A-League Expansion

[midfielder]

FRom the FFA site

Ten bids to battle it out for A-League berths

SYDNEY
3 June 2008

Ten expressions of interest from groups interested in obtaining a license for a Hyundai A-League club were considered by the Board of Football Federation Australia (FFA) today.

The number of proposals we have received reflects the momentum behind the growth and development of the Hyundai A-League, said FFA CEO, Ben Buckley.

The regions covered by the proposals are western Sydney, Wollongong, Melbourne, the Gold Coast and Townsville.

Buckley said FFA had received a new bid from a leading Gold Coast businessman, Clive Palmer.

We will now start exclusive negotiations with Mr Palmers consortium, Gold Coast United.

Buckley said that FFA was also in active discussions with two consortia interested in a Townsville-based Hyundai A-League Club - led by Melbourne businesswoman Milissa Fischer, and local businessman Don Matheson.

We are having further discussions with both Ms Fischers and Mr Mathesons groups and we expect to be entering into exclusive negotiations with one of them by the end of this month, Buckley said.

Other proposals received today include three seeking to have the second Melbourne license, two groups vying for the western Sydney license and one covering Wollongong and the NSW south coast.

The FFA Board Hyundai A-League Expansion sub-Committee will consider the Melbourne, western Sydney and Wollongong proposals further, and will determine a process and timeframe to award further licenses.

"We are very encouraged with the level of interest in the Hyundai A-League, Buckley said.

Since it commenced three years ago, it has had cut through in the busy Australian sporting landscape with average crowds, viewership, membership, media coverage and profitability trending upwards each season.

The attractiveness of the competition is clearly reflected in the level of interest in the additional licenses."

FFAs view is that the Hyundai A-League has the capacity to be at least a 12 team competition.

When and where we expand the competition is measured simply by whether it is right for football, right for the existing Hyundai A-League clubs, right for the new clubs and right for the local community, Buckley said.

 

[midfielder]

An in another breaking story from the south coast papers

A-League bid D-Day

http://illawarra.yourguide.com.au/news/local/sport/soccer/aleague-bid-dday/780746.aspx
BY JOEL RITCHIE

2/06/2008 4:00:00 AM

Today is the next step on the South Coast's path to securing an A-League franchise.

Bid chief operating officer Bill Drossos will drive to FFA House to hand-deliver the South Coast bid's expression of interest to enter a team in the 2009-10 season.

It will then be considered at an FFA board meeting tomorrow.

If approved, the South Coast bid organisers would have to to make a formal presentation - including declaring where the estimated $5 million needed to run the club each year for its first two years is coming from - to the FFA's feasibility committee.

Bid chairman Eddy de Gabriele doesn't know when the South Coast bid will receive an answer.

"We would need a commitment of $5 million per annum by the time we made the presentation," de Gabriele said.

The South Coast bid has already received received letters of intent pledging $1.2 million.

However, the Mercury understands the bid is also in discussions with potential backers pledging a total of $795,000.

They include a private developer, a construction company and a Sydney-based bank.

WIN Corporation owner Bruce Gordon has been named as a potential backer, but South Coast bid chairman Eddy de Gabriele poured cold water on speculation Gordon was set to open his chequebook for the franchise.

"I can't confirm anything with Bruce Gordon - his name is going to appear in the paper nine times out of 10 when the South Coast bid comes up," de Gabriele said.

South Coast is competing with bids from the Gold Coast and North Queensland for entry into an expanded 10-team A-League in 2009-10.

The Gold Coast - with the recently announced backing of mining magnate Clive Palmer - are favourites to secure one of the spots.

Both Queensland franchises were deemed priority areas for expansion by the FFA Board in February.

However, the door was thrown open after the North Queensland bid fell through earlier this year. The North Queensland bid has changed ownership while various groups from Western Sydney, South Melbourne and Geelong are interested in A-League franchises.

De Gabriele said the South Coast could only worry about its own bid.

"Our region should concentrate on getting our bid at the maximum possible level for entry in 2009-10," he said. 

 

[Jesus]

I cant see the gong taking out the nth qld bid, since it is behind in funds.

I dont see why a place like png with 4mil could not support its own team. I guess moresby only has a population comparable to us.
I dont see a point in spreading games between 4 locations, there are not enough games. 2 would be max. I dont think ethnic rivalries would be any problem from the islanders either.

 

[dibo]

I dont see why a place like png with 4mil could not support its own team. I guess moresby only has a population comparable to us.
I dont see a point in spreading games between 4 locations, there are not enough games. 2 would be max. I dont think ethnic rivalries would be any problem from the islanders either.

much less centralised population, much smaller economy per capita, and rugby league has and has had for a long time the top spot among sports in PNG.

because of these factors, the basic problem is an economic one. if we ran a team there, they wouldn't be paying an average of $20 a head or about $200 per season ticket, so simply put the team will either be unable to pay the wages of the level of players required to be competitive or it will be sucking money from the rest of the league. should the mariners et al subsidise a PNG team in the place of an australian team that might pay its own way?

 

[Jesus]

I dont see why a place like png with 4mil could not support its own team. I guess moresby only has a population comparable to us.
I dont see a point in spreading games between 4 locations, there are not enough games. 2 would be max. I dont think ethnic rivalries would be any problem from the islanders either.

much less centralised population, much smaller economy per capita, and rugby league has and has had for a long time the top spot among sports in PNG.

because of these factors, the basic problem is an economic one. if we ran a team there, they wouldn't be paying an average of $20 a head or about $200 per season ticket, so simply put the team will either be unable to pay the wages of the level of players required to be competitive or it will be sucking money from the rest of the league. should the mariners et al subsidise a PNG team in the place of an australian team that might pay its own way?

