One of the most common throwaway lines in Australian football is that Football Federation Australia needs to implement promotion-relegation between the A-League and a second tier competition (lumped with the name B-League, it seems). Sounds simple, doesn’t it?
The latest proponent for the A-League getting in line with the majority of the football world is Ned Zelic, in his column for the A-League website.
While he makes all the right points about promotion-relegation being part of the football’s DNA, how it’ll spice up the battle at the tail-end of the league, and how the Asian Football Confederation is putting pressure on FFA to follow the example of Asia (and the world), on how a second division can be managed, Zelic only says, “A lot will hinge on the volume of the new TV deal and how it will be distributed.”
Like so many others, he glosses over the financial (and other) realities that should preclude a second division.
This isn’t a dig at Zelic, as it’s endemic within Australian football – fans and media alike; simplifying things to the point where the harsh realities faced by the code are ignored in favour of grand (deluded) visions of where we want to see the game in the short-term.
This sort of talk is more damaging than any perceived anti-A-League agenda of those who properly assess whether such talk is a reality or not, particularly when the realities facing the game were highlighted in the recent Smith Review, the government’s latest examination into the state of Australian football.
Any talk a two-tiered A-League-B-League must rationalise the current financial state of clubs, who, according to the Smith Review, are currently losing a combined $20 million to $25 million per season, with the FFA pumping $4.6 million into Adelaide United, Brisbane Roar, Newcastle Jets and the North Queensland Fury, sending the governing body into the red.
The Central Coast Mariners is the latest club with “short-term cash flow difficulties” and desperately seeking a saviour.
If the Smith Review proposes no expansion of the A-League beyond the current 10 teams until “the competition is financially strong, or a tangible financial benefit can be achieved by expansion”, how can a B-League be implemented?
To put it in different terms, at a time when the governing body is insisting that A-League clubs need to stand on their own two-feet for the sake of their bottom-line, how are they going to concurrently introduce a system that could pull the rug from underneath them?
Think of what relegation to a second tier competition would do for the likes of Gold Coast United, who currently sit at the bottom of the table. Potentially robbed of fixtures against Harry Kewell’s Melbourne Victory, Brett Emerton’s Sydney FC and facing a season in a B-League with second-grade opposition, the already vulnerable club and its meagre supporter base would face oblivion given its already weakened state.
While the football romantics in us talk up promotion-relegation, fuelled by the political pressure coming from the AFC, there isn’t the reality backing it up, let alone a coherent answer to the question of how the B-League would work. This is what the FFA must accept when the AFC places its demands on them.
The FFA has two options when it comes to the B-League, and those two options are the same that they face with that other eternal question, expansion into western Sydney: either expand with another start-up franchise (Western Sydney Rovers, anyone?), or pick the best of the “old soccer” crew relegated from the deceased National Soccer League to the state leagues (NSW Premier League etc).
When it comes to the B-League, surely picking the strongest, most viably sound and financially well-off state league clubs is the only option available to the FFA. After all, the recent reviews into the game stressed the need for a “greater role” of second tier clubs in the growth of Australian football, and one assumes that means more than just their involvement in the FFA Cup.
But can “the volume of the new TV deal” alone (see here for more) really guarantee the financial viability of the A-League, protecting its clubs from the harsh realities of a second division (let alone the A-League itself), along with supporting another tier of the game on the national scene?
Putting it like that, promotion-relegation is a lot more complicated and far-fetched than some would have you think.
ben
Guest
Melbourne wouldn't get relegated with no salary cap
Timmuh
Roar Guru
To me this makes perfect sense. Association Football isn't my number one sport, and I don't have the knowledge of many of the people on here, but its the way I've though the FFA should go for a while now. Get Tasmania, Canberra, Geelong, Wollongong, Townsville, Cairns, Darwin, etc in the youth league; but allow them a greater number of over-age players to cater for having less talent available. The best youth players from some areas currently missing out can get a chance to be seen, some senior talent not in state leagues would also have a chance not currently available; and a region can show its support. If Townsville starts getting 5-6k every week for the youth league, its time to rethink bringing the Fury back to the A-League. The travel costs are there, but not the other costs of a professional sporting club (eg player salaries, a large off-field contingent, etc).
Cappuccino
Guest
Axelv, you are spot on.
Tanu
Guest
The "Hyandai A League" is a bit like a children's party.
PeterK
Guest
A great idea, John -- limited to the SE corner of Oz, but it'd be a good start.
PeterK
Guest
MelbCro, do you think "Eastern Seaboard" really means what it says? We in NQ often get the feeling that "eastern seaboard" is a phrase for Sydney and Melbourne (plus nearby places -- like NSW often seems to mean Newcastle, Sydney. Wollongng!) and maybe throw Brisbane in as an outlier. We would contend that the seaboard from Melbourne (eastern?) to Brisbane is not even half of the Eastern Seaboard! Perhaps unless I'm wrong with what is meant by this use of "eastern seaboard" the correct phrase might be SE corner. Mind you, I support the idea of such a league -- just a bit concerned at its proposed misnaming.
PeterK
Guest
MelbCro, did you also get the feeling that the Smith Report could have been written by the FFA, instead of for it? It certainly said what I believe FFA wanted it to say -- though what it says seems sensible to me.
PeterK
Guest
Tim, I thoroughly agree with your last point.
