Palmer versus FFA: Public stoush exposes the flaws
Columnist By Adrian Musolino, 21 Feb 2012 Adrian Musolino is a Roar Expert
- Tagged:
- A-League, A-League crowds, A-League expansion, Clive Palmer, FFA, football, Football Federation Australia, Fox Sports, Gold Coast United, SBS
Brisbane Roar player Luke Devere heads the ball over top of Gold Coast United player Joel Porter during the 1st round of the 2010 A-league competition at Skilled Park on the Gold Coast, Sunday, Aug. 08, 2010. (AAP Image/Dave Hunt)
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Gold Coast United owner Clive Palmer took to the box last night (SBS’s The World Game) in his escalating public war of words against Football Federation Australia. And he wasn’t holding back.
Following on from Palmer’s comments yesterday that FFA CEO Ben Buckley should be replaced by “somebody with a football background” (rather ironic given Palmer’s comments regarding his feelings for the game and his lack of football background), Buckley and the FFA were his main targets last night, seemingly doing his best to deflect any criticism for the failings of Gold Coast United.
Wearing a two-and-a-half-year-old Australian World Cup bid scarf on a 31-degree Gold Coast day, seemingly for no other reason than to slyly show-off arguably the FFA’s greatest blunder, Palmer threw every failing of the game at the FFA’s feet.
What he didn’t do was accept any of the blame for the failings of his own club.
His assertion that there’s “no crisis” and “nothing wrong with our club” highlights a worrying disengagement with reality, for his club has been on a slippery slope in terms of on and off field performance, particularly this season.
The fact that the sacking (or was it resignation?) of coach Miron Bleiberg, the real victim of the last week, was barely mentioned is a case in point.
Although Palmer seems to be committed to staying the course with his licence valid to 2014, his television appearance would have done little to ease Gold Coast United fans’ concerns.
Palmer insisted in the interview that there is no shortage of money to keep Gold Coast United going and the investment in youth can pay dividends.
But the flaw of playing what is essentially a youth team in the top tier national level is evidenced by their current league position – eights points adrift at the bottom of the table, 15 points off a finals place, and without a win in nearly two months.
We saw similar signs at the North Queensland Fury this time last season.
And with James Brown, arguably one of the club’s most talented current players, heading elsewhere and the expectation that more will follow his example, it proves a club needs more than money to function successfully. It needs stability, a sound culture and to inspire belief amongst the staff and fans.
Gold Coast United has failed on all those accounts, and that is a point Palmer must take the blame for and not ignore.
Just because he’s spent $18 million on the club doesn’t make him impervious to criticism, as he insinuated.
Palmer’s problem, as evidenced in the interview, is that he has thrown money at Gold Coast United without the necessary groundwork to determine what works best to create a successful football club – unsurprising given his mining, non-football background.
Perhaps the real question now in this sorry saga is how much blame should be apportioned to the FFA in awarding a franchise to Palmer and how much assistance should owners receive to run their clubs, but that’s a debate for another day.
But whatever you think of Palmer, he did make some points that on reflection should be examined rather than dismissed as the ravings of a lunatic, as many were suggesting in the wake of the interview.
Unless there is this type of serious self-analysis within the game relating to these failings, they are doomed to be repeated. Even though he is evidently raising such points to deflect attention from the goings on at his own club, they are still worthy of debate.
Why, for example, are club owners losing $4 million on average each; why is there such a heavy reliance on people like Palmer to keep clubs afloat; do the clubs deserve more say in the governance and revenue-split of the league; and why does the league still lack a free-to-air presence.
His suggestion that Fox Sports should not broadcast live into the region where an A-League game is played is certainly worthy of debate, as the league tries to find a balance between the needs of its television deal and gate-takings from crowds.
Fox Sports has in many ways saved the A-League and is a critical element in its existence. But if the competition is to grow it needs some type of free-to-air presence, even if it’s only a highlights show on the ABC or SBS.
And his point that Gold Coast United’s home crowd average (between 2000 to 3000) in a market with a population of 400,000 is comparable to Melbourne Heart’s crowd of 4000 last week with a population of four million, highlights the ongoing concern of crowd figures across the league, not to mention the FFA’s wider expansion errors.
These points shouldn’t be ignored with the next television deal currently being worked on and amid the ongoing work to grow the league. Palmer has fumbled a lot in his running of Gold Coast United, but he is nevertheless a stakeholder in the game with an insider’s perspective.
