FFC Mariner
Well-Known Member
http://www.goldcoast.com.au/article/2009/01/19/40831_gold-coast-soccer.html
David Lewis
January 19th, 2009
FIRST it was players queuing up to hop aboard Gold Coast's bandwagon of bling.
Now big-name clubs want a piece of the Clive Palmer action, with English Premier League heavies Everton and Fulham offering to come to Skilled Park for pre-season exhibition games.
Negotiations between billionaire owner Palmer and representatives of Tim Cahill's Toffees and Mark Schwarzer's Cottagers are at an early stage but United head coach Miron Bleiberg confirmed last night talks were on-going over possible fixtures in June or July.
"There's a window from mid-June to mid-July and that's when we'd be looking to fit the games in against one or the other," said Bleiberg, who is also trying to shoehorn pre-season duels against the Singapore and Hong Kong national teams and Chinese club side Beijing Guoan FC into a clogged calendar before the club's first A-League game in August.
"With Everton there is obviously the Tim Cahill factor and the same goes for Mark Schwarzer with Fulham. We are not really chasing them, they are approaching us because they want a pre-season camp here and so it could suit both parties
"Whatever happens, we will be careful not to create a distraction from our first A-League game of the season where we are hoping for a big crowd at Skilled Park. But we are certainly looking at maybe making something happen -- so long as it is right for us commercially."
Palmer, who is willing to look at underwriting the exhibition game, has proposed Everton or Fulham play games on the Coast and also against Sydney FC at the Sydney Football Stadium and Melbourne Victory at the Telstra Dome to share the cost of bringing either club to Australia.
A second option would be one of the two playing United in a one-off game, and a third possibility is a training camp with a game against the Coast included in the package.
Negotiations will only proceed if Socceroos Cahill and Schwarzer were both guaranteed to play, which would limit the window of opportunity further with the Socceroos in World Cup action against Bahrain (June 10) and Japan (June 17) in Sydney and Melbourne.
Bleiberg first learned of Everton's interest through club officials when he visited their complex in November.
"It's good that clubs of their stature want to play us, it shows that we are making an impression before a ball has been kicked -- and we welcome that," he added.
David Lewis
January 19th, 2009
FIRST it was players queuing up to hop aboard Gold Coast's bandwagon of bling.
Now big-name clubs want a piece of the Clive Palmer action, with English Premier League heavies Everton and Fulham offering to come to Skilled Park for pre-season exhibition games.
Negotiations between billionaire owner Palmer and representatives of Tim Cahill's Toffees and Mark Schwarzer's Cottagers are at an early stage but United head coach Miron Bleiberg confirmed last night talks were on-going over possible fixtures in June or July.
"There's a window from mid-June to mid-July and that's when we'd be looking to fit the games in against one or the other," said Bleiberg, who is also trying to shoehorn pre-season duels against the Singapore and Hong Kong national teams and Chinese club side Beijing Guoan FC into a clogged calendar before the club's first A-League game in August.
"With Everton there is obviously the Tim Cahill factor and the same goes for Mark Schwarzer with Fulham. We are not really chasing them, they are approaching us because they want a pre-season camp here and so it could suit both parties
"Whatever happens, we will be careful not to create a distraction from our first A-League game of the season where we are hoping for a big crowd at Skilled Park. But we are certainly looking at maybe making something happen -- so long as it is right for us commercially."
Palmer, who is willing to look at underwriting the exhibition game, has proposed Everton or Fulham play games on the Coast and also against Sydney FC at the Sydney Football Stadium and Melbourne Victory at the Telstra Dome to share the cost of bringing either club to Australia.
A second option would be one of the two playing United in a one-off game, and a third possibility is a training camp with a game against the Coast included in the package.
Negotiations will only proceed if Socceroos Cahill and Schwarzer were both guaranteed to play, which would limit the window of opportunity further with the Socceroos in World Cup action against Bahrain (June 10) and Japan (June 17) in Sydney and Melbourne.
Bleiberg first learned of Everton's interest through club officials when he visited their complex in November.
"It's good that clubs of their stature want to play us, it shows that we are making an impression before a ball has been kicked -- and we welcome that," he added.
