Slavich raised $5 million to try and bring an A-League club to Canberra, but has now joined forces with the Mariners as their business development ambassador in the ACT. He said the Mariners, who continue to be plagued by financial woes, were committed to making Canberra Stadium a long-term home and revealed it wasn't just regular-season games that were on the table. "If they got into a final it's quite possible they would play the final in Canberra and not on the Central Coast," Slavich told Fairfax Media on Tuesday. "That's how much they're committed and serious about Canberra being their market." Slavich said the Mariners were now Canberra's best chance of hosting regular A-League games and encouraged the nation's capital to come out in force on Saturday.

With Gallop and FFA chairman Steven Lowy set to be at the match, Slavich was concerned Canberrans might not realise how important voting with their feet was in terms of having high-quality games in the future. He pointed to the success Greater Western Sydney has had in bringing AFL games to Manuka Oval as Canberra's best chance of ensuring the A-League had a future there. "People in Canberra keep talking about an A-League team and this is the first time we've had an A-League side play [here] since 2009, which is the last time the Mariners played," he said. "This is our A-League ticket ... the concern I have is if the football community keeps going, 'this is not our team, we go for the Wanderers and we go for other teams', then we'll forever be in this vortex of no elite football in Canberra other than the odd Socceroos game." Mielekamp said the Mariners wanted to "make a genuine difference to the football community in the ACT", which is why they were not only playing games at Canberra Stadium but establishing a pathway for players by providing opportunities to join their A-League squad.

While Gallop indicated a crowd in excess of 10,000 would be a pass mark for the Mariners-Phoenix game, Mielekamp said it was more about establishing a "core group of support". He said with Remembrance Day falling on Friday, players would pay their respects to the armed forces with ceremonies before the game – including the Last Post and a minute's silence – as well as wearing a specially designed jersey. The club will also be raising money for the RSL. "We're not as dictated by setting a particular number, it's probably more of a quality rather than a quantity scenario for us," Mielekamp said. "We'd be really excited by a decent crowd that's really passionate and understood the game and was highly engaged with the sport.

"That would be really good for us and a sign that there is a core group of support that is there to grow from. "We're not looking at this as a one-match, pass-or-fail opportunity, we're really looking ... to set up something long-term that can really grow. "It's not about how many people come to the game on the weekend, it's about how many people come to A-League games in five years." The Mariners will arrive in Canberra on Thursday evening and will train at Canberra Stadium on Friday. A-LEAGUE ROUND 5