My tip with Top Cat on board and Bruce Gordon & now the Police and Community Youth Clubs as a major sponsor the gong will get it.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/sport/football/a-league/ffa-extends-deadline-for-12th-team/2008/10/17/1223750331543.html
FFA extends deadline for 12th team
Michael Cockerill
October 18, 2008
FOOTBALL Federation Australia is set to delay a decision on the 12th team to join the A-League until February, with the governing body yet to be convinced of the merits of the four major bidders.
The FFA board met in Brisbane on Wednesday and finally approved North Queensland's submission to become the 10th team next season, alongside Gold Coast United. A second Victorian team, tentatively named Melbourne Heart but likely to be called Melbourne City, is all but assured of joining the league in 2010 as the 11th side, but the choice of the 12th team remains up in the air.
A Wollongong bid, called South Coast FC, continues to lead a tight race that includes Canberra, western Sydney and, somewhat surprisingly, Tasmania. While the FFA had flagged the possibility of making a decision before Christmas, the board has now given the interested parties another four months to shore up their bids.
The Herald understands the delay is more about finetuning details than the tight economic climate, because at least two of the bids, Canberra and Tasmania, are likely to include some form of state government funding.
South Coast, to be subsidised by billionaire WIN Corporation owner Bruce Gordon, further boosted its bid yesterday by completing a five-year deal with Police and Community Youth Clubs (NSW) to develop a training and administration centre at North Wollongong, which will also double as Tim Cahill's first youth academy. PCYC will also assist the operations of South Coast's youth team. The club yesterday claimed the deal - believed to be worth more than $1.5 million a year - would shave at least 25 per cent off the costs of running an A-League team.
In return, South Coast players would be contractually obliged to promote and support PCYC programs, while Cahill's involvement would help develop programs for disadvantaged children as well as promote the A-League bid.
"I'm very confident that ultimately the South Coast will be successful in obtaining a licence," Cahill said. "There's been a lot of work gone into the bid, and it's only a matter of time."
Meanwhile, west Sydney's bid is yet to crystallise, although a consortium including Socceroos skipper Lucas Neill and radio personality Alan Jones could yet get off the ground.
■ The FFA expects to learn at next week's cabinet meeting whether the Federal Government will fund the $50-60 million cost of making a bid for the 2018 World Cup. The world governing body, FIFA, is expected to make a decision on hosting rights by 2011.
Australia's chances received a boost recently when powerful Asian Football Confederation president Mohammad Bin Hammam indicated Australia was the only serious bidder from Asia, suggesting powerful regional rivals China might had dropped out of the race.
■ In local transfer news, former Sydney FC defender Mark Milligan, who has been linked to Newcastle Jets, has been offered a deal by Greek side Iraklis. Milligan has not played at club level since the end of last season, and was dropped from the national squad for this week's World Cup qualifier against Qatar because of his lack of match fitness.
Socceroos defender Craig Moore has become a priority target for A-League newcomers North Queensland. Moore is off contract at Queensland Roar at the end of the season.
Sydney FC defender Iain Fyfe is yet to accept the club's offer of a new two-year deal.
■ Australia's World Cup qualifying campaign has received a further boost with confirmation that four key Bahrain players - defender Abdullah Marzooq, midfielders Mohammed Salmeen and Abdullah Omar, and skipper Sayed Wadaei - will be suspended for next month's match in Manama.
