Reclusive billionaire Bruce Gordon is believed to be ready to bankroll a Wollongong-based team in the A-League next season if bids from either Gold Coast or North Queensland fall over at the 11th hour.
The 78-year-old owner of WIN Corporation - who splits his time between Bermuda and Wollongong - is believed to have finally agreed in principle to finance an Illawarra team in the A-League after months of speculation. The franchise has been more than a year in the making, and while it had made significant progress in terms of planning, sponsorship and infrastructure, without Gordon's investment the bid has lacked backing. Gordon is no stranger to football - he also headed the consortium which owned Wollongong Wolves in the old NSL.
Gordon's in-principle agreement to finance a home-town team vaults the Illawarra bid into the A-League reckoning - if not for next season, then certainly for 2009. There is also the prospect of football filling a vacuum at WIN Stadium should NRL side St George Illawarra withdraw from the area, as has been suggested.
Football Federation Australia is hoping both Gold Coast and North Queensland will meet the financial criteria for next season by the deadline - which is believed to have been extended to Friday week - but now it has a fallback position if either bid falls short.
The FFA has made it clear it would prefer to expand the league to 10 teams rather than have a bye and a nine-team competition. There are some suggestions the FFA needs to have at least a 10-team league to meet FIFA requirements for a World Cup bid.
phoenix072008-03-04 10:55:02
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Sounds like the Townsville one will only go ahead if that lady from Melbourne is willing to finance it 100%. Guess we will see by the end of the week.
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Something aint right. 1 or 2m dollars is nothing to these people. (the Northern Thunder bid)
a.haak
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2m is what you need to secure with the FFA. Then you have to find the money to run and operate the club.
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Thought it was 5m.
A dog with a bone :)
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The FFA wants proof of 5 million in the bank before they give the green light. Not much for a reclusive billionaire or that Melbourne lady - apparently she is farken loaded too. I'm confident that we will see a 10 team league. GC plus either Townsville or Wollongong. They have got 22 weeks to get ready, we only had 16...
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Reclusive billionaire Bruce Gordon is believed to be ready to bankroll a Wollongong-based team in the A-League next season if bids from either Gold Coast or North Queensland fall over at the 11th hour.
The 78-year-old owner of WIN Corporation - who splits his time between Bermuda and Wollongong -
surely that's a typo 
, everyone knows the Batman is really Bruce Wayne not Gordon
, everyone knows the Batman is really Bruce Wayne not Gordon Bermuda and Wollongong 
Hard News2008-03-04 12:11:15
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gold coast will go ahead as they are all raring to go, the problem is that townsville aint as that melbourne lady pulled out at the weekend because of an apparent bust up?
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Reclusive billionaire Bruce Gordon is believed to be ready to bankroll a Wollongong-based team in the A-League next season if bids from either Gold Coast or North Queensland fall over at the 11th hour.
The 78-year-old owner of WIN Corporation - who splits his time between Bermuda and Wollongong -
surely that's a typo , everyone knows the Batman is really Bruce Wayne not Gordon
, everyone knows the Batman is really Bruce Wayne not Gordon I suspect Commisioner Gordon is involved somehow.....
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2m is what you need to secure with the FFA. Then you have to find the money to run and operate the club.
I've heard talk that the FFA raised it considerably since last year. The fact that Thunder had to go to Melbourne to raise their initial funding doesn't bode well for their ability to raise further cash in North QLD.
Galaxy should be okay though.
If Wollongong come in with a side from either Canberra or Tasmania (Tassie government is apparently keen to back a bid) either next year or the year after, and then we get the 2nd Melbourne and Sydney franchises in, a 14 team league playing a 26 game home and away season (plus finals), will be just about perfect.
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mate the more games the better thats what i say!!
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Just to reassure anyone who knows my origins (Nowra is just south of Wollongong), should the Phoenix play against an Illawarra based team, I'll be wearing black and yellow, not red and white.
That being said, I'd love to have Wollongong in the A-League and would be cheering for them... in every game except when they play the 'nix
1. Phoenix
2. Wollongong
3. Whoever is playing Queensland Roar
That being said, I'd love to have Wollongong in the A-League and would be cheering for them... in every game except when they play the 'nix
1. Phoenix
2. Wollongong
3. Whoever is playing Queensland Roar
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It seems like this whole process is a bitflawed, we should no by now who is definately in the competition next season.
