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After one of the longest off-seasons in world football, the new A-League season is finally upon us, and in many ways it’s one of the most important yet.
Much has been written about how the new broadcast deal will underpin the A-League for the immediate future, with clubs said to be wrangling for a substantial increase to the salary cap.
But while the TV deal is of critical importance, it’s not the only thing that will make or break the latest A-League campaign.
Indeed, with the A-League kicking off its 12th season with seven of the clubs still going around who were there on day one, now is as good a time as any to set some goals for the season ahead.
A realistic timeframe for expansion
Promotion and relegation may be the current hot topic, but realistically what the A-League needs more of is new expansion clubs.
And while cities like Sydney and Melbourne already have their A-League needs catered for, regional areas like Canberra, Geelong and Wollongong – arguably more so than cities like Perth and Brisbane, despite what Football Federation Australia says – should be at the forefront of expansion plans.
The longer we wait, the more the A-League stagnates with its current ten clubs.
Tim Cahill to score some goals
Love him or loathe him – and surprisingly there are plenty in the latter camp – this is undoubtedly an important season for Tim Cahill.(Click to Tweet)
Australia’s national spearhead will be eager to avoid the fate that befell former national teammates Harry Kewell and Brett Emerton and make a genuine mark on the competition.
Say what you will about Cahill’s motivation in signing for Melbourne City, he’ll be desperate to score goals in his quest to remain in contention for the 2018 World Cup, while City will hope that his presence translates to more fans through the gate and some commercial gains off the pitch.
Clubs outside Sydney and Melbourne to do well
There’s no doubt the A-League operates in a tough commercial environment, so perhaps it’s no surprise to hear FFA chief executive David Gallop talking up the major Sydney and Melbourne markets of late.
In doing so, however, he risks alienating fans of more than half the league and for that reason, it’d be nice to see clubs outside Sydney and Melbourne continue to make their mark.
Adelaide may be home to the reigning A-League champions, but for various reasons this is a critical campaign for the Newcastle Jets, Perth Glory, Central Coast Mariners and the Wellington Phoenix. Here’s hoping they all perform.
A better performance from the game’s governing body
It’s easy to put the boot into FFA, but that’s mainly because they manage to get so many decisions so spectacularly wrong.
A case in point was their refusal to sanction Melbourne Victory’s signing of Alessandro Diamanti – currently captaining Palermo in Serie A, in case you were wondering – ostensibly because he wasn’t a big enough name for Australian audiences.
Not only is Diamanti precisely the sort of skillful player A-League clubs should be chasing, but when Michael Essien refused to put pen to paper, it meant Victory missed out on a big-name signing altogether.
Is it too much to ask FFA to explain their vague notion of ‘metrics’ to the rest of us?
Fans to be on their best behaviour
Yes, yes – everyone’s out to get us! I’ve seen enough questionable behaviour from stadium authorities, the police and mainstream media outlets over the course of the A-League to last a lifetime.
That said, there are still too many selfish individuals who treat the competition like their own personal playground – in particular, the pyromaniac zombies who continue to rip flares to the detriment of absolutely everyone around them.
For the sake of everyone’s sanity, let’s hope there are a few more headlines about positive fan behaviour this time around!
So there you have it. These are my biggest wishes for the new A-League campaign. What are yours?