A-League & 2nd Tier Expansion Thread V2

[Erebus]

We've been issued double whammys of terrible performances in a terrible SOP.

There are people who simply refuse to attend at SOP no matter what, for whatever reason.

[Prydzopolis]

Paywalled, can someone do some magic?

[mack]

SOUTH Australia’s chances of having a new A-League club are diminishing fast.

Licence fees have skyrocketed by 1500 per cent in 13 years, judging by what some new franchise hopefuls are willing to hand to FFA as the game continues to boom with participation numbers hovering above one million people.

Two expansion clubs are understood to have tabled to FFA $15 million each in a bid to be part of the A-League.

Adelaide United outlaid what is now a bargain $1 million licence fee when eight clubs took a leap of faith to join the new competition in 2005.

FFA appears destined to land an immediate $50 million hit from four expansion clubs joining the 10 existing franchises. An announcement is imminent before October 31.

It’s understood FFA will unveil two expansion clubs for 2019 and at the same time it will give the green light for potentially two more clubs to join the A-League in 2020, bringing the competition number to 14.

After A-League head Greg O’Rourke in May said “16 clubs would be the limit” for expansion, chairman of the new SA club bid Andy Haralampopoulos is still confident of leading a club rival for Adelaide United.

The SA bid was knocked out of the current expansion process in August.

It is understood the bid offered more than $4 million for a licence fee.

“The investors are extremely patient and they’re happy to prolong the wait,’’ Haralampopoulos said “They now need to know when the next phase of expansion is.”

The bid had the backing of an English consortium with a $100 million budget and a partnership agreement with NPL club West Adelaide Hellas.

With Fox Sports’ current TV deal expiring in 2023 and the salary cap handouts per 10 clubs standing at $3.4 million, it appears the expansion clubs’ licence fees will cover the shortfall for the competition until the end of the TV contract.

An FFA official also claimed expansion clubs that offered to pay more for licence fees than others were not necessarily front runners to join the A-League competition.

EXPANSION CLUB HOPEFULS

(Vic): West Melbourne:

Proposed licence fee offered: $15 million plus GST

Proposed home stadium/s:

Wyndham Stadium (the group is proposing to build and own its stadium without government funding)

(Kardinia Park, Melbourne Rectangular Stadium in the interim)

(NSW) Southern Expansion

Proposed Licence fee: $15 million plus GST (money reportedly in the bank)

Proposed home stadium/s: Shark Park, Kogarah Oval and Wollongong Stadium (in the interim, propose to build a stadium in the near future).

Vic) South Melbourne

Proposed licence fee: $15 million plus GST

Proposed home stadium: Lakeside Stadium

(Vic): Team 11:

**Bid subject to Victorian State Government building a stadium in the Dandenong region

Proposed licence fee offered: $10 million plus GST

Proposed home stadium: Dandenong Stadium (Casey Fields in the interim)

(NSW) South West Sydney

Proposed licence fee: $10 million plus GST

Proposed home stadium: Campbelltown Stadium (NSW)

(ACT): Canberra

Proposed licence fee: $10 million plus GST

Proposed home stadium: Canberra Stadium

(NSW) Wollongong Wolves

Proposed licence fee: $5 million plus GST

Proposed home stadium: Wollongong Stadium

(QLD): Western Pride

Proposed licence fee: $5 million plus GST

Proposed home stadium: North Ipswich Reserve

[mack]

I've heard around the traps that Team 11 aren't getting a cent from the Govt for their stadium and if so the FFA won't go with them.

Western Pride & South Melbourne no chance. 

I reckon FFA will pick Southern Expansion and West Melbourne for 11 & 12, and to cut down on the anti-FFA sentiment will bring in Canberra and either Wollongong or the South West Sydney team as 13 & 14.

[Hughesy]

Most of the claims being made across the bids regarding new stadia were absolute bullshit and nothing more than attention seeking.

Team 11 clearly don’t know how stadia works in this country if they thought they were getting funding for a purpose built stadium of which they would be the only tenant. Not even the AFL get that...

I’ll also believe it when I see it that Western Melbourne are building their own stadium, let alone getting the plans approved by government. 

[StringerBellend]

It’s all a bit of a battle of which artists impression of a stadium is best. Let south Melbourne in their stadium actually exists 

[Hughesy]

South Melbourne, Wolves and Canberra in for Wellington are my picks. All have existing stadia and not just that but their lease deals aren’t ones that will take them to the cleaners every season like some of the existing A-League clubs do.

Also, since when was it floated that there’d be further expansion in 2020 as that article suggests? That’s the first I’ve heard of that 

[luisenrique]

Do they mean (if the article is to be believed), that they will confirm that there will be two more teams in 2020, or that they will also say which two teams those will be?

Just thinking that the FFA might be going all out to prove that they actually do something before they disappear.

[GunnerWanderer]

Likewise I have not heard of it before if so very exciting 

[btron3000]

I wish I could get excited but does anyone really have any confidence that these guys will pick the right teams?

[luisenrique]

Really the decision should wait until after the vote happens and/or FIFA intervene. Otherwise they will pick teams according to incentives and/or stupidity, and then whoever's in charge when they get kicked out will be stuck with those decisions.

