In October 2003, Frank Lowy appointed a taskforce to look at the reasons for the downfall of the National Soccer League. On this taskforce were many big names in the then “soccer” fraternity.

The taskforce included, Jack Reilly, Brendan Schwab, Johnny Warren, Remo Nogarotto, Stefan Kamasz and Charlie Yankos.

Three of these men are still involved in the running of the A-League.

This taskforce came up with six key points that caused the NSL demise:

*The undercapitalisation of the NSL.
*The undercapitalisation of the clubs.
* A reduction in playing standard due to players leaving for overseas, thus giving the impression the league is substandard.
*Negligible marketing spend by NSL and all clubs.
*Lack of central approach to marketing.
*Lack of suitable television coverage.

If a report was done today on the failings of the A-League, almost all of the lessons learnt on the demise of the NSL would still exist.

The only two I say we have managed to work on are, the playing standard and television coverage.

Pundits, players and fans alike all admit the standard of the A-League is currently at its highest.

Fox Sports enjoy good viewership and every A-League game is shown live. You could say this agreement may have some influence on poor crowd numbers, given many fans may opt to simply stay home and watch, however without Foxtel’s purchasing of the rights the A-League may have been dead and buried already.

SBS were approached regarding the television rights for the A-League, however SBS would only take the rights if they were given free of charge and if FFA paid all production costs.

Fox Sports paid the FFA $500,000 and paid all production costs. In 2006, Fox Sports signed a massive deal with the FFA which encompassed the Socceroos games also. It is this deal that currently keeps the A-League going.

Sure you can be critical, but the A-League would be even worse off without Fox Sports’ involvement.

Pay TV coverage alienates the marketplace, as those without it don’t see the A-League and hence don’t attend games. But free-to-air coverage will surely come in the next rights deal. The important thing is that the league is still around at this stage.

The A-League has some massive problems at the moment and sadly many are those that flawed the NSL:

Balancing the Books

Yet another club has gone bankrupt, and the FFA is currently paying the way for three others.

In the final four years of the NSL, clubs lost a combined $52 million, with a combined over expenditure of $121 million.

The A-League currently is in similar shape.

Take Sydney FC, for example. The club has never made profit in its existence and lost $5 million last year despite having a successful year on the pitch becoming champions.

The problem is clubs want all the glitz and glam even though they cannot afford it.

I use the example of a young man. He may go out and buy nice clothes, a nice car and the rest. He might go out and land the hottest girl in the bar, and she might stay the night. But as soon as she realises that the young man can’t afford it all, she won’t hang around.

Sydney FC plays out of the SFS with a 40,000 seat capacity. Its most recent home crowd was a mere 7000.

Brisbane is the same, playing out of a 40,000 seat Suncorp Stadium and pulling similar crowds.

The FFA argue that the stadiums are world class and look great on TV and provide all the comforts for the fans, but 32,000 empty seats does not inspire interest in the league.

Plus stadiums such as SFS and Suncorp have large hire fees with ridiculous numbers needed to attend just for clubs to break even.

Why doesn’t the Roar take their games to Ballymore, which is cheaper and yet still a quality stadium?

Sydney FC could do likewise, taking games to other markets and not just sitting idle as the “inner city” club they are perceived.

To their credit Sydney FC are working on this, establishing links in various football communities in the past two seasons such as Macarthur and Western Sydney. However, why wait for these communities to come to you, why not take the game to them.

I would play certain “marquee” games at the SFS and take the rest on the road. Playing out of stadiums such as Toyota Stadium at Cronulla, Win Stadium in Wollongong, CUA Stadium in Penrith, Parramatta Stadium in Parramatta and Blacktown Olympic Stadium in Blacktown.

These stadiums all hold approximately 20,000 and have far reduced hiring costs. They are more easily accessible to the wider Sydney community and would encourage local fans to get a taste of Sydney FC whilst they are in town.

Also whilst the crowds are so poor, why not slash ticket prices? Many complain at the high price at some venues, which is a necessity born out of the high rent costs. The problem is getting people through the gates, the more people we get in the more chance we have to covert them to the A-League and ensure they come again. Even if we open the gates for free, having people getting a taste of the A-League is best in the long run.

Expansion

The Crawford Report, commissioned in 2004 to look at football in this country, revealed at a maximum a 10-team league could be sustained in the current Australian sporting climate.

The A-League had eight teams operating in its initial years and although eight teams are quite small, the competition worked okay.

In 2010, we now have 11 A-League teams, of the initial eight clubs, only one club has ever made profit.

The NZ Knights are extinct and the Newcastle Jets are all but, and the FFA owns the licenses of three clubs.

Why are we expanding when clubs are going bankrupt and the clubs that started out have never made any profits whatsoever?

The number one rule in business is that in order to expand you must first be making money to warrant the expansion.

