The FFA will release its expansion criteria early next year – giving hope to some former giants of the game that their time will come again.
I wrote a fortnight ago that tribalism is the key to successful expansion and I cited Western Sydney versus Sydney FC as the perfect example.
There is a flip side to this, and that is diluting the competition by having too many teams in one area. It’s why a third Victorian team would probably best be served in Geelong say, rather than adding a third team into the Melbourne mix. This is all the more pertinent given the two Melbourne teams aren’t geographically defined.
It’s well documented that FFA would like a “southern Sydney” team in the competition, probably taking in Kogarah, the Sutherland Shire and also Wollongong.
This idea ignores the fact that a fairly large percentage of Sydney FC’s supporter base is based in the Kogarah/Hurstville corridor (again looking at Sydney divided as east and west of Strathfield).
It also ignores the fact that a southern “super-team” would be trying to create an artificial tribalism, knitting together a bunch of suburbs over a large area.
People from the Shire may feel that insular tribalism that people from the west do, but do they share that with people from Kogarah and Carss Park?
And do either of those groups identify with Wollongong?
Notwithstanding the fact Sydney FC are against the idea because of their existing members in “southern Sydney”, the idea of artificial tribalism and a forced passion for an area is not a good one.
It’s exactly why any additional team in NSW should be in Wollongong – and the Wolves are ready to dine at football’s top table again.
The Illawarra is a strong football region and their disconnect from the city of Sydney is a good thing in this case.
It means nobody is treading on anyone else’s toes and a proper football region would be represented in the national competition, like the Hunter.
The Illawarra, like western Sydney, is a region with a unique identity – it already exists and doesn’t need to be forced or made up like patchwork Hurstville/Sutherland Shire/Wollongong team would be.
Wollongong Wolves themselves have pedigree from the NSL days (back-to-back titles in 2000 and 2001) and WIN Stadium is a great football venue, as we see when Sydney FC take games down there.
It would be a great road trip for the other Sydney clubs’ away days and vice versa – ensuring a strong away representation in the stands and adding to that tribal feel we all crave.
For NSW at least, Wollongong is the right choice.
Paul
Guest
Wrong! This whole mentality of not treading on anyones toes is what has been holding Australian football back all these years . If we want club football in Australia to be BIG then that means put the teams where the people, money and media are and crucially -MORE DERBIES . Derbies are the lifeblood of football worldwide and teams like Sydney FC will only benefit from more of them . Imagine 4 teams in Sydney - that would mean 18 Sydney Derbies a season . That is how club football would become big in Australia ! Also how could Wollongong support a football team when they couldn't even support their own NRL team ?
Jeff Williamson
Roar Pro
Wollongong is a better option than southern Sydney. Canberra is a good option. Another team in Queensland has to be considered. The surprise so far is Tasmania. Their bid is the best one put forward so far. I did not expect that. But it has to be taken seriously.
CHill
Guest
The reasons why people in the Shire support SFC is important because just as many, if not many more, refuse to support SFC for exactly the same reason. The exact same argument was put forward to dis-way against WSW coming into the league. That ended up with 20,000 extra members being found in this city. Sutherland footballers already have a great pathway through the SFC system. I don't know about this years team but in the past around half the clubs youth team has come from the Sutherland area. Nearly every young player that has broken into the senior squad at Sydney in recent years has also been from the Shire.
Hammerhead
Guest
Bob the last thing we want is a partnership with the NRL. Remember Parramatta Power and Collingwood Warriors? They didn't do so well now did they!
AR
Guest
mattq, there are televisions in Tassie..? We'll blow me down.
RBBAnonymous
Guest
Bob what are you on about. You talk about not building an NSL and yet you want the Strikers to be part of the A-league, who are also an Ex - NSL club. Which is it? I just want clubs to be in areas which will easily support a football team and Wollongong would have great support for the A-league. For goodness sake they got one of the highest attendances to a FFA cup and they are not even an A-league side. They also supported a few matches from Sydney FC which is no indication of support for a Wollongong team but guess what, they still showed up for a team they have no affiliation with. The Wollongong area is a passionate football area, if they build it the right way, it will be well supported.
Griffo
Roar Guru
As you alude to, if 4 sides could stand alone and support themselves from day 1, why not? It will all come down to their bids and how well they meet the criteria but if four could join, will the FFA be tempted or phase in the next two the following season? Not since GCU joined has there been such anticipation.
