Canberra A-League Men's team another step closer after APL CEO Danny Townsend visit

Townsend was in Canberra last week - his second visit in a month - where he met with ACT Sports Minister Yvette Berry and ACT senator David Pocock.

It's believed discussions with the government centred around funding - both for A-League Women team Canberra United and a potential new team in the A-League Men.

As revealed by The Canberra Times last month, the APL would likely retain control of the Canberra ALM licence initially, while also taking control of the Canberra United licence.

Capital Football were open to relinquishing control of Canberra United, provided there were assurances about retaining the two-time champion's identity and history.

The government already has a memorandum of understanding with the Canberra Region Football Collective - the ACT's A-League bid - to the tune of $1.5 million per annum.

It's believed Townsend also met with the bid leaders to get an understanding of how advanced their plans for a team were.

Along with the funding MOU, that bid also has 9000 members and a home ground at Canberra Stadium that sits idle during the summer months when the ALM's played.

Canberra's been strung along about being the next cab off the ALM ranks for more than a decade, with the Western Sydney Wanderers, reigning champions Western United and Macarthur FC all joining ahead of an ACT team.

But that could be set to change, with a Canberra team potentially joining the ALM as early as the 2024-25 season.

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Townsend's second trip down the Hume Highway in a month highlighted that.

"Minister Berry met with the APL to discuss the ongoing support for the Canberra United women's team and the shared aspirations for a Canberra men's team to join the A-League," an ACT government spokesperson said.

"This was a productive preliminary discussion."

Pocock is also pushing for a Civic Stadium despite ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr's preference to redevelop the existing stadium at Bruce.

Barr believed a Civic Stadium was too expensive due to the need to move Parkes Way, but a Canberra consortium has come up with plans that would allow the road to stay where it is.

A Canberra ALM team would help Pocock's cause given it would mean the stadium was in use during the summer months, as well as during the winter by NRL side Canberra Raiders and Super Rugby team ACT Brumbies.

That means a much greater return for the ACT economy from investment in a stadium that's used all year round.

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