The FFA have canned the Sydney Rovers bid for a 12th A-League franchise in western Sydney. With major financial concerns, the writing has been on the wall following the World Cup bid loss in Zurich.
Despite this, the FFA have insisted they remain committed to an A-League franchise in the western suburbs, releasing a statement saying the scrapping of the franchise bid in the region had come through mutual agreement between the peak body and the Sydney Rovers group.
“We have mutually decided this week to move on so FFA can explore other options with the view to starting a team in Sydney’s west as soon as possible,” FFA CEO Ben Buckley said in a statement.
“The Sydney Rovers group has completed a substantial amount of work around dealing with stadia, local government and businesses and they have kindly offered to make that work available to other prospective consortiums.”
Buckley said the FFA was committed to a second Sydney team with other investors.
“We are convinced there is enough support out there for a western Sydney franchise and it is an important part of our vision for the Hyundai A-League,” he said.
The FFA had initially rejected two other bids for a franchise in western Sydney, including the Lucas Neill-backed Sydney Wanderers, in favour of the Rovers.
An ambitious bid led by Saatchi ad boss Ian Rowden, a name identity, and kit were released early in the club’s development.
However, funding concerns less than a year out from their A-League debut were not solved as sufficient backing was still not found.
No official reason was given for the Rovers and the FFA not pushing ahead with the proposed franchise.
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