The 2nd point is potentially valid. But since when did we give up in favour of rugby league?

 

[dibo]

I dont see why a place like png with 4mil could not support its own team. I guess moresby only has a population comparable to us.
I dont see a point in spreading games between 4 locations, there are not enough games. 2 would be max. I dont think ethnic rivalries would be any problem from the islanders either.

much less centralised population, much smaller economy per capita, and rugby league has and has had for a long time the top spot among sports in PNG.

because of these factors, the basic problem is an economic one. if we ran a team there, they wouldn't be paying an average of $20 a head or about $200 per season ticket, so simply put the team will either be unable to pay the wages of the level of players required to be competitive or it will be sucking money from the rest of the league. should the mariners et al subsidise a PNG team in the place of an australian team that might pay its own way?

The 2nd point is potentially valid. But since when did we give up in favour of rugby league?

as we're not the dominant sport, the economics are even worse than they might otherwise be. if we threw a team into PNG, we'd probably shift the balance football's way, but as i put in the second point, the dollars still wouldn't add up.

rugby league's clearly the leader in basically all of qld too, and i'm mad for a scrap up there. rugby union's dominant in NZ, but the economics work there too. but in the case of PNG and the islands, there's no point in getting into a barney of any sort where you're whacking way more chips on the table for bugger all projected return.

 

[loyalist]

rugby league's clearly the leader in basically all of qld too, and i'm mad for a scrap up there

don't worry dibo, the ccy will have your back against these qld'ers

 

[dibo]

rugby league's clearly the leader in basically all of qld too, and i'm mad for a scrap up there

don't worry dibo, the ccy will have your back against these qld'ers

oh, you're such a good bunch of scallies.

*dibo ruffles ccy's youthful locks*

 

[loyalist]

rugby league's clearly the leader in basically all of qld too, and i'm mad for a scrap up there

don't worry dibo, the ccy will have your back against these qld'ers

oh, you're such a good bunch of scallies.

*dibo ruffles ccy's skinhead*

fixed

 

[adz]

Gold Coast is IN

http://news.smh.com.au/sport/gold-coast-accept-aleague-licence-20080606-2mp1.html

Gold Coast accept A-League licence

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June 6, 2008 - 2:38PM
Advertisement

Sydney FC has a future challenger as the glamour club of the A-League after Gold Coast United accepted the competition's ninth licence.

Australia's fourth richest man Clive Palmer signed the provisional agreement on behalf of the club before declaring he'd be disappointed if the Gold Coast failed to win the A-League in their debut season.

Palmer extravagantly arrived at Skilled Park at Robina, where Gold Coast will play their home games, by helicopter.

Palmer said his three private jets would be on call for the team, which will play in the 2009-10 A-League.

The iron ore baron has signed former Queensland Roar mentor Miron Bleiberg as coach and director of football.

Bleiberg said he was keen to acquire highly paid overseas stars on short-term contracts.

Football Federation Australia have asked for minor details to be lodged to ensure the Gold Coast's bid is officially confirmed in the coming days.

 

[FFC Mariner]

Australia's fourth richest man Clive Palmer signed the provisional agreement on behalf of the club before declaring he'd be disappointed if the Gold Coast failed to win the A-League in their debut season.

Plus

The iron ore baron has signed former Queensland Roar mentor Miron Bleiberg as coach and director of football

=

Delusion

 

[marinermick]

Australia's fourth richest man Clive Palmer signed the provisional agreement on behalf of the club before declaring he'd be disappointed if the Gold Coast failed to win the A-League in their debut season.

Plus

The iron ore baron has signed former Queensland Roar mentor Miron Bleiberg as coach and director of football

=

Delusion

he will have three private jets available for players so they can get to away games without going through domestic airlines

can anyone see a potential manchester united disaster happening?

 

[nero]

Lets wait and see if GC can win the ACL before we think that way.

 

[Andy]

Worst logo ever!

 

[adz]

interesting

 

[northernspirit]

exciting for the league but what an uninspiring drab looking logo
hopefully its just a quick thing put together not the real deal

 

[Arabmariner]

Interesting that there is also 3 bidders for a 2nd Melbourne team.All of them want to play out of the new stadium at Olympic Park the same stadium as Victory will move to when it is completed.
Just wondering where the fans are going to come from at first.Victory unlike Sydney Bling seem to draw support from all over the city and seem to have connected with the whole city.You would think that most football fans in the city are already Victory fans.
Sydney on the other hand haven,t connected at all with fans west of the city and as we all know there is a massive football community out west waiting to be tapped into.
So Sydney derby East v West........Melbourne derby  ? v ?
Any thoughts folks?

Oh and Gold Coast Utd... .....just the sort of nice tacky away trip I,ve been waiting for!! ;D

 

[FFC Mariner]

GC logo looks like a Bling rip off to me.

Cant wait for this away trip either.

 

[skilbeck]

Im starting to get pissed off with GCU's cockiness. Always hate when people or a person new to a game or group act like they are the best

 

[Arabmariner]

Im starting to get pissed off with GCU's cockiness. Always hate when people or a person new to a game or group act like they are the best

Let them be cocky.After a year or so listening to them telling everyone how good they,re going to be victory will be very sweet indeed!