Should Sydney FC move to Parramatta?

It's common for only one club to go to these things, it's a shame we can't work with the Mariners or vice versa. A collaborative effort would be much better for footy and more importantly would be a great show for the kids. http://soccernsw.com.au/index.php?id=17&tx_ttnews%5Barc%5D=1&tx_ttnews%5BpL%5D=2595599&tx_ttnews%5BpS%5D=1206968400&tx_ttnews%5Bpointer%5D=7&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=395&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=455&cHash=d61c4424da http://www.sydneyfc.com/default.aspx?s=aleague_newsdisplay&id=33934 Just the first couple of google responses to "Sydney FC grassroots initiative"

ftt Just on the profile thing I mentioned earlier about the disabled games in WS...SBS have a story on it ... no SFC players there ... a number of Mariners there ... http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/video/486026/Football4all-gala-day

Convenient that you didn't want to post the train times to Parra. To reverse one of your arguements: Not everyone drives. - and if WestBus is as useless as it was when I lived there, well... Eventually there will be a team in WS and they can play there if they want. I think it devalues our product to travel around like a bunch of gypsies, there has to be other ways to improve community engagement. Simply replacing one problem with the same problem in another location is not an answer. Hopefully our new CEO can earn his keep by helping to address this. I really should do some work today. Interwebs off.

I live in Epping ... not that far from the station... 50 mins by train to CC + 3 mins walk to Bluetounge .... 30 to 40 min train to central + 20 min walk to AS ... about the same.. Drive ... 45 min to Gosford ( 54Kl) park and walk to BT 10 min...... home about the same time... about an hour to drive and park and often more getting out at AS.... To Parrmatta ... about 10 min drive on the bus 25 mins.... To Blacktown .... 30 mins drive .... 30 min on bus.... The driving thing at Moore Park just makes me mad sitting in traffic....

No they haven't excelled in taking themselves to the greater public, I agree.

Meh, I disagree. We've both stated our reasons, so hey, whatever. FWIW, I'm originally from Blacktown, live in Canberra and hold a season ticket (or will when they go on sale again). My treks to matches involve working ridiculous ammounts of flex to ensure I have the time, usually visiting friends and family in outer WS before travelling from there to the game. By no means would I expect other to go through that, I do so because I want to and certainly understand the convenience issue - some of my mates are not able to regularly attend due to the distance and their kids or work arrangements. Parra would be more convenient for me, I simply don't like the place and feel it is less representative of all of Sydney than the city. No matter where a team plays in a city as large as Sydney it's going to be inconvenient for some. I just believe that the SFS is the best way to go and my experience living in Sydney tells me that's, overall, the easiest to get to. MOST of Sydney is near a train line, and the time of matches and getting home will be the same problem for someone no matter where we play. If you don't mind me asking where do you travel from.

ftt SFC have not excelled themselves in going to WS... and remember even Fozzie said on Monday nights forum the old WS teams in the NSL due on average more than 20 K ... Not sure were you live but Moore Park is hard to get to... Parking and traffic after and before the match is a dog... the stroll from central as you say is a tad more than a stroll ... and not everyone lives near a train line nor wants to catch a train home after 9:00 or 10:00 whenever they get to the station after a match... RL realised this back in the 60's and moved there matches from the SCG to grounds around Sydney... Look I am all for leaving SFC at Moore Park if there is to be a second Sydney team... but not if they are the only team...

"… Moore Park is diffucult to get too for 75% of the population… As for SFC poor attendence at Parramatta …. I wonder why …. HHHHHHHHHHHHHMMMMmmmmmmmmmm maybe its seen as a ES team may have a lot to do with it…" Pulling figures out of nowhere is fun, but I'd like to know the source for that "75%". The SFS is a short walk/bus from Central - you can get a direct train to Central from almost any other station. The surrounds of Central station are a much more appealing place to around after a match (perhaps subjective, but I think most would agree). And if you're smart enough not to pay too much to park on a crappy patch of dirt you'll find there's actually quite a bit of parking in the area. Sydney is a very large geographical area, and we can't play in everyone's backyard. Maybe that ES perception does have something to do with it. However, when it appeared that there was going to be a team in WS and we played a game out there the 5 mentally handicapped blokes that showed up in support of Western Sydney indicates the level of support. The complete lack of the community getting behind Rovers is also rather indicative. Sydney have done a lot in attempts to connect with the "heartland". I know from experience members the BDSFA completely reject Sydney FC, not because they're seen as a city club, but because it's an A-League club - f...d over old football and not worth watching compared to midnight Euro stuff. The Junior Blues program sticks in mind for the lack of success in this demographic (not perfectly implimented but still should've been better received if the assumptions of player = fan were true)

