Loading The inclusion of Western Melbourne next year will give the league the pizzazz and oomph that it has been crying out for for several years, so the winning bidders are to be congratulated. But why couldn’t the FFA have brought South West Sydney in at the same time? After all, if their bid is good enough to get the go-ahead, it's good enough to start next season. If, as has been suggested, their entry was delayed to allow Western Sydney Wanderers to establish themselves in their new ground next year then it's a poor look for the league as it implies that existing clubs are dictating the governing body’s policy.

Money was also always going to be an issue here, too. Part of the FFA’s drive – and the interest of the existing A-League clubs – was to increase and strengthen the value of A-League licences. So bids of $10 million plus were the starting point for the wannabe franchises in this expansion round. Depending on whom you listen to or believe, and in cases like this there is always a lot of rumour and scuttlebutt, some offered $13 million, some $15 million, others $18 million, and some consortia were, it is said, rung up late on Monday night by representatives of the FFA and asked to up their bid money still further. The FFA, for its part, has stonewalled – not surprisingly – on questions of licence fees and who paid what to whom.

Loading The defeated parties accepted with grace – certainly the two Melbourne bidders put out conciliatory statements that were complimentary to the Western Melbourne Group and to the FFA. Privately the emotions were rather different, again, as might be expected. South Melbourne will no doubt feel that whatever it does it will not be granted a seat at the top table. Its fans are amongst the most voluble on social media and are entitled to wonder why it is that their history and antecedents seem to count against them so much.

Team 11 seemed to run an ideal bid in so many ways, but the Achilles heel in their campaign was the stadium issue, or lack of it. The FFA wanted the Andrews government to sign off on the new Dandenong venue before the decision was made. The government didn’t want to make such a commitment during the election campaign. It seemed very relevant on several occasions during his press conference that FFA chief David Gallop made reference to the fact that he and the board did not want the A-League to be showcased in grounds that did not pass muster. He didn’t say Casey Fields, where Team 11 planned to base themselves, but most watching felt that was what he was referring to. Western Melbourne’s trump card was that they were prepared to finance construction of their own ground, a $150 million 15,000-seat boutique stadium. Some criticised their bid on the grounds that it was really a real estate play with a soccer stadium attached, but that has been roundly denied.

And even if it was, if the stadium adds value to the area and acts as a catalyst for further investment and development then that is no bad thing anyway. When WMG broke cover with their bid in late May of this year, their proposals did include plans to develop residential and commercial property in the surrounding area as well as a scheme for a university department to set up on the site in conjunction with a sports science precinct. It will be fascinating to see how it takes shape – and whether the new entity can galvanise the interest of those in the west. If they can, they will hope to replicate the success that the Wanderers have enjoyed. If not, the FFA will be criticised for making a massive mistake.

As ever, time will reveal all.