Pop back from Europe to bring Glory to Perth

There's little chance of Phoenix merging with a mainland A-League team, just too impractical. But the FFA to its word, are listening to all bidders to appear impartial. It does suggest that the FFA is thinking about dropping Phoenix from the A-League because of poor performances, travel costs or appeasing the AFC regarding its foreign teams rule. Maybe Phoenix are trying to save themselves by merging with one of the new teams. I think though that it would be a better idea to introduce 3 new teams.

REGIONAL BIDS – Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast, Wollongong, Geelong, Tasmania, Canberra. North Queensland, not as yet. Bids have to be submitted by May 24. – “The Canberra bid is set to ask the capital’s soccer community for input on the team name, colours and logo. More than 50 per cent of people who voted in a Fairfax Media poll wanted the team to be named Canberra United, with 19 per cent keen to revive the Canberra Cosmos moniker.” https://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/canberra-aleague-bid-to-know-fate-on-october-31-as-ffa-starts-expansion-process-20180329-h0y4fd.html

Kanga - just to remind readers of the follies of season's 1984,85,and 86 in the NSL. The power men in Sydney and Melbourne had decided expansion was the way to go with lots of "local" teams which in turn would generate many more "derby" games. So we had 2 divisions of 12 teams each made up of 8 Sydney teams,2 Canberra teams and 1 each from Newcastle and Woolongong, the other division having 8 Melbourne teams,2 Adelaide and 2 from Brisbane. A sample taken on the same week of those 3 seasons showed an average crowd at the 12 games of a falling figure ,2,500, 2,400, 2,300. After 3 seasons the idea was shelved but not without some financial hardship being experienced by many of those clubs that had "thrown their hat into the ring".Some went back to local leagues,some disappeared. Now, some 32 years later we find the same arguments being raised in the need for expansion. History ,if ignored, could see another huge "schmozzle" Cheers jb.

Rolly If they get enough Sydney teams , they can just call it the nsl again Maybe the jets wolves Adelaide Perth etc and a few other teams can just have our own league , without Sydney mate .

Who remembers the nsl when it had so many Sydney teams , 2 Sydney teams are enough for the A league A merger between Campbeltown and Wellington... it just gets worse

Exclusive new bid team wollongong wolves already have a football stadium set up no need to build anything juniors in place,community support a women's team in place they already play in the NPL have 40,00 registered players on the south coast of nsw and a catchment area of half a million .the nsw govt doesn't have to build a new stadium win stadium is already built its close proximity.its a new market as well for football .all the ingredients for a successful bid team

The A league is slowly but surely sinking into irrelevance as a national sport .the expansion was suppose to be a positive for the game instead if this is true it's not instead of new markets we have two favourites within a city that already has two teams same market same problems just bigger problems if these two bids get up .one bid team for a team next door to Sydney fc in southern expansion and now another western Sydney team based at Campbeltown .these silly names of southern expansion and south western Sydney are ridiculous they are both wanting to set up in markets where there is already a team western Sydney Wanderers is suppose to represent the west is it not..what happened to new markets and new fans both these two bids will only cnanabilise exisiting markets and reduce the support of the current teams already there . A shambles and corruption is rife within the FFA if these two bids get up.

NEWS: WESTERN MELBOURNE A-LEAGUE BID - EXCLUSIVE: A new A-League expansion bid is set to launch promising to build and pay for their own boutique stadium if they get the go ahead from Football Federation Australia (FFA). A consortium of wealthy Australians, with "...VERY deep pockets" according to bid backers, are said to be behind the bid to bring a team to Western Melbourne in the next round of A-League expansion. They are understood to have already had talks with Victoria State Government and FFA Chief Executive David Gallop on the bid. And bid supporters stress they will not be looking for public money to fund the planned 18,000-capacity purpose-built, single use stadium. A site has already been pencilled in for the proposed ground, 20 minutes away from Melbourne's West Gate Bridge. - The backers are keen to differentiate their bid from the Team 11 bid launched which relies on $170m of taxpayer money for their proposed new stadium in Dandenong. "A club without a revenue stream because it's renting its stadium cannot work," said one of the bid supporters. "Just ask existing club owners... "The consortium will fund the stadium with their own money so they are not asking the state government for $1. https://www.fourfourtwo.com.au/news/new-a-league-bid-well-fund-our-own-stadium-490830

what a joke of a league. #FFAout

NEWS: Phoenix in Sydney merger talks - "The owners of Wellington Phoenix are reportedly considering selling half the club to a consortium from southwestern Sydney in an unprecedented A-League merger proposal. Football Federation Australia CEO David Gallop confirmed he held a meeting on Friday with Phoenix chairman Rob Morrison and Gino Marra, the head of the South West Sydney FC expansion bid. News Corp Australia reports a memorandum of understanding has been signed between the two parties. While requiring approval from FFA to move forward, under the hybrid model, the team's training base would shift to Sydney's southwest with some home games moved to Campbelltown Stadium." https://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/phoenix-in-sydney-merger-talks I wonder what this could mean for the distance derby?

Tony Pignata confirmed as CEO, pretty powerful pairing at the top should help bring in some quality on the pitch. Bringing Risdon back would be a start!

No issue with Taggart coming to Brisbane then - he would have been let go by Poppa anyway along with the rest of this years roster.