With the A-League season finally over, we can now reflect on what has happened during a hectic past seven months or so. Many believe this has been the best season so far, in terms of quality and entertainment on the pitch.
This is a point which was reiterated by the grand final on Sunday.
However, off the pitch, the league has never looked worse. Many clubs are struggling financially, due to the drop in crowds and league popularity.
This is summed up by the fact that North Queensland Fury now do not exist.
How can the on-field and off-field environments differ so greatly? Shouldn’t the two rise and fall along with each other? What needs to be done in order to grow the A-League?
Well, these questions have been asked for the past 6 years, and no one has the answers.
This is why I have created a To-Do list. Some things on this list are minor issues, others are important ones.
My list could not drastically change the A-League.
However, I believe that in order to move forward as a league and a code, these measures must be put into place.
1. New kits.
Word on the football forums around the country is that the Reebok contract, which entitles them to produce all A-League kits, was to end following the 2010-11 season.
If my sources are correct, A-League clubs will now be able to negotiate with other kit suppliers. The logos of Nike, Adidas and Puma could soon be stitched next to the badges of Brisbane Roar and Melbourne Victory.
Not only would the kits look better, they would also give the clubs a major cash injection. Imagine if Melbourne Victory was to have Adidas or Nike produce their shirts next year? Thousands would be sold..
2. No more Etihad Stadium.
AAMI Park has been a breath of fresh air. Over the years, the league has had to cope with pathetic pitches to play on, due to Motorbikes, concerts, rave parties etc.
To see such a beautiful ground as AAMI Park has set a benchmark of what A-League clubs should be aiming towards. Perfect pitch, rectangular ground, 30,000 capacity.
However, for one reason or another (mainly money), the Victory have decided to play a handful of games at Etihad Stadium.
These games consisted of crowds between 10-20 thousand, apart from the one Melbourne Derby. The stadium looked empty, and the atmosphere did not hit the heights it does at AAMI Park.
Yes, it used to be the Victory’s fortress, but they need to move on. The club only averaged just over 15,000 this season. They definitely don’t need the extra seats.
3. An October start.
Another issue that has been widely gossiped about. There’s no doubt that the A-League cannot compete with the other codes at this stage. The fact that the A-League starts when the NRL and AFL are during their finals series severely damages the league, in terms of crowds and media/publicity.
The FFA have admitted themselves that a October start is ideal and will benefit the league, so I’m sure that next season we will be seeing this in action.
4. Proper Benches.
Now many of you have probably never realised or thought about this issue, however, I believe the A-League needs a new rule. From the 2011-12 season, all matches must have two proper benches, no plastic chairs.
We have seen the rule implemented in the ACL, and I can’t understand why it is not the case in the A-League.
Not only does it look more professional, it is also much safer. I’m actually surprised there hasn’t yet been an occasion where a fan has injured a player or coach. All it takes is one angry fan to throw a bottle at the bench (or chairs as they are now) for the newspapers to have a “Soccer Hooligans” story on the front page.
5. Keep the salary cap the same.
Rumours are that the FFA could be lowering the salary cap in order to help clubs financially. As much as it may help the clubs now, it will hurt the league in the future.
Lowering the salary cap will mean the league is taking a backward step. It means we will lose even more quality players to overseas leagues. The clubs must find other ways to make money, for this option should only be the last resort.
6. Fix midweek games.
Although the statistics may point otherwise, I believe midweek games have been a success; however, they are not being used correctly.
Midweek games finish at around 9:30 – 10:00pm, which means it is hard for a family to attend matches. That is why the games must only be played during the summer school holidays.
The six-week period should be the “Football Feast” of the season, with as many games as possible crammed in, just like it is in the English Premier League.
The fact that the league will now go back to 27 rounds means it will be easier to schedule. If the FFA follows this rule when scheduling, there is no reason why midweek games won’t work.
7. Free to Air Coverage.
Probably the most discussed topic in terms of A-League development. Nobody argues with the fact that A-League on free to air television would significantly grow the publicity and respect that the league deserves.
However, with Fox Sports owning the rights to Australian Football for several years to come, many believe that they would never even think of selling the rights to a free to air channel. However, this is where I disagree.
The following equation shows why:
Free to Air coverage of A-League = Football popularity increase
Football Popularity Increase = More Fox Sports/Foxtel subscribers
Fox Sports want Football, in particular the A-League, to grow rapidly, for it would mean more people would want to watch their live coverage.
So how do they grow the interest? Sell a ‘Match of the Week” to a Free to Air Channel.
This way, the A-League grows. However, Fox Sports are still the number one football destination for fans.
Those fans who want more than just one match a week will then be forced to purchase Foxtel and subscribe to Fox Sports. It’s a win-win situation.
