Australia's men's football league, the A-League, has revealed plans to establish expansion clubs in Canberra and Auckland within 18 months.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The Australian Professional Leagues (APL), administrators of the A-League Men and Women competitions, on Wednesday announced it is seeking to add two new teams to the men's league in time for the 2024-25 season, a Xinhua report said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
It marks the first expansion of the men's league since the APL was unbundled from Football Australia (FA) in 2020.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Danny Townsend, chief executive of the APL, said the new governing body would take a different approach to expansion to FA, targeting existing populations not currently represented by a club to "hit the ground running."<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Markets for expansion were judged on four criteria - potential fan base, expanding the league's footprint, stadiums and whether it would cannibalize existing fans - with Canberra and Auckland ticking multiple boxes.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Auckland could be set up as an entirely new club, becoming the second New Zealand-based A-League club, while Canberra United - which has existed as a standalone team in the women's competition since 2008 - would add a men's team.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"Our time in the market in both Canberra and Auckland has actually strengthened our resolve and conviction around those two markets," Townsend was quoted by ESPN.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Auckland could be set up as an entirely new club, becoming the second New Zealand-based A-League club, while Canberra United - which has existed as a standalone team in the women's competition since 2008 - would add a men's team.<\/p>\r\n\r\n