As for his club itself, he can either let go of his licence and let the club die with dignity or prolong its misery in the mire of further public bickering. Judging by last night, it seems to be the latter.
But either way it leads to the same result – the death of Gold Coast United. And Palmer should at least accept his blame in that.
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February 21st 2012 @ 5:08am
nordster said | February 21st 2012 @ 5:08am | Report comment
“he has thrown money at Gold Coast United without the necessary groundwork to determine what works best to create a successful football club – unsurprising given his mining, non-football background.”
one thing all these clubs could be doing with some organisation with the local associations … especially a captive area like Gold Coast. Follow the fine lead of the Mariners in 2012 who have now linked in with the junior representative teams, all the best kids around here will now be Mariners players. Would be a great way to link in with the participation base and build support over the next decade.
For every player in a full GCU youth setup, there would be countless folks connected through the grassroots … families, schools, friends etc of each proud GCU rep player … finally a way to tap into the participation base and translate into goodwill for the league and clubs.
Sure its not a cure-all by any stretch but its a relatively cost-effective option just sitting there waiting to be done.
February 21st 2012 @ 7:58am
TheMagnificent11 said | February 21st 2012 @ 7:58am | Report comment
I whole-heartedly agree and have said the same thing on various forums.
The relationship with local associations (and their member clubs) should be more than just youth development/talent identification; registered players in those associations should get a discount on tickets. Registered juniors 12 or under should get in free. I think registered players have an FFA MyFootball number so the logistics of this shouldn’t be too hard. Clubs will lose money on the discounts but gain money on the parents and friends that attend. More importantly, you get on the “good-side” of fans by giving something back. Also, a 7 year old who gets in for free for 5 years is more likely to convince their parents to keep attending when the turn 13. This stuff is hardly rocket science.
Furthermore, the A-League should let local associations know about fixturing to ensure games are not played when A-League games are on (an issue for senior football that starts pre-season games in January). I think this should be an FFA rule that all clubs and associations have to abide by.
February 21st 2012 @ 8:05am
nordster said | February 21st 2012 @ 8:05am | Report comment
the Mariners (again haha) do have the tickets option also through a deal i think with Ausgrid (Energy Oz). The take up rate i’m not sure of though i think this may be affected by the fact that the A-League runs out of season to the junior participants. So its harder for the teams and mates to get together during the season to attend games socially. I reckon running in summer has some merits, but over time they really need to be going 9-10 months of the year so it’ll cross over more and more into the junior seasons eventually.
February 21st 2012 @ 8:16am
TheMagnificent11 said | February 21st 2012 @ 8:16am | Report comment
Agreed. However, surely an A-League club can get access to the mailing addresses of registered players. The cost of posting a few thousand letters and couple of times a season would be definitely worth it (and email and publishing on social media doesn’t cost anything). Being a member of MyFootball gives you the opportunity to get pre-sale Socceroos tickets, why can’t it get you discounts on A-League tickets?
An the possibilities with social media. If you can like an musical artist’s Facebook page and get a free-download, surely you can print of a voucher. How about the best 10 questions for interview with player X gets a free ticket to the next home game? There a lots a ways to get the message out there that don’t cost very much. It gets even easier when you have the contact details of your target audience.
February 21st 2012 @ 8:37am
Lucan said | February 21st 2012 @ 8:37am | Report comment
You need to be careful on accessing databases for mass mailouts. My post box was clogged by a local HAL franchise after the State Federation gave them a list of participants and members.
Nowhere, in any agreement I made with the State Fed, did I agree for them to forward my details to a third party (not even in the fine print). Needless to say I read the riot act to both the State Fed for their reckless handling of basic privacy and the franchise spamming me.
February 21st 2012 @ 8:40am
TheMagnificent11 said | February 21st 2012 @ 8:40am | Report comment
Fair point. Surely you can add a opt-in checkbox and the bottom of a sign-on form. Something like “allow the FFA and A-League to send me special offers and promotions”. Again, not rocket science.
February 21st 2012 @ 8:37am
Bondy said | February 21st 2012 @ 8:37am | Report comment
When has Palmer and the F.F.A. ever got a long ?
When has the Gold Coast been an a success ?
Will Palmer give up his liscence ? No
Skeptics could suggest this has been a whole publicty stunt to promote further interest in the game until the finals series .
