Campbelltown mayor George Brticevic says the other eight bids for the two A-League licences should be scared now that United for Macarthur and South West Sydney FC have joined forces.
Speaking in a packed function room on the first floor of Campbelltown Sports Stadium last night, Cr Brticevic said there was one big reason the other bids should be scared.
“We’ve become a powerhouse as one united bid, and if I was the other bids I’d be scared of us, and do you know why?
“Because none of the other bids own a stadium – and we do,’’ Cr Brticevic said.
The mayor joined Gino Marra, chairman of the South West Sydney FC bid, in announcing the two had decided to become one.
“Both bids have the same DNA,’’ Mr Marra said.
“They have football smarts, financial strength and community focus.
“Could both bids have been successful individually? Yes.
“Could they be successful together?
[social_quote duplicate=”no” align=”default”]“Well, we believe that to be the case, as it will now be a supercharged bid,’’ Mr Marra said.[/social_quote]
Chris Redman, chairman of the United for Macarthur bid, told the South West Voice in Macarthur earlier today that the merger had definitely boosted the chances of a successful bid for an A-League licence.
“We have a far more compelling case now that we’re one bid,’’ Mr Redman said.
He said the merger has resulted in a much larger geographical area being represented by the bid as well as two large football associations.
An estimated two million residents are tipped to call the region home by 2035, while currently there are more 24,000 registered football players – male and female – with over 70 clubs and more than 3600 players playing National Premier League (NPL) football in the region.
“And when you look at it, South West Sydney and Macarthur is one of the biggest regions in Sydney without an elite team,’’ he said.
Mr Redman will share the chairman’s duties with Mr Marra, while the merger also means having two football ambassadors, Brett Emerton (United for Macarthur) and Nick Carle (South West Sydney FC).
Both attended last night’s announcement and were positive about the merger.
There were representatives from all councils, including Liverpool, as well as a strong presence from both Macarthur Football Association and Southern Districts Football Association.
Walker Corp spokesperson Chad Walker said the decision to join forces was the best possible outcome for the broader community.
“The joining of forces between United for Macarthur and South West Sydney FC makes perfect sense for an even stronger entity,’’ he said.
“We are very supportive of this collaboration as we bid for a licence to join the A-League.
“We supported the United for Macarthur bid to ensure the community and in particular the football community in the South West had an A-League team that they could call their own, and after this announcement today we are one step closer to achieving that.
“By combining the resources of both organisations into one bid, Macarthur and South West Sydney will be well placed to secure an A-League team to play out of Campbelltown Stadium,’’ Mr Walker said.
His father, Lang, chairman of Walker Corp, had announced earlier this year that he would be a financial supporter of the United for Macarthur bid.
He had originally been appointed business ambassador for the bid.
Now the united bid will have just a few days to prepare its submission to Football Federation Australia (FFA) by August 31.
“Between now and August 31 there will be a lot of work to be done,’’ said Mr Marra last night.
“We’ll be bunkered down putting together the best submission we can to the FFA.
“We’re very confident, and hopefully next time we’re in this room we’re here for our first A-League game.’’
He said planning was under way for community forums as part of the drive to select the club’s name, colour and crest.
“You will be hearing a lot about community engagement in the next few weeks and it won’t just be a catchphrase,’’ Mr Marra said.
As a Foundation Director of the local league club and proud Kangaroo I think the success of this project would mean I would end up being a Kangaroo hopping Ram