Macarthur South West Sydney. Western Melbourne. It’s not the perfect combination of A-League expansion bids – Brisbane is crying out for a derby, Canberra just for a team – but it’s a considerable step in the right direction.
Everyone is well aware of the staleness which has plagued the competition in recent years. There’s no point going over that narrative again, particularly given today’s decision will go some way to correcting it.
By the 2020-21 season, the A-League will have four new derbies and a season freshened up by two new fixtures for each current side. It will be invigorated by two new fan-bases. And it will no longer have a finals system for which more teams qualify than miss out on.
As for the decision to go with Western Melbourne Group and Macarthur South West Sydney, there can’t be too many complaints. Yes, it would have been nice to see the A-League enter a new market – let’s call it Canberra – but given how the Wanderers benefitted from having a cross-town rival when they entered the competition, it’s hard to fault the new FFA board for choosing two teams who will both have multiple local derbies from their inception.
That the successful Sydney bid can jump straight into Campbeltown Stadium from the get-go is another positive (more on why they aren’t doing just that next year later), but Western Melbourne Group’s stadium situation is of far more interest.
(Image: Western Melbourne Group)
WMG’s success at last night’s board meeting was no doubt due in part to their commitment to build and fund a 15,000-seat stadium, as opposed to Team 11’s reliance on Victorian government funding for their proposed arena.
Teams funding and owning their own home grounds is hardly a new phenomenon – Major League Soccer is an oft-mentioned example of how well they can work – but WMG’s will be the first such case in the A-League. Will it lead to more bids promising their own purpose-built stadiums when expansion rolls around next time?
If it does, hopefully any such expansion teams will be able to have their new stadiums ready to go in time for their debut seasons, and not subjected to years at a pre-existing and not particularly well-suited venue in the interim.
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That’s the scenario facing WMG, who will play their home games in Geelong until construction in Tarneit is complete. Despite initially being promised to take less than three years, FFA CEO David Gallop revealed the project is expected to be ready in time for the 2022-23 season.
It’s therefore pretty bizarre that the Victorian team will be the first of the two new sides to enter the competition next year. With Campbeltown Stadium a ready-to-use home ground, it would have made far more sense to bring Macarthur South West Sydney into the A-League in 2019 and their Victorian counterparts the following season.
Plenty has been made of the Wanderers’ concerns about having to compete with a new team in Western Sydney during their first year playing out of the revamped Parramatta Stadium, but they should have been given little consideration. After all, a new Western Sydney derby would benefit the existing side as much as the new one.
(Photo by Nigel Owen/Action Plus via Getty Images)
Other than that bugbear, there are few issues with today’s expansion announcement. Canberrans will be justifiably unhappy, but given Wellington’s precarious position in the league at the moment, and FFA chairman Chris Nikou’s admission that the capital is “an attractive opportunity for potential future expansion,” there is reason for optimism on that front.
More promising, though, was Nikou making all the right noises about future A-League expansion, and not just where Canberra is concerned.
The A-League can ill afford another stagnant period once these two new teams settle in. Future expansion plans must be proactive, continually improving the league rather than being introduced as an antidote to whatever woes have been allowed to build up.
Nikou seems to be well aware of this, saying he wants to keep expansion on the agenda and revealing the establishment of a second division working group, with more details to be revealed on that front next week.
Words are cheap, but it’s a start.
There’s little doubt the next teams to enter the A-League can’t just be plucked from Sydney or Melbourne. Canberra must surely be the next cab off the rank, and a second Brisbane team not too long after.
And beyond that, who knows? Maybe we’ll be ready for a second division by then, or maybe a couple more A-League teams will be a better option.
But, for today’s decision, it’s worth saying something unheard of in the last few years: to the FFA board, well done. The decision isn’t going to please everyone, and plenty of fans will be downright pissed off. But expansion was needed, and it’s been delivered.
Just don’t stop now.
Nicholas Belardo
Roar Guru
I wouldn’t use those A-League teams as a great example. How about the summer before those games where at the Asian Cup, Canberra was the only city not to host a Socceroos game, but still managed to have the highest “non-Socceroos” average attendance?
chris
Guest
Greg my comment was based purely on population. And yes I do want football grounds for football only and not have to worry about being second class tenants. Whats positive about many of the potential clubs is that having their own stadiums is looked on favourably by the FFA. Football stadiums for football only.
duecer
Guest
The difference is the A league has double the number of teams the NRL has in Melbourne, so the second team will naturally be lower. The level of support has to be compared to the 1st teams, where Victory is ahead. Other factors like participation and juniors need to be considered, an soccer is far, far ahead of RL in Melbourne on those metrics.
