What the B-League should look like
Roar Pro
By Alex Poulos, 27 Dec 2009 The Crowd is a Roar Pro
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What the A-League is missing is the combination of “old” football and “new” football. Having all new teams does not allow for passion, history and rivalry, and rivalry is what football lives on.
What would the EPL be without derby games like the Merseyside derby, Manchester derby, and all the London derbies?
There would definitely be no more mouth-watering matches than Melbourne Victory versus South Melbourne, Sydney FC versus Sydney United or Sydney Olympic. These matches would easily draw crowds over 20,000.
The time has come for the FFA to embrace “old” football and let it move forward with the positives movements we are seeing in the game.
Football is an entertainment business, and the FFA must stop trying to create a false sense of excitement and give people what they really want – atmosphere.
The list below is a mix of “old” and “new” football coming together for a B-League, more exciting, in my opinion, than the A-League:
- Perth SC. Joondalup Arena, looking for crowds from 3,500 – 5,500.
- South Melbourne FC. Playing out of Bob Jane Stadium, looking to average crowds of 6,000 – 8,000.
- Darwin FC (new franchise). Playing out of Marrara Stadium, looking for crowds of 4,000 – 6,000.
- Sydney Olympic FC. Playing out of Belmore Sports Ground, looking for crowds of around 5,000 – 7,000.
- Brisbane City. Playing from Spensor Park, looking for crowds around 5,000 – 7,000.
- South Coast Wolves. Playing from WIN Stadium, looking for crowds around 4,000 – 6,000.
- Tasmania FC (new franchise). Playing out of Devon Port Oval, hoping for crowds around 3,000 – 5,000.
- Sydney United FC. Playing from Edensor Park, looking for crowds around 5,000 – 7,000.
- Adelaide Metrostars. Playing from Hindmarsh Stadium, looking for crowds around 4,000 – 6,000.
- Richmond or Gippsland (new franchise). Stadium to be determined.
- Sutherland Sharks. Playing from Seymour Saw Ground, looking for crowds of around 3.500 – 5,500 (ground will get an upgrade).
- Auckland United (new franchise). North Harbour Stadium, looking for crowds 4,000 plus.
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Fisher Price said | December 27th 2009 @ 7:32am | Report comment
NSL 2.
k said | December 27th 2009 @ 7:43am | Report comment
You’re living in a fantasy world. Also, why would Sydney Olympic, Sydney United and Sutherland get the nod over, say, Marconi or APIA Leichhardt?
Rhys said | December 27th 2009 @ 7:55am | Report comment
Alex,
I think mate you may have had a little bit too much of that christmas cheer over the festive season, and its all kind f seeped into your head. Look at the struggkes for crowd numbers there are now, even without futher sauuration ofteams in the marketplace.
You have to understandthat the FFA has gone out on a bit of a limb with their curent expansion let aone any further in the future. Like most sane peopl, the FFA knows that the league cannot be sustained without attracting crowds of on aerage 10,000 for each team, so they have gone out on a limb in the hope that these teams will grow. Hopefully they will.
With the crowd numbers you are suggesting for these B-League teams, which are an exaggeration of the actualcrowd figures to say the least, the teams simply coulndnt support theselves, and you cant have the FFA continuing to prop them all up on the assuption that we will get a windfal eac 4 years for makingthe world cup, what if next time we dont? Then, by your plan, football in Australia would go back to the bad old days, not the good pats of “old football” that you speak of.
I know you speak with your heart Alex and I admie that, but next time, use you head first before spewing that kind of garbage out.
The Truth said | December 27th 2009 @ 8:45am | Report comment
Are all these clubs from Baustralia?
David said | December 27th 2009 @ 9:00am | Report comment
I reckon just get the state Premier league and make them our B-league they have alot of god players some far better then the standard of the A-league just a month ago i guy from south Melbourne was signed to Seina in the Serie A. the Jets were beaten by a State premier league team on the off season. I think some State teams are able to match and better the quality of the A-league it will aso give more youngstars a chance.
Footbal Person said | December 27th 2009 @ 9:23am | Report comment
Just wondering, does this “B-league” have promotion to the A-league or is it seperate?
and please can we stop calling it B-league, we don’t want the FFA to think we like the name cause im sure we don’t (I think).
Chuq said | December 27th 2009 @ 2:10pm | Report comment
Agreed. The B-League is the Bangladeshi football league. Our second division would be the A2-League.
Football said | December 27th 2009 @ 9:59am | Report comment
I have been involved & still am involved in the NSW Premier League & you are absolutely kidding yourself if you think the standard is higher than the A league.
Australia must have plans in place for a B league includeing promotion & relegation by 2011 to gain Asian spots. What they need to do is take the best teams from the state leagues & have them play off for an A league spot.
David said | December 27th 2009 @ 10:25am | Report comment
Im not saying the stardard is better overall but im saying there are a few teams that would certainly give the smaller A-league clubs a run for its money not to mention there are quite a few very skillful players in the state premier league looking to be uncovered. If the state league was with merge in ome way with the A-league it would be big fo football in Australia
AndyRoo said | December 27th 2009 @ 5:35pm | Report comment
To that regard I think the current A league players would look really good playing against state league teams in winter rather than against other full time pros in summer.
mahony said | December 29th 2009 @ 11:17am | Report comment
That is sometimes true of football anywhere in the world – your point is what again?
Jake Stevenson said | December 27th 2009 @ 11:22am | Report comment
Agreed man. I think having an annual playoff between the champions of the various state leagues to find, lets say..2 teams for promotion would be a good idea. The teams that get relegated can play in their state leagues, but there is the financing problem that was mentioned in this article. ( http://niccarbel.wordpress.com/ )
danny said | December 27th 2009 @ 10:46am | Report comment
to be financially viable, a second tier would have to be fully restricted to the east coast. a team from perth could not afford to fly over to the east coast, let alone new zealand, every second week on a second division budget.
teams would have to come from distinct geographical areas or be established state-league clubs to develop a supporter base. potential areas would be whichever of woollongong, canberra and tasmania misses out on the next round of expansion; geelong, ballarat, gippsland etc in victoria; albury-wodonga and the riverina; sunshine coast in queensland. also, current state-league teams with decent supporter bases and on-field success (eg south melbourne).
promotion and relegation, in a traditional sense, would not work in this country; the relegated team would be crippled, the promoted team would not be able to compete. the best way to appease the afc would be to have the capacity for a p/r playoff if a team has a prolonged period of success in the second division (or lack thereof in the a-league).
Daryl said | December 27th 2009 @ 10:47am | Report comment
what about a Canberra team? how can you have a national competition and not have a team from the capital?
rugbyfuture said | December 27th 2009 @ 11:09am | Report comment
the whole reason the A league was formed was to overcome the initial hurdles of the old NSL where there was so much focus on racial rivalry then team rivalrie that it overshadowed it. bringing those teams back would be too dangerous as it could revert back to such an atmosphere which is dangerous for a family