Breaking new ground with big-picture plan
FOR a man in the process of spending an awful lot of money, Paul Lederer had a definite spring in his step this week as he toured the new Western Sydney Stadium getting close to completion in Parramatta.
In 12 months’ time the Wanderers chairman will be preparing for his club’s first game there, but there are other landmarks coming sooner.
Within the next four months the club’s new headquarters in Rooty Hill will be open, along with the first three of nine pitches to house every team at the club from the ALeague and W-League down to the youngest juniors.
This first stage has cost Lederer and his fellow directors $15 million, but the running costs will be substantial too as the club will charge no fees to those selected for its academy.
Built on land leased from Blacktown Council, the new headquarters will house the club’s administration as well as a gym and medical facilities, all under one roof.
Eventually there are plans for more development, including a club for supporters to frequent, but the move to bring every representative team together is seismic in itself.
“This is our seventh year in existence and we’ve been unbelievably successful considering the age of the club,” Lederer said.
“But I like to think this is the second stage of our life, the most exciting stage. It’s once in a lifetime: building a brand new stadium for 30,000 people, world-class in every facet, and on top of that we’re building an academy, which to me is equally important.
“This is a venture we’ve been planning for three years – (CEO) John (Tsatsimas) and I went around the world and looked at all the latest facilities. In my view this will be just as good.”
In such a fertile football region, the decision to charge nothing to those selected for the junior squads will give the club a major competitive advantage in attracting the brightest talent.
“We will have no fees,” said Lederer. “We will be the first elite club in Australia to have no fees. If you want to play for the club, you can. It’s a costly exercise, but we will pay for it.
“We want to give an equal opportunity to boys and girls, whoever they are, to be the best.”
Lederer isn’t given to bluster but he gets increasingly passionate when asked why – even allowing for his lifelong love of football – he would spend so much time and money on this project.
“We’re not doing this for the short term or for financial gain,” he said. “We’re doing it because we enjoy it and we want to make a difference to Western Sydney. If we achieve that, we are on a good track.
“Why do we do it? It’s because we’re passionate and believe in something. We are conscious that a young kid, whose father is working long hours, maybe in a factory, can’t afford to pay thousands of dollars a year to play football.”