Craig Foster: Why I support Canberra bid

SBS Chief Football Analyst and Former Socceroo Craig Foster was interviewed recently, along with former Socceroo and Canberra Cosmos player Paul Wade, by freelance journo Julius Ross.

Asked their thoughts on Tassie's A-League bid Fozzie revealed his support for Canberra, the Nation's Capital and SBS will be running the Canberra A-League story next Sunday on their World Game show around 5pm.

Fozzie said,

I believe that one of the advantages of our code which we have to capitalise on, is that it is the only truly national football code, that has penetration right down to the very grass roots all the way up. So we are arguably the only football code, which must, or should, have a team in every state. That’s is the reason why I support the Canberra bid,

Full article..http://www.theroar.com.au/2008/09/22/craig-foster-and-paul-wade-on-tasmania-in-the-a-league/
Craig Foster and Paul Wade on Tasmania in the A-League
In Hobart for junior development clinics, freelance journalist Julius Ross queried former Socceroo duo Craig Foster and Paul Wade on the potential expansion of the A-League into Tasmanian territory and the hopes for a truly national competition.

Julius Ross: What are your thoughts on the A-League’s potential expansion to include a Tasmanian team?

Paul Wade: I think it’s a great idea - absolutely wonderful idea. To have the length and breath – from Sydney to Perth, and possibly from Townsville to Tasmania – would be fantastic.

Craig Foster: I believe that one of the advantages of our code which we have to capitalise on, is that it is the only truly national football code, that has penetration right down to the very grass roots all the way up. So we are arguably the only football code, which must, or should, have a team in every state. That’s the reason why I believe Tasmania should have [a team], that is the reason why I support the Canberra bid, why I believe eventually, whilst it might be difficult, even a Darwin/Northern Territory team would be great. Now that’s a strength of our game, it’s a weakness of the other football codes and therefore it is something we have to capitalise on. So when I heard from some of the people involved in the potential bid here [in Tasmania]….we are certainly very supportive of it and we hope it gets going.

JR: If Tasmania was to be granted an A-League license it would make it a truly national competition, correct Paul?

PW: Oh, absolutely. We could walk up to all the other [football] codes and say “there you go.” Not only did we have the first national competition, but now we have the first ‘totally’ national competition.

JR: What do you think the realistic time frame for the Tasmania bid is, Craig?

CF: The process of [getting into the A-League] is a funny one so it can be hard to put a time frame on it.

All the current A-League clubs’ genesis has happened in many different ways. Sydney FC for instance, started off with the NSW Federation being involved and then some investors took it away from that, they wanted to remove themselves from the Federation, probably correctly in the end – as there are a lot of politics at that level.

Others, for instance, Townsville went directly to the council and the state government and I think they secured 1-1.5 million dollars in support from them.

Canberra has gone in the other direction, I think there are some parameters [of a successful bid] one of them you must show the FFA is considerable support in the community and one is to have somewhere around 5,000 pledges for season membership to show the community is engaged and they know about the bid. The Canberra bid has the government on board I think to the tune of at least 2-2.5 million dollars, and that has happened very quickly I understand it has all happened in a couple of months.

The idea seems to be to go public, get some traction in the media, get awareness, then there is such a big surge in following.

JR: Obviously in comparison with current A-League sides and other current bids, Tasmania’s population base is much smaller. Do you think we could sustain the minimum fan base?

PW: Well, Perth Glory are only getting around 8,000 [per game], so if you’re not winning nobody turns up. But honestly it is like the Central Coast, the Rugby League were in there and offering them a spot, but they turned their back on it and now soccer has got it. This would be another way of coming down here [to Tassie] and saying “alright, if not going to develop an AFL or Rugby League team in here , we’ll take it.”

CF: Well, the players’ association, of which I am a life member, not too long ago did a very extensive research into the modelling and market for football, and what the research revealed was you need a minimum population base in the surrounds of 250,000 people to support a regular 10,000 crowd. And in fact, if a club runs itself commercially and financially well, that regular 10,000 crowd is sustainable. So when you start to talk those numbers, there are possibilities for a lot of clubs in a lot of areas of the country. But of course the smaller the population, the better you have to engage per capita, therefore the model to follow would be most similar to the Central Coast Mariners.

JR: The Tasmanian bid is under the heading ‘Tasmania United’. Do you think this is suitable given our smaller population base, and that sustaining a team in Hobart alone would be difficult?

PW: Hopefully it is a Tasmanian team and not a Hobart team, we learnt that from Wellington Pheonix – just keep it all together, especially with the part of country this small.

JR: What aspect could be of detriment to the bid?

PW: [Separate] factions could tear the bid apart. Factions which say “we want control of this, we want control of that, we do this better.” Once that starts happening, forget it. Because the FFA have so many bids going in they’ll just wipe it out. That’s the danger.

JR: So in your opinion, what is the likelihood of Tasmania getting a team in the near future?

PW: Look, if everyone can get together and get behind the bid, I can’t see any reason why not. If they can come up with enough sponsors and people to back it, and follow the criteria – get it organised now, don’t go in half-cocked, because it’s not going to work. I’m just hoping, for the [Tasmanian] kid’s sake, they get a team.

CF: At the moment, I think it is competitive but there is opportunity there. Everyone is keen to grow the league therefore they are still in the growth faze so it is a very good time for a bid to be put together.

JR: So can you see us progressing ahead of any of the other current bids?

PW: The Canberra bid is probably, and I’m not completely sure, at a similar stage of preparation, Wollongong the same thing, so there are three horses I know of, right at the same point.

JR: Including Tasmania?

PW: Yes. Now it’s a real race. They [the FFA] are going to introduce the teams two at a time, so the quicker it happens the better, the more [bids] we get, the more chance that [Tasmania’s bid] might not work.