By Nick Creely
The plan to secure an A-League club in the south-east Melbourne region is one step closer to reality, with the Football Federation Australia (FFA) formally commencing its process to expand the league by two new clubs from the 2019/20 season.
The FFA recently invited all parties interested in obtaining a licence to participate in the Hyundai A-League to respond to the Expression of Interest (EOI) by the FFA.
The closing date of the submission of the EOI is 24 May 2018, with a confirmation of shortlisted bidders in June, a release of request for proposals on 11 June, with a submission of proposals due by 31 August.
An announcement will then be made on 31 October by the FFA, which will outline which bids will be granted a licence.
Team11 is the official name of the south-east bid, with former Herald Sun writer – and Berwick local – Matt Windley on board as the full-time Project Officer, working closely with the steering committee, which features State Member for Dandenong Gabrielle Williams MP, Cr Jim Memeti (Greater Dandenong City Council), Garry McQuillan (Cardinia Shire Council), Peter Fitchett (Casey City Council) and Team11 Ambassador Vince Grella, a former Socceroo who played junior football for Springvale City.
Back on 4 May 2017, The Greater Dandenong City Council, City of Casey and Cardinia Shire Council signed an historic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) outlining their vision and commitment to secure a new A-League, W-League and National Youth League Club for south-east Melbourne.
The bid envisages playing out of a boutique stadium in the heart of Greater Dandenong, with a capacity nearing 10,000 seats. Currently, the steering committee is in the process of securing funding from the State Government, with a key announcement to be made later next week.
Plans for a Casey Centre of Excellence are also well underway, which will rely on partnership investments. With a main training facility based out of Casey Fields, the men and women will potentially train on an A-Grade pitch in a world class facility that will have the potential to host W-League matches, youth team matches and A-League pre-season fixtures.
Inside the facility will be state-of-the-art facilities, with a top-line administrative space for men and women.
Team11 also aims to provide ample opportunity for local talent, as well as engage with local football clubs not only in the Dandenong, Casey and Cardinia regions, but also in the Mornington Peninsula and Kingston areas, with Windley having only recently gone out to regional forums with clubs such as Pakenham United, Langwarrin, Berwick City and Chelsea FC.
