CAMPBELLTOWN Council has long been searching for a team that can call Campbelltown Stadium home and now hopes to bring the Beautiful Game to the city.

The council has informed Football Federation Australia (FFA) of its intention to bid for an A-League team that would play out of Campbelltown Stadium and represent South West Sydney.

media_camera Lachlan Scott of the Western Sydney Wanderers scores a goal past Newcastle Jets goalkeeper Jack Duncan in last season’s round 16 match at Campbelltown Stadium. Picture: Mark Evans

In a statement, Campbelltown Council said the club would have a full professional set up including a W-League and National Youth League team ready to go from the start of the 2019-2020.

Campbelltown Labor Mayor George Brticevic said an A-League team representing the region would be an exciting opportunity for southwest Sydney given its strong community supporter base and would provide a professional pathway for local players.

media_camera Campbelltown Mayor George Brticevic with Wanderers player Jumpei Kusukami and Western Sydney Wanderers CEO John Tsatsimas announcing Campbelltown’s hosting of the Asian Champions League last year. Picture: Rohan Kelly

“There are strong reasons why a new team should be established in the region and in particular at Campbelltown Sports Stadium given its accessibility by both road and public transport,” he said.

“There is substantial population growth expected over the next 20 years which will see many families calling the region home.”

“We already have strong, passionate grassroots support for football in our region, and this support will grow significantly as our region grows.

media_camera Sydney FC winger David Carney is another professional footballer from the region. Picture: Joel Castro

“Our community is calling out for, and deserves, a full-time sporting team with a full schedule of games, and this is a great opportunity to have a professional sporting team, playing at a national level, which lives and breathes this region.

“There’s a lot of work to be undertaken in developing the bid, but we have a compelling case for a team to gain entry into the A-League.”

The Macarthur region has produced several current and former football stars, with Sydney FC

media_camera Former World Cup Socceroo Brett Emerton is from the Macarthur region.

Championship winner David Carney, Western Sydney Wanderers striker Mark Bridge and former English Premier League star and ‘golden generation’ Socceroo Brett Emerton all hailing from the region.

A-LEAGUE CONFIDENTIAL

A-League Confidential A-League Confidential

A-League boss Greg O’Rourke has previously flagged the 2019 season for expansion of the league but a current power struggle at the top of the game between clubs and the FFA could see FIFA step in to take over the game in Australia and potentially set back expansion.

The council has launched a campaign encouraging local football fans to back the bid at southwestsydneyfootballbid.com.au