Swanny
Guest
The Mariners are in the top 6. Yeah kick them out , what a joke .
Jackson
Guest
South Melbourne for sure: Stadium -tick (40 year lease, club friendly lease only 1500 ppl through the gates needed to break even) Finances -tick ( already raised 5 mill in capital and growing, Chinese investment as well) Juniors/women's -tick ( awarded best juniors program in Victoria) Social club/restaurant/bar/futsal court and recovery facilities - tick ( all completed by February) social club will actually give the club the opportunity to make profits on game day, something no other club has. Will also give them that community vibe as well. Has existing rivalries with Perth glory and Adelaide United from NSL days - tick ( yes south Melbourne use to play against these teams and nobody would riot believe it or not, big crowds too) will be a massive draw card interstate, the local derbies will be the icing on the cake. Has a larger social media following than the Newcastle jets and central coast Mariners, that's whilst being in the npl. Will be a ratings juggernaught, everyone in Melbourne is talking about them, the name sells. It's a no brainer really, a viable club that will never need a handout from the ffa, will never need to be bought out by a foreign team, and why? Because the club itself is the backbone of the bid, make it happen ffa, it's time to pull the trigger.
c
Roar Rookie
mark whats wrong with greeks and there is plenty of them in melbourne
Midfielder
Guest
I understand its not the right thing to do and defend the indefensible but for the love of the holy mother Mary, the Mariners cope some stick on these forums.... one bad season in 11, is it because we have no NSL history or as i have read we not true supporters because our home end is not vocal enough, is it the band, is it no ethnic roots... Just for the record most years our crowds have been better then AU, PG, Heart, and the NZ sides.... We have produced more Socceroos than all other A-League clubs combined ... leave aside the Roar who have also produced a few... We have a record of four grand finals, two premierships, one pre season winners.... Our crowds as a % of the population are the highest in Hal... Then consider we have a bid in to buy our own stadium... Also a little investment about 40 million plus to date with more to come in a Centre of Excellence... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlF9saDG3S8
marron
Guest
"Wanderers" is taken.
MelbCro
Guest
Yeah and in Australia there are 435,728 registered players, so according to Bob almost half of the registered players in the entire country come from the Sutherland Shire lol
AGO74
Guest
He's not even near right in terms of the numbers he is quoting. He is ridiculously off the mark!
AGO74
Guest
Where the hell are you getting your 190,000 registered players from??!?! I live in the shire and there is no way on earth that it it a million people!! And there is no way there are 190,000 registered players! My understanding is that there are a bit less than 20,000 registered players. I googled it and the exact population of Sutherland Shire is 226,000 as of 2015......I suggest you do your research Bob -- your numbers are a bit rubbery! http://profile.id.com.au/sutherland/home
Lee
Guest
The aristocratically named 'bob brown' has spoken. Nothing else matters. Jokes aside though this desire for more teams is putting the cart before the horse. There is no geographical area of this sunburnt land where football is popular enough to warrant another a league team for at least 14 years. If the FFA thinks that the next teams are going to be as easy as the wanderers they are in for a huge shock. The demography of Western Sydney was favourable to a football team and there should have been a team put there in 2005 at the start. It is utterly incredible and ridiculous that when the The a league started they placed a team in the central coast before western Sydney! The team on the central coast is still struggling to get a decent crowd despite 11 years passing and some reasonable on field success. In relation to the Tasmanian bid the FFA is being very disingenuous by not stating upfront that tassie will never be given a team. The Tasmanian people need to be told the truth and not have their hopes falsely raised.
mattq
Guest
you're probably right Bob, but I agree with AGO that Campbelltown/McCarther would be just as good of an option. In fact, I'd be aiming for both regions to have a team at some point. TBH though, and I know Parramatta is a long way from Campbelltown but how much support does WSW have out that way? It's really not far between Liverpool and Campbelltown and Liverpool is surely classified as western Sydney even though it is south-west.
mattq
Guest
yeah they would. I think we forumers put too much emphasis on ratings. I'm sure fox has subscribers in Tas and eyeballs are eyeballs for advertisers whether they're counted or not. People do watch TV in Tassie, you know?
MelbCro
Guest
@AR there is 3 Italians on that list
Bob Brown
Roar Guru
Well then how come they have 190,000 registered football players? Are you telling me 95% of people living in Sutherland are registered to play football? The population of that region is closer to a million. I guess AGO it depends on what you define as "Sutherland Shire".