By Adrian Musolino
February 9th 2010 @ 1:49am
Related coverage
Time to get the lingo of the A-League right
Carlos Hernandez of Melbourne Victory in action during the round one A-League match between Sydney FC and the Melbourne Victory in Sydney on Saturday, Aug. 16, 2008. AAP Image/Jason McCawley
It couldn’t have been scripted any better. Sydney FC host Melbourne Victory in the final game of the final round this Sunday with two points separating the two biggest Australian cities. But what are they playing for – the minor premiership or Premiership? Listen to the media and you won’t get a straight answer.
Too often Fox Sports commentators, newsreaders and other journos have labelled the battle to top the A-League table after Round 27 as the race for the minor premiership, inexcusably adding ‘minor’ when there’s nothing ‘minor’ about what’s at stake. It’s the Premiership that’s awarded to the team on top of the ladder at the conclusion of what we refer to as the regular season, otherwise known as the first past the post system.
Few, sadly, are using the correct ‘Premiership’ terminology.
Such mistakes, especially from experienced presenters who should know better, are unfortunate, making it even more difficult for the A-League to educate the public regarding the differences between the regular season and the finals series.
It’s an understandable mistake considering the unique system used in the A-League, and the fact that in the AFL and NRL, topping the table has little relevance aside from guaranteeing a better finals path.
In the A-League, the Premiership Plate guarantees the victor’s a coveted Asian Champions League berth – something the FFA should be applauded for initiating (applauded for once, especially considering how quick we are to point out what they’re doing wrong).
The drama and intensity of the matches involving Sydney and Gold Coast in Round 26 highlighted the hunger of the teams to claim the Premiership.
While the combinations with the finals series has been criticised by football purists – and seemingly part of the reason why journos are getting confused – the system strikes the right balance; rewarding the first past the past with a Plate (that will only grow in significance), the title of Premiers and an ACL spot, while combining a finals series, a popular trait in Australian sports, to determine the champion from what is the league’s showpiece event.
The Premiership race is not overshadowing the finals series, and as long as there is prize waiting for the Premiers as significant as an ACL spot, then the race first past the post will always matter. Meanwhile, the Grand Final and finals series has no threat of being overshadowed by the Premiership race.
When and if an FFA Cup is introduced (is this on the agenda, FFA?), then perhaps the FFA could look to drop the finals series and turn the Premiership into the most important and coveted prize in the league, with the FFA Cup satisfying the demands for knockout matches and a culminating final. But you sense such a competition is a way off yet.
Let’s hope Sunday lives up to the hype to help the Premiership race penetrate the Australian sporting psyche.
Let’s hope the SFS pitch can recover from the punishment it received thanks to the Edinburgh Military Tattoo (it seems the Scots did some serious damage – an omen for what Edinburgh’s own Ernie Merrick is going to do to Sydney FC?), that the rain that’s lashed the east coast clears and that the locals get out in numbers.
Surely they should top their regular season highest crowd of 33,458 against Melbourne in 2008?
In Sydney’s CBD, I’ve seen no visible mention of the game – the lack of marketing palpable, once again.
Let’s hope Sydney’s fans don’t let the league down, and let’s hope whoever wins is correctly labelled as Premiers.
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Marcel said | February 9th 2010 @ 3:02am | Report comment
Sydney surely should have their largest ever league game crowd, but somehow i doubt it will be .
As you rightly observed ,marketing in this city remains completely non existant… the game is basically invisible outside of the established forums. Aside from the converted most folks here wouldnt even know the game was taking place, let alone its significance……Just makes me shake my head in bewilderment. WTF are SFC doing?
Predict said | February 9th 2010 @ 5:26am | Report comment
I brought it up at lunch today at work and was met with some pretty blank looks. Usually a pretty sport aware crowd as well.
DaMan3000 said | February 9th 2010 @ 7:56am | Report comment
What on earth are an SFC?
Jokes. I think I have seen maybe 2 TVC’s all season and is there a Bilboard near the Airport? I have a vague recollection…
albe said | February 9th 2010 @ 3:13am | Report comment
yeah FFA have it right on this one… they are two seperate titles, Premiership for the league, Championship for the ‘other thing’ lol … yes some of us would prefer a Cup final, but hey all in good time. It’d also be great if next season, all games on the final day could start at the same time. An ACL spot is on offer here.
(On your point about the Fox callers… have to say ‘Minor Mike’ Cockerill is the worst offender. Must have heard him say it like a dozen times on sunday.)
