United we stand: fans of all A-League clubs must rally

If the game is going to be successful how about clubs concentrate on pushing for season pass memberships. Do what my club the Newcastle jets have done. Gold coast need to stay, I can understand why their crowds are down when I went up there took me about an hour to get back to my burleigh heads apartment walked for ages for some bizarre reasons. One of the hardest grounds to get to, pretty much have to drive there.

My sentiments too Midfielder.

We need two, three, many Glasgow Rangers ! Football is at the Precipice of Failure ! Death to the Salary Cap ! Forward to Insolvency and Chaos !

Clive is like a bully who cannot get his own way and wants to take his bat home ... but we have more than one bat.. We do need to stand together.... all this BS about he has a point well he raised 1, 000' s of points some had to be right... How anyone can hand on heart back this guy amazers me ... let him do what he wants but I will pay no attention what so ever to anything he or his AF do as they have a clear agenda .... to hurt football.... so CP can FO as far as I am concerned...

Yes I think there will not be too much damage if there are 10 teams, but I like the idea of letting a few shoestring teams . GCU could cut costs by playing at the Southport Ground, and having mainly youth players, selling well on transfers, and organising corporate packages to meet Palmer and what are a wonderful group of players. There are tourism packages possible included in visitors holidays etc. It should able to make a go of it. It might also be better as Gold Coast and LoganUnited and try and bring the South Brisbane people in. You know poor NQF was everyones second team.

Could be but not as the Sydney Bulls. I liked Rovers or Athletic or even Sporting Sydney or Sydney Wanderers.

He is quite clean and washes each day and therefore in not filthy. I have not heard him say its about Africa, but who cares, The problem is the FFA need to lighten up for funding the sport,I am sure it was said as you suggest to antagonise FFA since he knew they are a self rightous bunch and hate discension.. The FFA just cant take criticism which is suspicious. If the FFA were in charge of the railways they would run on time but there would be only one train.

Well said. I have looked for FFA financial documents.They are not out there like most public companies but I found this for 2009 https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:sYBG_SgdHSsJ:https://secure.ausport.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/429720/Football_Federation_Australia_Annual_Report_2009.pdf+Annual+Report+Football+Federation+of+Australia+2010&hl=en&gl=au&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESgyOwFqlfNwb3TVu5KAfrixzcZctIuxJPSw7BLo7c6o9k8UtFE3oWlyFnLsA0n2G5LCYuoe4D8xQLoCIE7h1Q7lPCcZSCMkVdvNiOk49NU6r5oTQ-IQ2lg2SJhPD-B-e1D89D9I&sig=AHIEtbQda9yvroZ3Nav9Tsz_eDTyAZUScg Lowrys own money just goes into Sydney. The FFA bought AdelaideUnt for $1 and paid of the debt. They also owned 20% of CCM. I think NQF therefore got a poor Deal. I cants see why a model cant exist where some teams are semiprofessional and have smaller grounds. They wont do so well but the region will have a team and may grow a breadwinner and stay in the black,. We could have 14 teams.

At first I thought that Palmer was going to bring down the A-League as other owners followed suit, but that didn't eventuate and things have actually come out better for the FFA than Palmer. The A-League looks more resilient and there are even three other groups vying to put in another team - a GCU replacement, Canberra and West Sydney. I don't think the incident has "split football fans", the split was always there, the sentiments were already there and the known FFA haters were there as usual. There are also a lot of people who follow football with a passion, but don't care about the A-League or the FFA - there are hundreds of leagues and comps and national teams around the world to follow apart from the A-League. Palmer is like a punch drunk gambler shouting "Come on, double or nothing Lowy". He has sued the FFA for 20M, so if he wins the court case it cost him nothing to have had an A-League team.

Sound like Court Transcripts. Anyway can get them if you want them.

Which publication was this in? The guy is seriously clownshoes.

A PRIVATE email from Clive Palmer to Westfield billionaire and FFA chairman Frank Lowy last month makes for fascinating reading and shows just how erratic and inconsistent the mining magnate can be. The email was sent on February 5 at 6.53pm and is included in a sworn affidavit presented to the Queensland Supreme Court in the Gold Coast Utd v FFA injunction hearing last week. . . . . . "I just don't think we are interested in football at all u are still our hero but football is not something we like it's not for us but we will do all we can to make our exit without fuss I am way til Thursday please accept my personal apologies for my failure to respond earlier". Exit without fuss? Not long after in this newspaper, Palmer unleashed a tirade towards soccer and FFA management that ended with the termination of his Gold Coast licence on February 29 after a chaotic fortnight of stunts, a coach sacking and illegal slogans. In the same affidavit, an SMS from Palmer to FFA's Head of A-League Lyall Gorman on February 7 at 3.55pm, was quoted verbatim: "We have no interest in western Sydney we would rather support crippled. Children and other than give a further donation to lazy soccer players." The affidavit includes other fascinating insights into the world of big Clive, including his description of a fellow A-League club owner as a "loose cannon" and details of the departure deal proposed by Palmer operatives that would see Gold Coast United "exit without fuss". Palmer and Gold Coast failed in the Supreme Court action. What does this evidence reveal? A circus starring a man with a big mouth and a big bank balance, but little respect for people who just want to play and watch sport. The man "not interested in football at all" now claims he cares enough to fund a football "think tank" and has hired a player relations manager - to help "lazy players". Here's a thought, Clive: think again before you do more damage to football and your own reputation. It's time the circus left town.

