Former A-League4Canberra bid leader Ivan Slavich says officials must act fast if they want to launch a campaign for the capital to generate support for the competition's expansion.
The A-League is set to grow by at least two teams in 2018-19, with one bookmaker installing Canberra as the third favourite to win a licence.
There have been rumours about a growing push for Canberra to lobby the FFA for a spot in the competition, despite Slavich's $5 million bid being snubbed eight years ago.
The ACT government says it is unaware of any proposal from Canberra but would be open to giving it support if a business case was put forward.
Just 5497 fans watched the Central Coast Mariners play the Wellington Phoenix at Canberra Stadium in November as part of a two-game deal in the capital.
The Mariners will return to play against Adelaide United in February and has signalled its intention to shift more games to Canberra if crowds grow.
Slavich says Canberra's best way of securing A-League content is to back the Mariners given the FFA has said it is unlikely to expand into areas with populations of less than 1 million people.
"I don't know of a bid and I haven't heard of anything from Canberra," Slavich said.
"To me, you've got to have support from the football community, Capital Football, ACT government and federal government support and the business community," Slavich said.
"There's also opportunities at the AIS and the Australian Sports Commission. The big thing is it has to be community and corporate support for something to happen.
"The game the Mariners are playing in Canberra in February, we just need bigger crowds there to show the A-League.
"The FFA will have criteria and you need to be on their radar. If you're not, it would be hard to make it happen."
The potential of an A-League franchise would increase pressure on the ACT government to fast-track plans for a new rectangular stadium with a roof in Civic.
Bookmaker Luxbet has framed a market for expansion clubs after A-League boss Greg O'Rourke confirmed adding more teams would be part of the broadcast rights negotiations.
Southern Sydney is one of the favourites to join the A-League with Geelong followed by Canberra, the Brisbane Strikers, Illawarra and Tasmania.
Slavich managed to secure $5 million in funding for his proposal for the A-League in 2008 and was made up of corporate, government and membership backing.
Slavich is working with the Mariners to grow their base in Canberra and says Canberra must jump on board to secure A-League content.
An ACT government spokesperson said: "The government would be open to discussing any proposal and better understanding any business case being presented regarding a potential Canberra team.
"We would seek to understand how any bid might actively engage with Capital Football and the local football community, recognising that for a team to be successful, it must have this level of community support.
"Given that any team would likely play matches at Canberra Stadium, the government would seek to understand what any venue requirements would look like, however the current summer timing of the A-League is largely complementary to the venue's peak usage for league and union over the cooler months."
