Wanderers take a stand in fight to establish team
Sebastian Hassett
MOVE over Mick Cronin, you're being bumped for Johnny Warren. And Ken Thornett? Step aside, Mark Bosnich is coming through.
That's how the A-League's newest club, the Western Sydney Wanderers, is planning to convert Parramatta Stadium from rugby league's sacred turf to football's newest base.
Just days after the AFL was revealed to have made a move on the home of rugby league, Birchgrove Oval, today Football Federation Australia will reveal how they plan to make their mark on another patch of traditional league territory.
Almost all traces of the Parramatta Eels will be moved aside for the summer months so that the Wanderers - whose name, colours and first players will all formally be announced today - can make the stadium their own when they take up tenancy at the venue from October.
As part of that, they'll be renaming the stands for the A-League season. Warren will be honoured with one of the two main stands at the venue bearing his name, recognising not only his tireless efforts to promote the sport but that he began his career at Canterbury-Marrickville.
The other stand, and the Brett Kenny Hill and Peter Sterling Hill, will also be christened with new names by the football community. They could be chosen from any number of players who have contributed to the region, such as Paul Okon, Mark Schwarzer, Zeljko Kalac, Harry Kewell, Attila Abonyi, Peter Ollerton, Graham Arnold and Robbie Slater.
However, it's thought Bosnich, who played an active role in the development of the new club through the community fan forums, is a logical choice for a main stand.
An official close to the club insisted that while it would be standing its ground on the issue, it wasn't designed to inflame tensions with rugby league.
''With all due respect to the Eels, we plan on making this a football venue when they're not there and somewhere football people feel at home,'' he said. ''We're going to be a major tenant, an equal tenant, and they'll have to understand our desire that when we're playing there, we'll be putting our touch on the venue, even if that means covering up some blue and gold.
''I'm sure they won't have a problem with it and I'm sure the stadium trust will like the idea of the Wanderers doing all they can to attract people to Parramatta Stadium.''
Today's announcement will also confirm many of the long-held rumours about the make-up of the club. Their colours will officially be red, black and white and the club will sport a logo the FFA believes ''blends traditional football with a new look''.
While Parramatta Stadium will host the bulk of their home matches, including their debut as a club against Central Coast on October 6, the Wanderers will also visit Campbelltown Stadium and Penrith's Centrebet Stadium in coming years - and those venues are likely to host the club's W-League and youth league sides.
Young Socceroo Aaron Mooy, 21, will be the first player officially unveiled by the club tomorrow, along with two others, expected to be former Newcastle Jets captain Tarek Elrich and former Socceroo Ante Covic.
More signings are expected to be publicly announced in the subsequent days, with Mark Bridge, Shannon Cole, Labinot Haliti, Michael Beauchamp and Kwabena Appiah-Kubi all having agreed terms.
Recently released Jets defender Nikolai Topor-Stanley is also thought to be close to agreeing a deal.
However, the FFA won't free up the funds for the club to fill its two marquee positions, effectively ruling out a mooted move for ex-Adelaide sensation Marcos Flores.
