Steve Dozspot: Where is Canberra's A-League bid?

TEN bids came in to meet the FFA Deadline today, and not one from Canberra not even an expression of interest!

Ten possible new A-League sides and the National Capital has not a flutter of hope.

Don't Canberra's Federal and Local Pollies know what football can do for the city, our links with Asia.

Can the Capital of Australia afford not to have a team.

Australia's richest man Clive Palmer knows the value of football into Asia. He's signed up for the Gold Coast.

But Canberra we don't even have a group of bandied hopefuls making a noise. Where is the ambition in this city?

Former Soccer Canberra President Steve Dozspot who is standing for the Liberal Party in the ACT Assembly Elections in October, speaking on Nearpost radio tonight, called for the "Nearpost team to continue to bang the drum," and "for the Federal Politicians to get involved in raising the profile for the City."

Well we'll never give up. After all there is talk of a second division!

Could Canberra even get into that.....hmmn I doubt it the way we are going.

Here's the FFA Release, Canberrans read it and weep!

Ten expressions of interest from groups interested in obtaining a license for a Hyundai A-League club were considered by the Board of Football Federation Australia (FFA) today.

“The number of proposals we have received reflects the momentum behind the growth and development of the Hyundai A-League,” said FFA CEO, Ben Buckley.

The regions covered by the proposals are western Sydney, Wollongong, Melbourne, the Gold Coast and Townsville.

Buckley said FFA had received a new bid from a leading Gold Coast businessman, Clive Palmer.

“We will now start exclusive negotiations with Mr Palmer’s consortium, Gold Coast United.”

Buckley said that FFA was also in active discussions with two consortia interested in a Townsville-based Hyundai A-League Club - led by Melbourne businesswoman Milissa Fischer, and local businessman Don Matheson.

“We are having further discussions with both Ms Fischer’s and Mr Matheson’s groups and we expect to be entering into exclusive negotiations with one of them by the end of this month,” Buckley said.

Other proposals received today include three seeking to have the second Melbourne license, two groups vying for the western Sydney license and one covering Wollongong and the NSW south coast.

The FFA Board Hyundai A-League Expansion sub-Committee will consider the Melbourne, western Sydney and Wollongong proposals further, and will determine a process and timeframe to award further licenses.

“We are very encouraged with the level of interest in the Hyundai A-League,” Buckley said.

“Since it commenced three years ago, it has had ‘cut through’ in the busy Australian sporting landscape with average crowds, viewership, membership, media coverage and profitability trending upwards each season.

“The attractiveness of the competition is clearly reflected in the level of interest in the additional licenses."

FFA’s view is that the Hyundai A-League has the capacity to be at least a 12 team competition.

“When and where we expand the competition is measured simply by whether it is right for football, right for the existing Hyundai A-League clubs, right for the new clubs and right for the local community,” Buckley said.