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Football Federation Australia (FFA) has begun the long-awaited formal expansion process for the Hyundai A-League, announcing that it is inviting expressions of interest (EOI) from potential bidders.

Revealing that two new clubs will join the competition from the 2019/20 season, bidders are being asked to provide information about their strategy for a new club and to prove their financial bona fides.

Once received, the FFA will select a shortlist of bidders and request from them a fully-fledged proposal by the end of August with a decision to be made by the FFA's board by 31st October.

The two new clubs - which are expected to come from Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane are likely to be asked to pay a multi-million dollar fee to the FFA.

Announcing the timetable, FFA Chief Executive David Gallop said a number of potential bidders had already expressed their interest publicly and privately and more could emerge locally and internationally during the process.

He said FFA had shared information about the process with existing Hyundai A-League clubs, Member Federations and Professional Footballers Australia, advising “we have done a lot of work on the fundamentals behind successful expansion of the Hyundai A-League and we are confident that we will receive some high quality bids as part of this process. But it’s important to remember that this is an interaction with the market and the market will have its own views.

“That’s why it was encouraging to see that the Adelaide United licence sold recently for a price that provided the owners with a strong financial return on their initial investment.

“Australian sport has seen expansion produce both hits and misses over the last few decades as the competition for hearts and minds becomes more and more intense. In short we are determined to be one of the hits. We must do all we can to ensure that sound business principles and more generally the best interests of football are considered and applied.

“The game is right to be aspirational and confident and this is an exciting opportunity for interested parties to get on board in a competition that has produced outstanding growth in its short history. New teams are a long term investment both for the entrant and the game generally (and) we feel that the time is right now to introduce the A-League to more fans and provide more opportunities for the thousands of kids who are playing the game and aspiring to play on the main stage in Australia and Asia.

“We are looking for new clubs that are going to not just be successful in their own right but make the league as a whole more commercially successful. It will be important that the existing clubs, Member Federations and PFA are given opportunities to make submissions on the impact on their own organisations and their views on the options as they unfold.

“Overseas experience has shown that new clubs bring new interest and energy to the game.

“However while this process is going on we will continue to work with the existing clubs, our broadcasters and other partners to build the League for next season. We will be investing more marketing dollars than ever before on the League and introducing other initiatives to get crowds and viewers back for next season. FFA is working closely with the Club CEOs and their teams to build an environment that encourages a closer connection with our record number of grassroots participants and more generally football fans in Australia and New Zealand.

“With football booming in Asia, the largest participation base in Australian sport and our national teams competing on the world stage, this is the right time to be expanding the Hyundai A-League.”

Images: Adelaide United players at the launch of the 2016 A-League season (top) and David Gallop (below).

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