The A-League is enduring its most difficult period since its establishment seven seasons ago. While many issues indeed require attention, the success the competition has had in building and cultivating a loyal fan-base is a huge positive.
However, these fans must now be harnessed to take on a more active role in governing the game. The formation of a body such as Supporters Direct, which exists in Europe, provides a means of doing so.
Since the A-League’s inception, the survival of clubs has, in most cases, been determined by wealthy owners. The reasons for this were obvious: the game needed capital and wealthy owners were seen to be the best way of ensuring both the establishment and financial stability of clubs.
Fast forward seven years and it has not always proved to be the case. The problem of placing clubs into the hands of a single owner has unfortunately been shown on more than one occasion. While this no doubt is a huge issue facing the sport, there is something that can come out this mess to ensure a bright, stable and fan-engaged future – community ownership.
This idea is far from new, and is the goal for the future of the expansion club Western Sydney. But there is more that must be done to encourage this in all of the competition’s clubs.
The creation of a member-owned organisation such as Supporters Direct provides a means of doing so. Having been established in 1999, Supporters Direct’s goal is to “promote sustainable spectator sports clubs based on supporters’ involvement & community ownership.”
The key element of its operation is helping supporters groups secure influence and ownership of clubs, something it has been very successful in doing.
The body has helped supporters’ groups across Europe to bring in more than $45 million in new finance into football and rugby league. This money has been used to buy a stake or in some cases to purchase clubs.
Among the high-profile cases of supporter ownership is Swansea City, where fans own a 20 percent stake in the Premier League Club.
Financial mismanagement had seen the club bordering on relegation from League Two just 10 years ago, before fan investment played a major role in stabilising it and creating an environment which has seen it rise to the Premier League.
Could this happen in Australia? The answer is a resounding yes, if the conditions are right. This is where the formation of a body such as Supporters Direct is essential to doing so.
Football fans in Australia indeed have the knowledge and passion to be vital parts of A-League clubs, but the ownership conditions do not allow for this to happen, nor does the conduct of the FFA encourage it.
This is where an organised body can play a role in creating an environment where fan ownership is sought after by clubs.
Uniting fans would greatly increase their power to lobby the FFA and club owners, and make it more difficult for their wishes to be ignored. There is also the key element of getting more money into the sport without leaving the club’s fate in the hands of one person. It would come instead from many sources, reducing the financial burden and helping to create a more sustainable business.
The A-League is far from finished and still has huge potential. For this potential to be realised, the sport must unleash its biggest asset – its fans. They hold the key to the future of the A-League and they must be welcomed into playing an even bigger role in its welfare.
If you are keen to find out more about Supporters Direct, head to their website here.
Follow Beau on Twitter: @beaubusch
PeterK
Guest
Good question J86. Where would Newcastle be right now if Nathan Tinkler had NOT got involved? Hypothetical of course, and Newcastle might well have been thriving, but surely, whatever, he's done and not done, we need to be a little bit thankful for what he gave of his millions.
Bludger
Guest
Bottom line is, the fans just are not turning up in enough numbers. That is the problem.
Jaydiggy86
Guest
@Trueman, that's not what i've been lead to believe. I'm hearing next tv deal will only be around the $25 mill mark, only an increase of 7 or 8 mill a year. If the league is losing nearly $30 a year, that's still an awful lot for the billionaires to make up. Especially as the FFA have just rolled over the centralized sponsorship deals, making it much more difficult for clubs to generate money from sponsorship themselves. So, my question remains, who will cover these losses if not the billionaires?
Kevin
Guest
Surely a league that continues to loose money for its participants can't be paying their administrators top dollar ? It must start here, I don't believe ny administrators in th nfl earn more that the top 40% of players.. What does Buckley earn against anyone other than kewell? It's sad...
PeterK
Guest
Good food for thought here. Surely, the ideal to aim for is that a specified percentage of a club's income should be "put aside" for the following year? Not easy when the budgets are barely balanced, but seems to me to be useful? (Maybe 10%?)
Trueman
Guest
Jaydiggy86" and no real end to the financial woes of the league in sight" The next tv deal will reduce the financial burdens of the clubs. Won't solve it completely, but reduce it to much more manageable levels. The majority of the owners accept this. -- Comment left via The Roar's iPhone app. Download The Roar's iPhone App in the App Store here.
