in Northern Sydney, and the FFA would be very mindful of that situation now also.

I think its fbeen fairly clear over time that the AFC have been against NZ participation in the HAL, which was especially evident with Bahrain's failure to beat NZ to qualify for the 2010 WC. It wasn't viewed in a positive light towards Australia by our Asian confederation partners.

The other sign of evidence is the lack of a license extension past 2016. The other 9 Australian based clubs have had their licences extended, leaving WP waiting to hear of an outcome on theirs.

I don't blame WP for limiting spots in the ACL, as honestly it would be a joke to get too many spots for a 10 team comp anyway.

Well there is nothing to stop young Australian players or Returning socceroos going there like they would to any other club. It's another outlet for senior football in a top tier league. Auckland is one of those "Millions Markets", it's just not been done properly before. If the FFA can negotiate their Sky NZ Media deal to reflect this it's not that bad an investment.

It'd be a disaster, Illawarra is as big as Newcastle and people there are sick of having to share teams with Sydney. If the FFA want the community to embrace this teams then all games and the club base need to be in Wollongong. When it comes to juniors and sponsors on the other hand, obviously they should be firmly scouring South Sydney.

I hear you, but basically it's just speculation atm. And there's probably a dozen different reasons why WP didn't their lisence updated.

And it doesn't really hold up if there's already been discussions recently with the FFA about a potential auckland side.

I fear then that if Wollongong have an all or nothing type mindset, it will get the latter.

Unless the FFA are 100% sure that the numbers add up on its own, which will go against its comments of the markets it would be looking at, it would be a huge risk.

Also, the Hunter region has a population of 620K vs Illawarra with 450,000. That's a significant difference really. Unless it can broaden its catchment zone, the market size is limited.

I'm not sure I see any other reason for a hold up really.

An AKL bid can discuss their ideas all they like, but if there's no approval from the AFC, it won't even be considered.

We will wait and see I guess.

Edited by heart_fan: 6/7/2014 04:47:51 PM

A South Coast team playing out of Wollongong would have the benefit of hosting at least 6 NSW derbies a year.

The Illawarra is over 100k less in population that the equivalent region of the Lower Hunter and its growth to 2031 is half of the 160k projected for the Lower Hunter. Its economy at $18b pa is $9b pa less than the Lower Hunter. A team in the Illawarra would find it significantly more difficult than the Newcastle Jets to survive. Both in population and the size of its economy it is about half way between Central Coast and the Jets. Being in a different TV market to Sydney would make it somewhat difficult to draw corporate support from the Sydney region. Access to the Sydney TV market would be the only advantage that a shared team would have but I agree it is not a good idea.

Edited by gyfox: 6/7/2014 04:55:49 PM

^^^ all of those kits look amazing.

Why is it that fans seem to make very classy kits for their teams yet the pros turn out some absolute trash

change sporting brisbane to brisbane strikers and its a winner.

They all look shit and childish.

JoFFA, fuck off with all the pushing for a NZ side. If NZ want to grow as a footballing nation, it won't be of any help if it were through our league and will just bring us down.

All the above mentioned teams don't need to join the A-League they have the FFA Cup to show or prove if they have the goods or not.
Auckland side should be handed a license asap, Followed by a Pacific Island - A-League team then move on to the dregs in Australia.

im supportive of an auckland team, but suggesting a pacific islands or south-east asian team is ridiculous.

11. wollongong wolves
12. brisbane strikers or ipswich rovers
13. 3rd sydney (south sydney)
14. 3rd victorian
15. 4th sydney (south-west sydney)
16. 4th victorian
17. auckland city
18. canberra athletic

Absolutely. ](*,)

The goal should be to establish more Aust based teams, most likely from the NPL national champion from say 2018 onwards as Gallop mentioned about a year ago in an IV. Auckland is a big population centre, but not sure of another outside the AFC.

South Coast Wolves and a Canberra side from the ACTPL should be priority. No expansion into NZ, pacific islands, Bali, Egypt, South America etc etc.

The more I have thought about it,the more I think a South side Brisbane team should be considered.It seems to have good local clubs like Olympic,Strikers,Redlands,Rochedale ,East Brisbane and The Wolves,which are performing well in the NPL and BRL.
It covers a large population area extending down to the Gold Coast and is defined by being South Of the River.
It could also have the potential to draw in Gold Coast and Ipswich supporters if marketed properly.
Could it be a case of build it and they will come ,like WSW ?
Maybe an 'amalgamation' or joint share holding of the aforementioned teams to form a new team /club.
Of course it will always require someone to stump up the cash,but with the potential for real derbies against The Roar,it is not that unrealistic.

The notion that the Roar aren't considered a south side team is laughable.

Putting another team up here in South East Queensland is naff unless it's well away from Brisbanes CBD. Brisbane itself is a one team city, anyone who is not a Brisbane Roar supporter here is not going to be picked up by a new team. Even if the strikers went out to Logan it would still be a disaster. No one from Gold Coast would support a Brisbane team either.

Ipswich, Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast are different cases though. They are far away enough from the Roar to not be suffocated out of the market, have high growth expectations and they each have their own independent identity. As long as people weren't expecting them to get mega crowds and we're happy for more small teams then they would be fine

That said, they'd all need new grounds first.

Maybe Queensland Lions were, but aren't Brisbane Roar's admin, training and matchdays all north of the river?