No more turf wars:Allianz Stadium is one of three contenders to host grand finals as part of the bid.Credit:Narelle Spangher/Lumapixel
The initial proposal in discussion is in response to the $1billion investment in stadia from the NSW government,which is eager to consolidate a series of major events to ensure traffic,tenancy and an influx of tourism with the new venues.
It is understood the NSW government was impressed by this year's grand final between Sydney FC and Melbourne Victory,which attracted approximately 10,000 interstate attendees. That prompted talks about whether Sydney could become the home of the decider,as it is for the NRL final,and as Melbourne is for the AFL grand final.
Home and hosed:Sydney FC celebrate winning the grand final earlier this month.Credit:Getty Images
During his time as the head of the NRL,FFA chief executive David Gallop oversaw the $45 million,10-year deal with the NSW Government to host the NRL grand final in Sydney. While the FFA is yet to receive a proposal from the government,it is open to negotiating a similar contract for the hosting rights of the A-League decider.
"We are certainly open minded to a proposal and we would be interested in what the commercial terms would be,"Gallop said."Obviously for the right prices,we would consider that. Having said that,we have had good success with a flexible approach to where our grand final is played. The last few years have produced sell outs with games in Brisbane,Melbourne,Adelaide and Sydney."
Currently,the A-League grand final hosting rights are awarded to the highest-ranked finalist of each season. The view of the NSW government is to use of all three major stadiums in Sydney with venues selected by the popularity of the competing teams,judged on a sliding scale. A final between two lower-profile teams will be played at Parramatta,one involving popular interstate teams would likely be held at the 42,000-capacity Allianz Stadium in Moore Park while a blockbuster involving local teams could be held at the 83,000-seater ANZ Stadium in Olympic Park.
The past five A-League grand finals have involved a team from Sydney – either Western Sydney Wanderers or Sydney FC – but it's not the local draw card that is regarded as the most valuable asset but the travelling interstate fans.