Football Federation Australia is looking into the possibility of staging a Cup Competition for the 2011/2012 A-League season, which would start and finish later.
The competition would be run mid-week during the A-League season, similar to that of the FA Cup in England.
“We are looking to establish that (cup competition) next year,” Football Federation Australia (FFA) chairman Frank Lowy said on Wednesday.
The details of the proposed competition are still being sorted out, but it seems the cup competition will start before the proper A-League season and run to about mid-season.
The competition will, of course, not feature only the eleven A-League clubs as that would be too small, but also State League clubs from around the country.
Similar to the FA Cup, the State League clubs would have to play-off against eachother to win spots into the cup, in which then the A-League clubs come in.
The winner of the competition may even be granted a spot in the following year’s Asian Champions League.
Also the FFA are hoping to resolve issues with the Sydney Rovers officials and discuss the potential future of the club.
It’s been a year since the license for a Western Sydney team was granted, but the bid seems to have faltered lately with finances apparently standing in the way.
“We need to make sure the financing of the club is rigorously tested and we don’t end up with the FFA being required to step in,” said FFA chief executive Ben Buckley.
“We must make sure the required capital structure is in place. If we had to defer for a period of time we don’t see that as being the end of the world. We need to get it right. If it doesn’t happen through this process, it will happen. We are committed to a team in western Sydney.
“We were very hopeful of having a club up and running next season but we take a very long term view of west Sydney and the A-League in general.”
A 12th A-League club and a national cup competition are both needed to help the game grow here in Australia. Here’s hoping they become a reality.
JB
Guest
Tasmania could certainly be a surprise packet. Think they're sick of being neglected in national competitions. They get like 4 AFL matches a year, so i don't see why they wouldn't support they're own A-League side. Canberra i also think will work. They seem to have good support and i was actually impressed with the amount of support for the W-League side considering
Victer
Guest
Apologies, i should have been more specific on Gold Coast and said that would be my guess that they won't be around next year. I don't really care what Clive says as he will say what people want to hear, i can't see him actually committing for the long term. Happy to be proved wrong though. In terms of expansion the only city to have pulled a good crowd for an a-league game has been Christchurch. I'm still not convinced about Canberra, they need more games to prove they run a viable team. They'll have to do better than 5,000 for an a-league match. Feasibility studies are fine but tasmania needs to also prove themselves with games. As for the 22 rounds, sure we'd all like more but are the owners willing to pay for it with the current stadia and deals. Geoff Lord is currently pushing all stakeholders for a shorter season to reduce costs, i'm betting he will get his way.
mahony
Guest
There is so much garbage there I am not even sure where to start. The Canberra bid is the most sound bid out in the market at the moment. Tasmania have some way to go - but there feasability study is excellent. Despite your claims - there is no evidence whatsoever for Christchurch (although I hope they start thinking about it and actuially doing some work like Canberra/Tasmania) Palmer only recently made it clear he was in it for the long run. 22 rounds is far to small for junior development - a point everyone in football underastands. I think I will elave it at that....
Australian Football
Roar Guru
And tell me have you spoken to Clive Palmer about that.? Clive has assured the Gold Coast that he is in it for the long haul. Unless he has personally told you otherwise I would love to see any evidence of what you have just posted.
Victer
Guest
Gold Coast won't be around next season, I would like to move north queensland to Cairns for a season to see if they will back them. If not then that region might be too hard a market to crack for now. Melbourne Heart we should definitely give more seasons to see if they can establish themselves. I still see no evidence Canberra should have a team. Maybe Tasmania and definately Christchurch should be looked at. There will always be west sydney as well. About the FFA cup, it might be a good way to offset the fact that the a-league will have to almost definately go back to a 22 round season next year. Only if its played in realistic stadia though.
JB
Guest
They need to get rid of Gold Coast and North Queensland, maybe even Melbourne Heart. If any teams should be introduced it should be Canberra first and then maybe Tasmania. Expanding too early is what's caused many of the A-League's problems. Let the competition grow before getting ahead of themselves.
TCunbeliever
Roar Guru
Shouldn't they ensure that the current clubs are all financially secure before getting new clubs to come in? Just as a sound business strategy?
Danny_Mac
Roar Guru
No i did say that i understand (and actually agree with) the moves for 2nd teams in melbourne and sydney, as you say, the result on Friday night speaks for itself. No the baffling thing was the idea of ignoring, or rather not acting on the community support. Canberra is a captive market, and there is clearly support. Surely if there is that trifecta of support then a team will be sustainable there and is worth a punt. They have shown that they are prepared to have an uneven number of teams, so that excuse is gone. Why couldn't they have added both? By not accepting them, the FFA have run the risk of putting off those people getting behind the bid (I know that the ACT government have now cooled their interest somewhat), and that support might be difficult to drum up again...
Black Diamonds
Guest
GWS - sounds familiar.
Mister Football
Guest
Danny It's not baffling. We saw the result of the first Melbourne derby, and the FFA would have been hoping for something similar in Sydney, Australia's biggest city, and perhaps the biggest soccer market in Australia. The idea of a second Sydney team is a no brainer - what's baffling is who they ended up choosing - that's the baffling bit.
Danny_Mac
Roar Guru
The Canberra decision is baffling... they are (well were anyway) crying out for team, had community, government and business support (I believe that is a footballing trifecta). While I can understand the stratigic nature of wanting 2nd teams in melb and syd, surely the other franchises should be support driven...
Danny_Mac
Roar Guru
Oh SNAP!
Cpaaa
Roar Pro
There are other teams in West Sydney that received no answer as to why their bid was rejected. Archie Fraser said their were bids on paper that were better than the west Sydney Rovers. There is also a Tasmanian bid that continues to make noise with its own website. http://www.tasmaniaunited.com.au/ Canberra United had 200 or 2000 paid up members before a decision was even made. http://www.canberraunited.com.au/ Seems like there are clubs and cities that want to be part of the A-League more than the cashed up, advertising experts which are the "Rowden Rovers". But the most informed website regarding the west Sydney Rovers can be found here.... http://www.gwsrovers.com.au/
Ben of Phnom Penh
Guest
Erm, it runs pretty well from Spring to Autumn. The hot bit in the middle is Summer.
John Ryan
Roar Pro
I like football but this is getting silly the A League should go back to being a Summer Comp,I afraid I think more will follow it as hit and giggle cricket wont do much why the dont just play Baseball I dont know
Pablo
Guest
They should be courting Makris to buy them out.
Mister Football
Guest
I found this in the Australian this morning: For the first time, Lowy admitted that the A-League might be best served with a 10-team competition in the short term.
James Gray-Foster
Roar Pro
I think they should also go about forming divisions. A B-league so to speak...
Don
Guest
I cant wait to hear O - LYM - PIC again
Mister Football
Guest
If the FFA are able to sell the Reds license, they might be in a position to fund the entry of the Rovers.