The club, says CEO Chris Pehlivanis, has the licence to think outside the square, consider all options and attempt radical solutions while it waits for all the permits to be granted and construction of its planned new stadium in Tarneit to begin. The proposal to build its own football specific stadium was essentially what made the FFA board plump for Western's bid ahead of the more-widely expected Team 11 from Dandenong when the A-League looked to expand to a third team in Melbourne. The fact that construction has not begun is causing plenty of scepticism - something Pehlivanis acknowledges. "Of course there are sceptical people. There always are in this game. But we have to keep planning and while we are waiting for it to be built we are looking at different ways to attract fans and consolidate our position in the west of Melbourne and Victoria," he said. Loading

"We were very pleased with the crowd and the atmosphere we got playing at Mars Stadium in Ballarat last weekend [a 3-1 home loss to Wellington] and we are looking to build up our supporter base in the west." Pehlevanis confirmed that negotiations to play some games this season at Whitten Oval are well advanced. "We are looking at every option. There's the Bulldogs, we would look at any rectangular stadium in the west," he says, agreeing that the Knights venue at Somers Street could still come into play. But it is the notion of double-headers that is the most radical kite he and his club are flying. "We could even look at double-headers," he said. "That used to happen in the old days. Why couldn't fans who enjoy football get the chance to watch two games in one day in one stadium?

"It would depend on who you were playing. It's just an idea to throw up. We are a new club and we can try a lot of different things. Just because they are new doesn't mean they won't work or shouldn't be tried. We can try anything. Loading "We are exploring all options. I will definitely have another chat to the Knights and explore everything." Whatever Western ends up doing will have to suit the FFA and particularly the broadcaster, Fox Sports, who require certain standards to be met in terms of floodlighting and advertising space for games to be staged at specific venues. Many have argued that Western should do a deal with the Knights, a club which owns its own ground and is situated in the heartland of Melbourne's western suburbs.

It is understood the Knights did offer itself as a home from home for the first couple of seasons on condition that Western footed the bill for ground and infrastructure upgrades (including office space which the new club could have had to itself) in the first year, along with naming rights on match days and profits from food and drink sales. In subsequent seasons it wanted rental of $200,000 a season for use of the stadium on match days and for training purposes until Western's own new venue was completed. But no agreement was reached and Western opted for Geelong instead. A deal with the Bulldogs could be done early in the new year if both are convinced an agreement makes financial sense. Lev Shevki, a United board member and financial backer, is also on the Bulldogs board.

"Whatever we do we have to ensure that it's a fit-for-purpose venue but we will explore any option that might look attractive," Pehlivanis says. GMHBA Stadium is a cavernous venue which is simply too big for the small home crowds that the team is currently attracting, leading to a dead and debilitating atmosphere. Loading So far Western has only picked up seven points out of a possible 21 playing at its home venue, perhaps a reflection of the lack of atmosphere there. On the road it is a different story, where Mark Rudan's side has gained 10 points out of 15 available. Its draw has been heavily loaded to ensure it got a lot of games in Geelong early in the campaign, to help it build its identity in the west but also to ensure that it wouldn't be there when the footy pre-season got underway.