Daniel King said | February 9th 2010 @ 5:29am | Report comment
The marketing is bad for this game but it has been bad all season, to think people will go to this game when they have built up no passion or loyalty throughout the season through lack of promotion is ridiculous unfortunately. It’s like giving someone a book, allowing them to read the last chapter and hoping they’ll love it like we did.
Chuq said | February 9th 2010 @ 7:40am | Report comment
So true! It annoys me when it is referred to as the ‘minor premiership’ by the mainstream media, some of them don’t know better, but the Fox Sports commentators should be able to get it right. There’s nothing minor about an ACL spot.
Realfootball said | February 9th 2010 @ 7:41am | Report comment
The complete absence of marketing has been a constant puzzle this season. The utter lack of marketing from the FFA is one thing, but why aren’t Sydney FC marketing the game themselves?
My guess is that the FFA have broken the bank on the WC bid and have nothing left, in which case the A-League has become an unwelcome casualty of a bid that I find it impossible to see as anything other then a tilt at an unobtainable windmill.
No question, the FFA have not managed this season well at all. A small team, seriously overstretched, and it shows. Why did Bonita leave? One thing is for sure – she didn’t leave because she was happy at FFA.
Mick said | February 9th 2010 @ 8:12am | Report comment
Minor premiership is still an easier one to remember for most people.
Davstar said | February 9th 2010 @ 8:41am | Report comment
A FFA cup would be nice i think the final game of the season could be FFA cup final, after the final round of league matches like in the EPL. Would be nice to see this happen with the state leagues it would allow new talent to be discovered and also allow 3 major silver wear pieces up for grabs ACL, Premiership trophy and an FFA cup. That would sorta mirror other nations in the world
Simmo said | February 9th 2010 @ 9:01am | Report comment
IMO, Premiers = Grand Final winners, like in the other codes.
Champions = Winner of the round-robin league, like in every European league.
For some unexplained reason we’ve mixed up the terminology in the A-League.
Marcel said | February 9th 2010 @ 10:05pm | Report comment
Definitely odd that the Premiers are the first to qualify for the Champions league.
Towser said | February 9th 2010 @ 9:08am | Report comment
Adrian
Premiers & Champions,not rocket science.
The big one is Premiers=automatic ACL spot= possible WCC spot.
Youd think journalists print & electronic could respect that by acknowledging the correct terminology.
Even experienced football journalists like Ray Gatt & Mike Cockerill did it yesterday.
Small point it may seem to some ,but in terms of the game creating its own traditions in Australia a necessary one.
Perhaps every time they get it wrong(journalists )we should get them a spot on the Old Goodies baked bean ad skit.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydXtCpYimN8
“Get it right”
Brad said | February 9th 2010 @ 9:18am | Report comment
Went with a few friends to perth game on Sunday at Parramatta. They could not believe the price. $25 cheapest price for adult to sit at end of ground behind play. They won’t be back again for sydney fc or rovers.
Marshall said | February 9th 2010 @ 12:54pm | Report comment
I have the same problem – friends aren’t willing to pay $25 plus for a ticket to what they have the preconceived notion of being inferior football.
DaMan3000 said | February 9th 2010 @ 1:33pm | Report comment
This was me until this season when I decided it’s the best chance of watching good football I can get. Actually it was probably SFC vs David Beckham that got me across the line.
Smokygrayson said | February 9th 2010 @ 10:01am | Report comment
What is wrong with Sydney FC’s crowds? A great turn-out could have been expected last weekend in Parramatta Stadium, yet a city of over 5 million could only raise a few thousand more than Central Coast’s dead rubber against Newcastle last night. Why?
Many pundits are exclaiming loudly about the Sydney – Melbourne game this weekend, and hopefully it will be a cracker, but to expect a huge crowd from Sydney is misguided, based on past experience this year.
Where does the buck stop? With the club, who would have limited income to spend on marketing (due in part to poor crowds), or with FFA, who with their substantial revenue raising from junior football registrations across the country, would seem to have deeper pockets?
Why do we only see TV ads for A-League on Foxtel? If you have Fox and see their ads, you’re probably watching an A-League game anyway.
Answers FFA?
Simmo said | February 9th 2010 @ 10:04am | Report comment
the FFA has taken its eye off the ball. They’re fixated on the WC bid at the moment and are barely aware that things are going poorly in the HAL.
World Cup bid said | February 9th 2010 @ 10:27am | Report comment
Its hardly like the World Cup bid is thoroughly organised either. As it stands the FFA have to have agreements in place with other stakeholders in only 3 weeks – and yet we’ve heard barely anything on the World Cup bid front since last year!
