There are six excellent bids on the table. None of them are perfect but all of them are capable, in one way or another, of making a significant contribution to the future of the league. FFA chief executive David Gallop and A-League boss Greg O'Rourke have made their decision and will recommend the two bids of their choice to the board on Wednesday. It's highly likely they will be Macarthur-South West Sydney and south-east Melbourne's Team 11. Executive decision: FFA chief David Gallop will front the board on Wednesday alongside A-League boss Greg O'Rourke. Credit:AAP But the identity of the new expansion clubs is almost the secondary concern at this point. The key question is when they will join the competition. If the current A-League clubs have their way, it won't be until the 2020-21 season, with the 10 owners having prosecuted a case that none of the bids are so impressive that two of them must be rushed in next year.

They may have a point. It's logical that the longer the expansion clubs have to get their business in order, the more successful they will be. Plus, with the A-League due to be spun off and run independently by the end of March, there is an underlying current of uncertainty which adds weight to the conservative argument. Loading The situation in Melbourne also lends credence to it. Team 11 don't yet have a commitment from any level of government about funding for their proposed stadium in Dandenong, although those close to the bid are confident it can be locked away after a few months of negotiating. Even the Western Melbourne Group, who have promised to build and fund their own stadium, will need assurances from the Victorian state government around infrastructure for the surrounding precinct. And the less time the new teams spend playing out of temporary grounds, the better. Those who are calling for four new teams in one hit aren't being realistic. That would put an enormous strain on Australia's player base and the NPL, which is agitating for its own increased national representation. (That's a whole other story.)

But there's nothing stopping the FFA board from getting there one step at a time. One new team should join the A-League in each of the next four seasons - starting in 2019-20 with Macarthur-South West Sydney. Loading They look ready to go. Campbelltown Stadium is waiting. And any delay might put their pursuit of retired Socceroos skipper Mile Jedinak in jeopardy. So why should they be made to wait? Because the Western Sydney Wanderers want to play out a full season in their new stadium before they have a rival on their doorstep? Rubbish. If FFA had listened to the self-serving concerns of A-League clubs in the past, the Wanderers wouldn't exist. Sydney FC, after all, used to say there was room for only one team in this enormous, sprawling city. The Wanderers will be fine. They might even thrive, much like the Sky Blues have since the advent of the derby.