The A-League is often described as a developing child, still in its infancy. This does give us the opportunity to learn from other leagues, but also for us to create a competition unique to Australia. While some have questioned whether the A-League should bother with a final series, it is quintessentially Australian.
The first past the post system used in Leagues around the world works in countries in which football is established and, in most cases, they have a knockout Cup competition that delivers a Grand Final type match, such as the FA Cup final.
In a country like Australia, in which the A-League struggles to maintain attention from the media and casual sporting fans, the finals campaign allows the A-League to gain significant momentum with a climactic round of matches culminating in one single match to decide the champion.
Grand Finals are part of Australia’s sporting culture, part of the other major codes, and for the A-League, a chance to take centre-stage for one weekend with a showpiece event that, hopefully, showcases the best of the League to an audience greater than just another regular season match.
The A-League final will never have the heritage and tradition akin to the AFL’s great day in September, especially when it alternates the location of the Grand Final.
But it can build its own traditions and folklore.
Already A-League Grand Finals have given us a 41,000 plus crowd to see the inaugural champions, Sydney FC crowned, Melbourne’s 6-0 demolition which included some Archie Thompson heroics and Kristian Sarkies planting a smooch on John Howard’s head!
The regular season alone would not be able to gain more attention if we used the first past the post system, and with the mainstream press slow to jump on the A-League’s bandwagon, it is easy to envisage a situation where the importance of League position and individual results would be lost.
The NSL also tinkered with the finals series, occasionally reverting to the first past the post system. But the fact remains that the largest crowds and biggest games of the now defunct league were the Grand Finals.
The problem with the final series is rewarding the team who finishes the league at the very top.
The FFA is right to give some importance to the Premiership by awarding the victor one of the two Asian Champions League spots. And in this regard the A-League has one up on other codes that don’t have a similar reward to give.
However, with the games staggered over the weekend, the 28,905 Victory fans were robbed of the chance to celebrate their Premiership win and return to Asia.
The only footage the media could show of Ernie Merrick and Kevin Muscat was the pair walking in an empty Telstra Dome, along with a press conference.
How much better would it have looked for the League to have the parallel images of 28,000 plus fans celebrating with their team while Adelaide United players and fans scratched their heads at what could have been?
The FFA can have two bites at the cherry by making the final round of the regular season an event in itself, with a worthy prize to the first past the post after the home and away rounds, and then move into the finals series with momentum and capitalise on Australia’s love affair with Grand Finals.
If the A-League is a developing child, it still has some things to learn from its fully developed siblings around the world, such as not staggering final round games.
But it must also stay true to Australia’s sporting traditions and culture.
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Dave said | January 29th 2009 @ 6:01am | Report comment
There would have been more than 29,000 if it was the deciding match and yes would have been nice to know at the end of the game and celebrate. Not too upset we couldn’t knowing finals were to come.
The Oz way is finals (same as USA post season games) and if you want to draw on some mainstream general sport fan support you go with the local flavour…nothing wrong with that.
MVs reward for top spot of ACL and 2nd final at home is good enough with of course the PP.
sheek said | January 29th 2009 @ 6:47am | Report comment
Yeah, you gotta have a finals series. Maybe some tinkering still needed. Do we need home & away semis, for example? Why not one semi at home of highest on ladder, i.e., 1 vs 4 & 2 vs 3 at home of 1 & 2.
dasilva said | January 29th 2009 @ 7:13am | Report comment
I think the A-leagues got the right balance with the First past the post vs finals
There is more prestige on the finals due to traditional Australian culture that loves a final series.
However there is a degree of prestige on the premiership (which does not have minor in front of the name) that’s not present in other codes due to traditional football culture and a bit of ACL incentive.
Kazama said | January 29th 2009 @ 7:19am | Report comment
I agree with the above posters, the finals series should stay. It might not be a football tradition but it is an Australian tradition. We have to do things our own way and cater for the wishes of our crowds.
ACL qualification, the double chance, the right to host the second leg of the major semi and the Premier’s Plate are enough of a reward for finishing on top of the table IMO.
NUFCMVFC said | January 29th 2009 @ 7:32am | Report comment
Generally it does need to stay because of the extra people it brings and the publicity and obviously gives a flavour to the competition that most Australians are familiar with
Personally I do think more attention and prestige needs to be given to the Premiership though, keeping in mind we are part of the football world
It is a bit of a balancing act
Koala Bear said | January 29th 2009 @ 7:36am | Report comment
Yes, for Australia a final 4 series is warranted.. But never, ever, to be increased to 8 when the league expands up to 14-16 clubs under any circumstances.. It should always remain a 4 team final playoff series to keep a sense of creditability about the league.. We must never allow the rediculous, 8 final systems like they have in the AFL or the ARL to occur in the HAL.. They only make a mockery of the competitions ..
However, personally for me, the real champions, is the team that finish first past the post.. More focus, and prize money should be attached to the Premiership Plate .. A better, and more significant trophy perhaps ..
~~~~~~~
KB
Redb said | January 29th 2009 @ 7:47am | Report comment
KB,
You may view the AFL as a mock competition but it’s Grand Final, the biggest stage was played at the MCG in front of a crowd of 100,000.
I actually agree with you on the final 8, the main finals games though are the two Preliminary Finals and the Grand Final and they each create enormous interest with fans. Mock the final 8, Ok, not the competition or just you sound like your AFL bashing (again).
Redb
Adrian Musolino said | January 29th 2009 @ 7:59am | Report comment
ATTENTION A-LEAGUE FANS!
If you support one of the four clubs in the final series and want to share with the world your love of the club please email me at adrian.musolino@gmail.com ASAP.
Cheers.
Carry on…
Adrian Musolino said | January 29th 2009 @ 8:17am | Report comment
NUFCMVFC and Koala Bear, I agree, more needs to be made of the premiership plate by making the final round more of an event, a trophy presentation perhaps etc.
JB said | January 29th 2009 @ 8:18am | Report comment
“Already A-League Grand Finals have given us a 41,000 plus crowd to see the inaugural champions crowned in a 6-0 demolition”
What??
That sounds like a mixture of seasons 1 & 2.
Season 1: 41,000 – SFS – Sydney beat CCM 1-0.
Season 2: Around 55,000 – Docklands – Melbourne beat Adeaide 6-0