The FFA have gone missing.
ryangoesforgold said | February 9th 2010 @ 10:23am | Report comment
Adrian
The sporting cultural differences are marked between Europe and Australia, especially on this peculiarity, and maybe that is something that needs to be accepted. The attitude of your article and that of some of the respondents is that there is a need to educate Australian sports fans as to the meaning of a premiership.
Premiership and champion are words almost interchangeable in the Australian sporting landscape; a league has finals or it doesn’t and regardless, for the title you must finish on top. The point being that the A-League is one competition. The A-League finals are not a new competition and as such once you win the Grand Final you have won the premiership. Throughout the finals the top ranked season is often called the minor premier as a mark of respect and to denote the favourite, nothing more.
The hope of us all is that the A-League does penetrate the Australian sporting psyche and to help in this endeavour I’d suggest a good approach for us would be to stop the semantics and disigenuous comments, and adapt the Eurocentric view to something that is of this sporting landscape.
albe said | February 10th 2010 @ 3:07am | Report comment
this is true in some sports. but not in football. Our sport doesn’t need to ‘adapt’ to anything. In fact this is part of the problem, watering down what is a successful formula to mimic other sports. Turns off actual football fans, the exact people the league needs to target more.
Realfootball said | February 9th 2010 @ 10:40am | Report comment
In my view the WC bid has been disastrous. The FFA have the left the A League in a vacuum. It borders on negligence.
The falling crowds are in no small part due to FFA. How can you grow a code in the most competitive football marketplace in the world, literally, if you don’t promote it.
Ben Buckley, you are failing the local game.
Towser said | February 9th 2010 @ 11:50am | Report comment
Whilst I agree in the pursuit to hold the WC,the A-League has been neglected,there is a bigger picture here.
I wouldnt condemn Ben Buckley yet.
The momentum provided by a succesful WC bid will be substantial for football.
If the FFA are smart they can then start to promote the A-League on the back of holding a future World Cup.
So short term pain(for the A-League) for long term gain.
However on the flipside if we dont get the World Cup, A-League fans can justifiably say they have a right to be miffed.
Because the time/money/energy spent on the bid could have been channelled into the A-League.
A gamble in my opinion,but one that if it comes off will be worth it.
If not, personally I’m still not worried at this point, the A-League is in limbo anyway unless more money can be injected into it.
Which wont happen probably until the new TV deal in 2013.
Dogz R Barkn said | February 9th 2010 @ 12:20pm | Report comment
I would agree that for some short term cost, there is a massive long term gain for Australia winning the WC bid.
So yes, in the short term, the current A-League season is neither here or there in that context.
On the question of Premiership and Championship, in short, there is zero excuse for a pro-soccer writer like Cockerhill to mess up the terminology.
It has been called the Premiership and the Premier’s Plate since day one of the league – full stop – no excuses – just get it right!!
AndyRoo said | February 9th 2010 @ 12:26pm | Report comment
They also got an extension on their Asian Cup bid, looking at the requirements it seems a much easier tournament to organise (more flexible dates and only 5 stadiums needed) yet obviously they don’t have the man power.
Dogz R Barkn said | February 9th 2010 @ 12:31pm | Report comment
Yes – this announcement didn’t get a lot of publicity at the time – but it does make one wonder as to how much the FFA are on top of things that they need an extension on what is a pretty tiny tournament in comparison to the WC.
VIS said | February 9th 2010 @ 11:55am | Report comment
Horray!
you read my post a few weeks ago.
Its bugged me for a while, but i guess article like this ca only help in educating what the correct terms are; even if some people think they are conflicting/ambiguous etc.
Hope its a cracker this Sunday with good weather so the Sydney people come along and get some vitamin D. The media has been lacking for this, once again prob due to the lack of weight given to finishing first in the AFL and NRL codes.
PS. News out today re why Bonita left “was an apparent power struggle with FFA’s Europe-based bid consultant Peter Hargitay.”
Savvas Tzionis said | February 9th 2010 @ 12:53pm | Report comment
This is hilariously ironic.
The NSL, for all its bad points, ACCEPTED that in Australia the title will be dediced by a Grand Final.
Yet, here we have a bunch of online A-league supporters telling Australians how to run their National Competition.
And I thought the Euro-snobs were not interested in the A-League!!
