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A bad week that was actually good for the game

2nd September, 2010
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Roar Guru
2nd September, 2010
26
1525 Reads

Has this been the first week where the A-League has overshadowed the build up to a Socceroos game? Unfortunately, though, at times over the last few days, I’ve found wading through the latest A-League news, opinion pieces and press releases a heavy task.

From the acrimony over last weekend’s contentious penalties through to the debate surrounding Gold Coast United reinstating their controversial crowd cap, it has all made for depressing reading.

The most alarming story for me this week was the news the Newcastle Jets players and staff weren’t paid last week and owner Con Constantine is struggling to meet his financial commitments.

A foundation club and former A-League premiership winner in grave financial trouble? This is the kind of story that can get even the biggest optimist down and make you wonder if the task facing the game is too much.

Yet, one look over the weekend’s A-League highlights, with the exception of those two penalty decisions of course, is invigorating viewing. Both Costa Barbarouses and Robbie Kruse scored goals of such quality, both in their application and build up play, that doubts begin to wade.

If we can ride out these early years of change, overcome the obstacles the game is both faced with and created for itself, then on the other side lies a final destination well worth striving for.

As we know, the challenges, from revolutionising the game at grassroots level to developing and maintaining a top class domestic competition, are enormous. Yet, I’d plead for optimism.

Things aren’t as bad as they could be.

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I’m currently finishing up a three-week stint in the U.S. where I’ve been putting together stories on the Australians plying their trade over here and also the US World Cup bid team.

As always it’s been an illuminating trip, not just on the state of the game in America but also in comparing it to things back home.

First of all, with Central Coast Mariner’s withdrawal form the competition; the W-League may have received its first club casualty. Yet at least the W-League continues to hold its ground.

Things are so turbulent in the WPS here the future of the competition, at least as far as next season is concerned, is heavily in doubt.

While the women’s clubs are bleeding huge amounts of money, things are even worse in the now well-established MLS where annual club loses are in the millions of dollars.

I was skeptical a couple weeks ago when Danny Allsopp told me he thought the A-League was of a higher standard then the MLS. Yet after having attended a number of games since then, it’s clear to me the former Melbourne Victory striker is right.

This season, A-League games have regularly surpassed those of the MLS, a league that seems to be aiming to reach a level equal to that of the English Championship in both tactical and technical “sophistication”.

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The US might have found more success then Australia over the last 20 years but I believe Australia is in a better position to develop into a football nation capable of winning the World Cup then America.

As US Soccer chief Sunil Gulati announced Bob Bradley’s contract extension as coach of the US men’s national team this week he spoke about the need to improve talent identification through to improving training and teaching techniques at the grassroots level. But what a task!

Don’t get me wrong, the game has come so far in the US it can be quite staggering at times (90,000 people to watch a Real Madrid friendly?!), but this country is so large and the football community so unwieldy, to develop a concrete and effective football system, from the grassroots on up, is almost impossible.

Meanwhile Australia’s size and economic strength is large enough to create a suitable talent pool but not so big that administrating the game becomes a logistical nightmare.

Quite simply, the task facing Gulati and US Soccer is even larger then Australia’s.

Back home mistakes continue to be made within the game, and these should be pointed out, discussed and then rectified I still hold out hope.

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