A-League expansion has again been afforded prominence in the media over recent days, with both head of A-League Damien De Bohun and Central Coast Mariners manager Phil Moss raising the topic.
De Bohun stated this week that come the next broadcast deal, the competition will be considering expansion opportunities.
Additional teams in either Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth were mentioned as the most plausible. The notion of a second team in Brisbane is the first concern.
The Roar struggled from inception to establish itself in the Brisbane sporting landscape, and has only now begun to consolidate its position there – and it took three championships to achieve this.
Football doesn’t have an overly strong culture in Brisbane (who I support), and if the dominant code of rugby league has been unable to sustain a second club in the city, can football seriously expect to do so? Or may it just divide the support base that the Roar have battled so hard to establish, weakening both old and new clubs?
Adelaide and Perth and both relatively small marketplaces, and while richer in footballing culture, so to is Melbourne. The Heart failed to establish itself as a strong alternative to the Victory before intervention from Manchester City, so is it a risk to attempt to establish new clubs in these smaller cities?
Why aren’t alternative cities where clubs are yet to exist being seriously considered as viable options? While I do understand the argument and merits behind a club in Wollongong, I believe that one other location would provide a better opportunity for a successful expansion.
Please allow me to describe my vision for a club located in Canberra.
Darkness descends around a brightly lit stadium, as glove and long-sleeve wearing players almost dejectedly march shivering onto the pitch. A few hundred passionless public servants bitterly place their hand-warming, steaming hot tea on the empty seat beside them to applaud, cursing at opening their body to the wind as wave after wave of sleet settles layer after bone-jarring layer on their polar-fleeced overcoats.
This is the match-day which most readers picture when considering the introduction of an A-League club into Canberra. Why would you bother putting a side there? Well, while this has been my experience at the games of other codes I’ve attended since moving here, I can tell you that this picture would be very, very far from the case for an A-League club.
Yes, winter is truly hideous in the nation’s capital, but football here in Australia is not a winter sport. With an average maximum temperature just one degree below Brisbane’s over the summer, but without the humidity, Canberra’s weather would provide a platform for not just open and fast play, but an environment for a local crowd to enjoy and embrace.
‘A crowd in Canberra? It’s far too small’, I hear you chortle. Well, with a population of more than 411,000, the Canberra region is on par with greater Newcastle, is significantly larger than the Illawarra and almost two and half times larger than Townsville. This is a marketplace that can support an A-League side.
Population isn’t everything, I agree. The Gold Coast showed that a large population alone won’t guarantee adequate support to ensure a sustainable club. Such support is garnered from football culture.
An argument could be made that recently failed A-League enterprises, while having a loyal and passionate pocket of fans, were located based upon a gap on a map rather than locations rich in football history and culture. If West Sydney Wanderers have taught us one thing, it’s that a large demographic and potential marketplace is ideal, but a tradition and passion for the game is more so.
‘Well, that ends Canberra’s bid then”, you giggle. But that’s where you’re wrong. Canberra, despite having no male national league presence since the demise of the Cosmos in 2001, has produced a string of recent internationals. Names including the master of the three-yellow-card-trick, Josip Simunic, as well as Ned Zelic, Ante Juric, Carl Valeri, Nikolai Topor-Stanley and of course Tom Rogic, have been bred through Canberra’s systems.
When you consider that without an A-League presence that could easily drive interest even further, 2012 football player registrations in Canberra (more than 17,000) easily exceeded those of Central Coast (12,500) and the Illawarra region (10,500).
Coupled with the fact a very understrength Socceroos’ Asian Cup tie versus Kuwait almost sold-out Canberra Stadium (more than 20,000), it is pretty clear that the city has a strong passion for football, and is hungry for a club to support.
Why the success of Canberra United in the W-League couldn’t be replicated in the A-League, I don’t know.
Football too, would have a monopoly on the region’s interest during summer. In winter the population is distracted by the Raiders, the Brumbies and the ski fields. In summer, there is no cricket, there is no tennis, there are no beaches. There would only be, the football.
An added bonus to including a Canberra club in the A-League is the colour and attendances that would ensue, both home and away. With easy road-trips to Sydney, Central Coast and Newcastle, as well as ample flights to Melbourne and Brisbane, you can be assured that the Capital Punishment (a popular term coined in Canberra for its active fan-base) would travel to away games in numbers. Teams visiting Canberra will also be able to heavily populate the away terraces at Canberra Stadium.
So here endeth the lesson, and why rather than the dour description of a match-day above, I close my eyes to see a bright, warm, cloudless day – a light, cool breeze blowing the blanket of green and white balloons and streamers which welcome the two teams as they march eagerly, holding the hands of ecstatic juniors, onto the pitch.
A crowd exceeding 12,000 stand as one to applaud their club and their able opponents, greeting the teams each match day not unlike Anfield’s Kop, with song. The tune? Time of Your Life, written of course, by Green Day.
