Brisbane Strikers Eyeing A-League Expansion Spot

Former National League Soccer champion Brisbane Strikers are "set to lodge a formal bid" for an A-League expansion license, according to Vince Rugari of the AAP. The club is understood to be "the entity associated with Miron Bleiberg and several other unknown investors who are pushing for a second Brisbane team in the league." The Strikers "narrowly lost out on a spot in the A-League to the then-Queensland Roar when the competition was launched" in '05 but have "always harboured ambitions of returning to the top tier," and made the next round of expansion its target. It is believed the club has "already made contact with Football Federation Australia," which last month said it was "open to the idea of another team in Brisbane." Strikers Chair Bruce Atterton-Evans confirmed Bleiberg had been "acting as a conduit between the club and the interested parties." Atterton-Evans: "Yes, we're certainly happy to talk with anyone about partnering for the A-League as long as we can make it commercially viable" (AAP, 11/7).