At present A League clubs are in danger of losing their talent not just to big clubs in Europe, but to Asian clubs. Look at Central Coast - it has lost four players this season including key players Matt Simon and Rostyn Griffiths. Glory has been damaged before the finals losing Sterjovski and Hughes. It's time for the FFA to stop controlling the clubs in an AFL style manner when football is an international game with an international salary cap free market. If the FFA continues as it is, we will become the trash competition of Asia - a feeder competition to all the Asian clubs. Our clubs need to be able to transfer players between clubs for a transfer fee. Our clubs need to be able to employ the players they are capable of developing and recruiting - and not be forced to watch on helplessly as they are robbed of their best players and NOT ALLOWED BY FFA to hold these players because of that LOW PATHETIC SALARY CAP. Football needs people with money like Clive Palmer to invest in the game. A League clubs all need super wealthy owners so they can compete on a minimum in Asian and not become a nursey for the J League, the K League and elsewhere.

Freedom of Speech is just a smokescreen. It has nothing to do with anything and he is trying to change the subject. All sponsorships and Logo's must be approved by the FFA before the game, they cannot contain anything political by FIFA laws. FIFA has the right to take action and kick out the offending nation from FIFA if they interfere politics with football. Clive Palmer knows this, the FFA told him that the Freedom of Speech slogan is not allowed, he doesn't care and went ahead with it just to antagonize the FFA. AFTER the match he says it's about human rights in Africa, why didn't he say this before the match to raise awareness and campaign the meaning behind it? He is a filthy hypocritical liar.

Palmer crying out that the fans are being mistreated and deserve more is like Hitler campaigning against racism. It makes zero sense and he has done the exact opposite of what he is trying to preach...Palmer's points are worthless

It's hard to feel sorry for the FFA, they got themselves into the position they are because they didn't pick the correct locations and administrations when it came to expansion. Canberra was fully financed (I don't think that's the case now because all the people who handed over money were refunded) and ready to go but in their infinite 'wisdom' they handed the spot to a consortium who never got past putting out a name in Western Sydney. I agree that Western Sydney need a club, but perhaps the timing wasn't right and both locations ended up getting screwed over. Unfortunately I don't think either place will be ready to take up Gold Coast's license should they fold after this year without Clive and it will result in another set back for the A-League.

west sydney will rise and become the a-league's 2nd best supported club

In the article, you mention "Palmer needs to learn to work with the FFA and the FFA need to learn how to listen to the fans and even to Clive Palmer." IMHO, the first of these is desirable but not vital, and the second is vital -- the FFA need to learn how to listen to the fans. Fans shouldn't need to actually run the show, but there are bound to be some good ideas from the many proferred, and also it helps to keep the support of the fans if they know they "count" in the view of the hierarchy. The third and last bit of what you've said in my highlighted bit is one way to start listening to the fans.

Mick, you might be interested to know that the general feeling (on social media) from erstwhile fans of NQFury is that we don't want to get serious about re-entering the A-League while the current administration remains unchanged. It seems that one forward step which has been taken is that clubs may now run their own merchandising. I hope that's true, as I couldn't believe it when I heard some time back that nothing (or very little) went to clubs from the sale of their own merchandise -- and they certainly had no control over designs or sales. The changes in administration might come with the same people in charge (if they listen to the substance of much of Clive Palmer's rantings, and ignore the style), though it would seem difficult for any leopard to change his spots. I'd be interested to know too just how much of Lowy's own money is being injected (especially when thinking of how much the rich owners of clubs are injecting).

Organisations that are opposed to freedom of speech often have something to hide. If Palmer said that Rugby was better than Soccer ( and he may have been misquoted) its no different than saying the LNP are better than Labour. He certainly should not have had his football business taken off him after he then complained for freedom of speech. Despite the poor crowds, GCU were solvent and have produced the best youth team and the team has done well in the A league each year. Even this year they still may not come last. Palmer should have been congratulated for doing this instead of sacked.Itseems the worst offence is to suggest that there may be an elephant under the carpet. Lift the carpet FFA. The FFA are too secretive and need to understand the supporters are the clients and they need to explain their actions such as wages, licences, fees for players. I just remembered Sydney Rovers a licencefor Western Sydney given without the money ready but Canbera and Tassy no go. There appears to be no equal opportunity and sounds like a culture of mateship rather than good business.