There, I’ve said it. And Clive Palmer inspired me. And I’ll call it soccer too, not football – the way the code and the people involved have behaved lately, they don’t deserve the word.
We are soccer, Australian soccer at its worst, exactly the way the Herald Sun, the Daily Telegraph and the Courier-Mail have been describing soccer in Australia for years.
We should be ashamed. The best is over and we are on a downward spiral. We are left fighting among ourselves while the other codes laugh and gloat.
We’ll never get back to the euphoria of the 2006 World Cup qualification and our heroic efforts in Germany.
The national team failed to make it past the first round at the 2010 World Cup. Our bid to host the 2022 tournament ended in humiliation, with one vote for a $100 million outlay.
Our country’s top players are still heading overseas, leaving behind an A-League struggling with huge financial problems and no profitable solution in sight.
Owners, coaches, players and staff are not only fighting among themselves, they are fighting against the FFA to try and get any last cent they can out of Ben Buckley and Frank Lowy, even it ends in multi-million-dollar court battles.
Due to the vast distances involved, the costs of putting together a viable soccer team, and the lack of money to be made in Australian professional soccer, the A-League is set for the same fate as the NSL. It’s just a matter of time.
The Neanderthal ravings of Clive Palmer could be easily dismissed, but there is certainly a lot of concern about how much money the sport is losing and how much longer the A-League will survive.
Even though the NSL was not profitable, it lasted for 27 years, but I can’t see today’s rich patrons of A-League clubs hanging around for that long. Just ask Don Matheson.
After three years of A-League growth from when it was founded in 2005, the league’s average attendance stood at a healthy 14,600 a match, and some people started tipping that it would overtake the NRL in attendance and revenues. Even the AFL was an eventual target.
But by the end of the 2010-11 season, the average attendance figure had fallen by more than 6000, to fewer than 8500 fans a game. The nadir was reached when a miserly 1003 attended North Queensland Fury’s match with Brisbane Roar, a so-called Queensland derby.
Fury had lost so much money that it was dropped because the club’s position was “too big of a financial risk” for it to continue, Football Federation Australia said in a statement.
Sydney Rovers won’t be joining the A-League any time soon either, as the new franchise has been unable to come up with the money.
The A-League was expected to feature 12 teams next season, but instead is set to have 10, or even nine if Palmer has another rich-kid temper tantrum.
Is there any hope that things will be resolved between the A-League owners on the one hand, and Buckley and Lowy on the other?
Buckley’s background is in AFL, a rival code looking to land the killer blow and totally dominate the Australian sporting landscape.
Would you hear any of the AFL club bosses bleating and moaning like Palmer and Co. are doing this week?
The FFA has taken its eyes off the A-League ball during the bid for the 2022 Cup, and hasn’t been able to get back in the game.
There was a misconception in Australia that the NSL was poorly run and there were no competent football administrators. I’d argue the same about Buckley and the FFA.
Why do the top five FFA administrators earn more than a million dollars a year in salary plus travel allowances and other benefits? Is Lowy that short of a dollar?
And what about the treatment that soccer gets from its own fans and journalists? With that sort of support, who would want to play for you and try to entertain you? They’d rather go overseas, where they are treated like real stars. Look what happened to John Aloisi.
I have some interest in soccer and the Socceroos, but I’ve never been to an A-League game and probably never will.
You aren’t going to make money owning an A-League club, and without a true love and passion for the game to keep you going, it won’t be long before Palmer and his mates pull out of the A-League to leave the FFA without a national professional soccer competition.
Pete
Guest
How did that work out for you pal?
Rebecca Tzintzis
Guest
David, your article is spot on. Eveything about it...The league cannot survive on American style business men's money...The A league will be finished within 12 to 24 months. Now the fans who think otherwise should start dipping into their own pockets to help support their respective clubs to avoid folding the same way the old NSL clubs use to do when they got into trouble and AFL clubs as well. Let's see if they do it...????
redsfan
Guest
so you have never been to an a-league game, have no real interest in it but felt the need to write an article on it. Why?
jeff
Guest
If you have never supported the game you forfeit the rigt to criticise its quality. This year attendances are up and so are ratings by a large percentage. This is hardly the sign of a waning interest in the a-league. There have been mistakes and clive palmer is raising serious concerns. Discussing pertinent issues is healthy for any organisation. Its true the aleague clubs have been losing money and stakeholders need to find a better way forward which i believe will be accelerated by these latest events. Other sports, i.e nrl, afl are losing money even though they have immense media coverage and have the support of community clubs to help prop them up. Please be reminded of the uproar of both mentioned sports that the pokies tax could kill their game. Maybe we should also find a way for problem gamblers to fund our clubs. I dont mean the last statement of course as i think its abhorrent that clubs rely on this as an income stream.
George Goodison
Guest
What a poorly written and badly researched article for "Roar". I could have sworn Clive said he was misquoted and liked SOKKA, on TWG wednesday last. To compare the A_League with the old NSL is in itself silly. At a stage where attendances, memberships and TV ratings are up , along comes this prophet of doom We know our game struggles for finances, and these high level buisnessmen are thoroughly aware when they dive in. The game is going from strength to strength and will get bigger all in good time . Lessons are being learnt and contrary to the knockers we will grow better at its administration. Us Aussies are still learning how to run this magnificent game
George Goodison
Guest
What a poorly written and badly researched article for "Roar". I could have sworn Clive said he was misquoted and liked SOKKA, on TWG wednesday last. To compare the A_League with the old NSL is in itself silly. At a stage where attendances, memberships and TV ratings are up , along comes this prophet of doom We know our game struggles for finances, and these high level buisnessmen are thoroughly aware when they dive in. The game is going from strength to strength and will get bigger all in good time . Lessons are being learnt and contrary to the knockers we will grow better at its administration. Us Aussies are still learning how to run this magnificent game
Andy
Guest
It shots me when football 'fans' give the A-league crap about not having enough fans, but they don't come to games. Just go away please.
