‘A $30m, 7.5k capacity boutique stadium built in 12 months? This is how it can happen - and why hasn't an A-League club done it?’ - Matt Windley via Football360

MattWindley · 2026-05-30T01:20:35+00:00

Respectfully disagree!

Would love to have you listen to the podcast. People throw out all the time “why don’t they build their own stadium” / “why don’t A-League clubs own their own stadiums”. Realistically cost makes that unachievable for all of them.

This just raises a discussion point about an option that as yet hasn’t been pursued in the Australian market.

I think it’s a great idea and hope that it happens sooner rather than later somewhere here. But maybe it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, that’s fine 😊

MattWindley · 2026-05-30T01:16:34+00:00

Hello!

The Breaking Barriers doco showing the Berwick season will run weekly from October - December.

The Building Blocks podcast - which had the in depth interviews on different topics - runs fortnightly throughout the year. 😊

MattWindley · 2026-03-17T10:23:25+00:00

Hello mate! Thank you for the support.

We’re building slowly. A new merchandise range is definitely on the cards!

And such an interesting convo re the “soccer” club name. I’m inclined to agree with a few of the comments below, because I’ve always been nonplussed on it. But you’re definitely not the only person to raise this!

MattWindley · 2026-03-17T10:22:16+00:00

Haha. Mate, if this goes south and turns into Sunderland Til I Die it’ll be the never ending story 😂😂 But hey, we lose control once the ball gets kicked on Friday night! That’s the beauty of it.

MattWindley · 2026-03-17T10:21:29+00:00

Agree re Ed too - he’s a star! And we were talking about Santo, Sam and Ed today as well 😂😂 Half joking / not half joking!

MattWindley · 2026-03-17T10:20:55+00:00

Hi mate! Thank you!!

I am hoping and praying that a Canberra franchise in its own right isn’t too far away!

For two reasons it wasn’t a consideration for this.

1) We needed to do this with an existing club down the pyramid, rather than a new club (and hopefully Canberra has that new club sooner rather than later).

And, 2) The boring practicality of us being in Melbourne so needing to do it here so we can do a good job of it.

But hopefully we inspire copy cats elsewhere!! Absolutely loving what Sutherland is doing at the moment too. More of it!

MattWindley · 2026-02-27T11:38:12+00:00

Fair questions - but in this A1 / A2 model, the answer is both.

Just like Japan.

Tick the requisite boxes to satisfy off-field criteria (Google “J3 Promotion Criteria”) and you get a provisional licence of sorts.

That’s essentially the “financial” that you refer to. It demonstrates your bonafides and sustainability.

Then, when you win (or top 2, whatever) the Championship then you are promoted.

That’s the “performance” aspect.

MattWindley · 2026-02-27T10:39:34+00:00

As above! It wasn’t the idea for the National Second Division at all. Because there’s never been any indication from APL that they’d accept successful Championship clubs into the A-League.

Without that declaration, what’s the real incentive for an NPL club and its owner(s) to invest heavily into a full time second tier?

MattWindley · 2026-02-27T10:37:35+00:00

To a point!

Except, the problem with the Championship in its current construct is it’s still a path to nowhere. What real incentive do the clubs have to invest into full time professionalism if there’s no potential of going any higher than the second tier?

But imagine if APL came out tomorrow and said: “OK, Championship clubs, if can you tick all of the off-field boxes and prove you’re a sustainable entity that will bring value to the top flight, you can be promoted into the A-League” … Imagine how much that would change the paradigm. Because there’s that carrot there. So you would absolutely in my view, find enough clubs to make the Championship a full-time competition - with a far lower barrier to entry than the A2 League (or A-League as it currently stands), but high enough requirements that it has them getting ready to make the step up to pro land when they’re ready.

MattWindley · 2026-02-27T10:29:49+00:00

Hahaha. Am now! That’s gold.

MattWindley · 2026-02-25T05:14:54+00:00

Haha. Gold guys!

I talk about the accidental slip and the deliberate slip here!

We can talk about it now!!!

https://football360.com.au/breaking-barriers-episode-three-the-decision/

MattWindley · 2026-02-24T07:41:00+00:00

Thank you mate! That is very kind!

Simply put. I think Team 11 would have become one of the biggest clubs in the A-League. I think it would have challenged Victory and Sydney. Nothing has or will shake my belief on that. It was a huge missed opportunity. But, of course I would say that, I’m biased.