February 21st 2012 @ 9:03am
Fussball ist unser leben said | February 21st 2012 @ 9:03am | Report comment
Enjoyed the interview on SBS last night. Issues were aired that had to be aired and all those, who were jubilantly preparing to dance on GCU’s grave have egg on their faces … again. Clive Palmer showed he continues to have respect for the Game and is committed to being involved with GCU.
Ok, so the main gripes Palmer has are:
a) Governance of the Game in Australia and
b) improving commercial aspects of the HAL
Sounds fair to me. To create a successful business, the most important hurdle to overcome is to get the product right.
Even Palmer has no issue with the “the product” (i.e. the game being played on the park). Within a short period of 7 years, people who watch the HAL will agree the product is excellent – all 10 teams this year are playing good football – technically, tactically, good intensity and competitive.
The exposure of the HAL is tremendous due to 21st century technology that allows suppliers to interact directly with their customers and bypass the agenda-driven mainstream media. HAL-specific forums and websites are far more popular than for any other sporting competition in Australia.
So, the final milestones in the HAL’s development will be to solidify the commercials & create best-practice governance structures.
Within the HAL family we boast some of the most successful business negotiators in Australia – Tinkler, Palmer, Sage, Ramsay, Traktovenko, Sidwell, Lowy, the Bakrie Group, etc .. the FFA would be crazy not to leverage the business acumen & negotiating tactics as we strive to make the HAL the best football league in Asia.
February 21st 2012 @ 9:29am
nordster said | February 21st 2012 @ 9:29am | Report comment
i think your key point there is “FINAL milestone” … are we ready for an independent league yet? (Are we there yet? Are we there yet?)
i guess when u balance out all the investors and interests at club level … it makes more sense to give the league a greater amount of autonomy, structurally. The risk imo is not having an overseeing body in the fragile early stages of the league. And the idea of Palmer running hog wild in an independent league with some of his more ‘out there’ ideas.
and does the overall structure of the league need to be set first, before handing over the keys? What prospect is there that existing clubs would want to allow new entrants that dilute the revenue per club? Or institute a second division with all the potential of promotion and relegation?
February 21st 2012 @ 10:54am
Clayts said | February 21st 2012 @ 10:54am | Report comment
Agree with everything you said here Fuss.
I got the same out of the interviews too. I even thought CP was much more effective at getting his point across than Ben Buckley.
BB just seemed to use corporate buzz words to try and make him sound like he knew what he was doing.
I guess one failing of the CP GCU is that the crowds just aren’t going. CP can point to Heart’s crowds but they’re still much bigger than the Coast’s and don’t look completely empty on TV. This wasn’t driven hard enough in the interview. There is no denying CP alienated his fans and that is a mistake. However I think he raised some valid points and would not be alone in those views among the owners.
February 21st 2012 @ 11:10am
The Cattery said | February 21st 2012 @ 11:10am | Report comment
Fussball said: “Clive Palmer showed he continues to have respect for the Game…”
Did you honestly reach that conclusion from last night’s interview? If so, it’s an extraordinary conclusion, because all I saw last night was him continuing to show gross disrespect for the game, primarily by feigning interest and knowledge in things that he clearly knows nothing about.
Just as one example, pretending to care about the players when he still hasn’t offered any contracts, and the all the rubbish about the 17 year old captain as if that was somehow justifiable in any way.
On top of that, his smirking at the end of each cynical response sort of told you everything you needed to know.
February 21st 2012 @ 11:20am
Fussball ist unser leben said | February 21st 2012 @ 11:20am | Report comment
Investing $18m in under 3 years indicates Clive Palmer’s tangible respect for, and commitment to, the HAL.
Clive Palmer has done more to promote HAL football in the Gold Coast region than anyone else in Australia.
February 21st 2012 @ 11:48am
The Cattery said | February 21st 2012 @ 11:48am | Report comment
It’s true that it’s hard to argue with someone who has put in $18 million of his own money.
But following the initial optimism of most of the first season, he has treated fans, players, the FFA and the game generally with absolute contempt and disdain.
You would struggle to find anyone in Australia who has demonstrated more contempt for the game than CP.
He has basically bought himself the right to show disdain and contempt, and seems to relish in the fact that no one can do anything about it.
It has become a huge game and joke for him – this is the true sport that he yearns and loves.
