MILTON-Ulladulla product Chris Price and his Wollongong Wolves’ dream return to the national stage was dealt a knockout blow after the club failed to be named as one of six remaining bids vying for an A-League expansion spot.
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The Wolves had been one of eight hopefuls still in the running for spots in an expanded competition, but were officially cut after an FFA board meeting on Tuesday evening.
“We appreciate the efforts of the teams from Wollongong and Ipswich, who both put a considerable amount of work towards this process,” FFA chief executive David Gallop said.
“We were impressed with their professionalism and we encourage them each to continue to work towards further strengthening their credentials as we continue to grow the A-League footprint in coming years.
Southern Expansion, which hopes to capture the support of the Illawarra region, were named in the last six.
Macarthur South West Sydney (NSW), Western Melbourne (VIC), Team 11 (VIC), South Melbourne (VIC) and Canberra (ACT) are also on the list.
“Since receiving the eight bids, we have carefully evaluated information provided and commitments made by the bidding parties. It was clear certain bids were stronger than others,” Gallop said.
“We have six bids that all have positive aspects but require further work in certain areas.
“We need to continue our consultation with those bid teams to ensure that they adequately address these areas to ensure their future sustainability, which includes securing stadia, catchment area and financial capital.
“It is critical that FFA can be satisfied the successful bidders will be sustainable from day one as well as meet a variety of commitments that will benefit the longer-term growth of the Hyundai A-League.”