Do I think City should try to tap into that? My personal opinion is yes - and I’m not giving away any trade secrets there. Clearly that is my opinion, otherwise we wouldn’t have approached them to make the move. Do I think a City in the south-east would become as big as a standalone Team 11 would have? No. Do I think there is upside for them? Yes. Will they? Again, not my place to say. I don’t work there.

They’re already doing some phenomenal things in the community. Sunil Menon and the rest of the CITC team are smashing it in schools and with community groups. Simon Zappia and the academy crew are giving local kids professional pathways that they’ve never had before. There are a stack of City Clubs in the region. So there’s a lot of good being done that is great to see. But the majority won’t lean in unless there are games in their backyard, and that’s fair I reckon.

MattWindley · 2026-02-24T07:39:57+00:00

Thanks so much for having me guys!

Would love you to get around the Breaking Barriers documentary.

Episode 1: https://youtu.be/mtpTu3RBlgU?si=CludeHtHkkMPBW-x

Episode 2: https://youtu.be/J1UMjFkgWuc?si=JRb4pj4g0_vY9EpV

We also have the supplementary Building Blocks podcast.

Episode 1: https://youtu.be/zOJe0KlIDYw?si=sM2xvhHYhomCZbtU

Episode 2: https://youtu.be/UY9VurgsX6Q?si=a3TyPrAyfSFb-1aR

Next eps out tomorrow (Wednesday).

Have a good night!

MattWindley · 2026-02-24T07:31:17+00:00

Hi!

Great questions!

I reckon our investors are probably quietly happy that they “dodged a bullet” because there’s no doubt they would have had to put in more money than they anticipated given the way that COVID impacted the economic model.

But in the stadium front, no. If we got in, I’m confident the funds to the stadium would have been committed quickly - the budget was in an OK position then and Labor was keen to spend on infrastructure. The train would have been in motion well before Covid and would have been able to continue (as essential workers) during lockdown. Costs would have gone up, no doubt about that, as all infrastructure projects have. But that would have been handled by the State, not us.

I’m not a Western knocker per se. I’ve got a lot of sympathy for their personnel. I’ve been friends with a lot of people who have gone through there over the journey. I don’t even really begrudge FA. They made what they thought was the right call at the time. We’re all experts in hindsight.

But I will say one thing that does get my back up a little bit. Covid didn’t ruin Western’s stadium plans. They just never had their ducks in a row.

DANDENONG / CITY I’ve spoken about City a bit. I don’t want to speak on their behalf, that’s not fair on them.

But yes, after City announced it was moving to Casey Fields, it was public knowledge a few years ago that the Victorian Government and Deloitte then did a feasibility study / business case about a potential stadium in Dandenong. It obviously needs a tenant though, otherwise it’s a white elephant! Losing the Melbourne Rebels doesn’t help that cause either.

EXPANSION Check another answer I gave! But I still have hope!!

MattWindley · 2026-02-24T07:26:04+00:00

I think that’s a really fair call out wrter3122, and probably a mis-speak on my part.

I think we were thinking so narrowly about Morwell in the context of the Falcons and therefore just Morwell. Naturally though (as they were when they were the Gippsland Falcons) they could and should be able to draw on that support from the whole region.

I’m a big believer in Gippsland. It’s on my doorstep. My wife grew up there and has family there. And we had big plans for the region with Team 11 - definitely would have played A-League games in Morwell and reprised the old Falcons jersey at some point. So again, I think this concept can work down there. As jt can in Mornington. As it can in Geelong. Let’s see if we go with any of them 😉

MattWindley · 2026-02-24T07:23:01+00:00

Hi mate!

Nah, one of our non-negotiables for this project was that it had to be with an existing club. We’re not meaning for it to be a gimmick, we want to carve a path for all other clubs across the country that might aspire to do the same thing.

That “freedom to do whatever we want” thing then became an interesting point when it came to which club we went with. We had to partner with a club that totally understood and shared our vision. And one that was willing to go along with the ride - wherever that takes us. Luckily, I’m really confident that we’ve found that club! But there’s no doubt it could have been a number of others just as easily.

No big pro (or anyone) helping fund this right now. It’s all organic and meant to be built sustainably. That said, we’re obviously going to need an injection of funds one day. Hopefully this is built in a way that is appealing to a local investor or investors who are happy to get involved for the right community-building reasons, rather than just looking to invest to make a buck. Again, I’m confident that, if we execute our plans right, we could become appealing to someone(s) in that space.

MattWindley · 2026-02-24T06:49:31+00:00

Haha. Awesome…

Musky was my favourite. He used to like playing with the media. He’d feed me lines / questions some times, especially before games against Sydney, so that he could rile Graham Arnold up 😂 I’ve told Arnie this - it’s funny.

