Many seem to be writing off the current dramas at Gold Coast United as nothing more than the whims of a man too rich for his own good.
But comments made by that very man – Gold Coast chairman and wealthy businessman Clive Palmer – during a live interview on “The World Game” suggest that football in Australia might fast be heading toward a watershed moment.
The on-and-off-field dramas of Gold Coast have been well documented and do not need repeating here. In recent times this turmoil has claimed the scalp of Miron Bleiberg and the future of the club now looks to be in grave doubt.
Things have come to a head with the troubled club, and the death knell seemed to have sounded when Palmer was quoted as saying that he didn’t like the game, and that the NRL was a better sport.
Yet when given the opportunity to speak live on “The World Game” Palmer was adamant that the future of Gold Coast was anything but bleak, and that he was still totally committed to the club.
Apparently what he meant in that now infamous interview was that he thought the administration of Australian football was a joke. He used the NRL as an example of a much better organised and administered code.
He also claimed that he was disgusted with the underhand payments or bungs to agents and other parties, common in player transfer negotiations. He said his decision to promote the youth in his club was to directly combat this phenomena.
Interestingly, none of the SBS panel took issue with the validity of this statement which he repeated a couple of times.
He further went on to suggest that several private owners of A-League clubs were unhappy with the way the sport was being run in this country and that he was in contact with them. Without actually saying so, he further implied that there might be some truth to speculation that the owners could break away from Football Federation Australia (FFA) and form their own competition, similar to the formation of the Premier League in England back in 1992.
Potentially this that could see the biggest change in Australian football since the Crawford Report effectively killed the National Soccer League.
The FFA runs both football and the A-League in this country. The FFA has steadfastly refused to give any control of the A- League to the clubs and the business individuals that run them.
The FFA currently controls the purse strings in Australia. Monies generated by the A- League and the rest of the sport goes into one big pot, which is then distributed to the A- League, the national sporting teams, “grass roots” football, and of course wages for the administrators of the FFA. It is my understanding that all the revenue from the finals go to the FFA, rather than directly to the clubs participating in them.
With the current contract coming to a close soon, future TV rights have been a looming issue in our sport. Clive went on to ask the question, who would be best placed to negotiate a new TV deal? Would it be CEO Ben Buckley and the FFA, or a group led by experienced businessmen such as Tony Sage, Nathan Tinkler and himself, men experienced in negotiating multi-billion-dollar deals in some of the toughest and most competitive markets in the world.
The FFA of course will not wear that suggestion as it takes away their primary source of income, one of the major reasons why Buckley remains in his role.
While in a utopian world, it would seem that the interests of the A- League and football in Australia should be one and the same, this is not the case.
The A- League was created by the FFA, and certainly needed the FFA to get it up and running. But for the A- League to reach its full potential now, it needs to start taking care of its own interests first. Unfortunately those will not always be in the best interest of the FFA; during the failed World Cup bid, the FFA demonstrated that its priorities were not always in line with the A- League.
To suggest that individuals such as Sage, Tinkler and Palmer would sit idly and have their businesses dictated to by the likes of Buckley seems to me to be extremely naïve.
Clive Palmer claims to have invested $18 million in Gold Coast over the past three seasons. While it is easy to sit back and write him off as ill-educated in the ways of the sport, his commitment has been as substantial as anyone. He certainly seems genuine in his future commitment to both Gold Coast and football in Australia.
You can write him off as a joke, but his business record certainly suggests he is anything but. I have a feeling that we will be hearing much more on this issue before very long.
Indeed, Clive Palmer might turn out to be this decade’s most important man in Australian football.
Midfielder
Guest
Agree
Stevo
Guest
For what it's worth, Cockerill's article is interesting: http://www.smh.com.au/sport/a-league/frankly-speaking-lowy-must-listen-to-owners-20120221-1tlse.html "Who underwrites the A-League? The owners do, and it costs them, collectively, about $25 million per year. Last week we estimated those losses at about 0.135 per cent of their collective wealth. Peanuts. The vast majority of them can easily afford it. Yet still they cry poor, and slash and burn at every line item of expenditure. Why? Because of the principle. Partly, that's because Lowy - one of Australia's richest men - won't kick the tin. That irks them. More and more, not less. And if Lowy won't help underwrite the league, then he should at least give them more control over the business. It's what they've asked for over the past few years, and been rebuffed. It's what the past two federal government reviews (2003 and last year) have recommended. Inevitably, something has to give."
Jack Russell
Roar Guru
Wasn't Northern Spirit owned by Rangers at one stage? I personally don't think it's changed much. Mega rich people like owning sports teams, it gives them a thrill. People own racehorses for the same reason. The reason why Palmer, Tinkler and Sage wouldn't have invested in NSL clubs 10 years ago is because they weren't rich back then. Not mega rich anyway. The only major difference now is that owning an A-League club costs a lot more money than an NSL club did.
Stevo
Guest
Agree. The HAL is just another important step in the evolution of football in Oz. That we are publicly talking about football at all is so far removed from what many of us observed a decade ago and much longer that it's almost like we're on another planet. Clive's rant is simply putting on the table some issues that can no longer be ignored. FFA, and management in most work places, don't like people coming out like Clive did because it gives the impression that they aren't in control. FFA/Lowy have a vision of how things should work and Clive reckons that if owners are kicking in bucket loads of $$$$ then they too should have some say in how the money is spent. Clive isn't a saint but this may be one of the more important discussions in the short history of the HAL.
