I would have them wait on the outside and headline the A-League 2 league whenever thats brought in, in say the next 5-10 years.
That would add interest to the league and allow them to express themselves on a national scale so then when promotion relegation is opened after 5-10 years of the 2nd division they will be able to push up into the A-League

Could have a South Melbourne and a Geelong side? 

Other thing I can think of as a sticking point is City. They still have terrible attendances and no defined fan base as yet. Could they survive a third Melbourne team? Would a third Melbourne galvanise more people to support football, and more people to get aboard City as well as South Melbourne. Would they take more fans from City or Victory?

Ahh there it is. The throwaway '5-10 years' line with no evidence or basis to substantiate this claim whatsoever. It's now. The time is now. 

Would be interesting to see how they would rebrand themselves if they were awarded a license, they couldn't continue with the club identity they have now. Really the stadium bit is the tastiest part of a South bid. Everyone bangs on about 10k averages for them, maybe there would be some initial hype, but i don't see that being a sustainable number unless they significantly altered their brand. Most of the other stuff is all great, training bases, registered club (albeit somewhat ethnically exclusive), and stadium are great bonus inclusions. Id say they'd have the cash to do it too, but again, they'd need to change the brand to make the club financially viable in the long term. Basically the club has to become inclusive otherwise it won't be able to grow and the culture in the club will be toxic.

As many have said though, a third Melbourne team is probably a little bit ambitious just yet, as it is in Sydney in my opinion. Could we maybe get a Melbourne Knights bid too or something just so theres another colour option. 3 blue teams in one city in a competition our size is one too many.

The time is now for what? entrance into the A-League or starting up a 2nd division?
I would love for the 2nd division to be created now but I still think the Slice of the Pie that is needed for the clubs salary's and travel to be funded is still 1-2 TV deals away meaning 5-10 years.

Imagine an A-League 2 headlined by South and the legitimacy that they would bring and how serious they would take it, it would lift the whole standard. 
It would make that league serious... and then when it's able to be opened for promotion into A-League they will have the chance then to make it.

I think wollongong wolves said they could be ready in 6mths (from the daily football show 'next addition' expansion series of podcast) so they could be included in next years season too.

Bring them and south melbourne in now for the new season. The best way to bring 'old soccer' together with 'new football'. Inclusion.

What more inclusive way to do that then by adding two of Australia's greatest football clubs. 4 times champions SM. And two time champions and the first non metro football champions in australian history Wollongong wolves.

Round 1 of the 2017-18 season should kick off of a friday night to a packed win stadium on FTA.

potentially Wollongong Wolves, Brisbane Strikers, South Melbourne, Adelaide City all making noises atm for a return to the top flight.

no guarentees on win stadium being packed though. wanderers got 10k to the first game against ccm.

But 5-10 years? Why? What will miraculously happen that hasn't happened after the first 12 years of the A league? What will another 5-210 years do? You base your time frame on nothing.

It's time for a 2nd division and it's time for expansion. Why wait unnecessarily for 5-10 years. Plan now.

5-10 years becuase thats when the time frame of TV deals.
If the money from this next deal starting next year and running for 5 isn't enough then the next most likely is in 5 years time when that one comes up and then if that doesnt provide enough money it wont be until 10 years. 
In my opinion FFA have it in this order rightly or wrongly.

1.Expansion 12 teams, 14 teams, 16 teams.
2. A-League 2.
3. Promotion from AL2 and relegation from AL

What if they had the money now?

The FFA??
Then I would absolutely hope they would create a 8-12 team A-league2 In which South Melbourne should be the headline act. 
I'm all for that,
Televise one game a week in the broadcast packages/negotiations. 
We've already seen how good South rates, make them the big product in that league.
My model

16 team A-League
1. Melbourne City
2. Melbourne Victory 
3. Sydney FC
4. WSW
5. Roar
6. Glory
7. Adelaide UTD
8. CCM
9. Jets
10. Wellington (I would scrap them If it were me)
11. 2nd Brisbane team (strikers most likely)
12. 2nd Adelaide
13. 2nd Perth
14. Tasmania
15. South-West Sydney (Playing out of Ctown)
16. South-East Melbourne (playing out of Dandenong)

