Football Federation Australia averted a Newcastle Jets player boycott on Monday, providing a short-term deal to help prop up the beleaguered club.
The A-League’s latest crisis was poised to worsen dramatically after Jets players warned they would not line up against Adelaide this weekend if the FFA failed to ensure their contracts were honoured.
A morning meeting between cash-strapped Newcastle owner Con Constantine and chief executive John Tsatsimas and A-League chiefs failed to reach a resolution, which angered the players and their union.
After missing two pay days, players told the Professional Footballers Association boss Brendan Schwab they were prepared to strike.
But the FFA’s late afternoon announcement of short-term financial assistance to the club avoided a potential forfeit at Adelaide’s Hindmarsh Stadium on Saturday night.
FFA chief executive Ben Buckley admitted there were a “range of complex issues” being discussed with various stakeholders and Monday’s deal would allow talks to continue while ensuring entitlements were met.
“The club has a proud history and great spirit evidenced not the least by the players’ approach to the current issues and their strong performance on the weekend,” Buckley said of the 2007-08 champions.
While the Newcastle players admirably aimed up in a scoreless draw with Brisbane Roar on Sunday, Schwab said there was a limit to their generosity and living costs were taking a toll.
Players chipped in to ensure two foreign recruits, Iraqi international Ali Abbas and Chinese striker Zhang Shuo, could buy food.
“That shows two things: How strong the spirit is in the playing group and how difficult the economic situation is for the players,” Schwab told AAP.
“The players are an outstanding group and they are determined to act as a collective unit, but for the players it’s a situation of extreme difficulty.
“There’s obviously a limit as to how much the players can bear. That’s why the FFA have to bring a resolution to this matter as soon as possible.”
While falling crowds have hit the club hard, Schwab put the onus on the governing body to give players a two-pronged assurance that Newcastle continue to be represented in the A-League and all Jets contracts are honoured.
“It’s not appropriate for the players to have any doubt over that situation and the urgent step that needs to be taken is that the FFA ensure that the club’s participation agreement and all player contracts are complied with,” he said.
“We have faith in Newcastle.
“It is a club that at its best attracts wonderful support and has achieved very considerable on-field results so there’s no reasons why the FFA cannot ensure we have a viable team in Newcastle.”
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Shame said | September 7th 2010 @ 10:25am | Report comment
The A-League needs to make this clubs proper clubs, not rely on the generosity of individual owners. Obviously Con Constantine is fed up having to dig into his own pocket.
The A-League is repeating exactly the same mistakes the NBL made.
The AFL tried private ownership, with the Swans and Bears before they reverted to club structures. The club brings in 1000s of people rather than one person to shoulder the burden.
Now if the 1000s of people are not available, that probably is an indication there is no stomach for the product I am afraid.
Aka said | September 7th 2010 @ 11:56am | Report comment
The AFL still has to pump millions into clubs because they are otherwise unviable. Thats with decade old clubs let alone the new ones. So ownership structure is not the issue. I mean the club members aren’t putting up the start up capital for the Gold Coast and Western Sydney clubs are they? Which according to your theory means that there is no stomach for the product.
beaver fever said | September 7th 2010 @ 2:42pm | Report comment
The GCFC have over 9,000 members, so IMO it does show that they have significant commununity support for the new team, next year when they are playing with the big boys, they will probably get around 12,000 members.
GWS has yet to really push its membership, so we are yet to see what they can come up with.
Community owned and driven clubs are the only way to go IMHO, why would the local community feel any ownership of the club when a billiionaire owns the club??.
When members have the oppurtunity to vote other members on and off a board, more people get involved.
Mister Football said | September 7th 2010 @ 4:35pm | Report comment
When you say, “pump millions”, I wonder whether you are aware of the reality?
1. All clubs get a financial dividend each year from the AFL’s general revenue, which is basically a share of the TV rights, which is fair enough, the TV rights exist because the clubs exist!
2. From time to time, clubs need additional assistance to break even on their footballing operations, this is in the order of $1 mill to $2 mill per annum (over and above revenue that might be around the $28 mill per annum for the clubs involved). Clubs are assisted in moving to a situation where they no longer need that assistance. Carlton relied on assistance for a very short period. My team, the bulldogs, have received assistance for at least five years, but having just reached 34,000 members, and with an improved stadium deal, the hope is that we willl soon be able to operate with zero financial assistance. That’s the way the system is intended to operate.
Shame said | September 7th 2010 @ 11:39pm | Report comment
Well, the Swans are the biggest football club in New South Wales. They have over 20,000 members. They had 42,000 rock up to a match in Sydney last Sunday afternoon. Them being in the AFL adds millions to the tv rights and sponsorships.
Being propped up, occasionally years ago. But they seem to be doing fine now. Let’s see if the soccer people have the money and the ticker to go 15 rounds.
bozo said | September 7th 2010 @ 10:05pm | Report comment
The A League is an artificial contruct. Born from the Crawford Report and John Howard’s desire to keep Mr Lowy on side. The funding to get it in place has been spent and support does not sustain the construct.