It would make more sense for Sydney and Wollongong to provide two new A-League teams, so why does Southern Expansion want to represent both cities?
The most impressive element of Monday’s surprise announcement was undoubtedly the fact that Southern Expansion – surely a working title only – has already attracted a $12 million bank guarantee from Chinese property investors the Jia Yuan group.
That’s some serious coin in a league hardly flush with cash, and the fact the club has also pledged to build a boutique football-specific stadium strikes all the right chords.
There’s no denying a steering committee featuring former Socceroo Craig Foster and ex-SBS commentator Les Murray also boasts some serious football nous, when a common refrain has been that there aren’t enough ‘football people’ involved in running the game.
In many respects, Southern Expansion looks exactly like the sort of expansion team the A-League desperately needs. So why do some key elements still seem somewhat askew?
The elephant in the room has got to be Sydney FC – who have every reason to fear that another Sydney-based side will cannibalise their support.
Unlike the obvious geographic and cultural ties that make Western Sydney a clearly-defined part of the city, there’s no such delineation the further south you go.
And if Southern Expansion are to join the Wanderers in the league – and it’s worth remembering the Central Coast Mariners have long coveted the northern suburbs of Sydney – it begs the question of how much of the city is left for Sydney FC to represent.
But perhaps the biggest head-scratcher is the inclusion of Football South Coast as part of the bid.
Covering the Illawarra and South Coast regions of New South Wales, the association is also home to two-time former National Soccer League champions Wollongong Wolves.
The Wolves have their own expansion plans, a suitable venue in WIN Stadium ready to go, and the supposed backing of billionaire Bruce Gordon.
If Gordon was serious about investing in the Wolves, it’s fair to ask why he hasn’t done so already.
And if Southern Expansion spurs other expansion bids to get their affairs in order, so much the better.
But if Southern Expansion are to represent the St George, Sutherland and Illawarra regions as proposed, then where will they play?
And if they build a football-specific stadium, where will it be? And if the stadium happens to be built in St George – one of the spiritual homes of football in Australia – why would Wollongong fans travel some 70 kilometres up the motorway to watch them?
If those fans don’t already travel to watch Sydney FC or Western Sydney Wanderers, will they support a club that could potentially play as little as four games a year in their own backyard – and then only for a limited time?
You only need to look to the St George Illawarra Dragons to witness the awkward reality of cross-regional clubs, although Southern Expansion has already tweeted that it would be “nice to emulate them”.
At the end of the day, Foster is right when he says that football in Australia needs substantially more investment, and Southern Expansion deserve kudos for taking the initiative – even if the move potentially coincides with Foster’s current employer SBS losing their A-League broadcast rights.
And attracting foreign investment is also a good thing, although it remains to be seen how backing an A-League club might affect the Jia Yuan group’s other commercial interests.
But while any club that brings $12 million worth of backing to the table will almost certainly get the green light from a Football Federation Australia no doubt keen to retain control of the expansion narrative, plenty of questions still remain.
Foremost among them is perhaps the simplest question of all: why doesn’t Southern Expansion simply service the St George and Sutherland regions, and leave Illawarra to the Wollongong Wolves?
Rolland
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Not so Wollongong has everything in place stadium win stadium one of the best a one million populITon base with the he south coast and Illawarra regions junior setupmsecond to none a women's team in than stingrays ready for W league inclusion local derbys against WSW Sydn fC Jets and CCM and Bruce Gordon billionaire ..Wolves have a lot more going for them than some current A league teams .
Rolland
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It's a stupid idea football is tribal footbalk fans on the south coast have no affiliation with Sydney none whatsoever we suport Wollongong wolves only in the south coast we are over one hundred kilometres from Sydney there is no way in hell we have any affiliation with Sydney or would travel that distance to watch their games .south Sydney is not on the south coast and you just can't change the boundaries to suit your bid .
Wolves fan
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Foster and Murray have done no due diligence if they bothered to come down to the south coast which they have never done they would know there is no support in Wollongong on the south coast for a third Sydney team or to be part of one third part of a sydney based team .we are wollngong we are wollngong wolves ,
Swanny
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Son of Lordy u make a lot of sense I'm a massive football and afl fan . The southern Sydney bid is horrible Let Wollongong in tho as soon as they r ready But no more Sydney teams , overcrowded market with so many existing clubs in various codes .
saul
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Mike I am from Sydney and support WSW and I don't think it's in the games interest to have another A league club in NSW till Tasmania, Victoria, Brisbane,NZ, WA and SA have extra teams. NSW currently has four clubs lets not overbalance the competition further.
