Geelong is ready for the A-League stage

A-League expansion can’t happen soon enough for football fans around the country. While Southern Sydney, South or South East Melbourne and Brisbane II all have an obvious competitive advantage, there is no reason why regional centres like Geelong, Canberra or Wollongong can’t have take their place in the national league.

Geelong is an interesting case. Far enough from Melbourne to be different but close enough to create a genuine rivalry with the likes of Melbourne Victory and Melbourne City.

FFA chief David Gallop has made it clear that derbies and rivalries are an important criterion in future expansion.

The Victoria Patriots working group, who are responsible for bringing Geelong to the national footballing stage, have also made it very clear their bid incorporates more than Geelong. They want to embrace a far reaching landscape from the western suburbs of Melbourne through Geelong and all the way along the Great Ocean Road to Warrnambool.

This is a very smart move, the more territory that is part of the “tribe” the better. However, Geelong is obviously the key focal point though at the heart of this group.

The benefit of bringing Geelong into the A-League is a far better proposition than at first glance. First and foremost a football club needs fans. The current population of Geelong is around 235,000 which is set to blow out to 320,000 in the next two decades and with football participation rates exploding by the year, that is an awful lot of potential fans.

The growth of the round ball game in Geelong during the past five years has been so phenomenal we will crack 4,000 registered players by next year. More importantly it’s the fact that young kids are joining the game in droves that should have FFA (Football Federation of Australia) salivating.

Mini Roos and junior numbers have increased in Geelong in the past three years by around 35 per cent, which is a higher rate than the rest of Victoria. There are also 34 mini Roos girls only teams in the town which is a fantastic achievement.

These youngsters are the future and they will no doubt drag mum and dad as well as friends to the football. Melbourne already has two clubs so why add another one when you can build one down the freeway and capture a fresh set of fans who haven’t got much to do in the summer months while the AFL is in hibernation.

The Geelong Cats bring in $5 million to the local economy for each game they play, an A-League club if run properly can bring in a similar amount which will be a huge boost to the town. That is potentially $65-$70 million per A-League season. Take note, local politicians.

This bring us to a second important point, the home ground. Kardinia Park sits idle for 44 weeks of the year taking out the eight Cats game played there. Putting 13 more weeks of use for the ground can only be a good thing for the local economy and the stadium trust alike.

While a rectangular stadium would be ideal, Kardinia Park is a fantastic modern venue with super corporate facilities. Furthermore, stage five of the redevelopment of the ground is yet to commence and adding 13 more weeks of content to the stadium will surely help when lobbying for increased funding from the government.

There has even been talk of developing the stadium in such a way where its shape can be turned rectangular if needed. A multi-purpose stadium used all year round is a fantastic way to spend taxpayers money.

The local council has already shown it is acknowledging the growth of football in the region with a $2 million multi purpose facility on its way in Norlane with a synthetic pitch and lighting to boot. This is a positive development for football in the endless battle with other sports and community projects for precious taxpayer dollars.

When it comes to local footballing talent, which will only increase with the growth in participation, Geelong teams are punching well and truly above their weight in FFV senior competitions.

North Geelong is fighting hard in NPL1 and Galaxy United are on top of the WNPL ladder and we are beyond the halfway point of the season. Furthermore Geelong SC is coming second in state league one as it pushes for a coveted NPL berth.

The Stead Park based club has also spent $750,000 in the past 12 months upgrading their facilities which are up there with the best in the state. The large crowds at their home games is a testament to this.

Apart from Geelong SC, there are a further seven men’s state league clubs spread around Geelong all of whom are pushing for promotion in their respective divisions. Corio SC are sitting fourth and battling for promotion in state league 2.

Recently promoted Geelong Rangers are currently mid table and with 300 registered players this year (10-15 per cent growth from 2016), the future looks very bright. Off the field the club, with president Kylie Chapman leading the way, has seen an increase in sponsorship revenue and plays out of Myers Reserve which has three full sized pitches and is one of the bigger footballing venues around.

(AAP Image/Joe Castro)

Golden Plains, under the watchful eye of ambitious president Anthony Vanjek, got promoted in their debut season in state league five in 2016 and have claimed some big scalps in state league four this year. Add a plush new facility which has developed nicely over the past two years and all goes well for the Bannockburn based club and it’s burgeoning region.

Other state four clubs Bell Park and Surf Coast are well and truly in the hunt for promotion up to state league three this season, with both clubs growing in junior numbers as well. In division five Deakin University Ducks have made a solid start to their state league story and currently sit only three points off promotion.

Lara United, who also boast new facilities, regularly find themselves in the top half of the table.

Things are going well locally as well with GRFC clubs Drysdale and Barwon SC knocking on the door for state league licences as early as next season, with Drysdale set to have a brand new $3.5 million venue as well by 2018.

The ever-growing Armstrong Creek region will finally be getting a new football club next year in the local GRFC competition, a tremendous boost to the popular area. FC Leopold have made a booming start to their life as a football club with nine teams in 2017.

With regards to females, Lara United has a women’s state league club with Deakin and North Geelong Warriors potentially joining them at some point with the impressive female talent at those clubs. These clubs along with Galaxy United will attract more females to the sport which can only be a positive thing for any potential A-League club.

(AFP PHOTO / Peter PARKS)

The AFL has led the way in attracting female fans with research showing that around 40 per cent of crowds that attend games are female. It would be fantastic if a Geelong based A league club could attract a similar proportion of female fans.

The only way to do this is to keep growing female football. A Geelong team in the W-League is a realistic option one day down the track as well!

When it comes to juniors, at the recent country championships in Morwell, the young talent in Geelong well and truly shone through. The region sent no less than eight teams to the championships (6 boys and two girls) and all of them performed with great distinction.

The under 15 boys won their competition while the under 11s, 12s , 13s and 14s all made the final. The pathway for local talent is getting better and giving these kids the chance to dream of one day playing for a local club on the national stage is something we as a community owe them.

In a nutshell, the stage is well and truly ready for Geelong to have an A league team in the near future. The Victoria Patriots have a solid foundation to build on. The ball is in the court of the FFA. Bring a team to Gtown!