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Season 10 of the A-League was supposed to be a lot smoother. On the back of Asian Cup success, record-breaking membership numbers and one of the most competitive campaigns to date David Gallop would have been looking forward to toasting a job well done.
A new television deal incoming, expansion plans in the works and the release of the Whole of Football manifesto meant there was a lot to look forward for Football Federation Australia.
However following Perth Glory’s salary cap saga there is now the possibility that FFA will have to oversee the running of two clubs next season, unless ownership concerns surrounding the Newcastle Jets and Brisbane Roar can be solved appropriately.
Gallop has made the first move, finally calling an end to Nathan Tinkler’s hold over Newcastle. The outcome has been imminent ever since the former mining magnate’s empire started to crumble after a sharp drop in his Whitehaven shares almost three years ago.
Debts do not go away however much you bleat about ‘business as usual’ to a weary press and disgruntled customers. Wednesday, May 20, is depressingly the best day for Jets fans since February 24, 2008.
Gallop must be confident the decision will be upheld under law, otherwise he would have surely acted sooner. But Tinkler’s departure is unlikely to be quick or quiet. Finalising the license strip and then installing new investors before the start of the new season will not be an easy task.
It is also not a scenario where FFA can just plumb for the first option that comes across their path. Dundee United chairman Stephen Thompson has long been linked with the Jets, though the fact that most of those rumours have emanated from Tinkler himself is cause for concern.
FFA forced one embattled owner on Jets fans without implementing satisfactory due diligence and it is their duty now to go through a more stringent and lengthy process in order to avoid a repeat.
Thompson may be the answer, he may not be, only FFA can determine whether he is a suitable match. Either way the community has a role to play, similar to what Australia football fans saw in Western Sydney. If Newcastle falls then the whole premise of regional clubs surviving in the A-League takes a significant blow.
Tinkler’s departure should present a chance for FFA to create something special. Despite capital city prejudice the Hunter represents a bastion of football in Australia. Rich history, a large player base, passionate support and a nice, chilled out lifestyle to attract player talent, Newcastle United has the potential to equal the Western Sydney fairytale.
Get this right and Newcastle will prove it more than deserves its place in the A-League. Get this right and Gallop will further drown out the negative noise from the naysayers.
The Jets’ future is Gallop’s first off-season concern, but it may not be his last.
Brisbane Roar are currently in a state of limbo. No one knows exactly what is going on at the club and the communication has been woeful. The drama started with Mike Mulvey’s sacking early in the season, which seemed bizarre at the time and still does.
Those responsible for the premiership-winning coach’s dismissal – the power duo of Ken Stead and Sean Dobson – have now swiftly departed themselves, either signalling that Bakrie Group were unsatisfied with their performances over the last year or that the employees grew tired of their owners.
The decision to sack Mulvey in the name of a philosophy has proven incorrect and the progress in implementing said philosophy under Frans Thijssen was largely non-existent. The confusion around Thijssen’s role at the club and whether or not he was intended for the director of football role has not been explained sufficiently, and the departures of Stead and Dobson have equally been left open for rumour to flourish.
If reports are true and Brisbane Roar lost almost $2.5 million during 2013-14, the main question is how? If a club that has just won the premiership-championship double and boasts more than 11,000 members cannot manage to break even then what hope is there?
The FFA should be taking an active approach in determining where and how clubs are losing money, why, and how they can assist positive turnarounds. Clubs rightly want to maintain their autonomy but the A-League can only survive with communication and cooperation between all parties.
Is the current salary cap handout flawed? It does not seem to make sense that the majority of the current allowance must be exclusively spent on wages. Surely new measures can be introduced where smaller clubs with less scope for corporate and sponsorship revenue can use some of those funds in other areas.
Hopefully Bakrie Group stick with their A-League project and find ways to survive, or at least stem the blood loss. If that means cost-cutting, which has been denied in the face of fan unrest, then so be it. Clubs must learn how to break even whether they are backed by millions or not.
Adelaide United do not operate on a massive budget and have proved themselves competitive, the Central Coast Mariners and Newcastle Jets have managed it previously. Marquee signings and expensively assembled rosters are great for exposure but it is more important to focus on sustainable management.
It is not FFA’s responsibility to police every club’s finances and make sure they are operating within their means, but it is in their best interests.
Throw in the Central Coast Mariners and Wellington Phoenix and the A-League is only a few press releases from a crisis. Gallop’s job is to avert such a disaster and his work with the Newcastle Jets is his first test. Getting dumped with Brisbane Roar will only make that harder.
This is an off-season that should have been spent on expansion plans and getting ready for television rights negotiations, instead Gallop and the FFA are in danger of heading into danger limitation mode.
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