FFA to push ahead with expansion

FFA will push ahead with A-League expansion even though they admit there are some concerns surrounding the six bids.

FFA CEO David Gallop is keen for A-League expansion plans to progress

Football Federation Australia will push ahead with A-League expansion for next season even though they admit there are some concerns surrounding the six bids.

While the head body gave no specifics about what needs to improve, it is understood finances and ground issues are problematic for some of the bids.

Their concerns aside, the FFA board yesterday announced that plans to expand the A-League from 10 teams to 12 for the 2019-20 season remain on track.

It was a decision that did not come without some rancour. The Australian understands the meeting was heated at times and that the board was split.

But armed with a report from FFA management, a decision was eventually reached to cull two bids — Ipswich Pride and Wollongong Wolves — leaving Western Melbourne Group, Team 11, South Melbourne, Southern Expansion, South West Sydney and Canberra in the race to be included in the league next season.

However, the remaining hopefuls still have some work to do with FFA management and their lead advisers Deloitte, planning to sit down with each bid to go through their proposals.

It was also decided that the current board will have nothing to do with a decision to either go ahead with expansion or which will be the successful bids.

That will be left to a new FFA board, which will be elected at an AGM later this month. A number of directors are likely to step down, forcing an election. Chairman Steven Lowy announced recently that he would step down after expressing anger and disappointment over what he labelled “football politics”.

There were fears that the new board would not have sufficient time to appraise the situation and that expansion could be put on hold until the 2020-21 season — something that would be viewed as disastrous.

However, a new board is expected to meet in early November and would likely convene another meeting later in the month.

That would mean the successful applicants would have almost 11 months until the start of the new season to get up and running, remembering it only took FFA seven months to get Western Sydney Wanderers going in 2012.

Certainly, there is every indication FFA wants expansion to happen sooner rather than later. Chief executive David Gallop said they would continue to work towards that goal. “FFA will continue to work towards expansion in the next season of the A-League should it be satisfied the remaining bids address some of the outstanding issues,” he said.

“It is critical that FFA can be satisfied the successful bidders will be sustainable from day one as well as meet a variety of commitments that will benefit the longer-term growth of the A-League.

“We have six bids that all have positive aspects but require further work in certain areas. We need to continue our consultation with those bid teams to ensure that they adequately address these areas to ensure their future sustainability, which includes securing stadia, catchment area and financial capital.”

Meanwhile, Southern Expansion, which takes in the St George, Sutherland Shire and Wollongong, say they are determined to make an impact on the NSW South Coast.

They said they “understand the disappointment the failed Wollongong Wolves bid will be experiencing”. The task for the Wolves, a former NSL club, was made more difficult after Southern Expansion joined forces with Football South Coast.

“We share the Wolves’ passion for the game. We acknowledge the history and role they have played in the Illawarra and we look forward to constructively engaging them now in terms of aligned player development pathways,” SE chief executive Chris Gardiner said. “Our bid has always included the Illawarra, and we have already put in place the key elements of collaboration with Football South Coast for junior player pathways, game development and resource sharing.

“We will look to their leadership in how football stakeholders now come together to make the Illawarra a powerhouse base for Southern Expansion.”