Townsville is talking up its capacity to pull together an A-League franchise in time for the new season's kick off in August, but the North Queensland bid says it needs to know now from FFA.
It also claims to have Bundesliga-based Brazilian players on standby, upfront cash, strong local support and a football legend to lead it.
Meanwhile Wellington’s bid has until the end of the day to show FFA it has $2 million in start up funds - if not, New Zealand will lose its A-League spot. Today will be a frantic day on both sides of the Tasman.
Townsville’s "Tropical Football" bid spokesperson James Gage chatted with www.au.fourfourtwo.com last night and we started by asking could his franchise be ready in five and a half months for the start of A-League version three?
“We have to be ready!” he says with a laugh from his office in Townsville, North Qld. “Look, we outnumber Rugby League in junior participation three to one. In the first year, we reckon crowds of 10,-12,000 average are possible at Dairy Farmers stadium. Even more when Roar flies in for the Queensland derby.
“We can be competitive but it has to be a community club,” he says. “We want to set up pathways for juniors but also we want to set up a culture of football here.”
Last weekend Tropical Football emailed FFA CEO Ben Buckley and Operations Manager Matt Carroll saying it could provide the necessary documentation and funds “within 48 hours” regarding their A-League bid. They received a letter back offering them the chance to show their proposal.
As for the money upfront that FFA requires, Gage says “we can have not just $2 million but possibly up to $3 million in 48 hrs but we need to know now as time is running out.
“We have a quality coach in place – Wynton Rufer – who is a quality person. He is right now using his excellent contacts in the German Bundesliga to find us some very exciting Brazilian players. We’d expect to make announcements on other signings within the first few days.”
Rufer is, ironically, a legend of the New Zealand game and was voted Oceania player of the Century. He played for Werder Bremen in the 80s and 90s and is considered one of the most respected figures in Australasia (“politics is why he isn’t involved in the New Zealand A-League scene,” one Kiwi insider tells www.au.fourfourtwo.com). Frank Farina was also interested in the job, says Gage.
“The great thing about our bid,” adds Gage, “is that we’ve been working on it for the last 18 months. We’ve met admin staff and chairmen from many other A-League clubs and we’ve been keeping FFA informed of where we’re at for the entire period. We’ve done a lot of work to get us into this position.
“North Queenslanders will support it if it’s a quality product. I mean basketball isn’t a huge sport in Australia but they get good crowds for the Crocodiles [in the NBL] and of course for the Cowboys [in the NRL].
“Mate, we’re gonna make mistakes, especially with the lead-in time being so tight but we have a definite belief.”
A source inside the Mayor’s office in Townsville tells us that there is “strong support” for the area’s A-League franchise from the local business community. The insider added, “there are squillions of kids playing soccer up here.”
At the same time, reports from New Zealand suggest Wellington simply doesn’t have the required up front funds. The New Zealand Herald reported yesterday, “The Wellington consortium behind the prospective New Zealand A-League franchise does not have the money. Bid spokesman John Dow has confirmed they have around A$1.1m, well short of the A$2m mark demanded by Football Federation Australia.”
Meanwhile Wellington’s bid has until the end of the day to show FFA it has $2 million in start up funds - if not, New Zealand will lose its A-League spot. Today will be a frantic day on both sides of the Tasman.
Townsville’s "Tropical Football" bid spokesperson James Gage chatted with www.au.fourfourtwo.com last night and we started by asking could his franchise be ready in five and a half months for the start of A-League version three?
“We have to be ready!” he says with a laugh from his office in Townsville, North Qld. “Look, we outnumber Rugby League in junior participation three to one. In the first year, we reckon crowds of 10,-12,000 average are possible at Dairy Farmers stadium. Even more when Roar flies in for the Queensland derby.
“We can be competitive but it has to be a community club,” he says. “We want to set up pathways for juniors but also we want to set up a culture of football here.”
Last weekend Tropical Football emailed FFA CEO Ben Buckley and Operations Manager Matt Carroll saying it could provide the necessary documentation and funds “within 48 hours” regarding their A-League bid. They received a letter back offering them the chance to show their proposal.
As for the money upfront that FFA requires, Gage says “we can have not just $2 million but possibly up to $3 million in 48 hrs but we need to know now as time is running out.
“We have a quality coach in place – Wynton Rufer – who is a quality person. He is right now using his excellent contacts in the German Bundesliga to find us some very exciting Brazilian players. We’d expect to make announcements on other signings within the first few days.”
Rufer is, ironically, a legend of the New Zealand game and was voted Oceania player of the Century. He played for Werder Bremen in the 80s and 90s and is considered one of the most respected figures in Australasia (“politics is why he isn’t involved in the New Zealand A-League scene,” one Kiwi insider tells www.au.fourfourtwo.com). Frank Farina was also interested in the job, says Gage.
“The great thing about our bid,” adds Gage, “is that we’ve been working on it for the last 18 months. We’ve met admin staff and chairmen from many other A-League clubs and we’ve been keeping FFA informed of where we’re at for the entire period. We’ve done a lot of work to get us into this position.
“North Queenslanders will support it if it’s a quality product. I mean basketball isn’t a huge sport in Australia but they get good crowds for the Crocodiles [in the NBL] and of course for the Cowboys [in the NRL].
“Mate, we’re gonna make mistakes, especially with the lead-in time being so tight but we have a definite belief.”
A source inside the Mayor’s office in Townsville tells us that there is “strong support” for the area’s A-League franchise from the local business community. The insider added, “there are squillions of kids playing soccer up here.”
At the same time, reports from New Zealand suggest Wellington simply doesn’t have the required up front funds. The New Zealand Herald reported yesterday, “The Wellington consortium behind the prospective New Zealand A-League franchise does not have the money. Bid spokesman John Dow has confirmed they have around A$1.1m, well short of the A$2m mark demanded by Football Federation Australia.”
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