The A-League strike that will change Canberra's sporting landscape

That's simple enough to understand even if you aren't quite acquainted with the former professional wrestler sporting black and gold face paint.

There's nothing quite like a summer fling - but Canberra sporting fans have become all too familiar with the summer sting that leaves your heart in tatters.

Remember the Canberra Comets? They had swervin' Mervyn Hughes, Mike Veletta and a young buck named Brad Haddin playing in the national one-day cricket competition.

The day they were booted out was "a kick in the guts". So, too, the times the ACT nearly gained full membership status only for plans to fall through.

MORE SPORT:

We had the Big Bash expansion dream that never was. Fans parted ways with a pineapple to support the Canberra Big Bash Bid advisory group's ill-fated 'Secure Our Club. Secure your Seat' campaign.

Ask Cal Bruton one question about the Canberra Cannons and he'll talk for an hour about the packed stands and flashing cameras.

"You couldn't fit another person in that building with a shoehorn" when Canberra was winning NBL championships with Herb McEachin, Phil Smyth and Tad Dufelmeier. Then the Cannons shut the doors in 2003 as crowds dwindled and financial support waned.

So why should you get excited about a men's A-League team in Canberra when summer sporting teams have come and gone and previous soccer bids were full of false dawns?

Because Michael Caggiano, the bid leader who wears an old Cosmos kit, has sold a dream the A-League genuinely wants in on.

The next question is cash. Can he find investors to fund a $25 million licence within three months? Well, "I've already done it four times, I can do it again".

All this while the NBL flirts with expansion and a Cannons rebirth. How far can Canberra push the boundaries? The ALM and NBL loom as the final frontiers for a homegrown team, with cricket and AFL to operate on fly-in, fly-out models.

A limited amount of corporate support in the capital means the ACT government plays a larger role in providing financial assistance than in other states or territories.

The ACT Brumbies and Canberra Raiders want richer deals with the ACT government, the territory's decision to splash more cash on the GWS Giants - $28.5 million over 10 years to play games in Canberra - providing a mark to aim for in negotiations.

The cash-strapped Brumbies are hoping to strike a private equity deal this year to secure their financial future. Their two-year, $3.5 million partnership with the ACT government expires at the end of 2024, while the Raiders' five-year, $13 million deal runs until the end of 2027.

The ACT government is chipping in on top of those agreements to help the Raiders and ACT Brumbies promote their women's teams, while more men's teams threaten to take sponsorship dollars and airtime away from existing women's teams. How much will the government want to commit to bringing cricket games to Manuka Oval?

The A-League has beaten the NBL to the punch. Now we wait to see the financial impact it has on cricket and the rest of Canberra's summer sporting landscape.

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.