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GWS coach Kevin Sheedy addresses players (L-R) Josh Bruce, Tom Kickett and Adam Flagg before a training session at Blacktown Olympic Park, Rooty Hill, NSW.
Make no mistake, we are currently witnessing one of the most intriguing and wide-reaching expansion phases in the history of Australian sport with codes venturing into uncharted waters like never before.
In the last week alone we’ve seen:
– The AFL’s Gold Coast FC launching their inaugural membership drive.
– An AFL NAB Cup match being held in Blacktown, the future base for the GWS franchise, with the club announcing their chairman and a naming competition for its moniker.
– Melbourne Rebels announcing the signing of one of the most recognisable English internationals.
– Melbourne Heart A-League franchise announcing further signings from home and abroad.
– Sydney Rovers A-League franchise releasing images of their proposed stripe online.
– The V8 Supercars beginning their season in Abu Dhabi followed by a round in Bahrain this weekend.
These are exciting times in Australian sport.
But once this current phase of expansion is completed with the likes of GWS, Gold Coast FC, Sydney Rovers, Melbourne Rebels, Melbourne Heart, etc hitting the park in 2010, ’11 and ‘12, where will the codes look to next?
Let’s take a look around Australian sports for where the next expansion targets could be:
AFL
With Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney joining the AFL ranks over the next two seasons, it’s hard to pinpoint the next target for the league.
Canberra and Tasmania have been lurking as hosts for a while now, but it’s unlikely they have the economic might and population base to create an AFL franchise from scratch. There also seems to be little interest from the AFL itself for new franchises in these areas, perhaps leaving both options open if struggling Victorian clubs seek relocation.
Darwin is an interesting case. The Northern Territory government has committed $7 million over five years for improving the infrastructure of stadiums and for the right to host 10 AFL matches at a cost of $500,000 per game.
Darwin will be a “home away from home” for the Port Power this season, and while some Victorian clubs are on the breadline, the Power are in the most precarious position, hoping the move of AFL matches into the heart of South Australia at Adelaide Oval will help boost their crowds and memberships.
But with the Port Adelaide Magpies SANFL club debilitated by debt, a lot is being asked from the relatively small Port fanbase to help prop up two ailing clubs.
Darwin could well become more than just a “home away from home” for the Power, with relocation, rather than expansion, the likely focal point for the AFL beyond the inclusion of Gold Coast FC and GWS.
Rugby League
There are two standout expansion options for the NRL: the Central Coast and Perth. The impressive crowd of around 9,500 for the NRL pre-season trial between the Roosters and Dragons at Members Equity Stadium has suddenly put the WA capital in the frame for the NRL’s 2013 expansion plans, while the Central Coast has long fought for NRL inclusion, helped by the recent success of the Central Coast Mariners franchise in the A-League.
Expanding into Perth and Central Coast, as opposed to second teams in Brisbane and New Zealand, as has been discussed, will better help the code spread its national influence.
Long-term, Adelaide could be another option, with the South Australian capital having the least cluttered winter sporting market, especially if Port Power cannot turn around their plunging fortunes.
The NRL has been understated in its expansion plans beyond 2013, especially when compared to the recent movements of its rival codes, but they appear to have the most intriguing expansion decision to make.
A-League
If the A-League is to expand beyond the inclusion of the second teams in Melbourne and Sydney, they must avoid adding a second club in any other city. Only Melbourne and Sydney can handle two A-League clubs, and even that remains to be seen.
Wollongong and Canberra are the obvious choices, both with solid cases for inclusion, while Tasmania remains lurking thanks to renewed government support.
If the Wellington Phoenix are granted amnesty by the AFC, and New Zealand football incorporated into the Asian confederation, then a second New Zealand franchise, probably based out of Christchurch, which attracted over 20,000 for the Wellington Phoenix’s recent visit, is a possibility.
Following the debacle surrounding crowds on the Gold Coast, the FFA will be keen on expanding in areas with a rich football heritage and recent involvement in the game, so advantage Canberra (NYL and W-League clubs) and Wollongong (NSL history).
Rugby Union
With the Melbourne Rebels’ entry into the expanded Super 15 league from 2011 causing much controversy regarding franchise dispensations, and the SANZAR political debacle of granting Melbourne the 15th franchise in the first place, you sense Super Rugby has exhausted its expansion options in Australia.
The code must focus on revitalising the domestic level of the game.
Cricket
The KFC Twenty20 Big Bash was the big mover of the Australian summer, and the future of the competition will see a move toward city-based, franchise-owned teams rather than state teams, opening the door for expansion beyond the current one team per state platform.
Watch for seismic changes in domestic cricket.
Basketball
Expansion is a necessity for the NBL if there is to be any chance of revitalising basketball in this country. While the league has had success in regional areas such as Cairns, Wollongong and Townsville, it needs a presence in Brisbane and Sydney to start making more of a dent in the nation’s press and psyche.
Motorsport
With the V8 Supercars currently in Bahrain for the second round of their international start to the 2010 championship, some Aussie fans are understandably miffed, especially with the news V8 Supercar chairman Tony Cochrane wants at least another two overseas rounds by 2015, with Singapore the favoured target.
The V8s not venturing to Perth this season means the series loses one of its trump cards; the fact it was one of the few major Australian codes to compete in each state (only ACT missed out on a V8 round last year).
In its quest for international recognition, the V8s must be careful not to abandon their heartland and risk losing its soul.
These are only speculative options until the current expansion phase and its relative success or failure becomes obvious for the codes. Many of these predictions may not even come to fruition if this current phase exhausts the Australian sporting landscape too severely and it becomes obvious codes are being forced to prop up struggling franchises.
We shall be watching closely.