As Canberra’s bid for an A-League side steps back to reassess and lick its wounds, Wagga’s largest junior sporting code by registration - soccer - should nevertheless reflect on the future prospect of enjoying professional opportunities closer to home.
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Thursday afternoon brought the curtains down on Canberra’s A-League bid with Football Federation Australia announcing rival bids West Melbourne and Macarthur South-West Sydney as the A-League’s new expansion teams but Canberra’s time isn’t over.
Football Federation Australian (FFA) Chris Nikou said that while the two successful bids represented massive growth corridors in Australia, teams like Canberra would not be forgotten.
“Our work on expanding the Hyundai A-League does not stop here. This is the start of a journey which will see our competition grow beyond 12 teams in the future,” he said in a statement.
“I wish to acknowledge the strength of all bids, including those that were unsuccessful on this occasion. The expansion process has been long and extensive, with many passionate football people pouring every effort into their bid proposal.
“We look forward to continuing discussions with unsuccessful bidders for future phases of expansion. In particular, we acknowledge on this occasion that a licence has not been granted to the Canberra region.
“We do, however, continue to view Canberra as an attractive opportunity for potential future expansion.”
Wagga City Wanderers and, by extension, Football Wagga, have become inexorably linked to Canberra’s bid since joining Capital Football’s NPL competition and there’s growing sentiment among the soccer community that an A-League side in their backyard could give the code more weight.
It is worth noting the power dynamic between soccer and rival winter sports as Football Wagga begins agitating for greater recognition and support at local and state government level.
Football Wagga boasted of having in excess of 3000 registered players last season – a figure akin to AFL Riverina’s total of 3,679 registered players – and Wagga City Wanderers coach Ross Morgan believes the code will continue to grow in size and influence.
The sport is getting bigger and bigger and I think that’s why Capital Football have looked to bring in associations like Football Wagga.
- Wagga City Wanderers coach Ross Morgan
Furthermore, Morgan says it exactly the reason why the Wanderers have found a foothold in the nation’s capital.
“The sport is getting bigger and bigger and I think that’s why Capital Football have looked to bring in associations like Football Wagga,” Morgan said.
“It’s the same as how they brought in the Riverina Rhinos a few years back and it’s about making their areas bigger but it also provides a pathway for country kids to play in a higher quality competition … and Wagga needs that.
“Just look at the past three or four years. Football Wagga’s registration has grown from 1900 or so to over 3000 and now we’ve got a way for kids to get better close to home.”
It comes as no surprise that Football Wagga and Wagga City Wanderers are eager to see a national team set up shop down the road.
Riverina players are regularly lost to opportunities in Sydney, Melbourne and even Albury-Wodonga, where more established competitions offer clear cut paths to the professional circuit.
Morgan believes a successful Canberra A-League bid down the line would see aspiring players remain in Wagga and commit to building their soccer dreams through the Wanderers club.
In so doing, Morgan claims, players could make a name for themselves in the NPL rather than searching abroad for opportunities.
“I think that Canberra will get a team and that’s great because Wagga’s five hours away from Sydney and it’s too far for families to be able to support their kids playing football.”
“But put an A-League team in Canberra and it’s not too much for players to commute there if they’re selected in an academy.
“Having a big team in that location give families here the resources to encourage their kids to go to that next level through a clear pathway.”
More observant readers would recognise the term “pathway” cropping up at regular intervals but Football Wagga president Tony Dobbin says its importance cannot be overstated.
Having just be re-elected to head Football Wagga’s charge into a new chapter, Dobbin is eager to see Wanderers’ NPL success trickle down to the aspiring Wagga junior.
In his mind, a neighbouring A-League base is just another step along the journey.
“We would support Canberra bidding for an A-League licence but we would also support Griffith if they went for it or even Albury,” Dobbin said.
“For us, it’s about having a professional team nearby and with Wanderers going into the Canberra competition and Canberra making bids and hopefully having an A-League team in the future, we’re starting to see a real pathway emerging for our younger players.
“Say you start the game as a five-year-old and make it into a junior Wanderers team.
“You can then see the way forwards through under 20s, then the senior teams in the NPL and at the end there’s an attainable A-League team.”
That dream of having an A-League team down the road hasn’t come to fruition just yet with West Melbourne and Macarthur South-West Sydney ruled to have more merit by FFA.
The Western Melbourne Group is slated to join the competition as early as next season, with the Macarthur-South West Sydney bid to follow for the 2020-21 campaign.
Speaking to media on Thursday, FFA chief executive David Gallop refused to directly state why Canberra missed out but offered an olive branch of sorts in saying the capital remained an expansion point of interest.
“It’s better to talk about why went for the ones that we did go for,” he said.
“Obviously we had to look at the impact of existing clubs and the footprint of the existing clubs and we believe in both Sydney and Melbourne, we’ve picked areas which will be new corridors for the game in high population growth areas.”
For us, it’s about having a professional team nearby and with Wanderers going into the Canberra competition and Canberra ... hopefully having an A-League team in the future, we’re starting to see a real pathway emerging for our younger players.
- Football Wagga president Tony Dobbin
“Canberra is definitely one we’re interested in continuing to talk to but we felt that on the pluses and the minuses, the Sydney and Melbourne bids came out ahead of Canberra at this stage,” he added.
Dobbin remains steadfastly in favour of inland expansion, not only for Wagga’s own footballing progression but also to properly represent a broader part of the country.
“I’d personally prefer non-Sydney and non-Melbourne teams to get up and for me Canberra’s still part of the bush and it’s part of our area.”
“If people here want to see an A-League game, you have to go to one of those bigger cities like Melbourne, catch the train and spend a damn fortune with accommodation but if they looked to expand to Canberra, they would be bring A-League closer to an entirely new region that is growing and growing.
“People in Wagga could go and see an A-League game by driving two or so hours and it’s just a day trip to Canberra.
“That means more families seeing top level footy and more kids getting exposure.”
Such fancies of Football Wagga linking directly with an A-League club were unheard of before this year but Dobbin says the recent move to Capital Football has given the governing body a broader view and far greater ambition.
”I think this year particularly with Wanderers moving to Canberra and all has really opened our vista, if you like.”
“By having a local team entrenched in Capital Football, we’re allowing our players to participate in a competition that sets them up to develop and play at a higher skill level.
“You play Wanderers and then there’s NPL opportunities and that’s giving our players exposure to give them the best shot.
“It might only happen once every three or four or even five years but there’s now a real chance that a Wagga junior can go all the way through our program, into Capital Football and then maybe they make it, whether it’s a Canberra team down the line or even Everton if they’re good enough.
“We really appreciate what Capital Football has done for us and we’ll continue to support a Canberra A-League team.”
At the end of the day, hope remains and Canberra’s bid team won’t go down without a fight with bid leader Michael Caggiano taking significant hope from FFA’s declaration.
A previous ACT bid fell away after missing out an expansion license in 2008, but Caggiano says that won't happen this time.
"I think that line (from FFA), and that message now, is not if Canberra will be in the A-League, but when,” Caggiano told media.
Should such strong will endure, there’s every likelihood the nation’s capital will land itself an A-League team and when that happens, Wagga will have the final piece of its grassroots pathway in place.
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