Rob
Guest
If you've never been to an a-league game then you should not make a comment. It's as if you think the merit of a sport is in whether they make profit. Guess what fool. The worlds biggest sports clubs don't make profit and we are in early days with no free tv. You are a troll. Stick to crappy sports no one else cares about.
Deanogooner
Guest
For some who admits to have no interest in the A-League, you've gone a fair bit out of your way to write an article on its doomsday. Hahaha pathetic! Why don't you actually go to a game (I'll even shout you a ticket) so that you can be in a position to pass judgement.
Johnny
Guest
R.I.P Strayan Sockah
Matthew Skellett
Guest
Mr Jones you just said yourself that the HAL could go to hell in a handbasket and YOU COULDN'T CARE LESS -well just go away and leave the problems of Australian Domestic/International Football to the people WHO DO CARE OK?
Midfielder
Guest
Cough cough SAID HANRAHAN by John O'Brien "We'll all be rooned," said Hanrahan, In accents most forlorn, Outside the church, ere Mass began, One frosty Sunday morn. The congregation stood about, Coat-collars to the ears, And talked of stock, and crops, and drought, As it had done for years. "It's looking crook," said Daniel Croke; "Bedad, it's cruke, me lad, For never since the banks went broke Has seasons been so bad." "It's dry, all right," said young O'Neil, With which astute remark He squatted down upon his heel And chewed a piece of bark. to finish you can look at the link .. http://www.middlemiss.org/lit/authors/obrienj/poetry/hanrahan.html
Johnno
Guest
No modern day sports pro sports league can survive with out a proper big tv sports deal otherwise, it falls under the next category , known as semi professional eg Netball which has a tv deal, women's cricket, baseball in Australia. For the A-league to survive fun by the FFA , it has to get a much better tv deal either form pay tv or free to air tv, otherwise a national football league in this country will fall under the term semi-professional. And for football that is a dreaded lines , football does not want to hear in this country, being seen as a semi professional football league our national football comp.
Johnno
Guest
Thank you The Cattery, im sure many more will find it funny. All said in good humor to "David Jones" .
asanchez
Roar Guru
Dave, you are entitled to your opinion. But do you think your making an educated decision when you say the league is going to disappear based on what you read or hear? Have a good think about that, how do you think that comes accross to actual Football fans?? It's like canning a dish before you've even tried it, or dissing a song before you ever heard it. Just doesn't make any sense, and throws any credibility you had out the window. You say you follow the game, but clearly not close enough when you've never been to an A-league game. But your an expert to comment on it! Honestly, how can you expect to be taken seriously here mate? Whether your trying to or not, im sorry but after your comments and admissions, you come across as just another Football knocker... I understand what you're saying about Private Ownership being a negative, and the issues involved. But as you said, the old NSL lasted almost 30 years with all the owners losing tons of money year on year. The owners that are in place today are much wealthier. You talk about the AFL and NRL, but I'll tell you what the biggest money difference is between these codes and Football; TV RIGHTS! The AFL announced last week that all clubs combined had debts of $40m, which is normal in sport. But with their recent $1.25b rights deal they've got plenty to do what they want with it. $40m is chump change! The NRL has been hamstrung with a stagnant salary cap for years, with some stars leaving to Union to chase more coin. Many of their clubs have also come out in the press struggling financially. But they are also about to get a big TV rights deal later this year to be able to expand and underwrite some of those costs and expenses. The biggest clubs in the world, Man United, Barcelona, Real Madrid, AC Milan, none of these powerhouses of World Football make a profit, in fact they make huge losses because of ridiculous player salaries, but once again, the one thing that aids them and provides a huge injection of funds every year is their TV rights money.
The Cattery
Roar Guru
Johnno that's actually a very funny post - well done my good man!
The Cattery
Roar Guru
Yes, that's spot on. But you know what, I really don't know how convinced he'd be by such arguments. This is a bloke who wanted to have a soccer state of origin.
Johnno
Guest
There's no other store like David Jones ha ha.
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
aaww - that's so sweet of you to care about our poor insignificant league, David Jones. Isn't it interesting that people like my mates & I - who buy a Season Ticket every year for our HAL club - are delighted with the way the HAL is progressing. But, people like you - who have never been to an HAL game - seem to have lots of suggestion, opinions & theories about the future of our football league. Here's a thought - how about you ignore our poor, little league and allow us to keep deluding ourselves? Surely that's what's called: "a win win"? Enjoy your kick in the park & beers. I'm looking forward to a big w/e of HAL football .. oh, yes, I'll also be having a kick on Saturday morning and will have more than a few beers when watching GCU v MVFC on Saturday night.
David Jones
Roar Rookie
I said I was from Bristol City originally, I didn't say I supported Bristol City FC. What I like most is having a kick around in the park with some mates and having a beer afterwards. None of us have ever been to an A-League or NSL game. I just think you have to face facts if you want a professional league here and you have to work at it, even as a fan. I you're fighting among yourselves and bringing down the people who run it, then what chance have you got? And if the people who own A-League teams don't give a toss about the game itself, then how long are they going to keep putting their millions into it?