West Sydney Thread

[Sean]

http://www.smh.com.au/news/sport/football/a-league/western-sydney-will-round-out-aleague-dozen/2009/09/15/1252780314150.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1

Then there were 12: Western Sydney will round out A-League dozen

Michael Cockerill
September 16, 2009

FOOTBALL Federation Australia is due to announce by the end of the week that a western Sydney team will join the A-League next season.

After almost nine months of deliberations about the 12th licence, which at one stage included bids of varying credibility from Tasmania, Wollongong and Canberra as well as three separate western Sydney groups, it is understood the FFA has this week finally made its choice.

Western Sydney will be joined by a second Melbourne club in an expanded competition from season 2010-11 - meaning the A-League will have grown from eight to 12 clubs within the space of two years.

Last month, chairman Frank Lowy made it clear that despite the tough economic climate, the FFA would not be getting ''cold feet'' on expansion.

The second Sydney team will be run by Ian Rowden, a former Australian youth international who was involved in the failed bid of colourful businessman Joe Meissner. At this stage it's unclear who will be bankrolling the team, which will cost about $8 million a season to run, but it's believed Meissner is no longer involved. Sydney's second team is expected to be officially unveiled by the end of this week.

<Figo stuff here>

In other news, Iraqi international Ali Abbas will have a second attempt to earn a contract with Newcastle Jets when he starts a trial at the club today. Abbas, 23, had a trial under previous Jets coach Gary van Egmond late last year and will put aside lucrative offers to return to his homeland, where he previously played for Al-Quwa, in a bid to finally earn an A-League contract.

Abbas is living in Sydney after defecting from the Iraqi Olympic team after it played a match in Gosford early last year. He has since been granted residency, and would prefer to relaunch his professional career in Australia rather than return to the Middle East.

Abbas has spent this year playing in the NSW Premier League with Marconi Stallions, and will join three Stallions teammates - Ivory Coast duo Vamara Diarra and Ousmane Toure and striker Alex Canak - on trial with the Jets. Newcastle coach Branko Culina wants to strengthen his squad to cover for a series of injuries as well as this week's departure of three players with the Young Socceroos.

 

[dibo]

They've put together a bid in about a week just so they don't have to go to Canberra.

Arrange the following two words into one word that describes the likely outcome from this situation:

FUCK, CLUSTER

 

[Sean]

Cannot wait for melbourne vs west sydney fixtures.

Hey this will draw the line in the sand and make more fans out of some fence sitters and people boycotting Sydney FC matches

 

[dibo]

I wholeheartedly agree with the principle of a West Sydney team, but this would appear to be at best a patched together thing from the ruins of more than one other bid rather than a coherent bid that has been working together for quite some time and has considerable government backing.

They're going to have to move very quickly to hammer out some serious details, you know like name, colours, home ground, financial backers, staff... you know, those things football clubs need but which brainfarts can get away without.

 

[midfielder]

Great News ... will be interesting to see where they play i.e. Parramatta or Penrith maybe Homebush for Chopper matches... I hope its Parra ... close to home ... and can catch a bus thus can have one or two glasses of orange juice without worry...


Interesting side tho... I live in Epping and followed the Northern Spirit and thus followed the Mariners...  I have both mine and my wifes parents living on the coast and have spent a good deal of my life on the coast and have a holiday home there so no huge big deal for me to follow the Mariners.. but if a team had played out of Parramatta in Hal 1 ... more than likely I and my guess many that live in Sydney and follow the Mariners ... may have followed a team playing at Parramatta...

 

[elevated position]

midfielder I hear you and I can finally put my conspiracy theroy to bed.
On the second part of the story I went to the grand final at Penrith (nice grass) and was interested why no one had looked (signed)at ali barba and toure from marconi as yet.
I had watched them during the year and thought toure was ok however the only time Ali Abbas came into the game was at corners and he and toure f**ked every one of them with quick short balls that were intercepted the rest ofthe game immigration figures could not have found him and toure looked a little lost.

 

[FFC Mariner]

W Syd guys at work who follow football are excited.

Expect bid funded by FFA until backers found but they want a club badly.

Just need to wait until Dibo's mate was out of the picture

 

[Jesus]

Was always going to happen. But now the reality...?


2/3 mariners home games a year in canberra? God i hope not.

The club could have at least whored them to homebush so attending was possible

 

[Marquee]

Is this WS bid the one backed by Lucas Neill?

If so, anyone think it might be linked to why he hasn't signed anywhere yet? Meaning he is waiting until he knows the details of the bid and how long his contract should last, so he can return to Australia for their debut season. Plus money too.

 

[razza]

Is this WS bid the one backed by Lucas Neill?

If so, anyone think it might be linked to why he hasn't signed anywhere yet? Meaning he is waiting until he knows the details of the bid and how long his contract should last, so he can return to Australia for their debut season. Plus money too.

no, Lucas Neill has nothing to do with this bid.

 

[Forum Phoenix]

Was always going to happen. But now the reality...?


2/3 mariners home games a year in canberra? God i hope not.

The club could have at least whored them to homebush so attending was possible

It wasn't just a one off this season? Now there bid is screwed there's little point whoring to the ACT in the future surely?

