He appreciates the roots of the club he steers, saying that the Wanderers was the people’s club when it was first established and will maintain this reputation for years to come.
What does Wanderers CEO have in store for the future and what is driving one of Australia’s football giants?
Western Sydney had been crying out for a team they could call their own for a long time before Western Sydney Wanderers was established in 2012.
The broadcasting agreement with the A-League was put in place for 10 competing clubs, when the fall of Gold Coast United opened up a window of opportunity for the Western Sydney Wanderers.
The federal government had decided to invest some money into the area and the passion of local community forums provided sufficient support for the team’s inception.
Tsatsimas says that the patrons that support the Wanderers have a sense of ownership over the club – they view colours and the stadium as theirs and believe it represents more than just a business.
From the creation of the competition in 2005, Western Sydney believed it deserved a place in the A-League.
It was only fitting for the A-League to have a western Sydney team compete, as the history of Australian football developed from this particular area.
The first match ever played in Australia in 1880 took place in the Parramatta region, and the loyalty to this area is still reflected by fans today in the ‘Poznan’ they perform in the 80th minute of every match .
It has truly been a giant’s awakening right from the start for the Wanderers.
Considering the club started out with no training facilities and no head office in its first season, expectations were low, but what was to take place throughout that first year would make history.
The club’s debut in the A-league competition saw a premiership and also in their debut Champions League campaign they were crowned Asian Champions – a truly unbelievable achievement that the people of Western Sydney should be proud of.
Currently sitting second from the bottom in the A-League, the questions must be asked: what is happening?
John Tsatsimas says he expects movement within the table, but factors such as the timetable of matches, travel and injury must all be taken into account.
“All clubs go through the troughs…it’s a matter of managing it and understanding it. The travel and distances that we had to overcome had never been done in world football let alone Australian football,” he said.
Tsatsimas also cites the team’s intense traveling schedules such as their experience with a 34 hour trip to Morocco just before Christmas, followed by a commute to Wellington the day after Christmas to then travel back to Sydney for a mid-week Champions League game before departing again for Perth.
These challenges could be the reasons for their poor results especially since the expectations for the club have grown from nothing to everything as a result of their early success.
What is in store for next year?
The club will analyse the season passed and there will be changes where needed from the team through to administration.
This is not happening because of the poor season the Wanderers have had on the field - these post-season assessments have happened even when the team was winning.
In regards to players, they are hoping for some great news in the coming months and are consistently seeking quality, whether it’s a marquee signing or otherwise.
The Wanderers’ main objective is to make sure they are successful. Michael Ballack was an option before the signing of Shinji Ono was made, but they made the right decision by signing Shinji Ono in regards to the team and its culture which results later proved.
The club will do what is best for it’s fans in the future. The club appreciates its community and will do what is best for the team and supporters.
Tsatsimas says: “The fans are the life blood of the club, passion is what the club is all about.”
The club refused to move an Asian Champions League game to ANZ stadium, even after being heavily pressured, but they believe it was best for the team and supporters to keep the game at Pirtek Stadium.
Stadium facilities are essential for the club, as they want the best match day experience possible.
Pirtek Stadium currently holds a crowd of just over 21,000. After only a few years of existence, Western Sydney Wanderers already has more members and attract more merchandise sales than local NRL teams West Tigers and Parramatta Eels.
Tsatsimas believes the western Sydney region needs a stadium to call its own.
There are no plans to follow the same route as Melbourne City and have the club partnership with anyone else, and will always be proud to hold their own as Western Sydney Wanderers.
“Our mantra is to be a globally respected and recognized football club,” says John Tsatsimas.
