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BREAKING: FFA board decides on A-League expansion clubs as Team 11 reportedly miss out

12th December, 2018
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FFA CEO Dave Gallop. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
12th December, 2018
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There will be two new A-League teams by the start of the 2020-21 season, with Western Melbourne Group and Macarthur-South West Sydney reportedly granted club licenses at an FFA board meeting last night.

The board’s decision on A-League expansion will be officially announced during a press conference to be held at midday today, but multiple outlets are reporting Western Melbourne Group and Macarthur-South West Sydney have been given the nod to join the competition.

Western Melbourne Group’s arrival will see the A-League grow to an 11-team competition in 2019-20, however Macarthur-South West Sydney will have to wait a further year for their debut season in 2020-21.

Macarthur-South West Sydney had been touted as a likely successful bid in the weeks leading up to last night’s board meeting, but the decision to award the other license to Western Melbourne Group comes as something of a surprise given Team 11 had been believed to be the most likely Victorian bid to be given the nod by the FFA board.

However, Team 11 were relying on $120 million of government funding for their purpose-built 15,000-capacity stadium in Dandenong, whereas Western Melbourne has committed to funding its own stadium in Tarneit, also with 15,000 seats.

Construction on that venue is likely to begin soon and take around three or four years to complete, with the side to play out of Geelong’s Kardinia Park in the meantime.

Macarthur-South West Sydney will use the existing Campbeltown Stadium as their home ground when they enter the competition in 2020. It’s been widely reported that the bid’s preference was to enter the competition next season, however the delay will no doubt placate the Western Sydney Wanderers.

It’s been no secret the Wanderers wanted to have a year playing out of their new Parramatta Stadium home ground before the entrance of a new team in Western Sydney.

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That delay may harm the Sydney bid’s attempt to lure former Socceroos skipper Mile Jedinak back to the region he grew up in. The Aston Villa defensive midfielder is reportedly open to an offer, but the extra year’s wait may throw a spanner in the works.

In addition to Team 11, the other unsuccessful bids were Canberra United – apparently well-received but weakened by a number of concerns, including over the proposed side’s financials – Southern Expansion, and South Melbourne, which, according to the Herald Sun’s David Davutovic, was never a real chance of being granted a license and was actually set to be eliminated in the last round of cuts in October.

Keep it locked on The Roar as we bring you all the A-League expansion news, updates and reaction throughout the day.

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