[Hughesy]

To be honest, I don't think it matters who is in charge of the FFA, the same teams will most likely be picked given it's largely about commercial appeal and what Foxtel like/want

[matty]

My guess is they'll go with Southern Expansion and West Melbourne first and then Canberra and Western Pride. 

[Edinburgh]

Southern expansion is just wrong!

[matty]

17 hours ago, Edinburgh said:

Southern expansion is just wrong!

I agree, unfortunately they have the right metric$

[Hughesy]

What metrics are those though other than a wealthy benefactor? They're actually not as impressive to the FFA as what people make out. Their propaganda has made them sound a lot better than what they actually are.

In terms of population, I'm sure any bid could achieve their numbers if they just pooled together several different regions and classed them as one team...

[Prydzopolis]

4 hours ago, hughsey said:

In terms of population, I'm sure any bid could achieve their numbers if they just pooled together several different regions and classed them as one team...

That’s what Southern expansion did

[Wanderboy]

38 minutes ago, Prydzopolis said:

That’s what Southern expansion did

Southern Expansion would have so much more credibility if they had excluded the Wollongong part. The south coast has absolutely no affinity to southern Sydney. In fact, it was an insult to originally even mention them.

I've no doubt that Wollongong would be more successful metrics wise (?) than the Mariners. The Central Coast is full of Aussie bogans. They've done well to be as successful as they have been. The Gong is full of football loving wogs. It's a no brainer.

Edited September 25, 2018 by Wanderboy

[luisenrique]

It's amazing that they chose the Central Coast as one of the places for the first round of teams, ahead of so many more suitable areas, including western sydney of course. As you say they've done pretty well considering, especially on the pitch...look how many Socceroos came from there...but apart from that I'm not sure what purpose they serve apart from being a fun away trip at a scenic ground. 

I know there are some die hard Mariners fans, but when they're not going well most NPL teams have better metrics than them.

[Carns]

22 minutes ago, luisenrique said:

It's amazing that they chose the Central Coast as one of the places for the first round of teams, ahead of so many more suitable areas, including western sydney of course. As you say they've done pretty well considering, especially on the pitch...look how many Socceroos came from there...but apart from that I'm not sure what purpose they serve apart from being a fun away trip at a scenic ground. 

I know there are some die hard Mariners fans, but when they're not going well most NPL teams have better metrics than them.

One city, one team policy unfortunately. Coupled with FFA (or the equivalent at the time) being terrified of (most) NSL teams meaning they wouldn't pick the Gong.

[btron3000]

CCM had Singleton in their corner.  All Fwankie wanted was millionaires funding clubs. That never goes wrong.

 

[Prydzopolis]

2 hours ago, btron3000 said:

CCM had Singleton in their corner.  All Fwankie wanted was millionaires funding clubs. That never goes wrong.

Ahhhh.... Frankie & his mates, too bad it backfired on old mate Clive  

Side Note: Apparently FFA are planning on announcing expansion candidates prior to the board meeting to turf Lowy & his mates. Could be any day now...

[btron3000]

Nek minnit (do the kids still use that term?) Canberra and Northern NSW get teams and they vote down the changes.

[Hughesy]

19 hours ago, Prydzopolis said:

That’s what Southern expansion did

That's what I meant haha

[btron3000]

Sydney and Melbourne teams to satisfy Fox, with an announcement that Canberra and <insert other team here> will follow to satisfy politics.

[SBW]

So does this mean that SWS-MacArthur bid is successful?

 

[matty]

On 25/09/2018 at 1:46 PM, hughsey said:

What metrics are those though other than a wealthy benefactor? They're actually not as impressive to the FFA as what people make out. Their propaganda has made them sound a lot better than what they actually are.

I don't know about propoganda but yes, I was talking about the financial backing. I'm fairly sure it's the only metric the FFA care about. 

[mack]

11 hours ago, SBW said:

So does this mean that SWS-MacArthur bid is successful?

 

I wouldn't read anything into it. The season is over, it's probably going to be made up of NPL2 or lower level players, probably even their youth team players because Bolt is ******* awful and they want to make him look better than he would against even an NPL1 side.

[Hughesy]

18 hours ago, matty said:

I don't know about propoganda but yes, I was talking about the financial backing. I'm fairly sure it's the only metric the FFA care about. 

Yeah deep pockets but short arms... look at the City Football Group, they’ve spent bugger all (in relation to their wealth) because they don’t see a return on major investment. Financial backers are only as valuable as what they’re willing to spend. 

 

[matty]

On 28/09/2018 at 8:32 AM, hughsey said:

Yeah deep pockets but short arms... look at the City Football Group, they’ve spent bugger all (in relation to their wealth) because they don’t see a return on major investment. Financial backers are only as valuable as what they’re willing to spend. 

 

The Southern Expansion guys have approx 10 million in a bank account designated to the bid. That's as close to spending it as it gets at this stage. 

Again, I'm no supporter of the bid but that would impress the FFA. Throwing generalisations about wealthy people around isn't really helpful