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With all the hype floating around the A-League since the signing of key Socceroos Harry Kewell and Brett Emerton to Melbourne Victory and Sydney FC respectively, you could be forgiven for thinking all of the league’s problems had been solved.
So positive have things been, it was almost inevitable that an article like Rebecca Wilson’s now infamous rant that the A-League is too concerned with quick-fix solutions would come along.
And how quick were we to start jumping up and down in an indignant huff?
It’s disappointing we’ve responded with suggestions that Wilson’s ranting must mean the A-League is getting to her.
Is it not worth considering whether, among the hyperbole and misnomers, Wilson might actually have a point? Is it not possible that Wilson attacked the A-League not just to sink the boot in but because she sees a weakness worth attacking?
Ultimately it leads me back to a concern that still troubles me – the flawed structure of the A-League still hasn’t changed.
The clubs are set up in the wrong markets, the game still relies on private capital to fund the clubs and the competition is still being run by the game’s peak governing body.
The only significant and positive structural changes I see are changing the season’s start to after the AFL and NRL seasons in October, and that head office can use the current forward momentum in negotiating the next TV deal.
Yet even here optimism is dampened, due to there being only one genuine potential bidder for the league’s TV rights – Fox Sports.
In the meantime concerns remain over a number of issues, including how many clubs will there be this time next year?
What are the plans to save Gold Coast United, a club that is still flapping in the wind?
How can the competition prevent a good club like Melbourne Heart from being swamped by the biggest and most successful club in the league’s history, who’ve just signed the game’s most high-profile Socceroo?
Even for those A-League sides whose futures appear secure in the short term, like the Wellington Phoenix (there is a contingency plan to deal with Terry Serepisos’ financial troubles) and Central Coast Mariners, there are still significant doubts over how they can not just survive but thrive beyond this season.
For these reasons I remain as worried about the A-League’s long-term future as I am excited for the start of the next season.
Why is all this important? Because I want the anticipation I’m feeling towards the start of the new season in October to be repeated for many years to come.
Yes, there have been some fantastic developments in the last couple of months but the time for cheerleading is not yet upon us, especially from those of us within the football media.
On the contrary, we must start asking even tougher questions of the game’s governors and do so more often. The hard work for those within the game is far from over.
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