community,

Imagine Campbelltown Sports Stadium full of boisterous Macarthur soccer fans cheering on their local team. That’s the dream, according to Campbelltown mayor George Brticevic. Macarthur residents from all walks of life are being urged to get behind a bid to establish an A-League side in the region. Football Federation Australia has confirmed two new teams will enter the competition during the 2019/20 season. And those behind the bid, led by Campbelltown Council, are urging Macarthur residents to formally submit their interest at unitedformacarthur.com.au. “It shows people are interested and passionate,” Cr Brticevic, who has spearheaded the bid, said. It’s unusual for an idea to have the backing of councils and MPs of all political persuasions. But when comes to a local A-League side, all three Macarthur councils and every state and federal MP are in agreement. In fact, Wollondilly MP Jai Rowell (Liberal) and Campbelltown MP Greg Warren (Labor) both believe a successful bid would also push the case for an upgrade of Campbelltown Sports Stadium – where the A-League side would play its home games. “Obviously that would provide a fantastic opportunity to upgrade Campbelltown Sports Stadium,” Mr Rowell said. Mr Warren added: “I’d love to see some (state government) money for Campbelltown Sports Stadium upgrades regardless, but an A-League side would add much more weight to the argument”. If the bid was successful, the club would potentially play 18 homes games at the local venue. Cr Brticevic said discussions about a stadium upgrade had been held with state ministers. Though concrete plans hadn’t been developed given the A-League bid had not been approved yet. “There’s no point asking the government to commit if we haven’t passed the first hurdle,” he said. Cr Brticevic said a packed out local stadium of screaming soccer fans would be a sight to behold. And the atmosphere and passion of other soccer crowds throughout the globe was something he hoped to emulate in Macarthur. “Some of those franchises in the Major League Soccer (American league) really inspire me in terms of crowds,” he said. “The Seattle Sounders and Vancouver Whitecaps have rectangular stadiums (like Campbelltown) and they are packed out with colour and passionate fans.” The local stadium has seen its share of big crowds. More than 20,500 people flooded through the gates in 2005 for the final Wests Tigers home game at the venue before the team eventually went on to win the grand final.

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