Years from now the 350 true believers who attended tonight’s Macarthur South West A-League community forum will be able to tell their grandchildren: I was there that night.
That’s because without a doubt tonight’s large gathering in the Cube at Campbelltown Catholic Club was a historic moment for the region.
Not just historic in a soccer or sporting sense: this is much, much bigger than that.
Just as having our own international airport in six years will transform the south west, having our own professional sporting club that reflects our values will also be a huge game changer.
Campbelltown Mayor George Brticevic hit the right note when he opened proceedings by declaring that this new sporting entity belonged to the community of Campbelltown, Macarthur and the entire south West Sydney region.
It was also fitting that club board deputy chairman Gino Marra closed proceedings by reminding those present of the key role played by Cr Brticevic and Campbelltown Council in securing the licence for an A-League team.
Mr Marra was one of four people on the panel who answered questions asked at first by Fox Sport soccer reporter Daniel Garb, MC for the night, followed by the fans.
Among the audience tonight was Narellan resident Danny Himbrechts, who not only was one of Brett Emerton’s coaches but he also brought along one of his proudest possessions: the first ball used in the very first game of the National Soccer League (NSL) way back in 1977.
Also on the panel was former Socceroo Brett Emerton, who grew up in Macquarie Fields and who was one of the ambassadors of the bid for a licence.
Board Chairman Lang Walker and director Sam Krslovic were also on the panel.
The fans learned that following a number of forums and online surveys, the team name, playing strip and nickname, along with membership and corporate packages will be revealed in July of this year.
A coach will be appointed by October of this year, it was also revealed tonight.
In answer to a question about what local values the team will reflect, Mr Marra said he thought “aspirational’’ would be the right word for it.
Mr Krslovic added “hard working’’ and a little bit “in your face’’.
Board chairman Lang Walker said that building the right culture, the foundations of the club, would ensure that it would be a successful organisation well into the future.
The fans who turned up tonight will have left convinced that something really special has started taking shape in our neck of the woods.
