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Gallop's FFA task: Consolidation not expansion

12th November, 2012
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David Gallop will remain the FFA's CEO until the end of 2018. (AAP Image/Dean Lewins)
Expert
12th November, 2012
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Former NRL chief David Gallop has been introduced and he’s started work as the new CEO of Football Federation Australia (FFA), riding-in off the back of the wave of success that A-League has enjoyed this season.

Gallop’s first task at his introductory press conference was to prove that he is a “football man” worthy of leading the code, as the third outsider to do so from the third different code.

At the press conference, chairman Frank Lowy countered the claims that the FFA lacked “football people” by stressing that Gallop was surrounded by a board full of talent nurtured in the round-ball game.

But nevertheless, Gallop is at the forefront of that team, the visual leader and spokesperson. One of the great weaknesses of his predecessor, Ben Buckley, was his lack of conviction when promoting/defending the game. That weakness was viewed as the code’s weakness.

Gallop is a better performer under the spotlight. But while he insists over and over again that he is a fan of the game, his knowledge of its unique culture will be tested in his new role, especially given the focus on grassroots development and the reconnecting of the different tiers of the game. And he needs to prove that to the game’s supporters, who will inevitably view him as another outsider from a rival code.

Little surprise, therefore, that Gallop acknowledged this in his press conference with the following:

“In 2005, I was at Homebush Bay when John Aloisi kicked us into the FIFA World Cup finals. I jumped out of my seat, but remember also being one of the first in the ground to quickly sit down.

“With my rugby league hat on I sat down and thought, ‘Uh-oh, this could be bad – the sleeping giant just got a giant prod’.

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“When Archie Thomson scored the second goal against Iraq a few weeks ago, I jumped up in my lounge room and this time I didn’t need to sit back down.”

At least he was honest in his previous concerns as the chief of a rival code.

With a television deal on the brink, which is set to include a free-to-air component for the A-League for the first-time, record crowds and television ratings, Gallop is walking into the code in a strong period.

As he stressed in the press conference, matters such as expansion seem to be on the backburner. The main message to come across from Gallop was that the game needed to tread with caution and work at building on the strong growth seen in the A-League.

“My early sense is that in terms of its strategic direction, the game is in an execution rather than creation of new strategies phase,” said Gallop.

“Government reviews and strategic plans have been put in place. While there is always an opportunity to review things much of that work has been done.”

However, suggesting that other codes should be “concerned” by the growth of the game and emergence as arguably the strongest summer league showed a glimpse of the aggressive administrator he can be.

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So what to look for in Gallop’s first term? If expansion of the A-League is being discussed as a long-term option only, he must build on the media and crowd growth by looking beyond the league to matters such as youth participation and development, the W-League, National Youth League, the 2015 Asian Cup, development of Australian Premier League and how the state leagues will converge as part of the National Competitions Review, and finally act on the FFA Cup.

Football fans should feel more at ease with Gallop than, say, Buckley. There is a less of a gamble here as he is a more proven product in the role of CEO, at a time when the code is in a far stronger position having survived the disastrous expansion period of recent seasons.

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