Above all else, Gino Marra wants the region’s A-League club to have a top class culture.
“We are aiming to be like no other club,’’ says the deputy chairman of Macarthur South West Sydney ahead of the first community forum.
“We want to be envied by other clubs so we are working hard to establish a great DNA, a great culture for this club,’’ says Mr Marra.
This is so important to us and we want to make a real statement about who we are and what this club stands for.’’
Football Federation Australia (FFA) announced just before Christmas that the bid by Macarthur South West Sydney United FC was successful.
However the FFA decreed that Macarthur South West Sydney United FC would have to wait until the 2020-21 A-League season before to enter the competition.
Mr Marra admits setting up an elite football club from scratch involves a lot of work.
“There’s just so many things that have to be done to make sure we’re ready to go when the time comes,’’ he says.
“And there’s a lot of little things to be done as well as big decisions such as appointing coaches and so on.’’
Mr Marra said the board had not made an approach to Wellington Phoenix coach Mark Rudan, who has been mentioned in the media as a possible candidate for the new club.
Hundreds of local football fans are expected to attend the public forum at the Campbelltown Catholic Club on Thursday, February 28 to discuss the name, colours and logo of the club.
A panel taking questions from the audience and through social media will discuss the club’s identity, its interaction with the region and its people, its purpose and culture, as well as any other subjects supporters want to raise.
The event will also be live video streamed.
Similar forums will follow across South West Sydney throughout March.
“This is an exciting time and a chance for the people of Campbelltown to get involved at the inception of their own team and help create the identity of the club that will represent their area,” says Campbelltown Mayor George Brticevic.
“Joining the A-League will be a great boost for the region, bringing renewed interest in football and generating national and international exposure for South West Sydney.
“Opportunities this big don’t come along very often and it’s up to us all to embrace it and make this team a real success.”
- Tickets to the February 28 forum (6.30pm to 8.30pm) are free, however bookings are essential. Tickets are limited to four per person. Bookings can be made online after 3pm today at http://bit.ly/macaleagueforum
