Cronulla A-League Team

[Mr. Sharky]

Push for third team in Sydney as A-League aims to cash in on World Cup hype and record SBS ratings

June 21, 2014 10:00PM

Football Australia chairman David Gallop says “the connection to the grassroots and our massive participation base is what sets our game apart”. Source: Getty Images

AUSTRALIAN soccer wants a third Sydney team in the A-League — smack bang in NRL territory — as part of future expansion and its next broadcasting deal.

Former NRL boss David Gallop plans to attack Sydney’s south, where the Cronulla Sharks are struggling and St George Illawarra have all but abandoned Kogarah Oval.

Cashing in on the World Cup hype and record SBS ratings, the subject of A-League expansion and long-term strategic planning have been discussed among FFA heavyweights in Brazil.

Corporate powerhouses Westfield and Nike have already indicated they will support the new venture.

There is talk of Socceroos legend Tim Cahill, who recently purchased a waterfront home in the Shire, becoming the face of the club.

Home grounds under consideration include Shark Park, Kogarah Oval and Wollongong.

As World Cup fever sweeps the nation and gives soccer another huge growth spurt, FFA is firming up plans that they hope will become a reality with the next TV deal in 2017.

The competition has remained stable at 10 clubs for the past three seasons, but several key stakeholders, including Frank Lowy, are pushing for a 12-club comp. The new markets under consideration are not likely to include provincial cities in the wake of FFA’s disastrous Townsville and Gold Coast play.

Instead, the major capital cities are under the spotlight.

On day one in the job as FFA chief executive, Gallop said A-League expansion should happen in markets where there are “millions of potential fans, not just hundreds of thousands”.

In Rio for the World Cup, Gallop told me: “The connection to the grassroots and our massive participation base is what sets our game apart. It makes sense to link clubs and communities in any expansion plan to keep the growth trajectory of the A-League on a steep incline.

“We need to fish where the fish are.”

Ironically, Gallop was the man in his rugby league chief executive days who always insisted that nine Sydney clubs and a saturation coverage of the city was the way to go.

For soccer, that means the focus will be Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Of these major markets, it’s understood that Sydney’s south and south-west and Brisbane’s west and south-west are regarded as prime territory for expansion.

Outside of the Shire, the other Sydney option is to take advantage of the south-west growth corridor from Liverpool to Campbelltown, where the planned new Badgery’s Creek airport will supercharge the economic growth in a region where soccer already has a massive following.

A third Sydney team to join Sydney FC and the Wanderers might seem ambitious at first glance, but the numbers show a huge market potential and a third club would deliver more of the
A-League’s hottest property — Sydney derby matches.

There is talk of Socceroos legend Tim Cahill, who recently bought a waterfront home in the Shire, becoming the face of the club. Source: AFP

In the 2011/12 season, Sydney FC had the city’s market to themselves and had an average crowd of about 12,000 and membership of 7000.

The next season, the Western Sydney Wanderers were born and the Sydney soccer market changed forever.

Two seasons later, the market growth is phenomenal. Last season, Sydney FC had a crowd average of about 20,000 and membership of almost 12,000. The Wanderers packed Pirtek Stadium every week and ended with a 16,000 crowd average and a capped membership of 16,000.

On a fortnightly basis, the Sydney market went from 12,000 average attendances in 2011/12 to a combined 36,000 average in 2013/14. Membership went from 7000 to a combined 28,000.

They are staggering increases.

The Sydney basin is the heartland of Australian football, with 40 per cent of all registered players in this region. That’s more than 200,000 participants. Not only that, there are hot spots that don’t have a direct connection to an existing A-League club.

In my patch in the Shire, you’ll find the biggest suburban soccer association in Australia, the Sutherland Shire Football Association with about 20,000 players in 26 clubs, including Lilli Pilli, the biggest in the country.

Next door is the St George association, where the late, great Johnny Warren first kicked a ball on the fields of Botany.

This combination of grassroots numbers and heritage makes for a powerful case, just like the
Wanderers in the west of Sydney.

Western Sydney Wanderers already have a massive fan base. Picture: Mark Evans Source: News Corp Australia

http://www.news.com.au/sport/footba...cord-sbs-ratings/story-fnk9a3dc-1226962606206
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[Misanthrope]

I'm torn on this.

Half of me thinks it makes sense to cash in on these sizable markets and add to the derbies that have boosted the game immensely in Melbourne and Sydney, but half of me would be sad to see teams like Wollongong, Canberra, Townsville etc missing out.

 

[Mr. Sharky]

I'm torn on this.

Half of me thinks it makes sense to cash in on these sizable markets and add to the derbies that have boosted the game immensely in Melbourne and Sydney, but half of me would be sad to see teams like Wollongong, Canberra, Townsville etc missing out.

I can't see it happening (being a Sydney FC heartland for a start) but I feel as though a warning shot has been fired at the NRL not to throw us under the bus because of ASADA because if the NRL doesn't want us, then football will be more than happy to take over.

 

[Misanthrope]

I can't see it happening (being a Sydney FC heartland for a start) but I feel as though a warning shot has been fired at the NRL not to throw us under the bus because of ASADA because if the NRL doesn't want us, then football will be more than happy to take over.

Sydney FC, I feel, would benefit from being more specific in their boundaries and their fan base. They failed at representing all of Sydney from day #1, as they've always played most of their games from Aussie Stadium and have had nothing to do with the west.

With the Wanderers doing their part out there, I could see a focused team for the region (playing out of Shark Park or WIN Stadium or Jubilee) doing quite well at capitalizing on the indifference to a team that never plays down there.