Mozart
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AR While the Ipswich bid isn't groundbreaking in terms of a smaller town wanting a pro sports team one gets the feeling Geelong dispite having a relatively small population as does Ipswich that Geelong is seen as a much safer bet because of the success of the towns Aussie Rules team the Geelong Cats. As J Binnie has stated Ipswich has long played soccer. League throughout the years has gained more popularity than soccer in the region but the north ipswich reserve is already home of the QRL ipswich jets. Building stadia at this venue would benefit both leauge and soccer which would make funding through politics run alot smoother. That said the use of western instead of ipswich is probably not necessary. As Wollongong is not part of Sydney so is Ipswich and Logan and Toowoomba are not part of the same region. As relates to the article while St George and Sutherland might work as a concept adding Wollongong is probably a stretch.
j binnie
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Nemesis - like Martin Luther King Jnr, I too have a dream, and that is after almost 60 years involved in the game directly and indirectly. I would love nothing more than to see a vibrant, well established football league established in this country. So in answer to your question I would prefer another 4 Victory's. You see in my experience in the game I have struggled, with a few mates, to keep a club afloat and playing with distinction, on the big stage of the day, the local first division. I have also helped to run probably the richest club in Australia (at the time) where I was allowed to dabble,again with good mates,with my dream, in trying to get young locals up to international standards. I like to think we succeeded with Alan Hunter,Calvin Daunt,Danny Wright, Clark Anderson,Russell Stewart,and Steven Hogg, among others, all playing for their country at some level. However personal circumstances saw me vacate that position and sadly the "dream" only lasted a few more years when it was shelved for good. the results of that change of policy has punished that team resulting in their demise back to local football that was to last for another 17 years. So perhaps this description of my football "life" will highlight my desire that existing clubs should be helped in anyway possible to succeed, for I can assure you, it does not take a lot of poor decision making to change a success story to an abject failure. Cheers jb ps. You probably won't believe this but I once wrote an article in a local football magazine titled "I have a dream" jb.
Nemesis
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Smell the fear.
j binnie
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Mid - Before your time(and mine) Ipswich ,with a huge population of migrant coalminers from the UK, was a hotbed of football,not only with clubs,(there were 5 or 6 all playing within 2 or 3 miles of each other), but , in producing international class players, they rivaled many of the much larger populations in Australia. Offhand I can think of at least 10 who represented Australia,all from what could only be described as a provincial town in those days. With the coming of semi-professionalism in the late 1950's the bigger clubs from Brisbane began to erode this "flow" of players and with the exodus of the best players, so the clubs in the area began to suffer,ending with most of them amalgamating into what was aptly named Coalstars FC, but they too could not stop the movement of their best players down the highway. Today the "football aura" that was part of the town's image has all but disappeared. The town itself has expanded into a vibrant city but somehow along the line sport has been left behind in the development. The question now has to be put,can the former popularity that the sport enjoyed 70 years ago be re-kindled by the modern thinkers of today. It is a big ask considering how the social structure and content of the population has changed. Cheers jb.
AR
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That's is amazing, and surey a first?! A local council supporting a bid to have its own local team in a national competition?? Next Geelong City Council will be supporting a Geelong bid!
Nemesis
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jb "do we want another 4 Victory’s or another 4 Phoenix’s " I've got no problem with 4 more Victorys or 2 more Phoenixs. The only provisio... the teams must play in stadiums that suit the demand from the fans. Average attendances must be 60-75% of stadium capacity. However, my preferred scenario is a wide range of teams - big, medium & small. Let's say we have 14 teams in ALeague (Division1) my ideal scenario is: > 20k = 2 teams 15-20k = 2 teams 10-15k = 6 teams 5-10k = 2 teams < 5k = 2 teams This would ensure the A-League represents the true diversity of Australia - clubs from any region and stadiums in any location. And the average crowds would likely be higher than NRL and our crowd average would rank above all the Leagues in Europe apart from the Top 6. I HAVE A DREAM
j binnie
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Bids ,bids and more bids,the list seems never ending and yet, in the competition they are all striving to get into, there are at least 3 identities (30%) screaming out for help of some description.There are others of course but let's focus on those 3. Wellington represents, not an area ,but a country,and yet find it exceedingly difficult to attract 10,000 people to a game, only once this season with their "average' crowds nearer 6,000. Jets are in the same predicament. A much acclaimed, football area,they too have enjoyed some good gates this year, 2 to be precise, in the 11,000 bracket, but again their "average" is nearer 9,000. That leaves CCM, the team positioned between North Sydney and Newcastle, who, in the past , have competed with the best teams in the league, and yet are labouring under the same predicament as the other 2, 3 gates this season of over 11,000 and yet an "average of 7500. This is a predicament that is going to have to be faced by the FFA and the individual clubs. Is it any wonder that these FACTS are having to be faced by the FFA when faced with intense pressure to increase the size of the HAL at this point in time.? What are we going to get at these suggested replacements,another Victory with their 23,000 crowd average or another Phoenix with their 6000 average.??? Until this problem is overcome it is difficult to envisage a "cast iron" success story being established anywhere. To ensure this comment is taken in the right spirit,ask the simple question,do we want another 4 Victory's or another 4 Phoenix's Cheers jb.
Midfielder
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N Read this in that article .... like wow nay mega wow... """"One of the things we have heard verbally is that Ipswich will not even be considered if they use Suncorp Stadium as a home game. "The A-League wants to have those derby games at a local stadium." North Ipswich Reserve has been identified as the site for upgraded facilities. Cr Morrison said if the A-League called for a 15000 seat stadium moves would be made to achieve it. Depending on time frames, he said that may need to happen in a staggered fashion with a 10000 capacity initially."""