February 21st 2012 @ 12:08pm
Fussball ist unser leben said | February 21st 2012 @ 12:08pm | Report comment
Based on what I’ve read about Clive Palmer in the business news, the behaviour you’ve mentioned is no different to how Clive behaves when dealing with his other businesses.
It’s up to Clive to understand that, with his unlimited funds and the proper management & marketing, GCU could become the biggest sporting club in Queensland.
February 21st 2012 @ 12:16pm
The Cattery said | February 21st 2012 @ 12:16pm | Report comment
GCU is currently teetering on the edge, and you still hold out hopes that Clive will turn things around and make it the biggest sporting club in Queensland.
Are you saying such things to get a reaction or do you truly believe that?
February 21st 2012 @ 12:21pm
Fussball ist unser leben said | February 21st 2012 @ 12:21pm | Report comment
Things can turn around in any business.
At the end of 1996, Hawthorn & Melbourne AFL clubs were going bankrupt and they were going to merge. 15 years later, Hawthorn is one of the best-supported & financially secure sporting organisations in Australia.
I don’t think you fully appreciate the extent of Clive Palmer’s wealth.
February 21st 2012 @ 3:31pm
The Cattery said | February 21st 2012 @ 3:31pm | Report comment
I appreciate his wealth, I’m just unsure how keen he is to spend it.
February 22nd 2012 @ 2:57am
amazonfan said | February 22nd 2012 @ 2:57am | Report comment
“Based on what I’ve read about Clive Palmer in the business news, the behaviour you’ve mentioned is no different to how Clive behaves when dealing with his other businesses.”
Exactly, which speaks volumes for the kind of person he is.
February 21st 2012 @ 11:29am
Bondy said | February 21st 2012 @ 11:29am | Report comment
Fussball .
I know you’re a busy bloke , but I was wondering if I could grab your email address .
February 21st 2012 @ 1:13pm
Kasey said | February 21st 2012 @ 1:13pm | Report comment
I know you didn’t do it on purpose, but don’t forget AdelaideUnited’s Greg Griffin, lawyer par excellence and partner of Griffin Hilditch Legal group, they have successfully represented quite a few SA sports personalities in their battles, one that springs to mind is former Crows ruckman Shaun Rehn vs the AFL regarding his knee injury on the bounce disc at footy Park
February 21st 2012 @ 1:35pm
Tigranes said | February 21st 2012 @ 1:35pm | Report comment
Im not sure about saying the likes of Tinkler, Palmer and Sage are expert negotiators is accurate, they were lucky enough to find minerals and the fact that China is buying them.
And Fussball, when Palmer said Rugby League is a far better game, what is your take on that???
February 21st 2012 @ 1:44pm
Fussball ist unser leben said | February 21st 2012 @ 1:44pm | Report comment
Why would I have any issue with Palmer enjoying RL more than Football? I’m just happy that Palmer has invested $18m dollars in our football league and I have no idea how much he’s invested in RL.
Maybe my passion for football is misinterpreted, so I’ll make it clear …
I don’t care if all 21m other Aussies prefer other sports to football and I could not give a stuff how many other people in Australia enjoy the HAL. I’m just as happy watching MVFC with 20k on a Friday night at AAMI Park as I am watching an MVFC away game on TV when I can’t get to the game.
February 21st 2012 @ 9:46am
TheMagnificent11 said | February 21st 2012 @ 9:46am | Report comment
I would agree with Clive on the point that governance structure is wrong.
It is my understanding that the FFA board is elected by the state federations. That’s 10 or so federations representing the views of every football fan.
The FFA members should be the regional associations (each association and the FFA should be a non-profit organisation and should re-invest all earning back in the game or reduce costs to the grass-roots). State federations should be abolished and their resources and funds should be distributed to the FFA and the regional associations (probably very difficult to achieve because the states would have to agree to this).
Similarly, regional associations should members represented by the clubs in their area.
You’d have to decide whether A-League clubs are direct members of the FFA or a regional association. I think A-League clubs should be members of a regional association to force them forge close ties with other clubs in their area.
An A-League commission would also be nice but I don’t think the clubs are run well enough for this yet. Look at each club’s website for example; it looks like it developed and run by the FFA. How many clubs could afford to do their own web development and hosting? How many clubs could afford to do their own merchandising. I suppose a A-League commission could do that but the FFA would have to give up resources to this new commission.