Millster
Guest
The best example of this is the American NBA's salary cap and its very well structured system of exemptions for loyalty, which then flow down through the squad and also to the way in which trades are made. I wrote an article about this on this site ages ago: http://www.theroar.com.au/2008/02/05/the-nbas-soft-salary-cap-and-its-potential-for-the-a-league/ I continue to think, 3 years after posting the article originally, that its a concept seriously worth considering.
thom_canberra
Roar Rookie
http://www.theroar.com.au/2011/01/18/free-up-shirt-design-in-the-a-league/ On first point, jersey design is important and HAL badge should be moved to sleeve- Check out my article; Free up shirt design in A-League
Bale3
Guest
All the little things add up to make a competition authentic and trully professional or fake and amatuer. Plastic chairs, stupid nicknames, A-League logo not on sleeve, no gold champions logo- We should use what we have that competitions like the AFL do not, a large international community to learn from and get ideas. Im not necessarily talking about EPL snobs who love to compare HAL to England- but the wider international football community. It is afterall the most international game.
Bale3
Guest
Greater exposure to A-League football and hence people might want to watch every match per-week. The CEO of Foxtel said something like: 'I could never imagine all AFL matches being played exclusively on FOX as the exposure would be severely reduced. We need FTA to keep interest and viewership high.' Only small percentage of pop has Foxtel so it would make sense for them to give FTA a couple of games and drastically increase footballs interest. Especially A-League
Bale3
Guest
The Summer holidays period as the writer is suggesting would be the worst time for so many games. Instead there should be a small mid-summer break to give players a rest and extend the season into the autumn period where more people would be attending games as can be seen from the final few matches in the HAL this season. Why would you hold these 'family friendly' matches in the summer holidays when most family's are actually on holidays away from there home team in Noosa or something. The EPL has a lot of issues surrounding their random match schedule and many are calling for a mid-winter break there, when the whether is at its harsherst. Should be the same for here.
MyLeftFoot
Roar Guru
I like the idea of allowing salary cap concessions to reward players who have given service to a club. I believe the AFL has some sort of scheme where half the salary of older players are counted towards the salary cap, and it allows a club to get an additional year of service from an experienced player who may have otherwise been borderline because of the salary cap. Allows a club to reward a player for loyalty.
SportsFanGC
Roar Guru
As a someone who has watched a lot of soccer at Etihad stadium it is a crap stadium for this sport, unless you manage to pull 40K plus to a game it is not worth it for the fans. The ground was built and designed for AFL and possibly Cricket and that is it, the rectangular codes suffer from simply being to far away from the action (I have watched the Socceroos, Wallabies, State of Origin and the Storm play there). Victory need to renegotiate this deal, no games Victory play at the moment (including Adelaide and Sydney) need to be played there except possibly the Grand Final should they make it. AAMI Park is a fantastic ground, spectacularly close to the action and there is no bad seat at this venue. An October start is also a must. The A-League should have realised by now that they cannot compete with the NRL and AFL finals during August/September for media coverage, it is just not going to happen. It doesn't matter if you finish later in March, the A-League will then be heading into their finals series. People still wont buy kits while they are priced the same as Man U, Barca, Madrid etc. No A-League should be charging more than $100 for a replica club kit, regardless of who the shirt manufacturer is.
Brian
Guest
Rather than sell a game to FTA maybe Channel 9 (since News Ltd owns part of Foxtel) could show an hour highlights similar to the EPL show that used to be on SBS. Otherwise there are two big issues and they ain't plastic chairs. 1. Atmosphere - full stadums mean atmosphere, the Melbourne teams should only play at AAMI. The likes of Sydney, Gold Coast and Brisbane should all play at least some games at smaller boutique stadiums. Play in Parramatta if you have to because 15k in a 20k stadium is much better than the SFS. The best crowds per population centres happen in Gosford and Adelaide. These teams play in small rectangular stadiums and there is atmosphere in the stands. 2. Restrict player movements. Stop treating the fans like mugs supporting a shirt with different players every week. Victory have a supporter base with affinity to Archie, Muscat etc. How to do this? Firstly introduce a definitive transfer window - one would think in line with current FIFA one which ends on January 31. Secondly tweak the salary cap to make allowances for loyalty. Allowances for players at one club over 5 years will encourage greater player loyalty, which in turn will get the fans to do the same
ItsCalledFootball
Roar Guru
This is the 3rd time in a fortnight that the Daily Rugby League Telegraph has run a story about the financial problems of the Roar. Would the Roar be involved in the A-League grand final, by any chance? The Roar financial problems were first announced at the end of last season and that the FFA was helping them run the club this year and find new owners. But Daily Rugby League Telegraph, they keep dragging it out every time the Roar do something good. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. NRL premiers Melbourne Storm lose about $6 million every year, NRL premiers Manly are only still in the NRL because their major benefactor Delmege bailed them out to the tune of $8 million, similarly for Cronulla Sharks. In fact the only NRL club making a profit is the Broncos - the others are making huge losses. Would the Daily Rugby League Telegraph run a story like that - on NRL finances for the start of the NRL season?