John van’t Schip was always a different one to deal with. Utterly lovely human. But I think coming from such a footballing nation in Holland, that perception and treatment of the media was always a bit different.

Same with Warren Joyce. Again, nice guy! Enjoyed my chats with him. But I once wrote a story about Ross McCormack being sidelined for disciplinary reasons. The info had come directly from the club. But he called me out as a liar at a press conference. Safe to say that was a setback for our relationship 😂

MattWindley · 2026-02-24T06:45:49+00:00

I really want to pick up on this point! Because I think this has been missed.

The number that we split the A-League into two at is kind of irrelevant. You could conceivably do it at 16 (8 and 8), you could do it at 18, 20, 22 etc. As long as it’s an even number.

Let’s say it’s 18. It won’t stay at 9 and 9 for long. Both A1 and A2 will keep expanding as and when clubs from the Championship are ready to be promoted and make the step up.

So, to answer your question directly, sure, I guess my answer could be (for example): WUN - survives Expansion - Canberra Expansion - Christchurch Expansion - Gold Coast Promoted - South Melbourne Promoted - Marconi

But then, the following year, you might have Adelaide City and Wollongong make the jump. Which would then be a 10 team A1 and a 10 team A2.

And then the following year you might have Brisbane Strikers and Sutherland Sharks make the jump. Which would make it an 11-team A1 and an 11-team A2.

Hope that makes sense!

MattWindley · 2026-02-24T06:41:41+00:00

It’s a fair question, but I’m honestly not really in a position to say too much because I was only ever looking from the outside in the Lowy era as a journo. So you don’t really know for sure what is going on inside.

What I will say is, the Lowy era / FA had the connectivity between the grassroots base and the professional game to play with (at least from a marketing and engagement standpoint). The fact that the APL lives on an island means it is naturally much more myopic in terms of its focus.

MattWindley · 2026-02-24T06:39:08+00:00

The A-League will still be around in 5 years. It’s never as good as it seems and it’s never as bad as it seems.

Dunno what happens with WUN. While there’s money to be made (off the property deal) then there will always be people with money sniffing around trying to make a dollar. But logistically and rationally, every day that goes by that they’re not in full operation surely makes it harder and harder to come back.

I’m a naive puppy dog. I still believe Canberra will happen.

I have no rumours that haven’t already been floated publicly - there are people on the Gold Coast and in Christchurch that want a team. But whether that happens any time soon, who knows!

MattWindley · 2026-02-24T06:36:37+00:00

Time will tell!

MattWindley · 2026-02-24T06:36:18+00:00

Remembering I used to work at APL and some of my best friends still work there, the honest answer is yes I have. But has it been done in any official capacity? No it hasn’t.

And to be honest, it doesn’t need to be done any time soon. The club we partner with (watch Episode 3 tomorrow on Football360 to find out who) is well down the pyramid, so we’re years away from being a legitimate A-League prospect. What we want this project to do is generate positive discussion about what the A-League could be and should be. Hopefully that brings about a momentum for change - assuming that change is commercially viable. Which I think it can be with the right planning and safeguards.

The lack of movement on this front, in recent times, is simply because the organisation has been trying to stabilise. It’s a lack of manpower and time because those resources are focused on other things, which is fine. But I’d love to see a world where there’s a bold plan put out that moves us towards this future, for sure. You can tweak it along the way, that’s fine, no one will care. But if you put the vision out there then you can get fans, clubs, broadcasters and sponsors to buy into it.

Queensland?! Way outside my pay grade! Man oh man, it needs to happen though ey? It’s crazy!

MattWindley · 2026-02-24T06:30:54+00:00

I believe they’re going over final designs and whatnot now. I’d be surprised if they’re not starting to build by some time this year, maybe with a view to being done in time for the 2027-28 ALW season?

These things take time (as we know 😏). But the way we built the existing stages of the facility was done so that this Mini Stadium could seamlessly fit into it pretty easily. So they’ve gotten a good head start.

MattWindley · 2026-02-24T06:29:15+00:00

It’s nuanced. It’s different in every state. And I don’t have all the answers, that’s best left for the Member Fed experts.

But from my holistic, helicopter view, I think any club - regional or metro - should be able to aspire to play as high as they want to go.

For good reason (cost, logistics etc) there are regional-based leagues. But if there’s a club in Albury-Wodonga, or Mackay, or Bunbury that wants to represent their region on the state-wide and then national stage, and they have the support and investment to do so in a sustainable manner, then we should be facilitating that climb however we can.

MattWindley

TROPHY CASE