This is the biggest thing.

FFA says criteria is football specific stadium, x amount of seats.

Bidders say, we can't build stadium unless you guarantee us a team.

FFA says, sorry can't guarantee a team without football specific stadium with x amount of seats.

Bidders say, we can't build stadium unless you guarantee us a team.

FFA says, sorry cant guaran.......... and round and round we go. 

And before you know it, it's 2020 and we're still at 10 teams

They may not be the football heartland yet but they honestly have the opportunity to really leave it's mark on the game and create a legacy for the outer suburbs which has been neglected by the AFL ever since they sold Waverley Park.
For pure population purposes they can offer the below.

  #metrixforDandy

Direct Population:
City of Casey (2015) – 292,211
Suburbs inc: Berwick, Cranbourne, Doveton, Hallam, Clyde, Lynbrook, Narre Warren.
Rapidly expanding area.

City of Dandenong (2017) – 157,242
Suburbs inc: Dandenong, Keysborough, Noble Park & Springvale

Shire of Cardinia (2015) – 90,884
Suburbs inc: Pakenham, Officer, Gembrook, Emerald, Beaconsfield & Cockatoo
Again Pakenham and Officer are rapidly growing.


Total population of the three main municipalities: 540,337.

Surrounding districts which can be considered part of the catchment market including a direct pathway for professional football and youth academies and the like:
City of Frankston (135,971) – 135,971.
Suburbs inc: Frankston, Langwarrin, Carrum Downs & Seaford.
Within 20-25 mins of Dandenong.

Yarra Ranges Shire (2015) – 150,661
Suburbs inc: Belgrave, Lilydale, Upper Ferntree Gully, Kilsyth.
At a stretch this could be considered the south east catchment area.
Typically with 30mins-1hr from Dandenong

Shire of Mornington Peninsula (2015) – 155,015
Suburbs inc: Mornington, Pearcedale, Rosebud, Somerville.
All within 1 hour of Dandenong at worst


Total population incl just Frankston & the Mornington Peninsula: 831,323.

If they consider/stretch the catchment area to the Yarra Ranges, Bass Coast and Gippsland they will crack the 1 million mark for population alone which is what the FFA should be looking for in embedding the game into this region for the long term future.

This is a much more exciting end product than what Geelong and the Surf Coast can drum up long term.

I don't mean to be a broken record on this, but the truth is that Horvat never claimed that. Please check my post in the other thread if you haven't already.

South Melbourne fans won't like this, but I wonder if it might be in their best interests to join forces and create a joint bid with the Dandenong/Casey bid? I reckon that would greatly enhance their chances. Rightly or wrongly, I reckon the FFA will always have concerns re the ethnicity thing. then you factor in their central location... something like 1.5 million people live east of Warragul Rd, so the potential for growth is huge.

No thanks.

Would rather we stayed in the NPL in that scenario, which is actually a much better comp today than it was 10-15 years ago.

South Melbourne, not South of Melbourne!

theres the potential for south melbourne and dandenong/casey to be the 3rd and 4th melbourne teams, no need for the two bids to merge.

I would much rather the a-league go into the south-east suburbs where the afl doesnt have much presence than go to geelong where we will have another newcastle jets, a team that lives in the shadow of their co-tenants.

but the Victoria Patriots working group (as well as the Tassie bid) have plans to build their own football specific stadium. Personally, I think the way of the future for football in Australia is expansion teams wanting/planning to build their own football specific stadiums. This should be the number 2 priority (behind the potential growth of their own supporter base of course) IMO. I think Casey/Dandenong have raised this idea, but nothing concrete yet as far as I know.

Its great that South Melbourne and Wollongong have their own stadiums, but they're not Football specific stadiums per se  (south Melbourne share with Athletics Australia and I think St George still play some NRL games in Wollongong). 

They just pumped $300 million government money into Simmonds Stadium upgrade. My guess is there probably wont be a fooball specific stadium being built in Geelong for many many years to come. 

Don't underestimate the political capital of being seen to invest in regional infrastructure.

Where is the criteria? Wasn't it supposed to be released in February?

More FFA lies. Wankers. 

1 day left :D 

Football Sunshine Coast backing out of a local bid:

https://m.noosanews.com.au/news/doubt-cast-over-a-league-ambition-for-region/3148565/

I'm not holding my breath

How are these guys even in charge?

"I don't think we've got the supporter base,” he said.

"The Gold Coast didn't have it and I don't think the Sunshine Coast has it at the moment, to try to get 15,000 people turning up every week to watch a game.”

Only pretty much MV & BR have that atm.

Is he pissed off because he feels people are going over his head?

"He said the Sunshine Coast could ill-afford to follow in the foot-steps of the Gold Coast, which off-field issues and poor attendance at matches."

This doesn't make any sense.

Like the South Coast guy his priority should be to get a team at any cost...... and support all things that will make it possible.

Same thing in Tasmania, donkeys.

You just have to see it to believe it. Slagging off your own team.

Nah we are a tin pot club with no fans and the community doesn't know we exist and we are happy to keep it that way. Less work.

@select

It's just odd.

This is from an article 5 years ago.

"Fire is now five years into a 10-year plan that Mr Woodall is confident will win it not only a place in the national A-League competition but also a place in the women's W-League by 2017.

"We've had long-term ambitions to join the A-League," he said this week.

"But first you have to try to work for a position in the community and grow support.

"You can't just buy a licence and say, 'Here we are', like Clive did at the Gold Coast.""

https://m.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/news/its-not-quick-fire-says-the-anti-clive/1292875/

They have ever since stated their want and commitment to the community.

When the investor popped up they held back to have meetings. Woodall liked the plan so said "yes, Fire are on board".

Then the chairman of SC football starts making these strange statements.

But you don't have to impress this guy, it's Frank.

In europe ceos of tiny clubs talk themselves up to be the next Real Madrid. 

Here we slg the club and their communities. 

10:11AM

Still waiting. 

We will hear jack shit on this till after the season is finished at best. At worst, it will fall off the radar completely till the start of next season, at which point we will get a generic statement "the league is not presently in a position for expansion until 2020" or something like that.

Rightfully the media should be seething at the broken promise the FFA has given.

They have quite clearly failed to achieve a major milestone for the growth of our sport.
You set milestones, allocate the taskforce and oversee them and make sure it happens.

I’d actually like to see what they have achieved or implemented in the past 12 months. An unnecessary update of the league’s logo and an underwhelming TV deal.
And that’s the best I can think of.

Yoshi and Timmy

They do so little every other year a new logo and Tv deal looks good.

Jeez i wasn't that far off. 

1747

Still nothing. 

A-league at an all time low.
- aussie teams getting smashed by asian teams in the ACL
- ffa after securing a new tv deal announces they cant afford to expand the a-league
- daily terrorgraph writing daily anti-rbb articles since the derby over the penis-gate.

2337




Nothing

Radio

https://soundcloud.com/worldfootballau/a-league-expansion-discussion

 We spoke to South Melbourne A-League bid leader Bill Papastergiadis following Tuesday's expansion news and took your calls.

Gallop said in December  "July"

and that was before FIFA gave them extra homework.

http://www.fourfourtwo.com.au/news/ffa-tv-deal-a-factor-in-expansion-445388