FFA asks A-League bidders to name preferred expansion franchise locations

Football Federation Australia has asked bidders in the auction for the next cycle of domestic rights to state their preferred expansion franchise locations in the top-tier A-League.

Bids for the rights, covering four seasons from 2017-18, are due to be submitted by the end of the day today (Thursday).

Two new teams are due to be added to the A-League for the 2018-19 season.

“We want to add teams and therefore we’ve asked them for their view of a competition that is 12 teams, not 10,” FFA chief executive David Gallop said.

“I’ve said for some time, expansion is more than the ability to set up a sustainable operation in a geographical location – that’s only half the equation. The other half of the equation is adding value to the whole competition and the game, in the sense that you provide something that is of value to our broadcasters, our national sponsors, and therefore the overall pie grows.”