 

[Mr. Sharky]

Sydney FC, I feel, would benefit from being more specific in their boundaries and their fan base. They failed at representing all of Sydney from day #1, as they've always played most of their games from Aussie Stadium and have had nothing to do with the west.

With the Wanderers doing their part out there, I could see a focused team for the region (playing out of Shark Park or WIN Stadium or Jubilee) doing quite well at capitalizing on the indifference to a team that never plays down there.

Mate, most people I know in the Shire are welded on Sydney FC fans and the area provides the bulk of the Sky Blues' juniors.

There is always trainloads of fans going back to the Shire after the Sydney FC matches I have been to.

 

[Misanthrope]

Mate, most people I know in the Shire are welded on Sydney FC fans and the area provides the bulk of the Sky Blues' juniors.

There is always trainloads of fans going back to the Shire after the Sydney FC matches I have been to.

Really? That's interesting. I'd have thought, given the club's decision to play solely out of a central stadium, their fan base would be mostly local. It was certainly a big factor in the Wanderers getting such huge support - as FC had done nothing to win over or keep the fans out west.

You don't think locals would jump on board a local team representing them specifically, rather than Sydney as a whole?

 

[saint.nick]

Is it just me, or do heaps of SFC fans come from southern Sydney anyway?

 

[saint.nick]

If they chose to play at Jubilee (which I live pretty close to) then I'd honestly be torn over who I had to support. I've only ever been a casual SFC fan, never even attended a game, so it makes the idea of switching to a core local team more attractive, but at the same time it gives an unwanted moral dilemma.

But I reckon most of the SFC fans come from southern Sydney (correct me if I'm wrong). A lot of the people in the cove have a European background, and Southern Sydney is a mediterranean melting pot.

 

[Misanthrope]

I can't imagine there's any need/desire to have Sydney's north represented?

Perhaps it would be best to give South Coast Wolves the spot and see if they can't capture some of the disillusioned southern Sydney fans in the process?

 

[Mr. Sharky]

Is it just me, or do heaps of SFC fans come from southern Sydney anyway?

Yes I as I mentioned in the corresponding thread in the Cronulla section.

 

[Mr. Sharky]

Really? That's interesting. I'd have thought, given the club's decision to play solely out of a central stadium, their fan base would be mostly local. It was certainly a big factor in the Wanderers getting such huge support - as FC had done nothing to win over or keep the fans out west.

You don't think locals would jump on board a local team representing them specifically, rather than Sydney as a whole?

Dylan Caton, the Griffiths brothers, Blake Powell, Chris Naumoff, Alec Urosevski all hail from the southern Sydney area having come out of the Sydney FC youth system and Coach Graham Arnold is a Shire boy himself having played all his junior football for the Gwawley Bay club in the late 1960's and early 1970's so there is a sizeable southern contigent at Sydney FC.

 

[Twizzle]

Cashing in on the WC hypes is a bit of a stretch.

Big difference in quality

 

[Misanthrope]

Dylan Caton, the Griffiths brothers, Blake Powell, Chris Naumoff, Alec Urosevski all hail from the southern Sydney area having come out of the Sydney FC youth system and Coach Graham Arnold is a Shire boy himself having played all his junior football for the Gwawley Bay club in the late 1960's and early 1970's so there is a sizeable southern contigent at Sydney FC.

I'm well aware of the player development aspects and the catchment area, but wasn't sure that translated into genuine support for the club.

 

[Valheru]

Well the shire does have a massive local comp but as others have said most people I know support Sydney FC anyways.

I think it would actually dilute the local derby to have a 3rd Sydney team wherever it is. At the moment it is clearly west vs. east and it is working.

I wouldn’t be opposed to a team in Wollongong though, there is massive interest down there and besides the dragons who they share all they have is a basketball team.

 

[Mr. Sharky]

I can't imagine there's any need/desire to have Sydney's north represented?

Perhaps it would be best to give South Coast Wolves the spot and see if they can't capture some of the disillusioned southern Sydney fans in the process?

Central Coast Mariners are sniffing around at potentially playing some matches at North Sydney Oval and Brookvale Oval.

 

[saint.nick]

Yes I as I mentioned in the corresponding thread in the Cronulla section.

Here's the problem though. I reckon the majority of SFC fans come from our area. If we follow the trend of WSW fans switching sides to their local team, then SFC will hardly have any fans at all...

 

[Mr. Sharky]

Here's the problem though. I reckon the majority of SFC fans come from our area. If we follow the trend of WSW fans switching sides to their local team, then SFC will hardly have any fans at all...

That's the thing SN.

It would probably make more sense for Sydney to based out of Kogarah and Shark Park but it will never happen.

 

[Misanthrope]

Central Coast Mariners are sniffing around at potentially playing some matches at North Sydney Oval and Brookvale Oval.

Smart move on their part. Lord knows, they're struggling to get the locals to show up to games.

Here's the problem though. I reckon the majority of SFC fans come from our area. If we follow the trend of WSW fans switching sides to their local team, then SFC will hardly have any fans at all...

Might actually motivate Sydney to make an effort to connect with a community rather than just hoping being named Sydney will do the trick.

 

[Dogs Of War]

[
I wouldn?t be opposed to a team in Wollongong though, there is massive interest down there and besides the dragons who they share all they have is a basketball team.

Would you just share the team between Cronulla and Wollongong. I don't think the gong has the support to justify a team in the top division, while any 3rd Sydney team really needs that extra bit of support.

 

[d3@t3h]

the NPL Championship has robbed any new franchise it's legitimacy... unless they had won the NPL Championship before hand