Dandenong faithful delivers blunt A-League expansion message to FFA, state government

THE A-League’s catch cry this season is “you’ve gotta have a team”. The people of Dandenong and Casey have just issued a new message to the FFA and state government.

THE A-League’s marketing cry was “You’ve Gotta Have A Team”.

But the message in Dandenong on Friday night to Football Federation Australia and the Victorian state government was “you’ve got to give us one first”.

More than 2500 people attended the local derby as Victoria’s second division kicked off its season.

And while the support for both Dandenong Thunder and Dandenong City was palpable, the sentiment behind having a third Melbourne A-League team based in the booming south-east was just as strong.

Local club presidents - many of whom were at George Andrews Reserve - have vowed to unite behind a Casey-Dandenong bid, while the local councils are working together to get the ball rolling.

Dandenong Thunder.

Dandenong City.

Investors are knocking on the door, Casey has forecast a $20m training facility at Casey Fields, Dandenong wants to build a boutique stadium at the Dandenong Showgrounds - although government funding would be needed - while Cardinia is the gateway to soccer-mad Gippsland.

Talk to the fans on Friday and there is an apathy towards Melbourne Victory and Melbourne City.

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Many “sort of” go for one, but the travails of time and distance to get to the city to watch games are real.

But a professional team on their doorstep? To borrow a recently re-run phrase, “they’d like to see that”.

There were 2370 registered players in Casey last year - the council can’t find enough pitches - the second highest council figure in the state.

Only Monash had more, while Greater Dandenong (1946) isn’t far behind.

Officially there are 156 nationalities represented in Dandenong, giving it claims on being the most multicultural council in Australia.

That diversity was on full display on Friday as men and women of Croatian, Albanian, Serbian, Sudanese, Italian, Turkish, Greek backgrounds mingled in a family-friendly atmosphere, with girls and boys running around everywhere.

Keyboard warriors have already dubbed the prospective Casey-Dandenong team “Apex FC”.

They say sport can give youth a focus. Out in these parts soccer is that sport, with participation numbers swamping all others.

Dandenong Mayor Jim Memeti was in the crowd, as too were several local members of parliament.

NPL Soccer: Werribee City V Dandenong Thunder. (L-R) Dandenong's Yusuf Ahmed and Michael Gerace celebrate after Yusuf's goal. Picture: Josie Hayden

Casey Comets president Dawn Stone - her club boasts a rapidly growing 442 players - insisted to Memeti the Comets would “do anything we can do to help” the push.

Dandenong Thunder has Albanian roots, Dandenong City Croatian backing.

They’re rivals, but Thunder president Ferman Zekiri and City counterpart Tony Dorotic are hellbent on working together to make the A-League bid work.

“Look out here, more than 2000 people for a game that gets no mainstream promotion,” Zekiri said.

“And that’s just our two clubs. Look at the rest of Dandenong, look at Casey - Casey is massive - Cardinia, Gippsland, all of it. They’d all get behind it.

“You put a club out here, it’d just work, mate.”