Heres an article about the recent FFA announcements that the Sydney Rovers bid has officially been cancelled and it is back to the drawing boards for a new 12th A-League license.

From: http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/news/1035617/All-over-red-Rovers

All over red Rovers
10 December 2010-SBS

The plan to set up a Sydney Rovers team in the city’s west is dead ... officially.

Football Federation Australia will open discussions with other interested parties after mutually agreeing with the Rovers consortium not to pursue its bid for a franchise in western Sydney, the governing body said.

FFA remains committed to an A-League franchise in western Sydney and will now engage with other interested investors.

FFA chief executive Ben Buckley said he wanted to thank the Sydney Rovers consortium for their efforts.

“I would like to thank Ian Rowden and his team for all of the work that they have done over the past year or so,” Buckley said.

“We have mutually decided this week to move on so FFA can explore other options with the view to starting a team in Sydney’s west as soon as possible.

“The Sydney Rovers group has completed a substantial amount of work around dealing with stadia, local government and businesses and they have kindly offered to make that work available to other prospective consortiums.”

Buckley said FFA was strongly committed to a second Sydney team and believed that it was time to give other investors an opportunity.

“We are convinced there is enough support out there for a western Sydney franchise and it is an important part of our vision for the A-League,” he said.


While this is good news for Canberra, the article does suggest that the FFA are only interested in a team from western Sydney although Canberra has by far the best bid and deserves to be in the A-League next.

We are the national capital and I do not accept that a great Canberra bid should be brushed aside for the FFA's agenda to have a second team in western Sydney.

Hopefully Slavich and the rest of the bidding group can engage with the FFA and have some constructive talks, it is in the best interest of the A-League to have a Canberra team next and it is obvious that the GWS Giants AFL team are going to beat any A-League license from western Sydney in transforming the market with all their millions of dollars.

I just hope that all the Canberran supporters have not give up on an A-League team yet as the FFA have dragged this process on for so long, for the 12th license, I hope there is a big burst of noise concerning the A-League4Canberra bid as this is probably our last chance for a while to get the spot we thought we had already lost to the fickle western Sydney market

Hmmm, is this a good thing for the canberra bid? i think what will most likely happen now is another bid from western sydney will manufacture itself and will be taken into the league automatically.

The canberra bid will continue to sit in the background and say what about me? The FFA unwillingness to secure the fury's future leaves a lot of questions about whether they will treat our bid's 2012 deadline.

Maybe the answer would be a combined Canberra/Western Sydney bid as per the new Western Sydney AFL team. Play home games in Canberra and W Sydney. Lay on subsidised buses for fans to travel up and down the Hume depending on the venue.

Just a thought (he says closing his eyes and awaiting the barrage of abuse)

:-)

^^

slavich suggested that in an article in the canberra times today.

I don't like the idea though at all tbh, because it would be effectively ruling out any individual bid from for a long time. And I am near certain that the canberra football public would not get behind such a thing

^^ Yea I don't think Ivan Slavich was suggesting it, he was just saying they were open to explore all the possibilities,

It was the hopeless FFA suggesting it which is just a stupid idea, Canberra has done all the hard work for a bid and they think they can just take away our games and give it to western Sydney... and expect us to support that??

They were saying what a good idea the GWS AFL team was and how it was a success, but they haven't even played a match in Canberra yet.

Im not supporting a team called Sydney, or GWS I'm only supporting a team called Canberra.

I would honestly prefer a team in a B-League if it was to happen than a mashed up WS/Canberra hybrid that would be about as successful as the last Sydney Rovers bid.

http://www.theroar.com.au/2010/11/16/team-gws-is-not-a-third-canberra-club-its-a-seventh-western-sydney-club-the-national-capital-deserves-the-12th-a-league-license/

thom_canberra wrote:^^ Yea I don't think Ivan Slavich was suggesting it, he was just saying they were open to explore all the possibilities,

It was the hopeless FFA suggesting it which is just a stupid idea, Canberra has done all the hard work for a bid and they think they can just take away our games and give it to western Sydney... and expect us to support that??

They were saying what a good idea the GWS AFL team was and how it was a success, but they haven't even played a match in Canberra yet.

Im not supporting a team called Sydney, or GWS I'm only supporting a team called Canberra.

I would honestly prefer a team in a B-League if it was to happen than a mashed up WS/Canberra hybrid that would be about as successful as the last Sydney Rovers bid.

Agreed.

The thing is too, if this happens western sydney will play games in canberra and get 5k and suddenly it will be like oh see canberra doesn't have the support for a team.

^^

Yeah I totally agree. It's the FFA's idea of screwing us while they get their beloved western sydney team. It's not gonna happen and if it does, im not supporting it.

i dont think that the rovers bid failing will mean the ffa will look at canberra or tassie or WS again straight away, i think theyve realised that they need to slow down on the expansion and wait for the other clubs to settle until more teams come in and if the fury get kicked out (i hope not) i think theyll leave it at 10 teams for half a dozen years of so

Guys letting you know even though the Rovers Bid May Of Died, Western Sydney A League bid Lives Again.

The Western Front (Supporters Trust) is working with potential bidders for a new Western Sydney A league bid and would be happy to work with you guys if your up for it.

The Western Front wrote:Guys letting you know even though the Rovers Bid May Of Died, Western Sydney A League bid Lives Again.

The Western Front (Supporters Trust) is working with potential bidders for a new Western Sydney A league bid and would be happy to work with you guys if your up for it.

Ok, but I think Canberra deserves to have its OWN team instead of merging with another bid if that's what you're suggesting.

Alex351 wrote:

The Western Front wrote:Guys letting you know even though the Rovers Bid May Of Died, Western Sydney A League bid Lives Again.

The Western Front (Supporters Trust) is working with potential bidders for a new Western Sydney A league bid and would be happy to work with you guys if your up for it.

Ok, but I think Canberra deserves to have its OWN team instead of merging with another bid if that's what you're suggesting.

nah i think he's suggesting that the WS bid and Canberra bid help each other out so that we both get teams... which is a good idea
btw Western Front, dont get upset being seeing the incredible amount of anti-WS sentiment that has been posted on this forum over the years

That's why I thought i would get in touch with you guys. Solidarity an Unity is very important to both our bids, United We Stand Divided We Fall. For anybody who has issues with the alliance, Consider it an alliance of convenience with the potential to become more :). Our guy's would be willing to drop any hostility if your guys are :)

Kind Regards
The Western Front

The Western Front wrote:That's why I thought i would get in touch with you guys. Solidarity an Unity is very important to both our bids, United We Stand Divided We Fall. For anybody who has issues with the alliance, Consider it an alliance of convenience with the potential to become more :). Our guy's would be willing to drop any hostility if your guys are :)

Kind Regards
The Western Front

sounds good to me, dunno whether there is any use atm though seeing that the a-league probably wont expand for another 5 years or so

Hence why we do what we do. We put the pressure on mate. Another Western Sydney bid is in the lurks as we speak. Your main boy spoke to the bidder the other day in Canberra :0)