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Then you have to find the money to run and operate the club.
In a tin under the bed mate!
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It seems like this whole process is a bitflawed, we should no by now who is definately in the competition next season.
What, like last year when we only had months to organise everything? :p
a.haak
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i heard that its only going to be 9 man league witch is so f**king stupid
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i heard that its only going to be 9 man league witch is so f**king stupid
Dude! I'd be surprised if they drop the teams to only 9 a side.
Witch news site did you see that on?
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i heard that its only going to be 9 man league witch is so f**king stupid
makes sense and cuts down on player wage bills, you would have to play 4 3 2 though
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LOL
But its a game of Dragon den. I understand where she what she really asking.
It probably went down like this. . .
They go up to her and tell her that, "we have such and such equity to give you for such and such money because we need that much to start the football team, the potential according to the average A-league team would be this and that and in townsville it be just under this in the first season and it would grow, deal?"
She says yes and then a couple of weeks later they say "actually we only can just up with this lesser amount, so can you pay more to cover the shortfall, we only said that amount so we can have the two weeks to squeeze this much more but you can cover this extra shortfall"
She turn to them and with a sour look of the black widow said "you lairs, you come to me and I acted in good faith, you never had the money and if it goes belly up can you pay the debt? Of course not, so it means I have to pay for the shortfall and cover 100% of your teams debts if it goes belly up because you have no money!! Give more control in equity so I can protect my invested money!"
"No we are not willing to allow more than this % of equity go"
"this talk is over, I get better returns from my bank"
But its a game of Dragon den. I understand where she what she really asking.
It probably went down like this. . .
They go up to her and tell her that, "we have such and such equity to give you for such and such money because we need that much to start the football team, the potential according to the average A-league team would be this and that and in townsville it be just under this in the first season and it would grow, deal?"
She says yes and then a couple of weeks later they say "actually we only can just up with this lesser amount, so can you pay more to cover the shortfall, we only said that amount so we can have the two weeks to squeeze this much more but you can cover this extra shortfall"
She turn to them and with a sour look of the black widow said "you lairs, you come to me and I acted in good faith, you never had the money and if it goes belly up can you pay the debt? Of course not, so it means I have to pay for the shortfall and cover 100% of your teams debts if it goes belly up because you have no money!! Give more control in equity so I can protect my invested money!"
"No we are not willing to allow more than this % of equity go"
"this talk is over, I get better returns from my bank"
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Reclusive billionaire Bruce Gordon is believed to be ready to bankroll a Wollongong-based team in the A-League next season if bids from either Gold Coast or North Queensland fall over at the 11th hour.
The 78-year-old owner of WIN Corporation - who splits his time between Bermuda and Wollongong -
�
surely that's a typo , everyone knows the Batman is really Bruce Wayne not� Gordon
, everyone knows the Batman is really Bruce Wayne not� Gordon �
�
�
�
I suspect Commisioner Gordon is involved somehow.....
This news just in from reuter;
Batgirl aka Barbara Gordon, the daughter of the late Commissioner Gordon finally convinced Bruce Wayne that there is plenty of chance that a Woman will became the leader for the Democrat Party. "If that happens I will change my last name to your last name" quipped Bruce Wayne.
. . . Famous last word of Bruce Wayne, a man of his word, no matter how stupid it is.
"Don't you just love Hilary Clinton, Bruce?" said Barbara.
"Yeah right"AllWhitebelievr2008-03-05 06:55:54
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WTF are you on?
And can I have some please.
Peoples Republik of Aucklandia
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Here is an update - http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2008/03/04/11112_hpsport.html and http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2008/03/05/11157_sport.html
Seems it is now a race between Fisher and some four eyed fat dude with no money... Rocky2008-03-05 12:39:51
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Benjamin,
Does Lunatic = Tony Rallis ?
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I wouldn't trust a woman who can't even spell her own name right even if she did have $5million
Another article...
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Benjamin,
Does Lunatic = Tony Rallis ?
