According to a report by The Geelong Advertiser, the team, working under the name Victoria Patriots, will push for a spot and has already reached out to architecture company Populous about constructing a purpose built stadium to solidify their bid.

Steve Horvat, former Australia international and spokesperson for the bid, stated that the proposal will be constructed around a model similar to that of Western Sydney Wanderers, with the aim of reaching out to a fanbase not only within Geelong but the whole of Victoria’s west.

“We know the bid criteria hasn’t been released yet. But this is going to be a club built from the ground up, engaging the community with key football people in important decision-making roles,” Horvat said.

“It’s a tough economic climate out there and people are cautious and wary of new sporting franchises.

“We have had a core group of people working on this behind the scenes for a good 12 months.

“This hasn’t been a spur-of-the-moment decision.

“We feel that even though the criteria hasn’t been released, we know what we want to achieve.

“It’s going to be a very community-orientated bid. We want to make sure we engage the community and our future fans and members from day one.”

Should the FFA accept their bid, Simonds Stadium looms as the most likely home for the club during its formative years, whilst Horvat said it was crucial the A-proposal embraced all of Western Victoria including growth areas like Armstrong Creek in addition to Melbourne’s western suburbs such as Ballarat and Bendigo.

“This really is for all of Western Victoria because there are just so many untapped catchment areas.

“There are huge corridors to work with and we are going to go to all those regions and engage the local communities to make sure they feel invested in this club.

For everyone's info, Victoria Patriots FC is our working title. The name of new Club, colours and strip design will be selected by fans — Victoria Patriots FC (@Patriots_FC) January 25, 2017

The former Socceroo met with FFA officials to discuss Geelong’s bid and said the message he received was positive.

“They have said along with other regions that this region is in the ball game,” Horvat said.

“It’s up to us, the community, key stakeholders to work together to make sure we put forward a compelling case.”