By AAP
October 14th 2008 @ 1:50am
A-League growth not halted by economic downturn
Football Federation Australia chief executive Ben Buckley says the A-League’s expansion plans will not be slowed by the world’s economic crisis.
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Buckley said today the sport in Australia was still growing and adding sponsors and had not felt any negative impact from the woes in financial markets in Australia and around the globe.
With the league to include new clubs on the Gold Coast and Townsville next season and plans to add two more the following season, Buckley said there were no second thoughts.
“Absolutely, we’ve got no plans to put the brakes on expansion,” he said.
“The people who are backing the expansion teams certainly have enough financial resources and management resources to see them through some of the turbulence that’s out there at the moment.
“We’re fairly confident of their business plans and one of them in particular is running well ahead of its business plan at this stage.
“So we have no intention at this point in time to slow down our expansion.”
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(25)
oikee said | October 14th 2008 @ 8:52am | Report comment
Buckley’s a goose.
Mark H said | October 14th 2008 @ 1:55pm | Report comment
I recon they should be consolidating first. If the Socceroos get bowled over before the next WC, there will be trouble.
Michael C said | October 14th 2008 @ 2:15pm | Report comment
There’s an article today about the Melbourne Heart - and concern that they are so well advanced but that a 12th team isn’t - that perhaps they risk an 11 team comp for a period with a bye.
At any rate - - there’s still the question of whether just any 2nd franchise will work at all - - let alone in the current ‘climate’.
But, is it now or never? If salary cap etc are lifted in the future, it may just get harder and harder to start up from scratch and soccer has a way of sucking funds real quick via it’s global exorbitant player transfer market.
I reckon consolidation is required given that this year is sluggish across the board - so far. And, it may actually be the shape of things for a couple of years.
Millster said | October 14th 2008 @ 2:27pm | Report comment
Good chance to fix the anomaly that is the Phoenix - a team from not only a different country but a different confederation playing in our domestic league. (Whats more a country against which we may well compete if we come 3rd in our Asian group). Brings the comp back to even numbers and the released Aussie players can go towards strengthening Perth which is a key current issue/risk for the League. You guys didn’t hear me just suggest centrally mandated player movements or team levelling of course - that would be inconsistent with my often-sprouted views on drafts and salary caps…
NUFCMVFC said | October 14th 2008 @ 9:24pm | Report comment
Basically this is following on from what Lowy was saying on Offsiders, so that is where Buckley is taking his cue form I guess and he is not a goose on the basis of these comments
Personally I think it is good, A League needs the expansion
oikee said | October 15th 2008 @ 3:24pm | Report comment
Not saying you should not expand, i am just saying that buckleys a goose, anyone who thinks that he can do as he pleases in a downturning market is a goose.Hes got a billionaire on board, you think he was running the world, the market in oz is at saturation level, take a chill pill buckley and see what happens.
oikee said | October 15th 2008 @ 3:27pm | Report comment
Hes obviously been talking to palmer and thinks hes a clever little bussiness man. Anyone can start this soccer expansion, my mother could, buckleys just getting credit, its like all your finacial advisors telling you how clever they are when the market is booming, where are they now.
True Tah said | October 15th 2008 @ 3:30pm | Report comment
Buckley should focus on propping up Perth Glory, if things are as bad as they appear toe, with piss-poor results and pathetic crowds, then maybe FFA needs to allocate some additional funding there, or buy the existing owners out.
If Perth fell over in a heap, then the HAL would be less of a national league than the AFL.
Millster, it makes sense to shoot down the Phoenix, but it would not be a good thing for futbol in NZ, it is already well down the pecking order in sports in NZ, behind rugby, league, cricket and motor sports, and I can remember Lowy talking about taking over the Pacific, Frank the Japs tried that back in 41 and it didn’t work.
oikee said | October 15th 2008 @ 3:30pm | Report comment
Just checked the market, dont forget back into shares when they bottom out, oh forgot to mention the inflation going through the rooof. Enjoy lads.
True Tah said | October 15th 2008 @ 3:31pm | Report comment
oikee,
if you want to see where those financial advisors are now, try walking down to your local sportscar dealership, they are probably trying to flog their maseratis and ferraris off as quickly as they can!
Pippinu said | October 15th 2008 @ 3:41pm | Report comment
TT
by the way, you were right, Zaire did play in 1974.
I knew Haiti was in it that year as well, because they were in the same group as Italy.
What I didn’t know is that Poland defeated them 7-0! Italy only managed a 3-1 win, and Haiti actually scored first.
Redb said | October 15th 2008 @ 3:44pm | Report comment
shite Pip, you mean TT knows more about world soccer than you from the mid 1970s. I need to lie down for awhile.
Redb
Redb said | October 15th 2008 @ 3:48pm | Report comment
Do anyone really think Buckley would come out and say anything else?
The HAL is just as vulnerable to the possbile economc downturn as the other leagues, perhaps moreso due to its ‘new’ fan base, very few rusted on HAL team supporters.
GC in PG out.
Redb
Millster said | October 15th 2008 @ 3:53pm | Report comment
TT - absolutely agree about Perth being #1 problem for the FFA/HAL; this is something that I think is an enormous issue. Without it the national footprint is seriously compromised. On NZ I’m happy they are there but I don’t think they are or should be our top concern. I also see th very real anomaly of them playing in a domestic league of ours, especially given they are not even the same confederation.
