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While I am open to the idea of promotion and relegation into the A-League, support for the notion has not been adequately countered by those against it.
First and foremost, a fully functioning, national second-tier, operating in effectively the same mould as the A-League (27 rounds of home-and-away games) is going to cost a lot of money.
While a couple of state league clubs (South Melbourne, Sydney United) boast supporter bases which are comparable to some A-League sides, a ten-team competition will require significant external support to be viable.
The expansion of the professional game in Australia is likely to draw a larger supporter base than the A-League currently enjoys, which will offset some of the increased cost, but there will still be a large shortfall. Whether this can be covered by an improved TV deal is yet to be determined; whether it should be covered by an improved TV deal (as opposed to investing the money elsewhere) is a completely separate debate.
Secondly, the A-League is underpinned by the strategic goal of expanding the game across the entire country. Suppose that the likes of South Melbourne and Sydney United are able to gain promotion to the A-League at the expense of Central Coast and Newcastle, or even Wellington. Suddenly the A-League has become concentrated in the major capital cities, and New Zealand has been completely removed.
We need to consider if this is still a goal worth keeping. Do we really want to grow the game across the entire country, or just build on existing markets?
Finally, are there really enough high-level players to support the expanded professional structure, or would we simply be recycling the same players? I.e. Team A gets relegated, while Team B gets promoted and picks up half of Team A’s players.
Player turnover is a natural part of a promotion-relegation format, however it is important to consider player welfare in a geographically isolated market like Australia, with salary caps and limits on foreign players.
The introduction of a second tier in Australia will increase the excitement for fans of clubs at both ends of the table, and help to further differentiate the World Game from its domestic rivals. But while it’s a great idea on paper, it is important to consider the practicalities and drawbacks before committing to this major step.
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