The bid team is an all-star cast – former NSW Premier Morris Iemma leads a side of Australian football royalty including Craig Foster, Craig Johnston and until last year, the late Les Murray.

Southern’s wealthy Chinese-based backer has supposedly released funding in droves, as Iemma proudly flaunts, “The money is sitting in an account, the cash is there. Its controlled by the football company and its in one of the big four banks.”

Then there’s the scope of the operation. Southern Expansion is, by its own admission, trying to encompass the entirety of Southern NSW – the St. George, Sutherland and Illawarra regions – and will play at three home venues spread across 73 kilometres.  

A-League expansion doesn’t get bigger than this. But with Expressions of Interest now formally submitted, it’s up to FFA to decide – is bigger better for Australian football?

“We can provide the A-League with the energy, enthusiasm and new level of interest that it really needs,” Iemma said.

“The areas we seek to represent are three powerful areas of football. We have a huge potential supporter base and a combined total of 40,000 registered players – an enormous pool of talent and pathways.

“It’s a really good fit in regional Sydney and New South Wales.”

But while they talk loudly and wield a big stick, Iemma’s mob aren’t the only kids on the block.

Former NSL heavyweights Wollongong Wolves are Southern’s direct rival for another NSW club, while bids from South West Sydney and Campbelltown have also been submitted.

Five NSW sides in a 12 team league may appear excessive to those crying out in the A-League’s undiscovered territories, but it does present FFA the opportunity to solidify its heartland at a time of record-low metrics and fan engagement.

“Our support’s broader (than the Wolves),” Iemma said.

“The people in Sutherland wouldn’t have much reason to support the Wolves if they were selected. Do they have the critical mass to maintain an A-League bid?”

In a blow to Southern, governing body Football South Coast (FSC) believe in Wollongong’s chances, emphatically backing the Wolves in March with Chairman Eddy de Garbiele telling Game On, “We want the Wolves. 100 per cent, that is our position.” 

FSC’s partisanship seemed to spark a siege mentality from within Southern’s bid, with the expansion candidates willing to fight a war on both fronts.

Iemma rose eyebrows in May when he took on the Wolves directly, saying “the criteria and the actual numbers that are required would suggest (the Wolves are) possibly not the best way to achieve A-League status.”

The club then attacked Sydney FC and claims about Southern's potential “cannibalisation” of the Sky Blues’ supporter base, with CEO Craig Garner calling it “ridiculous, if not embarrassing.”

“When Wanderers were created, Sydney also fought against it, so the football community knows they have form," he countered. 

But Iemma isn’t dissuaded by the bid’s lack of state-wide support, insisting Southern can stand on its own two-feet, providing the best of both worlds by encapsulating the antiquity of NSW football while delivering the modern comforts of globalisation.

“Southern Expansion tap into the traditions and history,” Iemma said.

“Let’s remember the South Coast gave birth to the very first football club in Australia and was home to John Warren. Ours is not without its traditions.

“The company standing behind our bid own a Chinese Super League club. It’s a marriage of excellence, that takes social media, IT and the latest methods in football to that part of NSW.

“Southern will be based on the best in Europe; the Bundesliga and La Liga. Craig (Foster) has been on a fact finding mission to these countries to learn about the artistry of football.

“We have a view of what the modern, 21st century football club should be.”

In addition to its investors’ shared backing of CSL strugglers Guizhou Hengfeng – home to the likes of Nikica Jelavic and Mario Suarez – Southern’s 21st century ideology expands from “smart wearable merchandise and gate technology” that can save ticket details and fan profiles, to reserving two places on the club’s “five or seven seat” administrative board for club members.

While it’s not the Bundesliga’s majority fan-owned ideal, it’s a unique move that’s yet to be cemented by other expansion candidates. However Iemma believes the “heart” of the bid lies in its ability to offer a free academy to Australian kids.

“This is fundamental,” Iemma said.

“The cost of pathways, mentoring and further coaching is a real issue when it comes to football. I have four kids who played football at various times and there were occasions they were offered to go into value-added training.

“The sums of money that were being discussed were ridiculous – several thousand dollars.

“Any bid we put forward was going to have a structure that removed barriers for young kids to get value-added coaching and enter pathways. We’re very strong about maintaining that policy, we don’t want to see those financial obstacles.

“It’s a very important part of our bid philosophically.”

But while Southern’s showing a willingness to leverage its backers in a positive way for Australian football, their financial war-chest still struggles to disguise the elephant in the room.

Southern will have to convince three regions to get behind a club that isn’t uniquely theirs, with the side’s matches due to be shared equally between Shark Park in Sutherland, Kogorah Oval in St George and WIN Stadium in Wollongong.

In a league that depends so strongly on regional pride and local derbies, it’s a mammoth task. But it’s here that Southern forego their European ideology for a slightly more controversial role model. 

“I can’t understand why there’s been any criticism around this,” Iemma said.

“Why wouldn’t you, in your heartland … distribute your matches in equal amounts to all the areas?

“We’d be doing no more than what (NRL club) St George Dragons are doing now and have a look at their attendances. St George have played a couple of games at WIN and they’re averaging 18,000 people. They’ve played a couple at Kogorah and they’re averaging 17,000. They had a game at Shark Park and they drew 15,000.

“Playing at WIN and Kogorah has seen the Dragons attracting fantastic crowds. If we were to play Sydney FC at WIN in front of 18,000 people or drew 20,000 at Kogorah or Sharks it would be regarded as a roaring success.

“There’s plenty of precedence.”

Although Iemma exagerrates (St George drew just over 13,000 at Shark Park and between 14,00 and 16,700 at Kogorah) the Dragons have managed some success this season, but are still a controversial pathway to follow.

The club have traditionally infuriated its fans by taking key matches to inner-Sydney venues and plummeted to the lowest attendances in the NRL in 2017, registering just over 12,000 people per match.

But out of the murky world of attendance statistics, there is some evidence that Southern NSW fans will share the spoils, as long as they’re properly distributed. After announcing that St George’s matches will be shared equally between WIN and Kogorah, the club’s average attendances rose by nearly 3,000 people this season.

“I understand people have been critical of the rugby league organisation because they’ve taken games away to ANZ but we won’t be doing that,” Iemma said.

“We’re South – based in Wollongong. We won’t be taking games away from our heartland, we’ll be playing them in outstanding venues.

“(Having) one stadium is a long-term ambition and we’re not backing away from that. We’ve been clear and honest that we’re required to have our own stadium and we’ll find the most suitable location to do that.”

FFA face a much harder task to sift through Southern’s bid than many others. The club flaunt a myriad of unique advantages, yet potential drawbacks loom ominously in the background.

It’s perhaps unsurprising then, that Iemma wants to keep their approach as open-minded as possible.

“We’re about to go through an engagement process, our colours, logo and final name are not determined,” Iemma said.

“I believe this gives voice to our motto: 'Building a club from the ground up.'”