Oikee - the oz sports market is not at saturation level in summer. In fact all people have is the odiously boring and repetitive cricket, and then the relief of one-offs like the Australian Open tennis and a bit of Super 14 near the end of that season. I’d argue its not saturated in winter either but thats another story. I’m happier for all sorts of reasons for the A-League to be aligned with the northern hemisphere season, transfer windows, international dates, etc.
Millster said | October 15th 2008 @ 3:57pm | Report comment
RedB - for once I agree. I think HAL needs to be cautious. My take is:
GD in
NQ out
2nd VIC in but done carefully
PG given life support (structurally necessary for the league, and WA has good football fundamentals despite Glory’s inability to capitalise on them)
Then take a deep breath and hold it for 3 years - until Socceroos are back from WC2010.
Would mean a 10 team comp for a while with 2xQLD, 2xVIC, 3xNSW, 1xSA, 1xWA, 1xNZ - seems like a decent balance to me.
True Tah said | October 15th 2008 @ 4:01pm | Report comment
Millster,
how many of the Phoenix players are Australian? If the Phoenix got the boot, could those players be assigned to the Perth Glory to boost their stocks?
I know in MLS, the league is run and owned by MLS, including the clubs in it, I know you are very much a non-socialist here, but would I be wrong to suggest it has benefited the league?
The only first class Kiwi futbol player Im aware of is Ryan Nelsen, I think he plays for Blackburn Rovers, I guess Archie Thompson is technically a Kiwi as well though.
Vicentin said | October 15th 2008 @ 4:09pm | Report comment
Zaire ‘74 - one of the great football shirts of all time. Maybe a reborn Perth could have a ferocious Black Swan on their shirts?
http://www.oldfootballshirts.com/img/season_shirts/football_shirt_784_1.jpg
Millster said | October 15th 2008 @ 4:14pm | Report comment
TT you must have read my musing about the same thing just a few days back. Yes if I was running the HAL centrally I’d kill Phoenix and give the players, staff and whatever infrastructure was transferrable to Glory. But I have such a loathing for centralised controlled and contrived levelling that I’d actually hate it to occur. I’m schitzophrenic. Yes I agree that as a developoing sport in a competed market (like Aust and Us) there is a case for football to have a strong ‘guiding hand’. But my very love for the game globally against other codes is the absence of that stuff. So I’m totally torn!!
Oh on Kiwi players, of course Wynton Rufer was a legendary player and all class. Played in Europe (enormous success in Germany) and Japan and in fact was the top scorer in the 1993-94 UEFA Champions League while with Werder Bremen. Also played in NZs one and only world cup appearance when he was young in 1982.
Was voted Oceania player of the century in 2001 ahead of Frank Farina and Christian Karembeau (New Caledonia / France), and also 3 times Oceania player of the year. Twice honoured as part of the hypothetical FIFA World XI team.
He is a member of the FIFA footballing committee along with Pele, Platini, Beckenbouer and Charlton.
His career overall eclipses that of our own Harry Kewell or Tim Cahill by quite some margin, and cannot be described as anything less than stunning.
Pippinu said | October 15th 2008 @ 4:18pm | Report comment
redb
yeh I know - TT surprised me all right!
Vicentin - you’re still alive!
Millster
you can’t kill off the Nix! Why? Because as we start looking around for population centres in Australia, we rapidly run out! NZ gives us two extra, not to mention it’s probably good for TV rights as well.
Vicentin said | October 15th 2008 @ 4:25pm | Report comment
Pippinu - alive? Yes and, unlike most of you blokes it seems, I have a job (that I have to work at) a family and multiple other activities. I have no idea how some of you guys can spend so much time blogging - but if you can get away with it good luck.
Pippinu said | October 15th 2008 @ 4:27pm | Report comment
Vicentin
we live in an age of productivity - we can all do two things at once!
vicentin said | October 15th 2008 @ 6:20pm | Report comment
Two things at once is not the issue - that’s is regular functioning ’round my way too. Eyebrows would be raised to the point of detachment from the head before I could away with half as many posts as some of you guys - and no I am not a two finger typist, I’ve pretty bloody quick actually (and skillful with it of course - you should see the dinky rabonna I can do with the first finger on my left hand to get to the “s” key!). Seriously Michael C for example must get about 5 mins in the hour of paid work in and I don’t read most of his AFL stuff (or any of his stuff actually)
cheers and sorry I’ll get on topic next time.
True Tah said | October 15th 2008 @ 6:32pm | Report comment
Pip,
I pay a bit more attention to African affairs than most do, and I have some ties to the continent as well!
Billo said | October 16th 2008 @ 10:02am | Report comment
They need to find a way of making soccer more exciting. Some of the A-League games this season have been shockers.
Andrew said | October 16th 2008 @ 3:38pm | Report comment
Okiee you are the goose mate.
The current crisis is short term 3-5 years MAX. If not shorter… The expansion of the HAL is not a short term vision but a life long one. The clubs can afford to survive in a market like this in the short term, no problem.
Expansion is cruical. To not expand next year would be more detrimental to the game. The HAL needs to aggressively expand over the next 5-10 years and outpace RL and AFL.
To Billo, Whilst as time goes on the technical abilities of players will improve, the same could be said for ANY sporting code. I have never been able to watch an AFL game to the end as it bores the pants off me, cricket is a massive yawn, basketball tune in with 10 seconds to go, etc etc.