Turbulence (then calm sailing, then turbulence) thread.

[Wombat]

Confirmed in this morning's Member's email:

Apparently he had to fly to England to interview with Storrie and MC.
Later that week he watched the Fulham game in Corp box with none other than JM "The Special One".
Pretty good week for him!
I've only met him once at a Footy presentation and he is a very nice man and very switched on. Very honest and unaffected.
I think he will be excellent.

 

[dibo]

"every major Australian region with a population over 500,000"

=/=

"only major Australian regions with a population over 500,000"

Interesting implications for expansion within major cities.

Logically if a region needs 500k, Sydney could support 8 clubs, Melbourne 7, Brisbane 4, Perth 4, Adelaide 3...

 

[nearlyyellow]

Hmmm, long bow there @dibo imo. Not only but every .. has the market capacity .. The implication being that the CC as a region with sub 500k. population may not have a viable market capacity. Particularly if fringe, adjacent and potential, market areas are indeed swallowed up by new licenses. Semantics, perhaps, but is this further fuel for MC to push into, for instance, the Northern Sydney market?

 

[rbakersmith]

Here's what the Whole of Football Plan has to say about the A-League (from page 83):

The A-League will be the most popular sporting competition in Australia.

STABLE AND SUSTAINABLE STRUCTURE
The A-League will be an actively managed and competitively balanced league within a stable and sustainable structure. What does that mean?

• It means that there will always be a role for a central body that can place the common good and long-term strategic objectives of the game at the heart of every decision.
• It means that the A-League will always be a competitively balanced league with the instruments of a salary cap, squad limits, player quotas and player acquisition rules.
• The best run and best organised clubs will rise to the top, but Australia’s national league will be based on collective commercialisation of rights and a centralised distribution of revenue to ensure the A-League does not become unbalanced.

In order for the A-League to become a financially strong and stable league, it must:

• Strengthen the operations of clubs by centralising select administrative services enabling clubs to focus on Football.
• Expand club Football operations and community engagement activities.
• Hold clubs accountable for core functions and benchmarks that will help the league to grow.
• Support our players by educating them as they enter professional sport and by assisting them to transition out of the professional playing ranks at the end of their careers.

COMPOSITION OF THE A-LEAGUE

• The A-League will aim to be the strongest Football league in our region.
• Every major Australian centre with a population over 500,000 has the market size to host an A-League club. A-League competition expansion will come as a product of sustainable commercial growth, via a managed process of “in and out” as circumstances arise, rather than a relegation and promotion system based purely on results. This is critical to retain the strategic market placement of clubs which underpins the commercial viability of the league.
• New entrants to the A-League will need to meet criteria based on funding, football development, stadium capacity and facilities, and community engagement that any NPL Club or New Consortium will need to satisfy:
  • In particular any NPL Club or New Consortium will need to be professionally run, and prove a concrete demand based on participation and population in a region.

INTEGRATE CLUBS AND COMMUNITIES
The loudest message that we heard during the Whole of Football Plan consultation period is that Australia’s professional clubs need to play a more active and prominent role in their communities.

• Clubs will help nurture a “Lifetime Relationship” with their fans. Fans will follow clubs and not just players. This will mean each club will have a unique identity with a multi-generational heritage and fans will feel a strong sense of connectedness.
• Football will provide the platforms and the support necessary so that Australia’s clubs can play a prominent role in their communities. This will result in 75% of participants supporting one of our Top Tier clubs.
• Football will ensure that the game is widely available by providing football content across as many media platforms as possible.
• The popularity of Australia’s clubs will be reflected in our growing membership numbers which will surpass one million members (ticketed and non-ticketed).

STRIVE FOR TECHNICAL EXCELLENCE
When we asked the Football community what you wanted from the A-League, the most popular answer was the “Best Australian players playing in Australia” – this must become a key objective. To achieve this we need to raise the standard of the whole league. This means that every Australian A-League club will have a world class facility and academy capable of producing world class Australian players.

