http://au.fourfourtwo.com/news/191086,sydney-rovers-scrapped.aspx
FOOTBALL Federation today succumbed to the inevitable and
scrapped the Sydney Rovers franchise after months of uncertainty and
inaction.
The FFA today said they will open discussions with other interested parties after "mutually agreeing with the Sydney Rovers consortium not to pursue its bid for a franchise in western Sydney."
The FFA insist they remain committed to a Hyundai A-League franchise in western Sydney and will now begin talks with other interested investors.
FFA CEO Ben Buckley said he wanted to thank the Sydney Rovers consortium despite the embarrassing flop.
�I would like to thank Ian Rowden and his team for all of the work that they have done over the past year or so,� Buckley said.
�We have mutually decided this week to move on so FFA can explore other options with the view to starting a team in Sydney�s west as soon as possible.
�The Sydney Rovers group has completed a substantial amount of work around dealing with stadia, local government and businesses and they have kindly offered to make that work available to other prospective consortiums.�
Buckley said FFA was committed to a second Sydney team and believed it was time to give other investors an opportunity.
He added: �We are convinced there is enough support out there for a western Sydney franchise and it is an important part of our vision for the Hyundai A-League.�
Rovers were awarded the 12th A-League licence in September 2009 in controversial circumstances when the FFA opted for their bid over other apparently better-funded options.
Led by Saatchi ad boss Ian Rowden and backed by former Socceroos including Charlie Yankos, the bid soon established a name and identity, and released their kit plans early in its development.
But funding remained a serious issue and less than a year out from their A-League debut, it was clear they still had not found sufficient backing.
As the current season went on, Rowden avoided the press spotlight and no players were linked with signing for the fledgling club, casting serious doubt on its ability to meet the 2011/12 season target.
Its future and that of North Queensland Fury seemed to hinge on the success or failure of the 2022 World Cup bid.
With that loss in Zurich last week, Rovers' future seemed impossible - and the death blow was today delivered at an FFA board meeting.
North Queensland Fury must now wait to find out if they face a similar fate or if sacrificing Rovers will give them a lifeline for one more season.
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give it a couple of years then start a third team in Melbourne ;-)
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The A league is all kinds of fail at the moment.
Allegedly
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Except Rovers were a clusterf**k from the start. They choose a bid that barely existed on the back of some rich names.
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I tend to think along the lines of that adding to the all round fail,rather than reducing it.
Allegedly
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11 teams again next season, or will Fury be going?
We will never fully decide who has won the football.
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what ever happened to the tasmanian and northern proposals, or do FFA only want another sydney?
AJ132010-12-13 06:57:24
AJ132010-12-13 06:57:24
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what ever happened to the tasmanian and northern proposals, or do FFA only want another sydney?
Tasmania United
If you scroll down to the bottom of the page their time line said they were gonna be in the league this year.
Their latest statement says they are still working on it.
The only other two I can think of were Geelong and Wollongong, but not much has happened their I think.
What are the Northern Proposals you were thinking of?
We will never fully decide who has won the football.
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What about Chch Shakers? Plenty of insurance claim money floating around, proven support base, avaiable grounds. Just need the few mill initial investment and they're away.
Its no longer a problem.
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Proven support base??
Based on one game a year is a bit of a stretch,there is a novelty value inflating those crowd figures.
And please nobody get sensitive or touchy in reply,I'm not having a go at chch,you got a couple of good crowds now,well done etc.
Just pointing out that that hardly means there is a proven support base.
Based on one game a year is a bit of a stretch,there is a novelty value inflating those crowd figures.
And please nobody get sensitive or touchy in reply,I'm not having a go at chch,you got a couple of good crowds now,well done etc.
Just pointing out that that hardly means there is a proven support base.
Allegedly
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A Tassie team would be interesting, less flight time?
But from what i hear, a Wollongong team would be a pretty strong option.
But from what i hear, a Wollongong team would be a pretty strong option.
Yellow Whever Whanganui
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Well, I would think that since Sydney fell through there would be granting of another license to either Tasmania, Geelong or Wollongong. Maybe they wanna try Sydney again? Who knows.
It really is up for grabs.
It really is up for grabs.
We will never fully decide who has won the football.
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