Is the money the FFA get from the broadcast and sponsorship rights of the national teams enough to fund national team expenses as well as youth development programs? The commission would be good for the A-League but perhaps not for football overall. The EPL has in a way destroyed English football because over 90% of the funds it generates goes to 20 clubs and all the clubs in the Football League get very little. Give the A-League clubs too much power and you might never get it back.
February 21st 2012 @ 10:28am
Cpaaa said | February 21st 2012 @ 10:28am | Report comment
I will watch the TWG episode when it is put on line but in the mean time i cant help but side myself with Palmer.
Lets face it, he did not pour in millions of dollars into a football franchise because he loves the game. He knows nothing about the game, about community connection through sport, or even how to run a Football Club. What he does know is that Football is the World game and owning a Football Club today is the new Millionaires status Symbol.
Here is where Clive was sold the idea of a Franchise. “Dont worry Clive, put in your money and we will set up the rest”
MASSIVE FAIL by the FFA.
The whole idea of a FRanchise is that you have a Pilot to steer the ship, a list of guidlines and if things arnt going well, we step in and help you with establishing your club. We are in this together, its our name to.
MASSIVE FAIL by the FFA.
They are quick to point the finger at Clive when he opens his mouth but did the FFA not see the writing on the wall with empty stadium. A hand full of memberships pre-sold, GC United only in name.
FFAs Franchise model is flawed, Football experts need to be involved and a team to help all A-League Clubs connect better.
Buckley may be a clever guy but Footballs General he is not.
FFA you can not blame CP for your own failings. Hopefully this is the wake up call you needed. An unlikely hero just may be Clive Palmer himself.
February 21st 2012 @ 11:00am
TheMagnificent11 said | February 21st 2012 @ 11:00am | Report comment
I agree that the FFA should be doing more. However, a minor technicality is that I believe A-League clubs are not franchises; they companies that hold an A-League license. A franchise model might work better if the FFA provided adequate assistance. However, they also have the resources to provide advice, the clubs have to do the majority of the work.
February 21st 2012 @ 11:37am
Cpaaa said | February 21st 2012 @ 11:37am | Report comment
M11 then why call them Franchises? Ive heard Buckley and Journos say Franchise.
Either way i guess that is the major flaw in all of this. The FFA dosnt have a formula as to how to run a successful football club.
If every club is on their own, then how is any of this supposed to work?
I just watched the Clive on TWG and still im agreeing with him. He has the money but not the experience in running a professional Football Club. He is filthy at the FFA on many counts and i loved how he proposed the Olyroos side V GCU youth team winner takes $100k.
Clive is a man that dosnt like to loose, and i dont think he wants to loose UNited either and if it goes to court he wont loose there either.
Solution- FFA work with Clive. Send in a Football marketing swat team to turn things around next season. Change the colours, change the strip and change the name, recruit members. Relocate to the 5k stadium at central SouthPort. Try a deal to own the stadium. We need a UN/Nato/FFA military operation set up on the GC as if it were Bosnia. We can make this right but right now there is too much wrong.
February 21st 2012 @ 12:22pm
Bondy said | February 21st 2012 @ 12:22pm | Report comment
Cpaaa.
I agree with most of your comments there , and also why do our clubs continuosly get called franchises, they sound like D.F.O. direct factory outlets (flogging cheap jeans) .
February 21st 2012 @ 12:55pm
Lucan said | February 21st 2012 @ 12:55pm | Report comment
Bondy, they’re “clubs” in name only.
They’re not like the long established Aussie Rules clubs, HAL members don’t have any ownership, or a say in how the franchise is operated. That belongs solely to the licence holder.
* guess this is a discussion better saved for another thread, though.
February 21st 2012 @ 12:15pm
Bondy said | February 21st 2012 @ 12:15pm | Report comment
Just in relation to Clive he’s pumped $18- 20 mill into football, where if you take things into context, for people like us it would be like us dropping a $2 coin down a drain, you just keep on walking with no major concern .
February 21st 2012 @ 12:19pm
The Cattery said | February 21st 2012 @ 12:19pm | Report comment
I think that’s true enough as far as the relative numbers are concerned – but it still doesn’t explain why he prefers to treat his fan base, players and the game as a whole with utter contempt.