VIS said | February 9th 2010 @ 1:30pm | Report comment
No, its a case of us telling you and the public/media that don’t know or care that the FFA call the Grand Final winner the Champions, and the ‘first past the post’ the Premiers.
Midfielder said | February 9th 2010 @ 9:19pm | Report comment
I feel sorry for the people who brought SFC… This is how I feel and my guess is many others feel the same and why SFC will remain a strong club but will never be the club it could have been..
To explain … all Australia’s major media companies have their Head Office in Sydney … all were watching SFC … and SFC kinda carried the flag for the A-League in Hal 1 it worked… then some strange management decisions were made followed by a number of mistakes in management and coaching and the flag ship started to weaken … then it just got worst… and it started a death dive … Obi Wan sold his interests and thankfully a new and football savvy team took over and to their great credit they have turned things around and the club is out of its death dive and has steady growth written all over it…
But it will never again be given the chance by the Sydney media or the Sydney public … BUT the Rovers will and they are IMO the single most important team in the A-League… they will operate in one of Australia’s football heart lands in Western Sydney… Home to eight former NSL clubs , five associations and close to 100, 000 registered winter players… with pockets of WS were football is first with daylight second…
RL claims WS but deep down they know if football can unite the various tribes behind one team then they will be without doubt Australia’s biggest club team, from every point, crowds, sponsors, players, etc…
The huge challenge that the Rovers have is uniting the tribes … but they have football talent to burn on their board supported by those same football people having excellent management experience…
On the final series I think it is a no brainier that the final series will be replaced by a FA cup style competition… reason in the foreseeable future Football will be unable to take RL& AFL on head to head on the weekend.. the time the final series is played will be needed to support the additional teams coming in … the FA cup will be played mid week and thus not in direst competition with the NRL & AFL…
Australian Football said | February 10th 2010 @ 11:32am | Report comment
Chop-Chop-Mariners will drown with their style of hoof, run, and foul football before SFC go down. SFC are poised to move into the ACL—then the Sydney fans and media will jump on board.. Will we ever see Chop-Chop-Mariners in the ACL again—not likely.
~~~~~~~
AF
The Bear said | February 10th 2010 @ 9:31am | Report comment
hmm, get it right!!! lol
Ghost said | February 10th 2010 @ 11:01am | Report comment
On a positive note for Sydney… player rumours growing for 2010/11
Corica to retire and be replaced by Nicky Carle as number 10 and marquee
Sergio Van Dijk to join (I’d get rid of Bridge not Aloisi to accomodate him – as long as Aloisi would stay as a non-marquee)
If these moves happen thats great for our team.
AndyRoo said | February 10th 2010 @ 11:09am | Report comment
Typical Sydney though signing another teams best player rather than bringing new talent into the league.
Have to give grudging respect to MV for how they recruit.
Dogz R Barkn said | February 10th 2010 @ 11:22am | Report comment
I would secretly hope that the Rovers operate more like MV than the Bling (in just about every single respect).
Ghost said | February 10th 2010 @ 11:03am | Report comment
By the way I totally agree about the issue of marketing and the FFA. It is nothing short of woeful. They aren’t even doing the ‘no-brainers’.
Andyy__5 said | February 10th 2010 @ 1:43pm | Report comment
I Agree. in fact, i think the a league should have 5-10 more home and away games, instead of a finals series.
sure the finals series in an australian tradition, but just having the league table, and whoever finishes on top wins is a more Footballing tradition. FFA still have a lot of work to do.
MV Dave said | February 10th 2010 @ 8:14pm | Report comment
Next season will have 30 matches for each team (33 rounds with each team having 3 byes) plus the finals series. The team that wins the GF could therefore play up to 34 games (and the following year with a 12 team HAL up to 37 games which is a full Euro season). Finals are part of the Aussie sporting psyche and need to stay IMO.
Jay said | February 10th 2010 @ 8:36pm | Report comment
33 rounds.. good grief!
VIS said | February 10th 2010 @ 8:05pm | Report comment
Cockerill at it again:
http://www.smh.com.au/sport/a-league/sky-blues-ready-to-raid-palace-for-carle-20100209-npud.html
anyone got his email address?!
Faker said | February 11th 2010 @ 12:36pm | Report comment
Might want to get the roar house in order first before you take on any one else ???
http://www.theroar.com.au/2010/02/09/is-valentines-day-clash-the-biggest-a-league-game-ever/
Peruse the various A-League forums in cyberspace, and many fans are claiming that this Sunday’s minor premiership showdown between Sydney FC and Melbourne Victory is the most important match in the A-League’s five-year history.