Sean
Guest
Edi I am sorry but the Independent Soccer Review Committee's 2003 report ( commonly called the Crawford Report ) came out with 53 recommendations. None of those 53 recommendations, nor additional issues raised, states anything about set number of club teams for a national competition from any location, Sydney or otherwise. There were 3 recommendations pertaining to a national football competition in the report with two of them evolving from the one core recommendation as detailed below: 46. Soccer Australia establish the NSL as a separate entity operating under a licence from Soccer Australia with a board comprised of independent directors elected by participating NSL clubs and with separate (from Soccer Australia) funding. 47. Soccer Australia assist the NSL through joint marketing, television rights agreements and sponsorships. 48. The Chief Executive Officer of Soccer Australia have observer status on the Board of the NSL. Now as we know Soccer Australia became the FFA and the NSL was replaced by the A-League but the one core recommendation of the report in regards to a national competition was not fully implemented as the FFA run and control the league rather than forming a separate body to do so. The full report can be found here: https://www.clearinghouseforsport.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/153818/Crawford_Report_2003.pdf Pages 27-29 cover these recommendations about the league in more detail. While page 87 details some of the issues raised around the national league competition based on submissions from the stakeholders.
Arto
Guest
@ Well presented argument - I think Canberra sounds like a good candidate based upon the assertions you've given. I think people shouldn't necessarily be scared of adding a 2nd team to either Adelaide, Brisbane, or Perth as the success of WSW has proven that adding a 2nd team can benefit both teams within the city - it just has to be done the right way. IMO, we have a wonderful (& unique!) opportunity in Australia to establish a 2-tier competition that can be sustainable. Through the combined caveats of a Salary Cap (note: no mention of a Salary Floor) AND FFA funding from TV rights to cover those costs, teams can plan and administer themselves such that their own efforts in marketing, sponsorship, community egagement, etc. directly impact on how their backroom staff and administration is set-up. In effect, clubs are potentially free to be as large or small as they want off-the-field and can choose the model they want to run themselves. IMO, we should have 2 tiers of 10 teams where almost all potential expansion candidates are admitted - Wollongong, Canberra, 2nd Brisbane, 2nd Adelaide, 2nd Perth, Auckland, 3rd Sydney, 3rd Melbourne, Nth Qld, Tasmania. The biggest single limit to the success of this scenario IMO is the player talent levels - do we have enough good players that will provide an attractive spectacle for fans & TV networks such that the game can sustain such a competition? Having a 2-tiered system AND the ability of clubs to transfer players domestically mitigates this question somewhat as we allow for an organic development of players from Tier 2 to Tier 1, as well as allows for an exciting enough competitionin both Tiers so that fans & TV networks can keep their interest. Adding, the 2nd Tier also increases the importance of Derbies (which can be diluted when there are more of them through the addition of 2nd & 3rd teams in the big cities). And a possible 'smokey' in all the arguments for promotion/relegation and 2-Tier competitions is the possibility for FFA to attract additional TV rights revenue through the seperate sale of Tier 2 rights to another broadcaster from Tier 1 (eg: if SBS misses out on HAL FTA rights, they may well bid for the HAL2 rights were they made available seperately!)...
Arto
Guest
@ Jack: You say the markets in both Brisbane & Adelaide aren't big enough for a 2nd team and reference having lived there as evidence. Have you lived in Auckland, Wollongong & Gold Coast too? Your logic seems a bit lop-sided when you use assumptions about the candidacy of other cities to fit your view...
David
Guest
How about Adelaide City come back for the second SA team? or teams from the FFA gain promotion to the national competition
fiver
Guest
No one in Brisbane wants to go to that dump and if the Roar can only average 16k at the moment, the crowds at the Athletics centre would be awful. Bringing back the Gold Coast would be a better idea, problem is people on the Gold Coast don't want to attend football games in summer.
mattq
Guest
this is a terrible idea. what connections does Wollongong (my home) on the east coast with our beaches, relaxed lifestyle and steel and coal have with Canberra in the snow country with their public servants and bogans (summernats, tuggers hyperdome etc.)?
Scott
Guest
Isn't there more than one track?
AyeAye
Guest
It is still the major athletics stadium for QLD so I can not see the athletics track going anywhere, but the infield is used already by the W League.
Scott
Guest
The stadium is basically a huge scaffolding. So reconfiguring it and removing the running track shouldn't be too difficult or expensive. They can limit capacity to what the want. "South Brisbabe Strikers". Thought I read somewhere strikers are moving to Mable Park or something soon.
Mark
Guest
Totally agree. Its the A-league... not the "A-NZ-I-M -League" Seriously...
