I am skeptical about any location outside of the centre of the city tbh - that area next to WP station is literally paddocks with some McMansions in the area.

I certainly hope that the FFA do Not sit on their hands and distribute two licenses to new franchises, one being your club the Vic Patriots. Just do not call it Victoria as they don't represent all of Victoria. Even South Victoria would be realistic and much more appropriate, given the name doesn't eventually fully change. We also have more than enough blue coloured teams, may the colours be different, even black and whit, whatever. Cheers.

Sure if they want to base their training base in Armstrong's Creek then its great for the emerging region but it would be stupid to attempt to have a stadium out of the CBD unless someone can provide a reasonable counter argument suggesting otherwise.

Name wise, i'd hope they do change it to a Geelong based name. 
Sure you can represent the people of the Surf Coast but the Cats do this perfectly with Geelong in it's name.
It's the regional go to place for all the smaller surf coast towns.

My suggestion would be Geelong Seagulls with a logo similar to Brighton & Hove.
It actually has historical links to the cities sporting sides.

Previously, the Geelong Football Club had been known as the Seagulls, with the dark blue and white striped uniform representing the blue water of Corio Bay and the white seagulls that inhabited the area.

Anyway looking at Kardinia Park on maps. I hope they look at somehow working amongst the other codes here to include a rectangular stadium within this precinct to show they are serious.

West victoria even. Tbh "Geelong FC" has the best ring to it. The patriots thing is such lurid, cringeworthy PR im just gobsmacked. Why on earth would you want to get off on that foot if you dont need to. The "football people" heading this bid must've missed that one eh? 

They should only get in once the stadium is built. Fullstop. A new regional expansion team is already a slow burner as it is. But playing out of a 36k arena will be underwhelming at best. I think Geelong is a much better idea than Casey though.  

They could easily fit a 15k seater in the Kardinia Park complex - if they wanted to go any bigger they'd have to shift existing facilities, but 15k boutique stadium would be fine for quite a while. It's near all the existing infrastructure, it is in the main sporting complex of the city and it doesn't cut the city in two - both north and south residents of the city can attend with relative ease. Not to mention lots of pubs in walking distance.

Armstrong Creek would be fine as a training base (heck, maybe they could work something out with Deakin Uni at their Waurn Ponds campus) but their matchday stadium needs to be at Kardinia Park - whether that be Simonds stadium or a new stadium.

Yeah something in the Kardinia Park precinct would be ideal for sure.

Your probably right in a sense that there's the space for a 15k seater in the Kardinia Park precinct.
It's probably more the associated politics of booting either the cricket or local aussie rules & netball sides out of their ovals which could pose a potential issue.
But most definitely it's the best location that the city & region can present.

A-League expansion bid: Simonds Stadium to host A-League football in Geelong if licence granted

SIMONDS Stadium will host Geelong’s soccer matches if a team from the regional town is granted an A-League licence.

Geelong’s bid, operating under the working title of ‘Victoria Patriots’, is deep in discussions with stadium management regarding its plans for entry into an expanded 2019-20 competition.

And while there has been talk of a boutique rectangular stadium being built in or around Geelong, Kardinia Park Stadium Trust chief Michael Brown said the Patriots would make their A-League debut at Simonds if its bid is successful.

“We’re in discussions with the Patriots,” Brown said.


Michael Brown, CEO of the Kardinia Park Stadium Trust.
“They need somewhere to play, we’re keen to have them here, and we’ll strike a good financial arrangement for them.”

The ground’s capacity is currently 34,000.

Plans for the final stage of its redevelopment will be put to the Victorian Government before next year’s budget.

And if funding for the near $100 million project is granted, that spells good news for Geelong’s A-League hopes.

“In to that (new grandstand) will be purpose-built football facilities for home and away teams,” Brown said.


Simonds Stadium in Geelong may soon host regular A-League football.
“There will be changerooms, warm-up centres, all the things that teams need until such time that one day, maybe, we get a rectangular stadium down this way.

“Certainly we want them here, they want to come here. I’ve got a lot of time for all of the people involved.

“I know they’re working closely with government and it would be a great bonus for Geelong to have an A-League team.”

With Simonds Stadium available, Brown said Geelong’s bid is “ready made”.

And he is confident that with the advent of drop in wickets, a Big Bash cricket team could co-exist with an A-League club at the ground if that ever came to fruition.

Melbourne Victory will play a fourth game in four years at the ground next season, against Central Coast on Saturday, January 6.

Brown said nothing with regards to expansion should be read into Victory’s Geelong arrangement.

And with a more family-friendly time this season, the 2015 Asian Cup chief is confident the Mariners game will thrive.

“You get a million people flood to the Bellarine Peninsula over Christmas,” he said.

“The game last year was on a Monday night at eight o’clock, so we needed to think about a more family-friendly time.

“Now we’ve got a five o’clock game on a Saturday right in the middle of the holidays.

“It’s perfect and we’re expecting a big crowd.”

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/football/a-league/aleague-expansion-bid-simonds-stadium-to-host-aleague-football-in-geelong-if-licence-granted/news-story/0913127697d6758a16f04dcab8c00c65

Keen to see their patriotic uniforms. 

A new grandstand at an AFL ground for a Geelong team

A purpose built stadium for a team in South East Melbourne



Well gee fucking whiz isn't that a hard one

So no expansion next season either 

Old mate the Stadium Chief will say anything to get his $100M upgrade.

This. Check his statement below as if that will work. What a joke........

And he is confident that with the advent of drop in wickets, a Big Bash cricket team could co-exist with an A-League club at the ground if that ever came to fruition.

.

Please do not build a stadium in the middle of nowhere. 

If it doest fit at Kardinia Park find somewhere else in the city somewhere.

Go Patriots!

It will definitely fit at Kardinia Park - it's just a matter of the Council telling the Australia Rules mafia to fuck off.

However, the Council does seem intent on forcing facilities into the southern side of the city (which is a well established growth corridor) and there is plenty of space down that way to do it. However, it lacks everything else - especially public transport. Also, if it is built into the southern side of the city, I ca guarantee it will not get the support from the Northern suburbs. Kardinia Park is perfectly positioned in the middle of the city, and thus would truly represent the city very well imo. Build an Academy out in Armstrong Creek by all means, but play in the middle of the city for crying out loud.

Shut the fuck up. 

Three cheers for the Pats!!

I think the council would be a bit more diplomatic than that.

Then you don't know the Geelong Council.

The same mob who spent millions on Kardinia Park in the first place?

For a franchise that sold out Geelong, play only a few games at Kardinia only to have the rest of Geelongs games at Jihad? Ratepayers must have been thrilled when the Vuck accepted their pleas to play there. 

They finally got something worthwhile in their city. 

That "franchise" you refer to was established in 1859.

You are effectively explaining why the Council is more likely to be diplomatic, given they are the ones spending the money on an oval, i.e. they would clearly see some value in having a "franchise" operating continuously out of their  regional city since 1859.

I'm sure the Patriots will also do the city proud.

well in the highly unlikely event that VP get awarded with 1 of the next 2 licences, they will have to play out of somewhere. So it makes sense to start with games at Kardinia Park, with the longer term plan to play at the proposed rectangular stadium just south of Waurn Ponds train station (which is a strong growth area of the region and borders on the new suburb of Armstrong creek).

I should add that the state government announced last week the plan to duplicate the train line from South Geelong to Waurn Ponds (with an eventual extension to Torquay). So you would expect most/all Geelong trains to terminate at Waurn Ponds once complete.