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Australia's Harry Kewell, right, scores as Iraq's player Basem Abbas, left closes in during their AFC Asian Cup quarterfinal soccer match at Al Sadd Stadium, in Doha, Qatar, Saturday Jan. 22, 2011. Australia beat Iraq 1-0. (AP Photo/Tara Todras-Whitehill)
Hear that noise? It’s the collective sigh of relief coming from the Australian football community upon hearing the news that, finally, Harry Kewell is coming to the A-League, having signed with Melbourne Victory for three seasons.
The protracted saga over whether he would or wouldn’t come home to the A-League is over.
Let the new sagas begin: what he can deliver in a Victory shirt; whether his body has three A-League seasons in it; and how hard Kewell, wife, brand and all will hit Australia’s celebrity circles.
These sagas will help the A-League with its never-ending quest of breaking through into the mainstream, at such a critical juncture.
The next television deal shapes as critical for the league’s finances, with negotiations entering the decisive phase in the coming months. Meanwhile, crowd averages remain stagnant and mainstream interest lukewarm.
Kewell can only help; commanding mainstream interest like no other Australian footballer – of the round-ball variety and possibly in all codes.
He has a golden ticket with Channel Nine, for example, a network that has typified the mainstream media shunning of the A-League. Now as an A-League player, Kewell will inevitably promote Victory and the league in every appearance he makes.
His looks, fashion interests and celebrity appeal may seem frivolous to hardcore football supporters, who will only care about his on-field product, but it’s those traits that matter (sadly) in today’s mainstream.
Awareness for the league, therefore, will reach new levels not seen since the initial Dwight Yorke-inspired heady days of the league’s first season.
Don’t believe me? See the attention, column inches, mainstream press and discussion his potential return home has generated in the A-League’s elongated off-season. Ironically, this press was forgotten as some quarters questioned his worth as the deal was sorted out.
Yes, it’s undoubtedly a risk given his history of injuries. And should he breakdown his impact will inevitably be limited.
The reduction in fixtures, particularly midweek games, from last season will help his body cope with the strain.
But in Archie Thompson, Danny Allsopp, Jean Carlos Solorzano, Isaka Cernak and Marco Rojas, Kewell will have ample support in Victory’s attack, with more than enough cover should injury strike.
As the 2011 Asian Cup showed, Kewell can still deliver in spectacular bursts, even if his longevity remains questionable.
Nevertheless, it’s a risk worth taking – the sort of gamble A-League clubs and the league itself needs to take.
Undoubtedly there’ll be some positive Kewell-effect on memberships, crowds and ratings – to what extent remains to be seen. If not, the league will continue on unabated. Despite how some portray it, the league’s future is not being gambled on Kewell – Football Federation Australia hasn’t sold its soul in guaranteeing his arrival and Victory is a strong enough club to not need his presence.
As the signing saga showed, if Kewell and Mandic continue any contract wranglings, they will come across as the bad guys, not the FFA.
If successful, the rewards are obvious. The temptation would then be to view his arrival as the turning point for the league.
After all, if crowd averages rise, mainstream media coverage increases, and more current Socceroos return home as a result, then Kewell will be portrayed as the saviour of a league that had stagnated.
But instead we should view the 2010/11 season as the true turning point, thanks to the football being played by Brisbane Roar, taking the league to new heights technically; the birth of the Melbourne derby; the arrival of AAMI Park as the archetypical boutique stadium the league needs; and the maturing of clubs, who are starting to look like proper football clubs as seen by the spate of Director of Football appointments.
Kewell, rather than being the sole cause in any potential upturn for the league, will rather be one of the leading vehicles to spread the message, to help showcase/preach what the A-League already has.
His sagas are now the A-League’s sagas, which will generate the much-needed media attention it desperately needs.
This is great news for the game.
Follow Adrian on twitter @AdrianMusolino