Swanny
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Dubbo Canberra Shepparton Bendigo Anything other then another Sydney team
captain socceroo
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A recent media release from football south coast signs off with a slogan “ one region, one game, one voice ” Yet this bid seems to represent three very different community demographics, as well as the women and youth league competitions. How is this one voice, or even one region ? How does this bid represent Wollongong, when we have seen what a merger in sport means for a local community? This bid seems more about business and property development in NSW, and building a local profile for the Chinese development company - and not about the people that support football in the Wollongong community. Unless the A league has a 2 tier or B League competition there is no room for another Sydney team. People do not want to see another Sydney entity in the competition. Another Sydney team takes so much away from the established Sydney teams, that have done so much already to build a fan base and develop ties with the local community. What research has been done to determine how many people will support this bid from Wollongong. What is our potential fan base and why are the people pushing this bid only relying on FFA doing their own investigation into the sustainability of a southern region football team. It seems like community engagement is an after-thought ! For the bid to succeed this consortium need community buy in. Les Murray is originally from the Wollongong area, and should know how much it would mean for a team to be established in the Illawarra community, but he has strong ties to the St George area and obviously can't make up his mind. Football Sth Coast seem to jump on any bid that presents half an opportunity to bring football to the local community. Their heart might be in the right place. but they will do more damage supporting this bid than they realise. They seem to be misguided in their support and will go with whatever presents , rather than represent the multiple voices of the football community that want their own team. The backdoor is never a pathway to succeed. The backdoor approach presents huge risks for our community ever getting a stand alone team . They support their own business interests and not the people - it is football politics 101 and big business ! A recent media release from Southern states the "Sydney" name will not be used in the new bid, this adds further strength that the South Coast/ Illawarra region have a stronger case for having their own team in the A league competition.The bid also banks on the fact that Wellington Phoenix will leave the existing competition. This bid is completely reliant on 100% backing of a new Chinese development group. Has anyone really looked into the long term feasibility of this company and whether having 100% foreign ownership presents risks to football in our country. The media release is a lot of fancy words on a page, it states how great this three region bid will be, and how they endeavour to engage various stakeholders. What actions have we seen locally from football Sth Coast to indicate that there is a real push for unity in creating a team that represents the people of the Illawarra - yet alone 3 regions. The fact is football Sth Coast are happy to piggy back on any possibility, rather than be the "one voice" for the game and our region. If the people do not want another Sydney team in the competition, then why doesn't football Sth Coast show courage and support a a team 100% based in Wollongong! The government grant is not going to build three stadiums across three communities– so pick one location and build around that. There are too many risks to support this bid – the biggest one being the Illawarra do not get a team and once again have a team that play 3 games a year from the local area. This southern franchise need the Illawarra for it succeed but there is a massive demographic gap. There is no community connection to a team that does not represent the people, if we only have 1/3 of a team to support or people have to travel long distances to watch their team - How will this work !!! This bid is far from representing the best interests of our local community.
Swanny
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If the big cities have all the population then apart from victory why are their crowds so small , terrible in fact , can't even compare to London . Neither Sydney Melbourne or Brisbane have shown enough interest to warrant more teams .
Nemesis
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Allegedly ... crap competition ... no one watches on TV ... no one attends ... media is not interested .. too dangerous for families. Reality Councils & businesses are lining up to get involved. Ipswich Council to throw full resources behind A-League bid IT IS official. Ipswich City Council is set to throw its resources behind the Western Pride's bid to enter an expanded A-League competition, hopefully as soon as 2018-19. https://www.qt.com.au/news/council-to-throw-full-resources-behind-a-league-bi/3153354/#.WMJYmK98xzI.twitter
Midfielder
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Oh brother --- ain't it the truth ...
Nemesis
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The obsession with A-League from people who hate the sport, hate the League & never watch is pathetic. But, when the haters are obsessing you know they filled with fear.
SonOfLordy
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This obsession with expansion is just bizarre when most of the A-League is barely solvent. More teams from regional areas or Hobart/Canberra will only struggle with 5-7k turning up at games, and another Sydney team will only cannibalise two Sydney teams already struggling for big crowds outside of derbies. Look at the AFL. WA and SA are AFL states much in the same way Victoria is, yet each state has only TWO expansion teams respectively. That's despite AFL owning those states and every other football code almost being off the radar. AFL teams have been nothing short of wildly successful in WA and SA with 40k plus crowds at most games, yet the AFL won't touch expansion in those states. So how do the A-League expect NSW to sustain FIVE teams in a state with yes a bigger population, but soccer does not have a monopoly on football like AFL has in WA and SA. The A-League is competing against League, Union, and even the AFL gets big crowds to Swans games (not just derbies). Plus, if you want to argue that Sydney can sustain another team because it has a population of 5 million, I'd argue that Sydney FC can only attract 13k to a game despite the city's large population. The A-League just isn't connecting with people. This southern Sydney bid is so horrible that I'm wondering whether it's being promoted so that everyone throws their hands in the air and says "wouldn't be easier to just let Sydney Olympic and the South Melbourne Hellas in the league??"