As FFA’s new board meets to rule on A-League expansion, there could be two teams chosen, or four, or none

Twenty months after FFA said the game couldn’t afford expansion — and 10 months after it decided it had no choice — two bidders could get the nod from a newly constituted FFA board at its first formal meeting on Wednesday afternoon.

The A-League could have new competitors. (AAP Image/Darren Pateman)

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It could be the beginning of the end, or the end of the beginning. In theory the path of A-League expansion could be set on Wednesday afternoon — or the competition might be left still staring at its own feet.

Twenty months after FFA’s board said the game couldn’t afford expansion — and 10 months after it decided that actually it had no choice — two of the six bidders to join the competition could get the nod from a newly constituted FFA board at its first formal meeting this afternoon.

Who those teams are, when they would join the league and when others might follow are questions to be wrestled with by that new board, though conspiracy theories abound in advance of the actual ruling.

Brett Emerton and Nick Carle’s backing for the South-West Sydney FC bid could pay off. (AAP Image/Brendan Esposito)

Among some bidders there is a firm belief that Team 11, from southeast Victoria, and the Campbelltown-based Macarthur South West United will be made preferred bidders: to enter the competition the season after next, subject to meeting a series of criteria. That would include a commitment from the Victorian government to build a stadium at Dandenong.

Delaying expansion by a season would create a palpable sense of disappointment, given the existing competition’s stagnation, but some of those existing clubs have argued strongly that 10 months is not enough time to have brand new clubs ready for next season.

Another meeting at FFA could kickstart expansion. (AAP Image/Dean Lewins)

Other voices believe that Team 11 and Canberra will be admitted next season, with Macarthur South West United and Western Melbourne to follow a year later — a scenario that would allow Western Sydney a year playing in their new stadium to re-establish themselves before the advent of a very near neighbour.

The only bids seemingly certain to be disappointed are the Southern Expansion consortium which aimed to straddle the St George, Sutherland and Illawarra areas, and the NPL club South Melbourne FC.

And the only people who know for certain are the new board, at least some of whom will be declaring an interest in some of the bidders.

The six directors to make the choice are the new chairman, Chris Nikou, the newly elected trio of Remo Nogarotto, Heather Reid and Joseph Carrozzi, plus existing directors Kelly Bayer Rosmarin and Crispin Murray.

The latter two have been on the board for three years during which time FFA has been unable to make progress on expansion — and true to that form, there is another school of thought which says the very decision may itself be delayed until early next month.

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Originally published as As FFA’s new board meets to rule on A-League expansion, there could be two teams chosen, or four, or none