jamesb
Guest
yet despite all the doom and gloom surrounding the A-League, it still produced a classic grand final. imagine if the A-league was on top of its game? Also I'll add an extra point to that list 8. Add new revenue streams to the game, forget the plastic chairs. P.S it was a nice touch that there was a minute silence for the japan earthquake victims before the kick off. Its not always about sport classy stuff!
Darren
Guest
The author's right though, what if a fan does throw something at a coach or player sitting on the chairs? The Media/newspapers would be licking their lips.
MyLeftFoot
Roar Guru
There are some good aspects to SBS having games, for instance, we all enjoy watching the WC on SBS. But there is an alternative view, if SBS is the very best the A-League can muster in terms of getting onto FTA, it's the equivalent of putting up the white flag.
MyLeftFoot
Roar Guru
It's old news, we all know about the Roar predicament. It's going to be a huge challenge for league and club, but if the weekend is anything to go by, with a bit of hard work, they can extricate themselves from this (eventually).
The Special One
Guest
The A-league needs serious work if this article is anything to go by: http://www.foxsports.com.au/football/a-league/newly-crowned-a-league-champions-brisbane-roar-financial-predicament-has-become-starkly-apparent/story-e6frf4gl-1226021562600 I cant see a way out to be honest
EvertonAndAustralia
Roar Pro
SBS would do an awesome job of broadcasting the A-League.
EvertonAndAustralia
Roar Pro
I agree with this article completely. Btw - I don't have Foxtel and watch Roar games online.
Fauntleroy
Guest
Man this is a series of bad arguments. 1. I guarantee you that a change of shirt manufacturer will do quite a bit. Firstly, because the kits will look so much better (and its not speculation that MV will be going with Adidas....Sydney as well - its locked in). Football has an advantage over other sports, particularly AFL, in that by and large, the kits actually look decent when worn by members of the general public, and what's more, its culturally common for football fans to don their teams colours when out and about. That is, if they're designed well (which Reebok have failed on year upon year). Of course AFL is way more popular, but the kits look ridiculous on anyone barr the guys on the park. It isn't a part of AFL supporter culture to wear your kit on the street. Well designed kits = more merchandise sales = people wearing them on the street = free, walking human billboards. 2. Etihad gets bigger attendances because it hosts the bigger games (Adelaide, Sydney, Heart). The problem with this schismatic Etihad / AAMI arrangement, is that it doesn't allow supporters to feel at home at either stadium. Feeling at home, is what football is all about. It feels nomadic, its disengaging. The feeling of a home ground isn't built on concrete and seating plans - it is built on experiences had and memories shared. When MVFC play, and beat, Sydney FC and Adelaide at AAMI Park, then and only then will it feel like home. When its a weekly ritual, rather than a travelling circus, then the crowds will come. So its not about whether Etihad is BETTER than AAMI Park (which for football, the latter is clearly superior), its about having a foot in two doors, and a soul in neither. "Team standards" is not the problem. This season, which clearly offered up some of the best football seen thus far, shows that its not all about the quality on the park. In fact, it might not even be in the top 3. Emotional engaement, feeling like you're part of something, this is what brings in crowds and members.
Beelzebub
Guest
A couple of points on the article. I think your suggestions won't help that much. It does not solve the problems of the whole league, MONEY. 1. changing shirt designer will do little or nothing for shirt sales. Even the AFL does not sell that many outfits and it draws 3 times as many fans as the NRL, which is the next biggest sport in the pecking order. 2. Etihad Stadium gets BIGGER attendances, consistently. So the AAMI stadium preference is actually incorrect. 3. Free to air tele exposure. Exactly WHO would show the matches? The FTA commercial networks will only do it if the A-League PAYS them to do it. One HD will probably be finished by the time the next A-League season begins due to Murdoch and Packer being on the board at Ten and wanting to remove competition for their own Fox Sports business. Back to the drawing board on your thoughts to solve the problems. Essentially they need to get more money into the league and increase salaries for teams to improve team standards. In 20 years we could have a great little league if the wheels do not fall off completely.
MyLeftFoot
Roar Guru
Yes, agree with Pete, brilliant stuff whiskey - keep 'em coming!
Pete
Guest
Ha! Gold! Intentional or not...that's funny.