Watched last nights forum on SBS and it was indicated that the current 10 team model is what we have for the next few years... Meaning IMO a massive decision needs to be made ... Moore Park is diffucult to get too for 75% of the population... As for SFC poor attendence at Parramatta .... I wonder why .... HHHHHHHHHHHHHMMMMmmmmmmmmmm maybe its seen as a ES team may have a lot to do with it... Sydney is the heartland of football in Australia ... Sydney has all the media HO's or most anyway... To keep SFC at Moore park as what is precieved as a ES team IMO will hurt football and leave WS to the AFL & RL... seems to me more the thinking of RU that football... Believe me I would love to leave SFC in Moore Park and have a WS team.... but it appears that we will not have a WS team for a long time... As I said Football needs to connect to the Sydney player base and past history ... can this be done out of Moore Park I doubt it very much...

Sorry, was being lazy. The question has been done to death among a lot of Sydney fans. To my knowledge we have a multi year deal with the SFS, so it's a moot point for the moment. The SFS is the most central/convenient location for all Sydneysiders (Parra is tough from the north and has no parking). I agree the SFS, size wise, is surplus to our needs, but it's home and we can't exactly afford to build our own 20,000 - 30,000 in a similar location - FWIW I'd love to have a purpose made stadium near there with the potential to expand, but for the moment that's not realistic. This "heartland" people keep banging on about is somewhat of a myth, Sydney gets some of its worst attendances playing at Parra.

Sydney FC are a no frills team, they are generic and lack any personalisation. They play in a huge stadium that is bare empty. The fact is you start small and build up! You work a 10000 or 15000 seat stadium and if you can fill it week in and week out, then you graduate to a larger one and so on. If anyone who works for Sydney or the A League is reading this, which i doubt they do, ive never been to a sydney fc game in an A League season, and wont in huge stadiums where atmosphere doesnt exist. Take the NRL, the wests tigers get more buzz out of Leichhardt Oval than any large stadium. Sydney FC need to create a footprint, not a crator.

I'm a Sydney FC member and I wouldn't like traveling to Parra to go see my home team. No thankyou. We are the harbour city side. "I will stand in Moore Park til the day I die!"

Fair enough, if you have reason. Surely you can do better than "Simply no". I realise it's not as glamorous as other options but there's potential there to upgrade the location without doing too much work.

Simply no. Worst idea ever.

How about Concord Oval? I went there yesterday to watch West Harbour vs Gordon in Sydney premier rugby. Was a great ground to watch from, very close to the action and enough seats for a Sydney FC crowd. Bus stop right near the front and about a 10-15 minute walk from Burwood station. The location shouldn't be too far for most Sydney FC fans.

Sydney FC represent the city/eastern suburbs/northern beaches, their should be western sydney team that encompasses the hills/blacktown/parramatta/fairfield/liverpool/campbelltown, and another team and the only ex-nsl club that could possibly make it in the a-league is sydney olympic (canterbury-bankstown-marrickville-ashfield-leichhardt)

Perhaps we need to judge SFC on not where they play ,but on how they play & how they have connected to the Sydney Football public. On both counts for me a failure. Get the genuine marquee,bring in the exciting winning style,then check the crowds at the SFS. If still crap,then they might as well play on the moon.

The MCG is about a 10 minute walk from Richmond station and that is considered next door. It is the rest of Oz mentality vs the Sydney mentality. Glad I don't live there, but a nice place to visit every ten years or so.

Parramatta is a better bet. SFC is never looking likely to average 20k a match. They have to try something. And putting ANOTHER team in west Sydney is sheer madness when the team that is already there is in a diabolical mess. From what we have seen, and in particular that finals appearance where they hardly got anyone to front up in Sydney. Only one team works. Maybe soccer is a popular sport, but actually when you require fans to pay, support and turn up to events, Sydney is barely capable of hosting one A-League franchise. Very sad, but even rugby league clubs that have been there a century get bugger all to show up. Like we have said, it is an odd place. Where else in the wealthy world do you have citizens so detached from it's footballing sides? Even LA which is notoriously fickle, still supports two massive uni teams which average 50k a home match.

Would not have made a difference, the NSL died itself a few years later.