 

[Jesus]

Was always going to happen. But now the reality...?


2/3 mariners home games a year in canberra? God i hope not.

The club could have at least whored them to homebush so attending was possible

It wasn't just a one off this season? Now there bid is screwed there's little point whoring to the ACT in the future surely?

Their bid already was screwed this season. It came down to cash

 

[FFC Mariner]

and Uncle Frank wants a W Syd side above all else to annoy the NRL and AFL in Pay TV's heartland.

ACT were never going to get a gig while there was breath left in a W Syd bid.

In a few years when they go to 14, ACT would be almost certainties IMHO along with ................

 

[coast]

No doubts that the 2nd Melbourne and Syd teams were always going to get the go ahead. I'm all for it, football and football fans thrive off cross city rivalries.

 

[Johnno]

Im all for the W Syd team. Means we have another away trip close to us to go to each year. Canberra will be favorites for the 13th spot or even take over wellington's license if it doesn't pass AFC regulations and i reckon Tassie will get the 14th spot.

 

[midfielder]

From the smh today


I am so glad WS is going to get a team...

http://www.smh.com.au/news/sport/football/a-league/the-sports-biggest-supporter-base-will-prove-why-the-west-is-best/2009/09/17/1252780408322.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1

The sport's biggest supporter base will prove why the west is best

 
Michael Cockerill
September 18, 2009
Advertisement

ANALYSIS

WHETHER it is announced today, tomorrow, or in the next week, the A-League's next team will come from western Sydney. Fact. The task now confronting Football Federation Australia is to make sure it works.

After a tumultuous fortnight, in which leading bidder Joe Meissner fell at the 11th hour and another ''bid'' fronted by Socceroos skipper Lucas Neill evaporated after being linked to slain standover man Michael McGurk, it was back to the drawing board for the FFA at the worst possible moment. How the bid process imploded so spectacularly remains a moot point.

But implode it did, and the FFA knew it had to act fast. Out of the ashes has emerged a team which will be funded partly by the governing body, partly by private investors, and partly by ANZ Stadium. Who knows, perhaps this was the model they wanted at College Street all along.

What matters now is that western Sydney will become the competition's 12th team next year, and it's too important an opportunity to waste. Even if rumours of a later start to season 2010-11 (October) are true, that still leaves barely 12 months to get a club, and a team, up and running from scratch.

The FFA likes to use the example of Wellington Phoenix, who had only three months to get going. Different circumstances, different market. Western Sydney may be the jewel in the crown of football in this country - the biggest player base, the most mature fan base - but it's a jewel which needs to be polished.

In that context, there could hardly be a better figurehead than Ian Rowden - a former player, a successful businessman, a man with worldwide contacts but a deep understanding, and empathy, with the local game. The race against the clock won't scare Rowden. It will enthuse him. The former Young Socceroos defender is exactly the man to pull all the pieces together.

Some of the details are being fined-tuned on the run. What is known is that, for the first time, ANZ Stadium is ready to take a direct stake (believed to be 25 per cent) in a professional sporting team. The stadium effectively subsidises many of its tenants, but until now hasn't become a part-owner of a team.

It's doing so because it believes in the long-term future of the A-League, and football generally. With a bare summer schedule, the stadium sees big potential for a western Sydney team. No doubt the stadium will try to leverage its investment to get more internationals, and perhaps some A-League finals. Which is fair.

Significantly, however, it doesn't seem the stadium will be overplaying its hand. The new team will play less than half its fixtures at Homebush Bay. Perhaps as few as five, depending on how the draw is constructed.

Those games will be the big drawers - the derbies against Sydney FC, the visits of Melbourne Victory, Central Coast Mariners and perhaps Gold Coast United. The top tier will be closed, reducing capacity to 42,000 to try to generate atmosphere. This year the stadium hosted 22 NRL games for an average crowd of 17,515. It's not unrealistic to expect an A-League team to draw similar numbers.

That means the majority of fixtures will be played at smaller venues, probably at Parramatta Stadium, although Penrith and/or Campbelltown might get the odd game. Western Sydney wants to be the ''people's team'', so it's taking the game to the people - something Wests Tigers have done with great success in recent years.

Whatever the case, the advent of a western Sydney team is hugely exciting. Maybe the most exciting thing to happen to the competition so far. Of all the new teams, western Sydney is the one with the demographic, the geography and history to take the A-League to the next level. Bring it on

 

[dibo]

quote boxes farken!

 

[dru]

Those games will be the big drawers - the derbies against Sydney FC, the visits of Melbourne Victory, Central Coast Mariners and perhaps Gold Coast United. The top tier will be closed, reducing capacity to 42,000 to try to generate atmosphere. This year the stadium hosted 22 NRL games for an average crowd of 17,515. It's not unrealistic to expect an A-League team to draw similar numbers.

Damn it, would prefer that we play our games out at Penrith rather than homebush even Parramatta would be better, run supporters service straight down the north shore line and out to Parramatta. Better bars there too

 

[FFC Mariner]

If they play out of ANZ, assume that free travel will be included in the ticket price?

 

[Jesus]

If they play out of ANZ, assume that free travel will be included in the ticket price?

would be good