South Coast A-League bid
Encyclopedia
South Coast Football is a New South Wales
community based group bidding to enter a team in the Hyundai A-League
for the 2010-11 season. The bid, led by local businessman Eddy De Gabriele, aims to represent a population of 500,000 in the South Coast, New South Wales
region, taking in the Wollongong, Shellharbour, Shoalhaven
, Wollondilly, Wingecarribee, Kiama and Eurobodalla local government areas.
The area has a strong football (soccer)
history, containing some of the oldest clubs in Australia. While there are more than 12,000 registered players from juniors to seniors it is also the home of Australia
n internationals such as Johnny Warren
, Scott Chipperfield
, Mile Sterjovski
and Luke Wilkshire
. The captain of the 1974 FIFA World Cup
team, Peter Wilson
, played in the area after emigrating from England. Wilson still lives near Wollongong. Tim Cahill
has declared his support for the South Coast bid and will launch his first coaching academy in Wollongong.
A bid was entered to join the 2009–10 A-League but lost out to Gold Coast United and North Queensland Fury. The A-League is expected to expand further into a 12 or 14 team competition for 2010–11
and the South Coast bid is considered a front runner to join the expansion.
The bid had its genesis in a decision by Wollongong City Council to pursue an A-League place in 2006. A key success so far has been the unification of nine separate football organisations in the region, the first time they have come together under one banner for more than 30 years. This includes the support of Wollongong Wolves
, or Wollongong FC as they are now known, who won the National Soccer League
titles in 2000 and 2001.
, Wollongong to watch a 2008 A-League Pre-Season Challenge Cup
match between Sydney FC
and Wellington Phoenix. One of their main rivals for the twelfth A-League place, Canberra
, drew 8,000 to a similar match.
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
community based group bidding to enter a team in the Hyundai A-League
A-League
The A-League is the top Australasian professional football league. Run by Australian governing body Football Federation Australia , it was founded in 2004 following the folding of the National Soccer League and staged its inaugural season in 2005–06. It is sponsored by Hyundai Motor Company...
for the 2010-11 season. The bid, led by local businessman Eddy De Gabriele, aims to represent a population of 500,000 in the South Coast, New South Wales
South Coast, New South Wales
The South Coast refers to the narrow coastal belt from Sydney in the north to the border with Victoria in the south in the south-eastern part of the State of New South Wales, Australia. It is bordered to the west by the coastal escarpment of the Southern Tablelands, which is largely covered by a...
region, taking in the Wollongong, Shellharbour, Shoalhaven
Shoalhaven
The City of Shoalhaven is a Local Government Area in south-eastern New South Wales , Australia, two hours south of Sydney. It is more or less conterminous with an area referred to as The Shoalhaven. It is on the Pacific Ocean and the Princes Highway and is the terminus of the South Coast line...
, Wollondilly, Wingecarribee, Kiama and Eurobodalla local government areas.
The area has a strong football (soccer)
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
history, containing some of the oldest clubs in Australia. While there are more than 12,000 registered players from juniors to seniors it is also the home of Australia
Australia national football (soccer) team
The Australia national association football team represents Australia in international association football competitions. Its official nickname is the "Socceroos"...
n internationals such as Johnny Warren
Johnny Warren
John Norman Warren, MBE, OAM was an Australian football player, coach, administrator, writer and broadcaster. He was known as Captain Socceroo for his passionate work to promote the game in Australia...
, Scott Chipperfield
Scott Chipperfield
Scott Kenneth Chipperfield is an Australian international football player who currently plays as a midfielder for FC Basel in the Swiss Super League.-Personal life:...
, Mile Sterjovski
Mile Sterjovski
Mile Sterjovski is an Australian football player, who currently plays for Perth Glory and played for the Australian national team from 2000 to 2010, before he retired from international football after his non-selection for the 2010 FIFA World Cup...
and Luke Wilkshire
Luke Wilkshire
Luke Wilkshire is an Australian football player who plays for Dynamo Moscow in the Russian Premier League...
. The captain of the 1974 FIFA World Cup
1974 FIFA World Cup
The 1974 FIFA World Cup, the tenth staging of the World Cup, was held in West Germany from 13 June to 7 July. The tournament marked the first time that the current trophy, the FIFA World Cup Trophy, created by the Italian sculptor Silvio Gazzaniga, was awarded...
team, Peter Wilson
Peter Wilson (Australian footballer)
Peter Frederick Wilson is a former Australian football player. He was the captain of the Australian 1974 World Cup squad in West Germany...
, played in the area after emigrating from England. Wilson still lives near Wollongong. Tim Cahill
Tim Cahill
Timothy Filiga "Tim" Cahill is an football player of Australian nationality who plays for Everton and the Australian national football team...
has declared his support for the South Coast bid and will launch his first coaching academy in Wollongong.
A bid was entered to join the 2009–10 A-League but lost out to Gold Coast United and North Queensland Fury. The A-League is expected to expand further into a 12 or 14 team competition for 2010–11
2010–11 A-League
The 2010–11 A-League season is the sixth season of the Australian football championship since its establishment in 2004. The home and away season began on 5 August 2010 and concluded on 13 February 2011. The addition of brought the total number of teams to 11...
and the South Coast bid is considered a front runner to join the expansion.
The bid had its genesis in a decision by Wollongong City Council to pursue an A-League place in 2006. A key success so far has been the unification of nine separate football organisations in the region, the first time they have come together under one banner for more than 30 years. This includes the support of Wollongong Wolves
Wollongong Wolves
The South Coast Wolves Football Club is an Australian Association football club based in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia currently playing in the NSW Premier League.The club was formed in 2009 as a not for profit organisation, run and owned by the community since the financial...
, or Wollongong FC as they are now known, who won the National Soccer League
National Soccer League
The National Soccer League is the former national association football competition in Australasia, overseen by Soccer Australia and later the Australian Soccer Association. The NSL spanned 28 seasons from its inception in 1977, until its demise in 2004...
titles in 2000 and 2001.
Memberships
South Coast Football was expected to launch a membership drive in late 2008 to demonstrate the level of commitment to A-League football in the community. More than 6,000 fans turned up to the club's touted home ground of WIN StadiumWIN Stadium
Wollongong Showground is a rectangular multi-purpose stadium located in the city of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. The stadium was officially opened in 1911. From 1982 until 1998 it played host to every home match for the Illawarra Steelers NRL team...
, Wollongong to watch a 2008 A-League Pre-Season Challenge Cup
2008 A-League Pre-Season Challenge Cup
The 2008 A-League Pre-Season Challenge Cup competition was held in July and August 2008, in the lead up to the start of the Australian A-League football 2008-09 season....
match between Sydney FC
Sydney FC
Sydney FC is a professional football club based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia and competes in the country's premier football competition, the A-League...
and Wellington Phoenix. One of their main rivals for the twelfth A-League place, Canberra
Canberra A-League Bid
A-League4Canberra is the working name for a proposed Canberra-based A-League association football club.-History:A Canberra based consortium led by TransACT CEO Ivan Slavich is determined to apply for and receive a license to compete in the A-League, commencing in the 2010-11 season...
, drew 8,000 to a similar match.