A few soccer fans are holding out hope that he will come good, resurrect the club, be good for the game as a whole – but I just don’t know where that hope is coming from.
February 21st 2012 @ 2:08pm
Bondy said | February 21st 2012 @ 2:08pm | Report comment
The Cattery.
I hope you share the same interest with the afl clubs in adelaide, they look to be in a bad way financially are you concentrating on them this coming season, financially as you do here with the football .
February 21st 2012 @ 3:35pm
The Cattery said | February 21st 2012 @ 3:35pm | Report comment
Bondy
One thing the AFL and Clive have in common is that they are big enough and ugly enough to look after themselves (so to speak, just a turn of phrase and in no way do I intend that as a personal insult).
A key difference is that the AFL’s sole responsibility is to look after the game, and nothing more, they exist for that sole purpose.
Clive is a bit different in that respect, in fact a lot different – he doesn’t give a damn about the game – that much is crystal clear.
February 21st 2012 @ 2:12pm
philipcoates said | February 21st 2012 @ 2:12pm | Report comment
I’m with you Cat, how can you hold out hope for this man who shows utter contempt for the game and the supporters. And his double back, oh, well, when i said i didnt like the game i meant i didnt like the administration. Anyone who believes that line is fooling themselves.
And this nonsense by some people that the FFA didnt help him understand what to do …. crikey, he’s a billionaire business man for christ’s sake … do you not think he had budgets prepared by his own people, did he not know what Robina would cost to hire, did he not have a breakeven crowd figure in his estimates … of course he did! But his ego was focussed on wizzing his team around in a private jet and thinking everyone would come running to the ground (like the Chinese come running for resources) … when he realized his mistake he tries and blames every one else and deflect attention with his rantings and ravings about everything including the nationality of the national coach.
Everyone on this forum and other football forums knows the FFA have made serious mistakes and need to do better but we DONT need people like Clive Palmer telling us how to do it regardless of how many times he reminded us in the interview about how rich he happens to be.
February 21st 2012 @ 2:31pm
SportsFanMelb said | February 21st 2012 @ 2:31pm | Report comment
Cat and philipcoates could not agree more.
CP is an embarrassment to the game and an egomanic who thinks that everyone should listen to him because he is rich. He was rambling on about anything and everything last night and as Cat already pointed out it is possible to raise a few vaild arguments when applying the scatter gun approach to the topic at hand.
If he honestly thinks that people on the GC are now going to consider supporting the club he is kidding himself, the limited fanbase that they have unfortunately are between a rock and a hard place – they want to watch live soccer on the Coast however the club dies if Palmer walks away, and by going to the games you are benefitting CP. I really do feel for the GC fans, QSAF in particular who has been made to look quite foolish for all his posts and attacks on others when the GC was bought up in discussion.
This guy is bad news, his first thought is – lets go legal and I have the cash to win at all costs. He is sitting in his office somewhere today wearing that smirk from last night knowing that he is in total control with what happens to GCU and the FFA dont really have the resources to go after him unless Lowy wants to stump up some cash.
Fuss we know you are as passionate and optimistic as they come regarding soccer in this country, however, if you honestly think that CP was GENUINELY taken out of context and its poor old CP against the tyranny of the FFA you are deluded.
Get CP out of the game now.
February 21st 2012 @ 2:44pm
Fussball ist unser leben said | February 21st 2012 @ 2:44pm | Report comment
SFN
I’m not for a minute suggesting Clive Palmer hasn’t made huge errors in handling GCU. But, he’s not alone. In the 7 year history of the HAL, lots of mistakes have been made by every club and our governing body. But, yet, here we are – HAL fans and non-HAL fans – discussing the HAL.
I’m an HAL fan and I don’t discuss issues relating to Super Rugby, NRL or AFL so, the HAL must be doing something right that people, who don’t have any stake in our League are so intrigued and want to be involved in discussions.
As I said before … Clive Palmer has done more to promote the HAL in the Gold Coast region than anyone else in Australia.
Of course I want Clive to manage the GCU better. I also want Ben Buckley to manage the FFA better, Lyle Gorman to manage the HAL better, Tony Sage to manage Perth Glory better; Sidwell to manage MHT better; Di Pietro et al to manage MVFC better, etc. etc.
Without Clive Palmer the HAL will be weaker and will not have a presence on the Gold Coast. If more football fans showed the same willingness to put their hands in their wallet and get involved with their local HAL club we wouldn’t need to rely so heavily on the largesse of private owners.
