Capital football feeling the A-League, second division 'buzz' at club level

With Gunaghlin United and Canberra Croatia in the mix to feature in Football Australia's imminent national second division, and a Canberra bid for an A-League team gaining traction, clubs are already noticing the impact.

On a frosty afternoon in Pearce after his side's 4-3 round seven NPL win over West Canberra Wanderers, Gungahlin men's first grade coach Chris Caggiano revealed just how well Canberra's recent rise back into the Australian football landscape has been received.

"For sure it's been inspiring for these boys," Caggiano told The Canberra Times.

"We're seeing players wanting to come to our club, not just for the football we play, but for the opportunities we bring as well.

"There's more of a buzz around and more people interested in joining our program."

The A-League bid has actually been led by Caggiano's brother Michael.

Back in March the Australian Professional Leagues named Canberra and Auckland as their two preferred new expansion teams to come into the top domestic competition in 2024-25, and now the bid group are working towards securing the funds necessary to get an A-League-ready club off the ground.

There's been more than a few failed A-League bid attempts in the past, but there's a lot of optimism surrounding this latest campaign.

The addition of a second division as soon as next year - below the A-League level but above the NPL - only further boosts the pathway for talent in the capital, which for too long has forced up-and-coming players to move interstate or overseas to pursue their dreams.

"Our president and vice president are running the NSD plan and are doing a phenomenal job," Caggiano said.

Canberran football talent is already present in the A-League, but Caggiano anticipates the future to be even brighter with a local second division team and a new A-League team from the capital.

"In the A-League there is a lot of players that have come out of Canberra," he said.

"There's a lot of youngsters, especially from our club - we had three last year - that had players go to Central Coast Academy.

"It just shows you there's quality here. So why do they need to leave Canberra to get an opportunity? That's what it's about."

Gungahlin boasted the depth at their club with three players making their senior debut on Saturday in a scrappy, much-needed 4-3 victory over the Wanderers.

West Canberra put up a fight but an impressive hat-trick in the last 10 minutes from Gungahlin's Josh Gaspari was the difference-maker.

Men

Gungahlin United 4 - West Canberra Wanderers 3

Tigers FC 3 - O'Connor Knights 0

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