- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
This season has been dominated by Sydney FC. To force them to play off for the right to be crowned champions proves once again that the A-League finals are unnecessary.
Let me start by putting all my cards on the table. I am a bit of a Sydney FC fan. I’ve gone to a couple of games over the years and, as a born and bred Sydneysider, I admit I like to see them do well.
But would I cry a tear if they lost unfairly in the semi-final against Perth this Saturday? No way. Would I proudly wear their playing strip at my very amateur indoor soccer matches on a Monday night? Hell no.
Because, even more than being a Sydney FC fan, I’m an A-League fan. More than Sydney’s success, I really want to see this league do well. As the top tier of one of Australia’s most popular sports, the A-League should be striving to measure itself against the best football leagues around the world.
And one of the things that just about all of those leagues do, is play just a regular season with the team ending on top crowned as premiers. No premiers, then champions – just a simple season with a clear winner.
So why does the A-League do it? Aside from the obvious reason of broadcast dollars, which seems to trump every discussion in sport these days.
Maybe the reason is that, in Australia, we love our ‘finals footy’. It’s a tradition. Well that may be the case, but it is the wrong fit for football.
Firstly, it unnecessarily prolongs the season for our footballers, in a sport where wear and tear is an issue on quality of play. They could be using this time to focus on other matters like the Asian Champions League – if they are involved in both competitions – or recuperating or even preparing properly for an international tournament. Now that would be something.
Secondly, those extra games probably don’t get the attention they really deserve. As a summer sport in Australia, the A-League finals series seems half forgotten by the media when it rolls around in April. Fans are also investing more time supporting their favourite rugby league or AFL team. (Did someone say rugby union? Anyone? Nope… OK. Must have been the wind.)
Thirdly, it is a unique selling point. It may be a departure from other codes in Aussie sport, but why not dare to be different? After all, with a main trophy that looks like a toilet seat, the A-League has already shown it can do things its own way when the pointy end of the season comes around.
But more importantly, dropping the finals would be a good step for the future of the sport. By cutting out the finals series now, and getting players and fans used to it, it could be a stepping stone towards a multi-tiered, national football league.
As Michael Cockerill reported in the Sydney Morning Herald in March, planning is already underway to get a national second division up and running, no matter whether the FFA is ready for it or not. Let’s hope they are allowed to push this concept forward. It will grow the depth of the sport, for players who want to compete at the highest level.
To have a multi-league system, you need to plan in time for relegation and promotion games. As many fans of overseas football leagues can attest, these games can be just as thrilling as a set of finals. In time, those games could quench our thirst for fairytale football stories at the end of the season.
Scrapping the finals is a regular discussion point when looking at the A-League, but with the runaway success of the Sky Blues this season, the issue seems more pronounced than ever. It’s time to take the plunge, starting with next season.
Are you the ultimate team manager? Pick your own superstar team and go head to head with other football fans for glory and cash prizes on Draftstars. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.