Jaydiggy86
Guest
it all sounds good in theory, but i wonder how this much touted community ownership model will work in practice. with the clubs hemorrhaging money as they are, and no real end to the financial woes of the league in sight, who will cover the debts if not the billionaires? Not having a go, just wondering if anyone actually understands the financial implications of this model?
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
I'd be surprised if HAL clubs have significant debt. I don't think I've heard of bankers showing concern about HAL clubs not meeting minimum debt-servicing requirements. Rather, the issue seems to be certain HAL owners are concerned about the level of equity funding they are required to make each year. Note: As far as I know, the owners of AUFC, MVFC, SFC, MHT (none of these clubs rely on single equity ownership) have minimal concerns or complaints.
bart
Guest
Number 1 seems good.
j binnie
Guest
Fuss - Indirectly you have hit upon the very thing that gets right up my nose. The HAL has prospered ON THE FIELD, no doubt about that at all and this year alone has shown a huge upsurge in fan interest (dare I say it especially in Newcastle),and the more knowledgeable among us know that with better "on field" performances from Victory, Ad.Utd, and Perth, that upsurge in fan interest will be maintained if not greatly increased in a numerical fashion. That is not the real problem facing the HAL. Since it's inception there has been an inordinately high number of what could only be described as managerial "boo-boo's" and it is this factor that generates the unrest among thinkers in the game. The management set an 8 league limit on the league citing a settling in period for clubs to establish themselves. A 5 year moratorium was allowed,ostensibly to Sydney FC and Victory. Fair comment. After 4 years it was decided to expand the league and Gold Coast and Townsville were considered as being OK - by FFA management,- despite the huge risks in travel costs and population demographics.One has to consider the "moratorium" was not to be broken for Sydney and Victory's sake. Again,fair comment Those 2 added identities have now gone to the wall. The World Cup bid,that much commented upon event. No one ever appears to ask the question ,why was the FFA involved in that at the expense of good governance of the HAL,for surely it must be recognised that total involvement in one of these events must have been detrimental to the other at a time (it was an embryo league) when the home competition needed almost constant supervision and adjustment if required, a necessity in any new business.. Our junior improvement program, using knowledge at least 50 years old, was actually introduced in a simpler form back in 1974 but was allowed to wither and die with subsequent management teams at the top level yet despite today's program costing millions and millions of dollars more there is very little to show when it comes to results being attained by our youth teams in their World Cup competitions.Just a few weeks ago our D of C admitted he was worried by the progress being made and even called in help from an American "skills" coach who started up his business in 1984 some 10 years after the botched attempt in Australia,but using the same basic knowledge.That is an area that needs almost instant investigation for it is a constant drain on funds with little or no rewards showing Therefore it is another FFA initiative that needs evaluation,not so much for the idea but for the cost against results. Fuss I could go on but I think you will get my drift. The HAL, and what it has done for the game at playing level in this country, is almost immeasurable but it has been achieved DESPITE the almost constant flow of management errors that have been made and it is a fear I have that if these errors continue to escalate the damage will spill over on to the playing fields and that is one thing the fans should not allow to happen. With players becoming unsure of their futures at 2 clubs maybe that tide is already encroaching into this area of the "success story" of the HAL and I'm not so sure that is what we want to see happen. Your concerned buddy jb.
Jindy
Guest
Another brilliant piece Beau
Michael Wilson
Guest
1. Calculate the debt, issue shares to cover it to supporters. A lot of us would be happy to invest $200 which we would not expect seriously to get bac. Those who could not afford it just come to games. Those with more money could buy more shares. 2. Another option -subsidise a family. Get those who would do it pay double for their ticket to subsidise a family who dont have much money to come for free-- boosts crowd and atmosphere at games. However need to do this via clubs not FFA. 3. FFA staff salary cuts from $1m to $500K per year, eating less lobster will do them good. 4. Lowry to donate $10M and challenge Palmer and Tinkler to do same.
Titus
Guest
Good call Beau! I think the growing pains that the game is going through are part of the process of getting things right and broadbased ownership that involves the community is the ultimate goal. The passion that the supporters have for the game is its true strength.
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
Great idea Beau Busch - loyal fans are the only constant in any football club. For sure, the HAL should extract & learn "best practice" methods & initiatives adopted o/s but, let's not forget that in many cases, it took these o/s leagues nearly 100 years to create these "best practices". So let's be a bit patient with the HAL. Let's not be too critical if the HAL - after 7 years - hasn't yet adopted, or managed to attain, the best practices of the world's most prestigious Football Leagues.