The Daily Telegraph reported something very strange yesterday (Thursday, 2nd September) in the “Sports Confidential” section by Josh Massoud and James Phelps. At the bottom of their back page section, tucked away underneath a report about Benny Elias’ nephew, is six lines that could change the face of football in NSW.
Massoud and Phelps write: “You read it here first: There’s a very strong chance the Sydney Premier League soccer competition will revert to a summer format in line with the A League next season.”
Now, before I analyse the credibility of this statement, let me point out the reasons why this is possibly another Telegraph fabrication.
The claim is effectively located in the “gossip” section of the sporting back pages. Nearby Massoud and Phelps mention that they had “spotted the Stewart Brothers and the ‘Wolfman’ in Neutral Bay.” Gripping news to say the least.
They haven’t exactly made a reference to a single soccer competition in the entire Sydney Basin area. Massoud and Phelps have actually referred to almost six or more competitions in Sydney. All district competitions have a “Premier League”. For the sake of the article, we can only assume that they are making reference to NSW’s flagship competition, the NSW Premier League.
The fact that they have used the phrase “very strong chance” raises some questions of the credibility of the statement made by Massoud and Phelps. This “very strong chance” has no actual backup claim. It may well have a very strong chance – which we cannot judge. Also, to continue to be insistent of the wording of the statement, “You read it here first.” Insider knowledge or fabricated nonsense? This can of course raise a credible argument about credibility; however let’s not delve into that alley.
And finally to be overly critical, the lack of a hyphen in A-League.
But let’s imagine that the claim made by Massoud and Phelps is correct. What are the implications of the NSW Premier League shifting to a summer schedule? Will it be detrimental towards football’s growth, or will it be a healthy change?
Pros vs. Cons:
A-League clubs often use the state competitions such as the NSW Premier League as a sort of feeder competition. Now the summer format of the NSW competition can provide both pros and cons for a feeder competition system.
For example, such a winter/summer contrast means that a player can be in action for an entire year, keeping match fitness up, and giving a player experience for a smoother transition to the top level. Sydney FC has previously used this system to some extent between them and Sydney Olympic FC (Adam Biddle).
With a summer NSW Premier League, this system will be thrown out the door. The positive, however, would be training two clubs in a beneficial way for both. The feeder club’s morale and experience will be boosted with the A-League boys, and the parent club can potentially begin to develop players without recruiting a player into their official roster.
It is a well known fact that some A-League clubs already conduct such training programs, notably GHFA Spirit and Central Coast Mariners. However, these are usually during the post state season, and pre A-League season and is not an incorporated training system.
If such a program is implemented, it may well improve the standard of the state competition, and, if I can make such a bold statement, bridge the gap between old soccer and new football.
Of course, this is not an idea that will be implemented as is written, but the ideology and the principle behind it can carry some momentum.
Another pro to such a format change is interest in the competition. Taking myself as an example, I enjoy going to watch the Rugby live on a weekend. I also do quite enjoy riding down to the local Melita Stadium a watch a local state league match, as I’m sure all sports purists would also enjoy. Sadly the NRL will take precedence here as I can view football in the summer.
There is possibly more reason now for someone looking to enjoy some good, local simulation free football for the lowest fee possible. On the face of it, the NSW Premier League (and other state competitions) provides some great classy matches. The idea of “Old Soccer” is well and alive.
There are many more pros, cons and considerations that can be raised from this debate, so now I’m going to leave the discussion to the Roar of the Crowd.
Before I write Part Two of this article, I would like to hear your opinions on this idea.
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