A-League football clubs these days comprise multiple teams and require multiple facilities. A club’s physical infrastructure influences everything from club culture to team performance and after 20 years of A-League football many of the clubs have been forward thinking in their infrastructure arrangements.
Where does your club rank in terms of its facilities, and where can it improve?
Let’s take a look at Macarthur FC.
Current Set Up
This is certainly going to be one of the most interesting dissections. Macarthur are not as established as any of the other A-League clubs. They lack an ALW team and their NPL and Youth set ups are in their infancy. The Youth program represents a merger of Macarthur with Northbridge Football Club which has formed an entity known as the Bulls FC Academy.
As such, the current arrangements is as follows, the ALM team plays at Campbelltown Stadium and trains at Fairfield Showground. The NPL team currently plays at the Sydney United Sports Centre, and Youth sides are based out of Northbridge Oval.
The Youth set up is particularly odd, The Northbridge Football Club was formally aligned with Central Coast Mariners and played as the ‘North Shore Mariners’, now they play as the Bulls FC Academy, despite being located near North Sydney.
As a result of these clearly temporary arrangements, much of our commentary will instead focus on…
Future Set Up
Macarthur FC has always been heavily supported by the Campbelltown City Council. The council was involved with the club’s inception and similarly to Western United, saw the A-League club as a way to support development of the community.
As such, the one current and permanent feature of Macarthur FC is that their home games will be played at Campbelltown Stadium. The current arrangement is reportedly very financially advantageous with the club only requiring minimal crowds to break even, and when considering the volume of matches played at the venue, Macarthur FC also serves as the Stadium’s major tenant.
A new Campbelltown Sports and Health Centre of Excellence also appears to become the community base which is planned to be located at Campbelltown Stadium and shared with the Wests Tigers. From what we can tell the ALM, ALW, NPL and Youth teams look set to be located at a new facility in Cawdor, on property owned by Macarthur’s owners. The Cawdor site will reportedly include four pitches and an administration building. We do note there are conflicting reports suggesting that the ALM team will be based at the CoE, but here we make the assumption that all teams will be housed at Cawdor.
History of Set Up
The history of Macarthur’s facilities tells a story of future planning. The owners have bought land to develop in Cawdor with an intention to develop a club training base. The local council has been supportive of the club and assists with operational support and grant applications. The current club arrangements have been temporary and a little hodgepodge as its stakeholders wait for government funding to secure the club’s future facilities.
All of the plans in action, Cawdor, Campbelltown CoE and a potential Campbelltown Stadium redevelopment appear to have been prepared in line with the club’s establishment.
Assessment of Set Up
Macarthur by all accounts is still a club developing, and on a temporary basis the current facility situation is acceptable when you consider a strong council relationship and the owner’s land holdings. If this current situation was to remain in the long term though, Macarthur would have one of the most confusing facilities arrangements in the A-League.
The future plans however look good, and could deliver the club two aligned facilities. A Campbelltown Stadium precinct and a self-owned Cawdor precinct. Assuming the use of Campbelltown Stadium for ALM and ALW matches, the club has a real chance to build a strong and united club culture.
Notes and considerations
Macarthur once again demonstrates the importance of strong relationships with local council but its heavy reliance on Council for stadium access may be at risk if the Wests Tigers were ever to demand greater access to Campbelltown Stadium as the region is also a Rugby League hotspot.
Gaps and Opportunities
Generally Macarthur can only enjoy upside in its facility plans, including a potential redevelopment of Campbelltown Stadium, but it will need to ensure the facility arrangements remain financially viable considering their small crowds.
Ratings based on future set up
Overall Ranking: 4th out of 12
Overall Rating: B+
The future plans will deliver Macarthur and the region two excellent facilities and the potential for a strong community around the football club. A lot however remains up in the air, even in regards to the club’s team set up. Should plans eventuate though, the future of the club looks bright.
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