Canberra A-League bid depends on the fans

How badly do Canberrans want an A-League team?

We could never have a team in Canberra, not even a bid. So everyone has always said or so it seems. Well here's our chance.

And wake up Canberra. We've got a bid, and I believe we're flying financially. But money will not be enough. It'll be the Canberrans, the fans, that eventually sink or float our bid over the ever moveable FFA line.

We're up against Western Sydney, Melbourne, Townsville and Wollongong....

for a place and do you think they are sitting back waiting to see how much money and members Canberra will get?

Wollongong hope to get 10,000 for their pre-season game in a couple of weeks and they are about to issue Foundation Membership packs. I hope it rains:)

Townsville reckon they are in. They've got 3,000 juniors and 170,000 population. Give me a break.

Melbourne and Sydney: Well a second team from either place is probably needed in a 12 team league and could we really expect to compete against such population?

So it's us against 170,000 people in Townsville with nothing else to do, or the Wollongong mob who have little track record of big crowds despite winning the old NSL on occasion.

The Canberra pre-season pre-season game was the biggest crowd of all pre-season games played so far, albeit not all were in Wannabee A-League centres. And even though everyone got to sit in the shade, its a Canberra thing, it sent a strong message.

Ivan Slavich is talking to a local Consortium ($1mill approx) Pawl Cubbin (0.5mill) Fans (1 mill which we'll get before the first game in 2010 despite what the negative Canberra Times journo Peter Fitzgerald writes, and I'm confident with a good number before the bid date Aug 24th,) and the ACT Government agreeing to chip in a significant figure.

No inside info their, it's all been in the press.

So that could give us $5 mill plus another couple of investors to get us going.

Annual revenues:
TV Revenue $1 mill per year until 2013. Then a significant increase.
Tickets sales $1 mill..10,000 per game average.
ACT Govt Annual support $1 mill
Sponsorship $1 mill.

Sure the figures are back of the ciggies packet stuff but you can see it is doable. In a way it never was before, ever.

But if fans show support I believe:
Ivan Slavich would attract extra funds more easily. And even be able to reduce the ACT Government involvement.

And with fan support we can convince the FFA we want a team. This element is equally crucial when up against other cashed-up bids.

In Canberra it's the supporter base that is the key. If we have a team of course we can build a club, a fan base, a future. We have the player base and there are a number of long-term strategic things we can do to promote the club, and the game. But it's getting the bid over the line, that is the key.

Money and fans. What can you do?

Getting the fans onboard now in signiifcant numbers is the challenge.

I've phoned ServiceOne to enable members to sign up online. They will inform me ASAP when this can be done. Apparently problems identifying online members when Serviceone need to hold money in trust is causing the delay. Frustrating but it appears it will be done just not quick enough.

Anthony Hatton and Jeremy Butler have met to discuss the Supporters Club. I look forward to hearing their plans in coming days.

I would invite others to get involved, to target, encourage or plan a way of getting other members signed up. It will be the grassroots campaign that will win the day. Made easier and backed up by a soon to start Canberra A-League bid advertising campaign I'm lead to believe.

It's a short-term commitment between now and August 24th.

How we attract either more paid-up members and/or more signed survey responses before August 24th is to me the conundrum.

Ivan will get the money, I believe that, but is the Canberra fan voice loud enough?

Now is not the time to die wondering!