The Cattery
Roar Guru
futbanous last I heard he wanted to spend $250k upgrading some little ground down the road
amazonfan
Guest
+ 2
futbanous
Guest
IF Clive is serious about staying for the long haul he should build his own stadium. Unless land & building costs are far greater in England than here its a perfect fit for GCU the B2net stadium in Chesterfield. Apparently it cost 13 million to build. Small change according to his self proclaimed wealth spiel the other night on SBS. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B2net_Stadium Also its had Elton John concerts there & England Under 21 matches. A chance for Clive to be an entertainment entrepreneur.
stam
Roar Rookie
Im flattered there was no dig at me as im a heart supporter! Being from the mornington peninsula its hardly a hotbed for football ultras.....
futbanous
Guest
Funny side of this situation or sad depending on your perspective is that theres no rule that states a club has to have a crowd. If we work on the assumption that Clive is perfectly happy to run the club for his own interest above a fan base who can stop him? Furthermore if he decides that youth development is the way forward & that the same youth will form the vast majority of his first team who can stop this MO? As long as he puts in the dough the FFA have nowhere to go. Of course its not the way you expect a professional sporting entity to be run,you expect it to have a fan base from the local community a club for the people right. But this could be the first Club for a Clive.
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
stam I didn't say I'm happy with the way Clive is managing GCU - far from it. What I've said is Clive Palmer has done more to promote HAL football across the Gold Coast than anyone else in Australia. So, would I like the "one owner" model at MVFC? It depends. If the options were: a) no MVFC or b) MVFC with one owner I'll take option (b) every day. PS: I'm flattered that you think I'm the most passionate football fan. But, I don't think my football passion comes remotely close close to the ultras - fanatical supporters - all over the world: from Japan to Egypt; from Sweden to Greece, from UK to Russia; etc. etc. You need to go to a FIFA WC to fully appreciate the level of football fanaticism around the globe.
stam
Roar Rookie
Fuss i'd like to pose the following question to you. As the most passionate supporter i've come across (both online and in the real world) I wonder how you'd feel if every club was run in the same manner as palmer is running GCU? Would you consider the HAL in a healthy state if every club was owned by a billionare that ensures clubs will survive but basically as a NYL, with the majority of players on 1 year contracts, crowds that have dropped by over half of what they where achieving, getting mainstream media coverage but for all the wrong reasons. I think its fair to say that the people of GCU have shown that they are not happy with what palmer is doing by the lackluster crowds that are showing up now. I wonder if you'd have the same opinion of palmer if he was the owner of melbourne victory? I know i wouldnt want heart to end up like that.
futbanous
Guest
Agree many private investors,particularly from the ethnic background connected to some clubs. Many kept the NSL afloat. After all there wasn't much else to support the competition & clubs financially. However my point wasn't about private investors, it was about those particular individuals & overseas group mentioned.
Jack Russell
Roar Guru
I don't think it's true that private investors wouldn't touch the game 8 years ago. You had Tana and Afkos in Perth, and other consortiums invest in Northern Spirit, Carlton and Parramatta. Plenty of people kicked in millions of their own money.
Redb
Roar Guru
I would listen to Tony Sage and ignore Clive Palmer. If Palmer's record with GCU on fan & communtity engagement had been exemplary and he did not make the decision to cap crowds to save money he might be more of a savior, I suggest the latter. The 5k crowd cap a litmus test on Palmer's commitment to GCU. #fail
pbedo
Guest
People say Clive is not interested in football. If this is so what is he doing throwing money at it? Is it a tax lurk, is it prestige? I would really like to know. I saw the SBS interview too and for me he is either a very good lier or he is genuine. To me the latter seems more plausible. What evidence is there to say to the contrary? Is it that GC is not drawing big crowds and coming last in the league? That's no reason surely. Sydney City in the old NSL used to get a couple of hundred at a game but was supported by none other than F Lowie. At any rate I was impressed by some of what Clive said, regarding the promotion of Australian youth players, the need for more transparency in the way the game is run and letting clubs have more of a say in the running of it.
Michael
Guest
+1
Steve M
Guest
I think that Clive is a cunning fellow. It would be surprising if this affair, combined with the result against the Mariners and the new coach didn't lift the number of people going to GCU games. I reckon that they will get a near record crowd this weekend. Clive's presence in the dressing room, his interviews and statements since this all blew up, suggests to me that the man is keener than ever on producing for football. I can hardly wait for the next Roar vs Gold Coast game. If the owners are putting a lot of money into the A-League they deserve some say in how it is run. If it is a success, great, if there are issues, they have no one else to blame.
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
As I said earlier this week, Clive's outburst is the way he sets the media agenda. I think he's got everyone's attention? Check out this video post-match interview from last night's game. Clive Palmer cannot hide how proud he is and his enthusiasm for the game & GCU is infectious. He just needs to convey this message to the football community across the Gold Coast. As far as I'm concerned, this video does NOT portray of a guy who allegedly wants GCU to fail. Source: http://www.foxsports.com.au/football/039a-great-game039/video-e6frf423-1226278978104?sectionvertical=football
Dinoweb
Guest
As the writer of this piece, I would like to point out that I wrote and submitted it first thing on Tuesday morning, at a time when most opinion pieces and comments were focused on disecting individual comments made by Clive Palmer rather than what I thought was the most obvious and important thrust of his interview. The events of the past couple of days since then have borne out this view. Much more of course has now been said and come to light, and the stance of many has been made more clear. I still stand by the comment that CP may be the most important man in the sport for the past decade, but that does not mean to suggest that I think it is ethier a good or bad thing. Adolf Hitler was arguably the most important figure of the last century and we all know how that turned out. It remains to be seen how his comments of Monday night will effect the future course of the HAL and football in this country. Do not be mistaken. There will be effects.
Dillan
Guest
"He certainly seems genuine in his future commitment to both Gold Coast and football in Australia" YOU HAVE TO BE JOKING... Take a look at his track record with Gold Coast - the club is a disgrace and you want this guy making decisions for FFA. He is the very last person I want involved making FFA decisions