Australia’s A-League gets two new clubs

SYDNEY: Australia’s football chiefs Thursday announced two new clubs -- one from Sydney and one in Melbourne -- will be joining the A- League in a bid to create new rivalries and opportunities for players.

A proposed expansion to 12 teams has been in the works for a year and Football Federation Austral ia chairman Chris Nikou announced the successful bidders from a shortlist of six were consortiums from Western Melbourne and Southwest Sydney, with Canberra snubbed.

“An expanded A- League will connect new communities in our two biggest markets, create new rivalries, bigger television audiences, more derbies and importantly, further opportunities for Australian footballers to play at the highest level in this country,” said Nikou.

The competition will expand over two seasons, with Western Melbourne joining in 2019/20 and the Sydney club a year later.

Of the 12 teams in the new setup, three will be from Melbourne and three from Sydney, with the prospect of more fiercely-contested derby games.

The others are from Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane, the Central Coast north of Sydney, Newcastle and Wellington in New Zealand.

“We have seen unprecedented interest from bids to be part of the A-League and we are excited about our two new expansion clubs in Sydney and Melbourne,” said Nikou. He said a key factor in their decision was the long-term growth opportunities for each club in the new locations.

“Southwe s t Sydney and Melbourne represent some of the biggest growth corridors in Australia,” he added, with the competition potentially expanding to more than 12 teams.

Canberra was widely seen as a strong bid, but missed out.

Nikou said having football in the Australian capital remained on their radar and discussions with Canberra would continue.

The A-League first kicked off in 2005 in an eight-team format. Its success, with decent crowds and a growing television audience, saw it expand to 10 teams in the 2009/10 season.