Meaning the A-League 2 teams would be IMO

1. South Melbourne 
2. Wollongong Wolves
3. North Sydney
4. South Sydney (A Derby North Vs South Works)
5. Canberra
6. Geelong
7. Ipswhich 
8. Northern Fury (ensure they based in townsville with ties in Cairns and Mackay.. playing 1 or 2 home games in each of those towns each year)
9. Gold Coast
10. Sunshine Coast

baby steps as you said ambitious, in saying that the fact that the ground agreement means we only would need to get 1500 to break even is a huge positive on the bid, with the new social club being built most likely by feb-march this is the perfect opportunity for the club.  as much as people are against it and say it wont happen fans wont come back blah blah blah guarantee the crowds will improve on what they currently are.  5000 odd to the grand final these year proves this especially in the warmer season the a league is in

South Melbourne to submit bid for A-League licence and seek inclusion in competition from next season

MATT WINDLEY, EXCLUSIVE, Herald Sunan hour agoSubscriber onlySOUTH Melbourne will formally submit a bid for an A-League licence by the end of this month and is seeking inclusion in a revamped competition from next season.The club plans to play all home games bar derbies at its 15,000-capacity Lakeside Stadium, where it expects to average crowds of more than 10,000 from season one.It would concurrently launch a W-League side, retain its presence in the Victorian National Premier League and recruit a high-profile marquee player for the A-League team.The Herald Sun understands South, which has established a four-person bid advisory board, has the capital required for a licence fee, which is about $5 million.Its training and administration base would also be at Lakeside, where it has a 40-year lease and needs match attendances of only about 1500 to break even.

Its home strip would contain the traditional blue and white worn during the halcyon days of South’s four National Soccer League titles, but the club plans to incorporate its heritage red, white and blue for away matches.A-League expansion is a hot topic, with Football Federation Australia signalling its intention to add at least two clubs in the near future.South’s advisory board is chaired by club director and prominent lawyer Bill Papastergiadis.It also contains the club’s women’s football director, property developer Gabrielle Giuliano, former federal sports minister Andrew Thomson and bid investor Luisa Chen.Papastergiadis said South, founded in 1959, was ready to go now.“I don’t think there’s anything holding us back,” he said.

“Where we differentiate ourselves from franchise clubs is the stadium deal, the capital we’ve got in support of this bid and the junior development program that we believe is the best in Australia.“But also, we won’t cannibalise the support of the existing A-League clubs in Melbourne.“Our advisory board knows the great history of this club, but also has the ability to drive it forward.”There are no immediate plans to expand Lakeside Stadium’s capacity, but the addition of further seating is possible if required.Papastergiadis said the W-League component of the bid was just as important as the men’s side.“It’s essential,” he said. “The important part of this bid is that it brings together men’s, women’s and junior football in the one club.”

It begs the question, if we get 4 solid bids, whats the chance of FFA admitting all four?  Or at least guaranteeing 3rd & 4th best a staggered admission later on?

Who is Luisa Chen the backer? Has South got defacto Chinese financiers?

'Follow the money', a wise man once told me.

I used to be against ethnic teams, I still don't like teams based on ethnicity, but bring them in purely to just hate them.

As for metrics this would not only add a rival for Victory and City, but also give a rival to Perth, plus give a bumper crowd if a Tasmanian side is admitted.

I hope if there are more than 2 good expansion bids the FFA doesn't just tell the losing bids to fuck off.

Chen is an Australian - just like Papastergiadis, Giuliano and Thomson

Obviously she's from the very very very eastern most part of Greece. ;)

Really good to see South and Tasmania making loud noises, whilst the Strikers and Canberra are circling...  The more options the better for the FFA and for the game.  

Has there been an officail Canberra bid put forward?? Along with Southern Sydney.
I haven't heard anything official other than FFA want South Sydney and the people want Canberra.

With South Melbourne and Tasmania putting forward serious bids, and other clubs already signalling their intent, the FFA absolutely has to state their intention to create a national second division.

I can't see them adding more than two expansion clubs in a single year, and the rejected bids need somewhere to go or we risk losing the people involved from the game. 

With City's current poor attendances, would there be any chance of South drawing even more fans away from them?