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The biggest surprise for me, since Federal Sports Minister Senator Mark Arbib announced the Smith review on Sunday, has been how split opinion is on the matter.
While chief executive of the PFA, Brendan Schwab, welcomed the move saying “Football cannot afford to stand still”, Michael Cockerill was lamenting “another bloody review” in Tuesday’s Sydney Morning Herald.
Essentially, the Smith review will take four to five months to complete and in the government’s own words “will assess the structure, governance and administration of football in Australia, examine the development of its positioning for the (2015) Asian Cup, and identify key opportunities to ensure the financial viability and sustainability of football in Australia.”
Before I get to what I believe is the crux of the matter, I think it’s worth acknowledging that not only did Arbib prematurely announce the review, which was originally slated for Budget night, the government has yet to adequately explain why there is the need for such an investigation.
Yet, despite the fact that there is little question the announcement was bungled, it doesn’t mean the content is equally ill-advised.
Let’s be clear: the Australian government has put in significant money into the game and has been asked to continue to do so.
Therefore, regardless of any political motives behind this announcement, it is well within its rights to make sure that money is being spent effectively.
Furthermore, another review of operations, which will come at little direct cost to the game, should be seen as a good thing, especially in the context of Australian sport where they are hardly unusual – the AFL went through two reviews in a similar time-frame during the early 1990s.
Heading into another crucial period for football, including a new television rights deal and the 2015 Asian Cup (which looks set to be subsidised by the federal government), now is the right moment to steady the ship.
Here’s the real issue: four years on after FFA was awarded a $32 million grant that is about to expire, football not only still needs this money but the game’s administrators are hoping for more.
All sports enjoy some sort of government funding but football’s share is significantly large. Even considering the unique demands of playing in Asia, this money continues to raise the ire of Australia’s other major codes.
So here’s an idea – instead of moaning about less talk and more action, how about we focus questioning on why the game’s administration still requires significant government funding to get by and how, or even if, this can be rectified.
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