February 21st 2012 @ 3:40pm
The Cattery said | February 21st 2012 @ 3:40pm | Report comment
I disagree that without CP the HAL will be weaker. If today’s reports are accurate, we could have someone infinitely better than CP involved in the game and in a place where the HAL needs to be. With a little luck, this might work out very well for the FFA.
February 21st 2012 @ 4:24pm
Fussball ist unser leben said | February 21st 2012 @ 4:24pm | Report comment
The reports by Ray Gatt are part of the ongoing development of the HAL as we work towards a 14-16 team Australian Premier football league and, in my opinion, GCU will be a vibrant member of this league.
And, Clive has a new enemy and, if he wins this legal battle … heck, this provides finance for the GCU until at least 2020!
From http://afr.com/p/national/clive_palmer_to_sue_hyatt_for_D3Q5xLqjDXiYe2va2DWrJM
“Clive Palmer will sue Hyatt Hotels for $60 million, accusing it of siphoning money from his Queensland resort and covering it up.”
February 21st 2012 @ 4:32pm
SportsFanMelb said | February 21st 2012 @ 4:32pm | Report comment
Fuss,
I understand that mistakes have been made, I just think that the negative publicity that he is generating for GCU at the moment is not helping the HAL or GCU. In some rare cases not all publicity is good publicity. Airing your dirty laundry in front of every stakeholder in the game and sitting their smug in the fact that you are rich and can do as you please for 2 more seasons is not great – would you conceed that?
With regards to promotion for GCU on the Gold Coast, I think he has done little to nothing. Apart from the odd press conference and one time offering free tickets to a game what else has he exactly done? The community are doing one of two things – either voting with their feet that they don’t want to be a part of the club while it is a billionaire plaything OR their is little to no promotion at all. I suspect a combination of both.
I was up on the GC last week (my younger brother lives there) and you would not know there was a soccer club playing in the A-League and its almost the end of the season! In my brothers words “they are basically invisible up here, they need to put themselves in the picture”, and this is a team in the national league. By contrast you are well aware of the Titans and Suns existence (just using by way of comparison, dont go code war style on this comment). I fear it is to late for this incarnation of GCU to reconnect with the community while Palmer is involved. If it folds so be it, lets look at other areas that can support a team from the community up, not an egomaniac down.
And you do comment on AFL threads, I have seen it
February 21st 2012 @ 5:31pm
Bondy said | February 21st 2012 @ 5:31pm | Report comment
SportsFanMelbourne.
You raise some valid points , but cant you conceed that young Australian Footballers are getting their opportunity to live the dream of being a professional footballer “who knows where this will go for some of them”. That yes poor community engagement , low social profile, but couldn’t you just see that fine young Australian men are endeavouring to try to represent this great nation of ours in for what I believe is the hardest sport to obtain results in, in any field of sport we partake in as a nation .
February 21st 2012 @ 2:42pm
Bondy said | February 21st 2012 @ 2:42pm | Report comment
philipcoates .
Well said .
February 21st 2012 @ 5:58pm
SportsFanMelb said | February 21st 2012 @ 5:58pm | Report comment
Bondy,
If there is a positive from the mess that is GCU then it is certainly the opportunity the kids are getting to play at the top level.
Also true in regards to the hardest sport to obtain results in worldwide.
February 21st 2012 @ 2:29pm
Dinoweb said | February 21st 2012 @ 2:29pm | Report comment
I think some people confuse worth with income.
Clive Palmer may be worth a couple of billion dollars, but that does not mean he earns billions of dollars every year. $20m is 2% of $1b
If I sold my house and all my posessions I might be worth $300k after paying back all my loans. That means I’d be forking out around $6,000 of my worth if I was to make a similar investment to Clive.
Now it might not send me bankrupt to lose that much money, but if I dropped that much money in a drain, I’d stop to look for it.
I’d certainly think twice about throwing away that sort of money every few years, yet Clive has stated he will continue to do so. Somehow though, people don’t seem to think that is worthy of any respect.
Regardless of how much $18m really is in value to Clive Palmer, I certainly don’t have that kind of money available to put into the sport. I, for one, hope he continues to drop his $2 down the drain, and further hope that something positive does come out of it for the eventual good of the sport in this country.
