Western Sydney Football Club

"Western Sydney Football Club" is the working title of a proposed 18th club for the Australian Football League to be based in Greater Western Sydney. The club is entering the league in the 2012 season. [http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/news/clubs-fasttrack-two-new-entries/2008/03/13/1205126110889.html Gleeson M, Clubs fast-track new entrants, The Age, accessed 14 March 2008]

The AFL is seeking to create a membership based rather than privately owned franchise and has built up grass roots participation in the area through Auskick, and invested in the sporting facility in Blacktown, New South Wales which includes a small sized cricket/Australian rules football stadium with a capacity of around 10,000 as an administration and training base for the new club, while it is likely that the club will play its home games out of ANZ Stadium, or the nearby Sydney Showground (Homebush Bay).

History

It was reported that in January 2008, the AFL officially registered the business name Western Sydney Football Club Ltd with ASIC. [http://www.realfooty.com.au/articles/2008/03/13/1205126110877.html Wilson C, Silence from presidents means 18-team AFL, The Age, accessed 14 March 2008] The registration was effective from 17 March 2008.cite web
url=http://www.search.asic.gov.au/cgi-bin/gns030c?acn=130_190_242
title = ASIC Free Company Name Search
date =
accessdate = 2008-09-20
publisher = http://www.asic.gov.au ASIC] In March 2008, the AFL won the support of the league's 16 club presidents to establish an 18th side in Western Sydney. This is a suspicious moveWho|date=October 2008 as the AFL registered a business name before they had the approval of the 16 club presidents.Fact|date=October 2008

The AFL is considering a radical proposal to launch an Irish-dominated team in Sydney's western suburbs, which would perform before an international audience under the Celtic brand name. The proposed Darwin Football Club, an alternative to the Western Sydney team, would showcase Australian Aboriginal AFL talent, which has caused some controversy among the general public.

The "Sydney Celtics" plan was first put to AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou 18 months ago by Gaelic Players Association executive Donal O'Neill. It has gained momentum in recent weeks following player agent Ricky Nixon's talent-spotting tour of Ireland.

The proposal originated at the International Rules series in Ireland in late 2006 where O'Neill put forward a plan to purchase an AFL licence in Sydney, however, the AFL has since stated that this is unlikely to be a serious option.

While the AFL has started construction on its new home base for its team out of western Sydney — a boutique stadium in Rooty Hill near Blacktown — it is not expected to grant its 18th licence for about 12 months.

The western Sydney working party devising player rules and draft concessions for the second Sydney team is due to meet next on July 22. Other options for the location of the 18th licence include Tasmania or an East Coast team shared between Newcastle, Wollongong and Western Sydney [http://news.sbs.com.au/worldnewsaustralia/tasmania_launches_bid_for_afl_licence_545091] . The rivalry between Sydney and these regions is said to be a driving factor in the new possibility that the Western Sydney team could be shelved until 2020 in favour of a regional team in the second and third largest cities in New South Wales [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_regional_rivalries] .

References

http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/news/afl-eyes-ireland-for-celtic-team/2008/07/11/1215658137146.html?page=2

See also

www.afl.com.au - Offical Afl Sitewww.150years.com.au - Offical 150 years site

External links