Old Greg
Guest
Exactly, what if the investor is someone like Tony Mokbel? What does he have to hide if he won't come public unless the bid was successful? If that's the case they might have to call the new club Geelong Gangsters FC or something like that.
Old Greg
Guest
Are you a football fan or not? Aren't you sick of seeing A-League clubs have to share grounds with rugby league teams? We shouldn't be looking to co-exist with rugby league and rugby union, we should be doing our damndest to RUN THEM OUT OF BUSINESS!
con tripodis
Guest
much more important than extension is division two promotion and relegation in side a sigle league of two divisions ,pluses more talent more soccer ,more natural evolution and team get a chance to grow build there stadiums such as team 11 and tired teams such as central coast get a break and come back when they get it right more telecast ,more betting more money for FOX
con tripodis
Guest
bring on the second division call it A league 2 than you can have promotion and relegation without any legal issues as they are now granting with the $15 million licence fee a no relegation guarantee from the a league ,so think about it if the A league is div 1 and 2 than no one gets relegated from the A league ' simples'
Sydneysideliner
Guest
Agree, Mariners vs Nix seems like a self-fulfilling prophecy! If only Wanderers would take a game there instead of Mudgee or somewhere with no A-league aspirations, we would have a better gauge of support. Unfortunately for the other cities, those recent histories of disappointment make it's easier for FFA to look at places with no history whatsoever, as long as they have high population growth.
con tripodis
Guest
A league becoming independent is dangerous the greed and self protection will kill our weak code ,Steven Lowe may have been unpopular but i am in agreement with his views on this
con tripodis
Guest
i had a shop for 15 years in geelong so bazza u r spot on say it like it is brother and even if they did like soccer why would they support a club with a west melbourne tag
con tripodis
Guest
yes the nsl did not get far just like the A league is not getting far but individual clubs like south melb were doing great and how do we grow our community well in human nature we get married and we have kids and so on and we populate if you really want to refer to the greek community ,than i will fill u in . For istance my daugthers are both in mixed marriages with lots of children so my son in laws and me would definitely go to south games ,that's how u grow and they are no more ethnic flags every one talks English we are all welcomed if south played the football they used to play in nsl i bet if you are a football lover you would definitely GO , You are certainly not from Melbourne because we are very multicultural here and happy with each other we dont label or fear each other and 90 % of Melbournians are proud of their make up
con tripodis
Guest
Absolutely worst pick in melbourne it stinks and money talks hey, we dont know who the investor is who will ultimately be the owner of the stadium and to much secrecy when it involves public land ,very shifty no team without a stadium should be considered and the deal with Gardenia park has not been done so what the hell did the FFA see in this bid apart from greed and money what about us the fans ,we are suppose to be a melbourne team and now we travel another 70km further to watch a team play in a AFL ground and give rent and money to the AFL is this lunacy or what
Nephilim
Roar Rookie
Haha, I don't even know what I am agreeing with now, but I stand by it :P
chris
Guest
Greg the south of Sydney can accommodate both league and football. The area is big enough and diverse enough.
pakistanstar
Roar Rookie
South Melbourne would've cannibilised the existing Melbourne clubs more than WM will. As for SWS, they're located 50km south of where WSW are based and there's about 500,000 people in between.
R King
Guest
Why does everyone think a team in Wollongong will automatically be successful? Why not wait for the second division and start there, same as for 2nd teams in Adelaide, Perth and Brisbane. As long as they have to meet the same criteria as these 2 new clubs.
Rodger King
Guest
A cold wet night in Adelaide will still pull the normal 10k that support AUFC. Look on the bright side, so many more people get to go to away games in Melbourne and Sydney now.
Jordan Klingsporn
Roar Guru
That's fair enough.
chris
Guest
Yes it appears he has a negative comment to make about every single thing being discussed. Where does one get the time to devote to something you so dislike? And yes, you know something positive is happening in football when pest is all over it.
Pablo
Guest
Were you the one that said on another article that if expansion happened they would never post on here again or what was that?? haha