ATMOSPHERIC STADIA
Football generates an atmosphere like no other sport in Australia. The Sydney and Melbourne derbies are the envy of every Australian sport and we want to re-create these atmospheres across the country.

• As a long-term goal we will ensure that A-League games are played in intimate stadiums where fans feel, and are, part of the action.
• We will create a differentiated match day experience to broadcast experience – including providing exclusive digital content in stadia.

 

[Capn Gus Bloodbeard]

There's a separate thread under Australian football, may be better to continue discussion in there.

Excited about Mielekamp though....

 

[dibo]

Hmmm, long bow there @dibo imo. Not only but every .. has the market capacity .. The implication being that the CC as a region with sub 500k. population may not have a viable market capacity. Particularly if fringe, adjacent and potential, market areas are indeed swallowed up by new licenses. Semantics, perhaps, but is this further fuel for MC to push into, for instance, the Northern Sydney market?

Sorry, I disagree.

"Only" is exclusive. "Every" is non-exclusive. A current drivers' licence is ID, but so is a bank card and a utility bill. There are different ways of getting to the same point.

Even leaving that aside, if you add in Hornsby LGA we're up to 499k - no need to push to the harbour. And we've had a significant presence north of the M2 since day 1, going right back to pre-season matches against Spirit FC and development links with GHFA.

 

[style_cafe]

Sorry, I disagree.

"Only" is exclusive. "Every" is non-exclusive. A current drivers' licence is ID, but so is a bank card and a utility bill. There are different ways of getting to the same point.

Even leaving that aside, if you add in Hornsby LGA we're up to 499k - no need to push to the harbour. And we've had a significant presence north of the M2 since day 1, going right back to pre-season matches against Spirit FC and development links with GHFA.

499k Bugger if we`re going to qualify we need to breed more....

 

[Roy Law]

Gee, I didn't get that. What mailing list are you on?
(EDIT: just arrived at 7.37am, my email must have slower electrons than yours )

" .. Mielekamp will work as one of the club’s executives working alongside Kathryn Duncan (Finance Director) and Tony Walmsley (Technical Director/Head Coach) who make up the club’s senior management, reporting directly to Executive Vice Chairman, Peter Storrie. .. "

These guys will really have their management skills tested if the early mail on the FFA Future of Football report Whole of Football Plan is to be believed:

"The governing body will determine that; "every major Australian region with a population over 500,000 has the market size to host an A-League club""
"Greater Canberra, as well as Wollongong and its surrounding regions, are expected to have populations in excess of the FFA's minimum requirements which may also cast some doubt on the long-term viability of Central Coast Mariners and Wellington Phoenix."

http://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/...ion-in-future-of-aleague-20150504-ggtwdy.html

Just the SMH having never failing to have it's dig at the little team that could. No substance to it. More, if more is needed, motivation to prove the suckers wrong

 

[nearlyyellow]

.

the little team that could.

I *like* that

prove the suckers wrong

Here's hoping that the next two years do this.

 

[pjennings]

Sorry, I disagree.

"Only" is exclusive. "Every" is non-exclusive. A current drivers' licence is ID, but so is a bank card and a utility bill. There are different ways of getting to the same point.

Even leaving that aside, if you add in Hornsby LGA we're up to 499k - no need to push to the harbour. And we've had a significant presence north of the M2 since day 1, going right back to pre-season matches against Spirit FC and development links with GHFA.

The Greater Illawarra has a population of 413K against that 499K and includes places a lot further away from Wollongong than the Hornsby LGA is away from Gosford. Why then does Bossi claim it is good for Wollongong and bad for us

 

[rbakersmith]

Back to calm sailing?

Mariners back on side

CHIEF EXECUTIVE SAYS NO PLANS FOR SYDNEY HOME GAMES
NEW Central Coast Mariners chief executive Shaun Mielekamp has assured supporters the A-League club will not be playing home games in any part of Sydney next season.

