Soccer: Kingz braced for hefty bill

By TERRY MADDAFORD

The Football Kingz this week shelled out A$11,000 ($12,266) to show they are serious in their bid for a place in the new-look Australian Premier League. But that is only the start.

It was revealed yesterday that clubs must pay another A$1 million when their place in the proposed eight-team league is confirmed, probably in September or October.

Kingz general manager Guy Hedderwick said the price had been revealed when the club received the criteria document a few weeks ago.

"We were bound by a confidentiality clause which did not allow us to say anything.

"But it was factored in when we made our application," Hedderwick said.

The bid was confirmed following discussions and the formation of a close working relationship between the Kingz and New Zealand Soccer.

"While it [the fee] has deterred some likely bidders, our attitude was one of either running away or fighting [for a place]," Hedderwick said. "We have always been serious. We see being in the new league as vital for New Zealand Soccer and soccer in New Zealand."

NZS chief executive Bill MacGowan welcomed the ongoing determination of the Kingz.

"It was difficult having to make this commitment without any announcement from the Australian Soccer Association on the commercial partners," MacGowan said. "That continues to make it difficult in the search for prospective sponsors."

The hefty price tag has led Sydney club Marconi Stallions, one of the 1977 originals in the old NSL, to turn their back on the new competition.


It seems there will be a battle for the one licence in Sydney.

The bid from Soccer NSW must now stave off a late application from a consortium headed by Nick Politis, chairman of the Sydney Roosters rugby league club. Politis is a former part-owner of soccer club Sydney Olympic.

Soccer NSW president Tom Doumanis is confident his bid will succeed, saying it has the backing of two private equity investors.

The start date for the new league, which has been shuffled a number of times, now appears to be next July.

Last night the ASA confirmed that:

* Twelve bids have been lodged including three from Melbourne, two from Sydney and Brisbane and one each from Perth, Auckland, Adelaide, Newcastle and the Central Coast.

* There will be a salary cap of more than A$1million.

* Travel costs will be equalised among the clubs.

* More than A$12million will be spent in marketing the new league in the first five years.

* The league will be played over 21 rounds (with either 10 or 11 home games) followed by a four-week play-off including a grand final (likely February 2006).