Canberra Set To Launch A-league Bid Hyundai A-League News

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Canberra set to launch A-League bid

 

By Peter Veness

November 06, 2008

 

CANBERRA appears close to launching a fully-funded bid for an A-League licence after winning backing from Victorian businesswoman Millissa Fischer.

 

Fischer already owns Victorian Premier League side Altona Magic and will financially back the Canberra bid.

 

"We can work together and I look forward to seeing a winning team in Canberra. It's very exciting,'' Fischer said.

 

Football Federation Australia (FFA) requires a $6 million base before considering the bid and on Thursday night a crowd of about 100 people heard $5 million had been raised.

 

The ACT government has committed $2.5 million and a further $2.5 million had been promised by unnamed investors.

 

It is understood Ms Fischer's support will bring Canberra to the $6 million required but the bid committee would not confirm this.

 

Former Australia great Ned Zelic is also involved in the bid and has not ruled out returning to his home town full-time as coach.

 

"I've always been one in the past to pretty much only do things that I believe in and this is something that I really do believe in,'' Zelic said.

 

"I'm convinced that Canberra deserves a team in the A-League.''

 

Bid leader and local business leader Ivan Slavich told the crowd market research had indicated a Canberra A-League outfit would attract an average crowd of 15,000 people - another of the federation's prerequisites.

 

"It's for the whole community,'' Slavich said.

 

The bid committee will meet with FFA on November 18.

 

"I can see no reason why we would not be accepted into the league for season 2010/11.

SOURCE: FOXSPORTS.COM.AU

 

Sorry about all the sports updates, but I'm sport mad and love listening, watching and reading it. Well on topic now.

 

 

 

I think it's encouraging to see so much soccer is being placed into Australian sport, with the A-league getting more popular and bigger. But the only thing is that like the NBL over the past few seasons, clubs may not get the support and revenue to keep going and might just crash. But at the rate of soccer being more popular I am sure they will do fine. The other worry is that a North Queensland team is going up as well and finding good players might be an issue.

 

Never the less it's a great idea and I hope it goes well obviously. A positive is that they only have around $1 million dollars to raise even though that still is a bit of money. They have raised 2 out of 3 million.