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There are a number of directions in which to proportion that, with the most common being towards the hierarchy at the club who facilitated the number fudging.
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| Perth - it's a place somewhere. Maybe. |
A quick glance at Perth Glory’s official Facebook provides more than enough justification for the state of WA to make some radical moves. See exhibit A below:
“What about the FFA cheating Perth? One of the 27 free to air Friday night telecasts (and an away game), the FFA Cup final fiasco, extra travel from Perth. Why does the FFA get away with cheating against Perth????”
Point well made, sir, and that’s before anyone even mentions the much maligned ‘wet bulb globe temperature’ nonsense or the east coast media mafia who detest anything to do with Perth.
It’s time WA told the FFA to f-off and went out on their own. Forget shifting into Asia, there’s more than enough candidates in the nation’s biggest state to form a breakaway competition.
That’s not to say that future expansion is being ruled out; a team from Bali is the obvious choice to become a member of the WA-League (catchy name, right?). Just imagine the away days…
For now though, it’s important to establish some solid foundations so eight teams is the perfect number to kick things off:
Perth Glory
The superpower, rich in history and already well established. Admittedly, it’s likely that they would become the WA-League’s superpower initially, our very own Rosenborg.
However, that may not last as fans become disillusioned with mismanagement and realise that there are now other options right on the doorstep.
Perth Something-or-other
Forget the Distance Derby, that #banter has well and truly run its course. It’s time to have a proper city rivalry.
Perth’s northern suburbs is an ideal location for this new side, and they could play out of Joondalup Arena initially until their own ground is established. Given the demographic of the area, “Perth Britannia” might get bums on seats and ruffle a few feathers at the same time.
Fremantle
It worked in the AFL so why not the round ball game too?
Mandurah
This is a bit of a dodgy one as while the area is home to some quality junior and senior set ups, there are serious question marks over the man at the Mandurah City helm right now.
Poor Peter Rowe would need to manage his anxiety a bit better if he was to step up to the plate in the WA-League.
Bunbury
Heading a bit further south, Bunbury has a long tradition of producing very competitive sides and there’s a decent size catchment area to utilise.
Having been screwed out of a place in the National Premier League (NPL), South West Phoenix might welcome this opportunity to leapfrog that particular competition.
Broome
A pre-game stroll down Cable Beach and a few ginger beers at Matso’s brewery sounds decent, doesn’t it? If that’s a bit too classy for the average football fan then the Roebuck Hotel is a more than suitable alternative.
Sports wise, Broome doesn’t have any top flight teams so let’s get football in there first. If it was good enough for basketball star Yao Ming to bring some exhibition games to in 2011 then it’s good enough for the WA-League.
Geraldton
Anyone who has played Sunday League football in WA over the last few years will be familiar with the tales that return from away trips to Geraldton. Established side La Fiamma have some lovely facilities, including a carpet for a pitch, and boisterous supporters.
The city itself has a population of over 35,000 and one of the dodgiest, yet most wonderful, night clubs you’ll come across. What more could you want?
Kalgoorlie
Football is already well established in Kalgoorlie so why not expand on that a little? The town is well known for having a, as Wikipedia describes it, “dynamic and diverse cultural scene”. That’s “a load of skimpy bars” to you and I, perfect for a lads’ weekend or buck’s party.
Kalgoorlie is 600kms from Perth and can be accessed by road, rail and air, the only thing left would be to justify it to the missus.
Format
Let’s not over complicate things. The teams play each other four times during the regular season for a total of 28 games.
The top four then go into finals, because Australia farking loves finals, with first playing fourth and second going up against third.
The WA-League Grand Final can then be held nib Stadium until the new Burswood facility is completed in 2018 because obviously the demand for this new competition would be huge.
What do you think of the proposed WA-League? Would you give two middle fingers to the FFA by supporting one of your local sides? Let us know on Twitter @TheFootballSack!