February 21st 2012 @ 4:45pm
Titus said | February 21st 2012 @ 4:45pm | Report comment
What is already likely to come out of it is, GCU moving to a smaller stadium and possibly sharing some of the revenue, not buying expensive marquees in a regional city and promoting youth, FFA declaring that they are seeking to cover each teams salary cap, Clive no longer flying the team around in a private jet, all parties being aware of the need for community engagement.
There is no reason for Clive and GCU to lose that much money each year and he indicated on The World Game that he would like to bring in other stakeholders.
I disagree that this has been bad for the game, I think it has helped everyone come together and start discussing the issues. The game continues to improve as does ratings, crowds and participation.
February 21st 2012 @ 5:50pm
Bondy said | February 21st 2012 @ 5:50pm | Report comment
Well said Titus .
This with luck and good management ( sometimes you need a blew) for things to activate .Also a crowd of around 7,000 could be acheivable .
I remember watching a semi final in the N.R.L. last year where the Manly coach Hasler suggested there was a crowd of around 11,000 and not 13,000. I dont mean to pick on there sport but that was fact .
February 21st 2012 @ 2:48pm
Bondy said | February 21st 2012 @ 2:48pm | Report comment
I might point out also Clive has a 68 -0 litigation success rate, at least he’s kept a clean sheet .
February 21st 2012 @ 3:23pm
philipcoates said | February 21st 2012 @ 3:23pm | Report comment
Well he is a big unit and obviously he proves difficult to get past
February 21st 2012 @ 2:48pm
Johnno said | February 21st 2012 @ 2:48pm | Report comment
Clive made good points on CEo wages, and wasting money.
February 21st 2012 @ 3:21pm
philipcoates said | February 21st 2012 @ 3:21pm | Report comment
Mentioning the wages is just a smoke screen and pointless. Wages aren’t paid in a vacuum, they are paid according to what the market dictates. Gus Hiddink just signed a contract to manage a club for $12M per annum! Is that too much? In my opinion yes it’s too much, but it’s what the market for Gus’s services dictates so that is what he gets paid and he’ll be judged on performance.
Clive said, “we’re not happy with the fact that the top five executives of the FFA are all paid more than $5 million totalled together. We don’t think those things are good”. I’m not sure who “we” are and Foz didn’t bother to ask him. But is he saying “if Ben Buckley earnt less money that would be a good thing and we would be happy?” If he has a gripe about the executives performance let’s hear it, but the gripe should be relevant to expected outcomes and they should be valid whether Ben earns $1 or $1Million.
February 21st 2012 @ 3:46pm
The Cattery said | February 21st 2012 @ 3:46pm | Report comment
In one of the funny BBC science fiction TV shows, there’s an episode where someone has managed to develop a life form that comprises a glutinous mass the exact dimensions of a soccer goalmouth. One suspects that such a life form could earn a lot of money in the top European leagues.
February 21st 2012 @ 4:22pm
futbanous said | February 21st 2012 @ 4:22pm | Report comment
The Cattery
There was indeed such a life form. His name was William(Fatty)Foulkes. He played for Sheffield United in the late 19th early 20th century.
Reputedly 6 feet 4 inches & 24 stone at the end of his career.
A bit here on wiki followed by a you tube clip with Fatty making a brief appearance at the end,just after 2 minutes
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Foulke_(footballer)
February 21st 2012 @ 2:53pm
JohnL said | February 21st 2012 @ 2:53pm | Report comment
I’m just wondering when CP will issue procedings against the Courier Mail for incorrectly printing what he allegedly said. For someone that is quick to mention taking people to court, surely there is a case of libel for him against the CM?
The definiion of libel is: a false, malicious statement published in mainstream media.
In this instance, either CP was misquoted and the CM published a false statement which has caused harm (malicious) to his reputation; or what was printed was what CP said.
February 21st 2012 @ 4:48pm
SportsFanMelb said | February 21st 2012 @ 4:48pm | Report comment
JohnL,
It might be a case of he said what he said and he knows it was NOT taken out of context. Watch the interview last night – just garbage hi sexplanations for what has been said.
As has already been pointed out, he loves the court system and has a good record when going there, the fact that the courier mail has not been mentioned as target probably indicates CP knew exactly what he was saying and what reaction it would provoke.
The only one making malicious statements in the past two days is CP – maybe he can sue himself?