Football Australia keen to greenlight bid for Canberra United men's team

Despite twice knocking back strong Canberra bids when the A-League was controlled by FA, chief executive James Johnson has backed a new push to put the capital in the competition.

The Australian Professional Leagues is ramping up an attempt to expand the A-League again, with a Canberra team rumoured to be at the top of their wish list.

APL boss Danny Townsend met with ACT government officials before Christmas to gauge interest and the most recent independent bid - the Canberra Region Football Collective - is keen to pick up where it left off in 2018.

Back then, the FA - formerly the FFA - broke Canberra hearts when it picked Macarthur and Western United as the successful expansion teams.

But the APL and A-League broke away from under the FA umbrella two years ago, and Townsend is keen to revive the Canberra dream as early as 2024.

Canberra soccer circles are quietly optimistic United is on the verge of becoming one of two new expansion teams in the A-League Men competition, and Johnson agrees they have a great "opportunity".

"I think it's a good thing," he told The Canberra Times.

"This is something that the A-League needs to consider and an issue that we would need to ultimately approve, but Canberra to me sounds like a very strong candidate to have a team."

There have been multiple bids for an A-League Men team in Canberra since 2008.

Each time Canberra has been shunned for opportunities to add more teams to Sydney and Melbourne, but there is a view Canberra is a "logical step" given the city has a standalone women's team without a men's affiliate.

Johnson described Canberra as a "key market and city for Football Australia" and said the success of Canberra United's women to date would help in the bid process.

"Canberra has got runs on the board with the A-League Women's team," Johnson said.

"We're very proud of that team, and Capital Football who run the team have done a fantastic job over the last decade with them.

MORE CANBERRA SPORT NEWS:

"We've had a lot of great coaches and players that have come through the ranks."

The Canberra Times in December confirmed the governing body that runs the A-Leagues, the Australian Professional Leagues, was in talks with Canberra United about its prospects in the next expansion plans for 2024-25.

However the APL's controversial commercial decision to sell off the next three grand finals to be hosted in Sydney could delay the process as they navigate an awkward fan backlash.

We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say. Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on The Canberra Times website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. See our moderation policy here.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: