Case Studies

Background

Early in 2017 the Football Federation of Australia (FFA) formally announced the intended expansion to Australia’s national football league. Through a competitive selection process, two new teams would join the A-League beginning in the 2019/20 season.

In October 2017, Campbelltown City Council resolved to facilitate an A-League bid on behalf of the Macarthur Region, one of Australia’s fastest growing areas in Sydney’s west. The bid would include upgrades to the existing Campbelltown Sports Stadium which would be the centrepiece for a much broader redevelopment of the Leumeah Precinct.

Project Goals

The competitive process of the bid meant that Campbelltown required assistance to develop a convincing evidence base and prepare detailed demographic and economic analysis to support their bid.

REMPLAN’s Involvement

REMPLAN’s involvement extended beyond the preparation of economic analysis. Early in the process of developing the bid, REMPLAN ran an Investment Logic Mapping workshop to unpack the rationale behind the investment. A key outcome of the workshop was the recognition that the bid was more than just a stadium upgrade. Establishing a new team in this strategic region was also an important social asset for a new community as well as a catalyst project for the redevelopment of the Leumeah Precinct.

REMPLAN prepared a business case to support the bid which included:

• Demographic analysis
• Assessing sporting participation in the region
• Potential social benefits arising from the development
• Economic Impact Analysis and Cost Benefit Analysis of the initial construction and operation of the new stadium, impact of visitation and the development of scenarios for the overall precinct.

Results

In December 2018, the FFA officially announced Macarthur South West Sydney as one of the winning bids, with Macarthur United set to join the A-League in the 2020/21 season.

In a region where representation from a sporting team in one of the major national codes is absent, the inclusion of Macarthur United in the A-League will allow this new team to grow with its expanding community.