Is Sutherland Shire the right team to replace the Wellington Phoenix?

Is Sutherland Shire the right team to replace the Wellington Phoenix?

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With speculation mounting as to the future of the Wellington Phoenix, it appears the most popular front-runner to replace the club is a team from the Sutherland Shire in Sydney.

At first glance, a Sutherland side does not seem like a terrible idea. The Sutherland Shire has the highest amount of registered players in the country, with around 17,500 players in the region. The Shire itself has just over 210,000 people living in the area, but with surrounding regions such as St George and Wollongong this figure easily passes the half a million mark the FFA were looking for in their ‘Whole of Football’ plan that was released earlier this year. With only two other professional clubs in the region (St. George Illawarra Dragons and Cronulla Sharks), it is arguable that there is an open market space in the region that could be filled by an A-League side.

However, the bid has a number of issues that appear to be overlooked by the FFA. Firstly and most significantly, the FFA has said previously that any side introduced to the competition would be one that ‘doesn’t damage any of our existing clubs’, and the proposed Sutherland one would be doing exactly that. Sydney FC chairman Scott Barlow came out on the record yesterday, saying the club has more registered members from the Sutherland Shire than anywhere else and up to a quarter of all members live south of Mascot in Sydney’s south. It is clear to see that any potential club from Sutherland could be devastating to Sydney FC.

Another issue against the Sutherland bid is the fact that there are arguably better options for an A-League club than the Sutherland Shire. The two main bids that get brought up by fans and critics are Canberra’s bid and Wollongong’s. Canberra has a virtually untapped market, with only the Canberra Raiders and ACT Brumbies to compete against. Canberra also has a strong grassroots system in place, with just under 15,000 players registered in 2014. It also has a successful W-League team in place already and that club could easily become affiliated with any potential Canberra A-League club in the future.

The other option and the one that has been argued more in recent weeks is the Wollongong bid. The Wollongong area seems almost ideal to place a side, especially with the FFA’s insistence to place a club south of Sydney. With a population of just under 300,000, the area may struggle for crowds based on the FFA’s ‘Whole of Football’ plan. But there is always a chance that the Wollongong side could pull in fans from the Sutherland Shire that are not affiliated with either Sydney team. This could be something that will not damage the market of Sydney FC as much as a direct Sutherland Shire club would.

A Wollongong side would also see a return of the Wolves to the top tier of Australian football, something that many fans have been waiting for since the dismantling of the National Soccer League back in 2004. The Wolves are filled with history, with two NSL titles and an Oceanic Champions League title to their name, as well as taking place in arguably the greatest game in Australian footballing history; the famous 2000 NSL grand final against Perth. However, with reports emerging that Football South Coast has applied to be a part of the potential Sutherland Shire bid alongside St George Football, it appears that a straight Wollongong bid may never come to pass if this proposed side enters the competition.

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Unfortunately, at the end of the day, it will be the FFA who has the final say in not only the existence of the Wellington Phoenix but also as to where any new club would be based. It does seem that the FFA are horribly out of touch with the fans and support with these decisions, and it is now appearing that it goes as far as the clubs itself. Adelaide United chairman Greg Griffin has said the other nine A-League clubs were not even consulted in regards to the decision not to renew the Phoenix licence and this is understandably worrying. If the FFA continues down the path it seems to be; then this is something that would not only damage individual A-League clubs but the league and Australian football as a whole.

However for now, it seems Sutherland is the front-runner to replace the Wellington Phoenix and should it go through it could be the worst idea that the FFA has implemented since the formation of the A-League. When Western Sydney entered the completion in 2011, fans were skeptical that a club would work there, but the Wanderers surprised everyone with fantastic on-field performances off the bat that led to significant growth as a club and saw support in the Western Sydney area grow. But the Wanderers was an unexpected miracle. The FFA is attempting to make lightning strike twice with a potential Sutherland side and this time it may not work and create a devastating ripple effect on the league.

With the potential Sutherland side being groomed as a replacement for the Phoenix as early as next season, fans need to keep an eye on developments as this could be the most crucial thing to happen to the A-League. A new club that performs worse on and off the field than the Phoenix would not only make the FFA look incompetent, but it would also cause a significant ripple effect that could damage all three Sydney sides beyond repair. But with nothing set in stone, all we can do is wait and hope that the FFA know what they are doing.

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