Mantis
Roar Guru
Don't like it. Im from Canberra and want a side in the A-League, but not a 'joint team' with the Gong. No history, connection or anything in common, apart from the fact they are both being considered for expansion
emurray
Guest
How about the South Coast Capitals Football Club (SCCFC). Huge catchment from Illawarra, south coast, southern highlands and act right down to border. Half games Wollongong and Canberra. Two great stadiums, double the sponsors and govt willing to shove money at it. Do it now
Timmuh
Roar Guru
One of the issues with Canberra is that, much like the Gold Coast, a lot of people living here are not from here. Poeple have their own teams from their own towns. Its a problem all Gold Coast teams have in all sports, and the Brumbies and Raiders face in Canberra. That said, a lot of people aren't rusted on to their A-League sides yet with many of the clubs being new and the local game coming off a low support base. Perhaps getting in early, while a lot of people from Adelaide might not bring support for Adelaide with them, might be a better option. And the population turnover in Canberra is not as high as a decade ago, when it was estimated 20% of the populace changed every year - so there is more prospect of building long term supporters. And if the proposed new Civic stadium goes ahead, it will need a third tenant.
Punter
Guest
SVB, I think this is the case, fish where the fishes are were Gallop's words. Brisbane a definite, 2nd team either in Sydney, Melbourne or Adelaide.
SVB
Guest
If that's the case then I have no doubt that the next two teams the FFA is looking at is Brisbane 2 and South Western Sydney. These two have been mentioned several times previously.
Scott
Guest
I feel Brisbane (southern, ipswich or long shot , Sunshine Coast) are in with a shot 2017. My main thinking is, it's not about how well the team is received initially. If the FFA ever want a team there they have to do it before it us impossible. Roar are a successful and liked team. Trying to put a team there in 2022 for example would be too late. Roar will keep gaining momentum. 2017 feels like the last opportunity for Brisbane to ever possibly have a derby.
Scott
Guest
This was the other football article U12 SOCCER GAME CANCELLED AFTER LOCKOUT Capital Football had ruled a lockout of parents, but in the end the kids didn't show up either as the U12 soccer game between Canberra FC and Canberra Olympic was cancelled on Saturday. Officials from Canberra Olympic contacted Capital Football on Friday to inform they would be forfeiting the match, which was going to be played behind closed doors at Deakin Stadium in response to alleged violent incidents involving parents in their first encounter, in June. The father of an Olympic player ran on to the field and allegedly grabbed a Canberra FC player by the throat in retaliation for an incident involving his son. Capital Football chief executive Heather Reid wanted to close the book on the issue. "There were a range of reasons put forward by Canberra Olympic why they didn't want the game to go ahead and Capital Football accepted those," Reid said. "We will now put the matter behind us and move on and hopefully people can learn from it." Great promotion
Scott
Guest
This what an act paper wrote recently. (I found this in act smh) SMALL POPULATION RULES CANBERRA OUT OF A-LEAGUE Football Federation Australia has delivered another kick in the teeth to Canberra's ambitions for an A-League team. After being strung along previously in the bidding process, the FFA has made it clear it doesn't believe the ACT has the population to sustain a side in the men's professional soccer competition. In response to a question about Wollongong's chances for an A-League team after almost 6000 fans watched the Central Coast Mariners beat the South Coast Wolves 1-0 in the FFA Cup during the week, an FFA spokesperson told a Sydney newspaper, "Any possible expansion of the A-League will not be considered until after the next broadcast deal in 2017. Football Federation Australia has said repeatedly that new markets would need to have significant population bases in the millions, not just in hundreds of thousands."
AyeAye
Guest
Whilst not strictly a football stadium, The Queensland Sports and Athletics Centre was used for the Brisbane Commonwealth Games and has a seating capacity of 48,500 just under the capacity of Suncorp Stadium. It is located on the south side of Brisbane at Mt Gravatt and could be an option for a Brisbane team located south of the Brisbane river. It has in the past been used by the Brisbane Broncos and State of Origin. The Brisbane Roar is currently located at Ballymore, and is moving to Bowen Hills, both north of the Brisbane river. A new Brisbane club could share between this venue and Suncorp stadium if need be. The likelihood of new teams is all dependent to a large extent on the future TV deals. It is interesting that the Channel 9 network which has expanded to include all five mainland state capital cities, indicated that they would be a likely bidder for the next TV deal.
Squizz
Guest
Non-story CCF owe CCM either $175,000 or $185,000 and around $38,000 to Football NSW. CCM owe Gosford Council around $100,000 for rental and $200,000 for ownership of the scoreboard/screen. So in reality CCM owe a nett $115,000 to $125,000. In addition the club has agreed to a payment plan to clear the debt by October 30 and Mariners chief executive Bruce Stalder said the club is confident of repaying the full amount before the start of the season. Meanwhile CCF say they are about to sign an agreement to repay the debts outstanding and they're taking back the academy program. I just think this is another case of one party wanting to air the dirty laundry in the press to paint other parties in a bad light. At the end of the day I don't know who is right or wrong - just they are disgruntled parties on both sides. Talks have been ongoing and methinks someone decided a bit of media attention might focus the minds.