I’ve been against the proposed Sutherland Shire A-League franchise since the idea was first floated several years ago.
I think it’s a mistake and having lived in the area for over 20 years and having been involved in the local football community, I’d say I’m well qualified to judge.
My concerns were detailed in a previous blog and it can be viewed here.
When trumpeting the need for a Shire franchise, supporters always look towards the junior participation numbers. Two of the local association clubs, Menai Hawks and Lilli Pilli FC were once the biggest in the Southern Hemisphere.
But times are changing. I played for the Menai Hawks when it boasted over 100 teams, that figure is now closer to 60, and dropping. The local primary school I attended is going through the same thing. There’s talk of shutting up shop, given the lack of enrolments.
The median house price in the Sutherland Shire is rising all the time, currently sitting above $1.1 million. It’s clear young families are not moving to the area like they once did.
So if not Sutherland, then where? Western Sydney is your answer. Young families are moving there in staggering amounts.
I can hear the cries already, ‘But what about the Wanderers?’ - Don’t worry they’ll be fine, there’s a bigger enough slice of the pie for everyone.
For mine the region can sustain a second side, further west, towards Penrith. Simply put, business is booming and the trend out West is only upwards. So much so, that soon trips east will be a thing of the past. New commercial and economic opportunities will arrive.
The three fastest growing parts of Western Sydney are Camden, Campbelltown and Penrith. All far exceeding the national growth average, and will continue to do that for at least the next thirty years, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
The area will only transform further with the duplication of Northern Road, continued development at Oran Park and Badgerys Creek airport.
The National Rugby League has Wests Tigers, Penrith Panthers, and Parramatta Eels in the region. All continue to post membership increases year on year. Even clubs like South Sydney have begun marketing to Sydney’s West, having looked at population data amongst its membership base, another sign of the population shift.
Western Sydney will soon resemble its own city, so why not give it its own derby. It has the numbers to support a second team, but understand this plan is one for the future. It’s a proactive move, much like the AFL’s push into the same market.
The AFL never implemented the Greater Western Sydney Giants so that they would see their reward in 2016, it was always with the long term in mind.
Look at the Giants marketing strategy – capture the kids and the parents will follow, and the Giants have done exactly that.
Who do they target? Why wear bright Orange? It’s all part of the plan.
Having previously worked for the club during their inception, I’ve witnessed this shift first hand. The numbers are not brilliant when compared to Collingwood, but one day they will be and the penny will drop for their critics. It was a move made with Generation Next firmly in mind, and it's one football should follow.
People will say Rugby League is king in the region, but football is well and truly in the fight. Western Sydney carried Parramatta Power, Sydney United and Marconi in the National Soccer League.
A tier below the A-League, Blacktown City FC, Sydney United 58 and Bonnyrigg dominate, and we can’t forget the Blacktown Spartans, Macarthur Rams, Marconi and others.
Penrith Nepean United’s once impressive crowds saw the Western Sydney Rovers A-League bid come to life.
A source recently told me that the Panthers Group had a role in that potential franchise, with financial support discussed, which isn’t widely known.
The Panthers name was even bandied around at one stage, before market research returned saying that such a move would alienate supporters who did not follow the Rugby League counterparts.
Don’t forget, the Panthers briefly flirted with a move to secure the Wanderers when they were privatised, until the FFA shut it down. They know the potential is there.
Could the group look to make a play with the round ball again perhaps?
There was talk of a brand new stadium for the area as part of the NSW Governments recent ‘Stadium plan’, with the funds ultimately scuppered through the bickering of ANZ Stadium and the SCG Trust.
Pressure is still being placed from stakeholders, such as the Penrith Panthers, to commit funds to a world class facility in the region. A second A-League franchise should force the hand.
The Rovers bid did the research and they had the numbers. Sure it was in a time before the Wanderers, but the numbers still make good reading. The bid team secured funds from a number of corporate partners in the region, which allowed them to gain approval from head office.
Problem was it was pledged funds and not operating capital - numbers on a page and not necessarily in the bank.
A new franchise will be solely dependent on its own start-up capital and not the Football Federation Australia money and experience that made the Western Sydney Wanderers an instant success.
The rumours of a Sutherland franchise continue to bubble along, and they simply won’t go away. The ducks are almost all in a row.
Lyall Gorman, former Wanderers CEO, now leads the Cronulla Sharks, whilst Greg O’Rourke, formerly of the Sutherland Shire Football Association, heads the A-League.
It has to be said, both are football men that come with significant experience, but is the devil in the data, or its detail? Just because the numbers look good now, doesn’t mean they will look the same in twenty years time.
The numbers look better and better out West with every glance. Western Sydney is a safe bet.
Go West, or don’t go at all.
