Socceroos legend Tim Cahill is emerging as the possible face of a third A-League team in Sydney that could replace Wellington Phoenix as early as next season.
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The New Zealand club is inching closer to being ousted from the A-League as it is yet to apply for a four-year licence extension on offer from the Football Federation Australia.
Its licence expires at the end of the season and should the club fail to apply or be granted an extension, it is understood that a team from Sydney's south will likely replace the Phoenix franchise having already attracted the potential support of one of Australia's greatest football celebrities.
According to Sutherland Shire mayor Carmelo Pesce, representatives of Cahill made contact with key stakeholders in the city's southern suburbs over the possibility of the striker being part of any venture to lead an A-League club.
Australia's leading goal scorer is eager to lend his support to any successful bid in the Sutherland region, which boasts the most number of registered junior footballers in Australia.
It is not yet known whether Cahill is looking to play for the proposed club, financially invest or lend his brand to promote the club, but he is set to meet with associations and councils in the coming weeks with a view to getting on board with the bid. The Shanghai Shenhua striker will be on holiday in Sydney during the Chinese Super League off-season.
"Tim's very keen to get on board," Cr Pesce said. "Tim's quite happy to meet up and we'll go from there and catch up some time early in the new year. He's a very big supporter. We have more juniors here than anywhere else in Australia, if not the southern hemisphere, which will bring great value to this area."
The football associations of St George, Sutherland and Wollongong have already joined forces with local councils to support the bid and been granted the blessing of Remondis Stadium owners Cronulla Sharks to use the venue as a home ground.
Expansion to a 12-team competition is not likely to occur for another four years, however the region is braced to house a team on short notice pending the future of Wellington Phoenix.
An FFA spokesman confirmed the organisation is yet to receive an application for a four-year licence extension from Wellington Phoenix whose future in the A-League is in doubt.
"Wellington Phoenix and FFA continue to discuss the situation," an FFA spokesman said. "The onus has been on the club to put alternatives in place since October 26 when the board of FFA determined that the club's application for a 10-year licence extension would not be granted.
"The Phoenix has the option of requesting that FFA lodge an application to the relevant football authorities to seek approval of Phoenix's participation in the Hyundai A-League until the conclusion of the 2019-20 season. Such an application is required in order to seek exemptions from various statutes of Football New Zealand, Oceania Football Confederation, Asian Football Confederation and the Fédération Internationale de Football Association [FIFA]."
The Phoenix owners were denied an initial request for a 10-year licence extension last October and are yet to meet strict requirements for a four-year extension. It is understood the FFA is unwilling to continue funding more than $3 million into the club that yields little in broadcast revenue, Australian football development and attendances.
The governing body is putting pressure on the Phoenix to seek alternative funding to continue being part of the A-League. As of yet the club has not been granted additional funding from the New Zealand government, Sky TV or New Zealand Football. The club is at risk of losing many players whose contracts, according to the FFA, are provisional deals subject to their licence in the A-League.