Indeed he does.
Is the picture getting clearer now..?
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Not Lunatic... but would you sell a football club to this woman ?
Baiter2008-03-06 15:09:34
Baiter2008-03-06 15:09:34
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Not Lunatic... but would you sell a football club to this woman ?
I wouldn't trust her to guard my pie...
I like tautologies because I like them.
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LANS for the A-League to expand to 10 teams for next season are
likely to be put on hold, with Gold Coast and North Queensland told
to wait another year.
Hard News2008-03-07 09:47:30A fortnight after the Football Federation Australia board provisionally granted licences for both franchises to join the league for 2008-09, it's now likely they will have to wait until the 2009-10 season. While the FFA remains committed to creating a 12- or 14-team league, it doesn't want to risk the viability of the competition, and it's believed there are lingering doubts about the financial readiness of North Queensland and Gold Coast for next season.
Last week, North Queensland imploded following a split in the ranks, and Melbourne businesswoman Melissa Fischer-Massa, the club's main backer, yesterday formally advised the FFA that while she still wanted the licence on her own, she now preferred to join the league in 2009. She is believed to have handed over the necessary $6 million in cash, bank guarantees and term deposits, and told the FFA she will start employing staff within a month if she is given the green light.
The effective withdrawal of the Townsville team for next season has left Gold Coast Galaxy vulnerable, with the FFA increasingly reluctant to operate a nine-team league with a bye. Gold Coast have also had to go the extra yard to convince the FFA of their financial model, while there has been some concerns about their planned lease agreement with Skilled Stadium. It's understood the Galaxy are now more willing to wait until 2009 - although they have also indicated they are prepared to play in 2008 if required.
FFA chief executive Ben Buckley last night refused to confirm that expansion had been put on hold, saying: "I have a proposal from Gold Coast in front of me, I have a proposal from Townsville in front of me, we are reviewing both proposals, and we will make a final deliberation in the next few days."
The outcome, however, seems certain to be a delay - although the overall expansion timetable might actually be fast-tracked with a Wollongong-based team and either a second Sydney or Melbourne side joining the league in 2009 along with Gold Coast and North Queensland.
In transfer news, fringe Socceroos winger Ahmad Elrich is poised to join minor premiers Central Coast Mariners after rejecting offers from Newcastle Jets and Adelaide United.
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Hi, HN trying to send you a PM. Any chance you could clear some inbox space? fab
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Not Lunatic... but would you sell a football club to this woman ?
I wouldn't trust her to guard my pie...
Looks like the sort of owner that would sign our Ahmed...
Incredible stamina. No shame. Yellow Fever.
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Hi, HN trying to send you a PM. Any chance you could clear some inbox space? fab
Sorry, lost track. Stupid 20 message limit.
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1] She's got nice big boobs
2] with the latest two A Leagues sides told to wait, what does that do to Felipe? Does it put him on hold for a year? Reminds me of, the grass is always greener.
Proud to have attended the first 175 Consecutive "Home" Wellington Phoenix "A League" Games !!
The Ruf, The Ruf, The Ruf is on Fire!!
The Ruf, The Ruf, The Ruf is on Fire!!
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1] She's got nice big boobs
2] with the latest two A Leagues sides told to wait, what does that do to Felipe? Does it put him on hold for a year? Reminds me of, the grass is always greener.
His deal will have been conditional of Galaxy joining the league, he'll be a free agent - there'll be other clubs interested in him. Most of them have visa spots free for next season. He wants to stay in the A-League as the earnings-effort ratio is pretty good for a player with some skills, his main problem with Wellington was the weather (wimp).
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1] She's got nice big boobs
2] with the latest two A Leagues sides told to wait, what does that do to Felipe? Does it put him on hold for a year? Reminds me of, the grass is always greener.
His deal will have been conditional of Galaxy joining the league, he'll be a free agent - there'll be other clubs interested in him. Most of them have visa spots free for next season. He wants to stay in the A-League as the earnings-effort ratio is pretty good for a player with some skills, his main problem with Wellington was the weather (wimp).
Benjamin! Been quiet for a while. Good to have you back giving the good oil.
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