Our City big enough for two national league soccer teams

ADELAIDE City will bid to re-enter soccer’s national league within the next five years on the back of its fairytale FFA Cup win over Western Sydney Wanderers.

ADELAIDE City will bid to re-enter soccer’s national league within the next five years on the back of its fairytale Football Federation Australia Cup win over Western Sydney Wanderers.

The Black and Whites have formed a committee to discuss an ambitious application for SA’s second A-League licence.

The Oakden part-timers made history last Tuesday when they became the first state league side eliminate a professional club from the new national knockout cup.

City football director Charlie Capogreco said the shock 1-0 victory could act as a springboard for the three-time National Soccer League champion to return to the elite level full-time.

“We are definitely set to make an application (for an A-League licence),” Capogreco said.

“We need two A-League teams in South Australia, playing week-in, week-out.

“I would hope we could be in there in the next three, four or five years.”

Capogreco said the club had begun planning a redevelopment of its Adelaide City Park home ground to bring it up to national league standards.

He said discussions were in their infancy but that the committee would also consider how the bid would be financed.

City, which has an annual budget of about $250,000, is backed by its $4.5 million Oakden Central community club, featuring two restaurants, a bar and 40 pokie machines.

“We’ve got a lot of players already that could play in the A-League,” Capogreco said. “Our aim is always to use the local product.”

An online video of 18-year-old Thomas Love’s winning goal against Western Sydney had last week attracted more than 100,000 views.

Capogreco, who has supported City since he arrived in Australia in 1955 and has volunteered at the club for 26 years, said players and officials hoped to be paired with another A-League club in tomorrow’s round-of-16 draw.

An FFA spokesman said the body welcomed applications from clubs striving to enter the A-League, but said expansion of the 10-team competition was not planned in the near future.

Nevertheless, many soccer officials believe the league will consider new applications when its current TV deal with Fox Sports and SBS expires in 2017.

The Asian Football Confederation has previously recommended an A-League expansion, as well as a national second division.