Picture: PETER CLARK
Mr Mielekamp, who officially started his role on Tuesday, also refuted rumours of Mariners owner and chairman Mike Charlesworth’s intention to sell his controlling share of the club. He recently spent three days in the UK with Mr Charlesworth.

“I’ve got no way to think that is in any way on the agenda for Mike; he’s committed,’’ he said.

“I had the opportunity to spend three days with Mike, so I really got to understand Mike and where he’s coming from,” Mr Mielekamp said.

“What I was most encouraged and excited about was Mike’s commitment to the Mariners and his commitment to the Central Coast. Once hearing that, it was a green light for me that this is a club I want to be a part of, moving forward.”

Mr Mielekamp said he was unable to comment on player recruitment, except to say the club had experts in the area and was excited about the future.

But he did say supporters would be excited with some upcoming announcements regarding the Mariners “locking in a long-term strategy here”.

Mr Mielekamp, whose sporting background includes time with the South Sydney Rabbitohs, Penrith Panthers and, most recently, the Western Sydney Wanderers, is passionate about community engagement.

“I started at the Rabbitohs, working with Russell Crowe and Peter Holmes a Court and that was a real grounding for me about listening to the members and listening to what they expect from the club and delivering on that,” he said.

“A core part of my belief as a sports administrator is that clubs are there to represent a region and truly listen to the region.”

And there is no doubting Mr Mielekamp’s passion for the region. He has lived on the Coast with his family for nine years and plays soccer for Kariong.

http://newslocal.newspaperdirect.co...#_articlefcba4780-6c68-4aba-93bf-6d03a0778a7b

 

[VicMariner]

Back to calm sailing?

Lot of positives in that article.
For the last few months there has been a lot of good noises coming from the club, let's hope they deliver.

I'm really looking forward to seeing what happens over the next 6-12 months.

 

[rbakersmith]

According to this article about hosting a WC2018 qualifier in Canberra, a proposed game down there is off the table as well:

The government has already declined an approach from two A-League clubs for Canberra to host a regular game next season, negotiations breaking down on a price believed to be $80,000.

The Central Coast Mariners and the Newcastle Jets had been talking to the ACT government about bringing a game to Canberra Stadium next season but the parties couldn't agree on financial compensation, with concerns about low crowds.

The Mariners attracted average crowds of just over 5000 for their two games in Canberra in 2009.

 

[MagpieMariner]

According to this article about hosting a WC2018 qualifier in Canberra, a proposed game down there is off the table as well:

Good.

 

[kevrenor]

Good.

Oh, good ... that may leave open a regional round game in Coffs Harbour (get up the Jets nose!)

 

[bikinigirl]

Oh, good ... that may leave open a regional round game in Coffs Harbour (get up the Jets nose!)

. as the 'community round' ... that wouldn't be bad ... would try to make that one (but it is a long way )

 

[nearlyyellow]

Back to calm sailing?



http://newslocal.newspaperdirect.com/epaper/iphone/homepage.aspx?isBookmark=true&locationHash=#_articlefcba4780-6c68-4aba-93bf-6d03a0778a7b/waarticlefcba4780-6c68-4aba-93bf-6d03a0778a7b/Z2B7K175WRX1#_articlefcba4780-6c68-4aba-93bf-6d03a0778a7b

He's going to have to work bloody hard. Because while the pigeon hasn't flown yet, the coop doors are almost open.

 

[dibo]

I simply don't believe that's true.

 

[pjennings]

They've pissed off a lot of people. Anybody that is left I doubt is going anywhere if there is any hope of a better performance - both on and off the field. A lot of people are very parochial towards the Central Coast and just need a reason to be attracted / re-attracted to the club.

 

[nearlyyellow]

@rbs .. err, so, what? You don't believe that we have lost a degree of community support? I think we have, and that's why I think the new mariners CEO will have to work bloody hard to reinvigorate community support. Matter of fact, the whole CCM operation will have to work bloody hard. And he's the man at the helm now, so the burden will rest with him.