PeterK
Guest
I think a better name for the "B-League" would be the "Challenge League" -- it has a better feel to it for marketing. Challenge League costs MUST be contained, and could be by two methods: a. regionalise the early stages (cutting transport costs), and b. smaller and cheaper stadiums with no TV coverage -- which also encourages fans to attend rather than to watch from their lounge chairs. Nevertheless, there would be costs, and it can not be introduced for at least a while yet. But can't we start planning such a thing, and possibly even (after a few years) implementing it for a year or two without the interaction (P/R) with the A-League until later? Meanwhile let's get the FFA Cup going!
Kasey
Guest
I consider myself a football person and I believe the 'closed system' as demonstrated by MLS and the A-League is the best way to start a top level league in a country that needed to begin a fresh and to re-build a football culture. If an A2 league could be created then that would be a perfect place to road test teams before being selected to up-skill and outlay more money to jump to the closed system above, like how MLS selected Seattle, Portland and Vancouver from the USL to jump to MLS, now three of MLS's most successful (off field) teams Just because things are done a certain way in Europe, is no guarantee that those methods will track across to the Australian sports landscape. Like our parliament(we took the proportional senate model from the US to protect states rightsand the lower house model from the Poms as well as most of their conventions to enable everything t work), perhaps we have to shoot for the middle and cherry pick the best of both American and English(European) systems based on a study of what is likely to best work for us in our unique sporting landscape.
MelbCro
Guest
"Serie A is falling behind" Serie A had three team get through the group stage of the Champions League, more than any other league. Doesn't look like they are falling behind to me. "The franchise system is the only viable way to run leagues." My God, your opinion is horrible. You are not a football person, not even close.
The Bush
Roar Guru
"So the question is what is the difference between Japan & here." 1) You mention Baseball as being more popular than Football, but really other than possibly Sumo (a uniquely structured sport that is not a week to week contest), Football is at least the number two (2) sport in the country. Other sports, such as Rugby Union (for example), don't even register on the general population's radar. Compare that with Australia where Football is a distant third simply among the football codes (and also in competition with yet a fourth football code), let alone when you throw in Cricket. 2) Population - it's easy to have forty (40) plus professional teams when you have over 120m people. I bet if Australia had even just 50m people (a little over twice our current population), we could talk more realistically about an A2. 3) Travel Distances - the entire country of Japan could probably fit into a space a little bigger than Victoria (or some other small size). As pointed out by other posters, a semi-pro team can traverse the country with a lot of ease. Having said all that, your final conclusion is one I generally agree with. It is pie-in-the-sky stuff to talk about an A2 in the next generation, but I do envision a gradual addition of two (2) teams to the comp every five (5) or so years. Then, after about twenty to twenty-five years you have twenty (20) teams in the comp and you then split it and start feeding new teams from the bottom. By this stage the original eight (8) clubs will have "rusted on" fans and will not be afraid of going down for a season or two (2).
Lucan
Guest
The ARU thing is relevant and comparable to the second divison debate, but not the Cup discussion. A Cup comp wouldn't be nationwide travel every week. Interstate trips wouldn't be necessary until the HAL teams are introduced in the round of 32 or even the round of 16 if they want to save even more cash. Most state league clubs have serviceable deals with their venues, so that cost argument is a furphy also.
Victer
Guest
On sell clause could and should be applied now. It would give state teams more incentives to develop players
Krasic
Guest
Great article Adrian. Agree with you 100% !!!!!!!!!!!
Krasic
Guest
Great article Adrian. Agree with you 100% !!!!!!!!!!!
Brendon
Guest
Not only does Australia not have the strength to support a promotion/relegation system neither does Europe. The Premier League and La Liga are propped up by billionaires and an incredibly lopsided and biased system. Serie A is falling behind and only the Bundesliga can support itself and who cares about Ligue 1? As for the Scottish Premier League? Its a joke that takes the flaws of European football to the absurd. The franchise system is the only viable way to run leagues. Compare how much weaker European leagues are compared to American sports. The NFL is vastly stronger and more profitable (despite the sport god awful) than any European football league. I think Adrian Musolino needs to have a sit down with the rabid, fanatical lunatics like Craig Foster and Ned Zelic. Clowns like Foster do more harm to football in Australia with their delusions of football becoming the only sport in Australia. When Foster does the sports report for SBS you can almost see his lips curling and him snarling when other sports are mentioned. But the real problem with football is the arrogant attitude many of its supporters have. Most football fans are too busy sneering at other sports and talking about how "the beautiful game" is the worlds biggest sport. FIFA's corruption is not a result of rogue members but a symptom of the arrogant culture of football that never questions itself or willing to learn from other sports. Football reminds me of Pakistani cricket - too arrogant and monopolistic to see its own flaws.
j binnie
Guest
Adrian - We have a minor problem in Australian football at the moment where there is a concentrated effort to have ex- socceroos in media positions. This is another attempt to sell the game to new fans and there is much to be admired in the efforts some of the lads make. But there is another side of this ploy that has to be examined,and Ned's article is a good example. Ned had no greater a fan than I when he was playing but I have to ask what qualifications would he have to probe and pass opinion into the administrative and financial workings of setting up a football club,never mind a league?.The answer is , probably none,so although it would be nice to have a set-up that could "carry" pro/rel the reality is that it is totally impractical at this time jb
j binnie
Guest
FU - You forgot to mention a population of 300,000,000 and probably more cities (with city populations) than we have cities,towns & villages combined, in this country of ours which by the way,is roughly the same size as the MSL country. jb
j binnie
Guest
Midfielder - This is the second time in a few days you have stated the FFA Cup model has been agreed to and is ready to go. Can you please enlighten others are to what this "model" consists of and how it is to work??.Please don't say it's something you have heard for that is not good enough,if you are going to use your "statement" in discussions then you should know if they are factual or not. jb