Good examples of companies not following this method would be – the old NSL, Firepower and ABC Learning.

The problem is not only, why the A-League is expanding when clearly the clubs we have are struggling, but also where we are expanding.

Why go to an area such as the Gold Coast, just as the NRL and AFL have started teams in this area?

The NRL and AFL have massive support bases and millions in the bank. Football cannot compete with their dollars, and why go to a marketplace where straight of the bat you are competing with two other codes?

Why not look at areas like Tasmania, where there are no other major sporting teams. Hawthorn have shown the success you can have in such a market , and Tasmania’s press and corporate support would be exclusive to the A-League, not in a three-way battle like the Gold Coast.

The FFA says that corporate support is weak in Tasmania. I would put my life on the fact that a Tasmanian A-League side would get a bigger crowd than the 2207 that were in attendance on the Gold Coast at the weekend.

The Gold Coast Titans regularly get in excess of 20,000 to their home games, so the argument that the corporate dollar and market are not there simply don’t stand up.

The FFA need to look outside the square if and when expansion is viable.

Why not look at Christchurch? The Phoenix had a crowd of 15,000 at a game last season held there, and NZ football is booming.

Or what about Canberra? Why not have a team encompassing players in the AIS football program.

Not only will it explore new markets, but provide great development for the generation next.

People in High Places

The A-League’s biggest problem is the people running it. They simply are not football people. How can you run a game that you know nothing about? They may be skilled in business but passionate football people they are not.

Frank Lowy certainly is a football person and he is the best thing the game has going for it, but many others simply know nothing.

How many know much of the old NSL, or the NSW Premier League and VPL?

Football is the highest participation sport in Australia. Women’s football has quadrupled in recent years; youngsters coming through are better than ever, however little progress is being made on the business front.

The decision to expand to Gold Coast and North Queensland Fury (although Nth Qld offers some hope yet), were stupid, ill-advised and incorrect.

The FFA has now introduced a second team into Melbourne, Melbourne Heart, which has only halved the support its original side, Melbourne Victory.

The business sense of this decision is ludicrous.

In fairness though, Melbourne Heart have gone about it the right way. They are something fresh and not just another “United” or “FC”, they have corporate support in Westpac and others and have done a great job in recruitment.

However, the inclusion of a second Melbourne side, when the first, although enjoying great support fan-wise, still regularly records a loss is ridiculous.

Ben Buckley must go and a football man must take his place.

The Product

Whilst the standard of the A-League is better than ever, I think more can be done.

I would include more youth into the league. Establish a rule where clubs must field at least three players under-23 on the pitch at all times.

This would mean young players receive more opportunities and clubs would have to actively recruit more youth players to comply with the rule.

Clubs now must have three players under-23 on their books, yet how many feature week to week in prominent roles?

We have all seen what the likes of Mathew Leckie and Chris Payne can do when given a chance.

Yet whilst these shine the likes of Kaz Patafta, Brendan Gan and Panny Nikas hardly get a look in.

Patafta has been a perennial bench warmer since returning to the A-League. Patafta was formerly with Benfica, who last time I checked didn’t regularly sign players who aren’t quality. He is a former Joeys captain and such was his class he was brought in by Guus Hiddink to train with the Socceroos throughout the 2006 World Cup.

Gan is another, whom two seasons ago was the Golden Ball Winner in the NSW Premier League, yet has never been given a decent opportunity with Sydney FC.

Nikas is also a prime example; a player who won the NSW Premier League Golden Ball last season along with the National Youth League Player of the Year Award, and still is yet to feature this season for the North Queensland Fury.

While these players warm the pine and in some cases do not even make the squad at all, game time is given to the likes of Hayden Foxe, Josip Skoko and friends whose performances see viewers turn off rather than tune in.

Leckie and Payne have given viewers some excitement this season and Patafta, Gan and Nikas would do the same, youth offers great excitement, exuberance and something fresh.

It also offers a great chance to develop the next generation and expose them to high level football and the pressures that come with.

Lastly, I would change the point system to ensure that teams would receive points for playing attacking football.
Perhaps a bonus point for scoring four goals or more, or more points for an away win.

This would mean teams are encouraged to play an attacking brand of football and chase goals.

This would make the A-League more exciting and I’m sure bringing more fans along.

So that is my report on the A-League and the changes I would make to fix it.

It is long and detailed, but so are the changes we need.

I grew up as a kid going with my father to various NSL games at Marconi Stadium, Shark Park and Parramatta Stadium. I have played grass roots football onto youth league football and have covered the NSW Premier League as a commentator for the past five years; I have seen firsthand the potential this game has, as well as the numerous mistakes it has made over the years.

At the moment the A-League resembles the NSL, and without change it is on course to head exactly where the NSL did… oblivion!