Former NRL chief David Gallop has been introduced and he’s started work as the new CEO of Football Federation Australia (FFA), riding-in off the back of the wave of success that A-League has enjoyed this season.
Gallop’s first task at his introductory press conference was to prove that he is a “football man” worthy of leading the code, as the third outsider to do so from the third different code.
At the press conference, chairman Frank Lowy countered the claims that the FFA lacked “football people” by stressing that Gallop was surrounded by a board full of talent nurtured in the round-ball game.
But nevertheless, Gallop is at the forefront of that team, the visual leader and spokesperson. One of the great weaknesses of his predecessor, Ben Buckley, was his lack of conviction when promoting/defending the game. That weakness was viewed as the code’s weakness.
Gallop is a better performer under the spotlight. But while he insists over and over again that he is a fan of the game, his knowledge of its unique culture will be tested in his new role, especially given the focus on grassroots development and the reconnecting of the different tiers of the game. And he needs to prove that to the game’s supporters, who will inevitably view him as another outsider from a rival code.
Little surprise, therefore, that Gallop acknowledged this in his press conference with the following:
“In 2005, I was at Homebush Bay when John Aloisi kicked us into the FIFA World Cup finals. I jumped out of my seat, but remember also being one of the first in the ground to quickly sit down.
“With my rugby league hat on I sat down and thought, ‘Uh-oh, this could be bad – the sleeping giant just got a giant prod’.
“When Archie Thomson scored the second goal against Iraq a few weeks ago, I jumped up in my lounge room and this time I didn’t need to sit back down.”
At least he was honest in his previous concerns as the chief of a rival code.
With a television deal on the brink, which is set to include a free-to-air component for the A-League for the first-time, record crowds and television ratings, Gallop is walking into the code in a strong period.
As he stressed in the press conference, matters such as expansion seem to be on the backburner. The main message to come across from Gallop was that the game needed to tread with caution and work at building on the strong growth seen in the A-League.
“My early sense is that in terms of its strategic direction, the game is in an execution rather than creation of new strategies phase,” said Gallop.
“Government reviews and strategic plans have been put in place. While there is always an opportunity to review things much of that work has been done.”
However, suggesting that other codes should be “concerned” by the growth of the game and emergence as arguably the strongest summer league showed a glimpse of the aggressive administrator he can be.
So what to look for in Gallop’s first term? If expansion of the A-League is being discussed as a long-term option only, he must build on the media and crowd growth by looking beyond the league to matters such as youth participation and development, the W-League, National Youth League, the 2015 Asian Cup, development of Australian Premier League and how the state leagues will converge as part of the National Competitions Review, and finally act on the FFA Cup.
Football fans should feel more at ease with Gallop than, say, Buckley. There is a less of a gamble here as he is a more proven product in the role of CEO, at a time when the code is in a far stronger position having survived the disastrous expansion period of recent seasons.
Jaredsbro
Roar Guru
And I respect that. It may well be that Soccer is a fossil and will die as a term. I hope not, because it will mean the end of any (pretense only these days) of the British English language as one dialect. I just hope this isn't a decision by Soccer fans to appease FIFA or something.
jbinnie
Guest
Mid. Thanks for the info. Their figures agree with mine except for 4 or 5 here and there but in order that they keep things OK they should be told Sydney have plaed 3 home games ,not 2 as their code shows. Thanks again. jb
TC
Guest
Thank goodness the soccer chiefs chose FFA over SFA!! TC
Damiano
Guest
Agreed! Keep posting Fuss, you have plenty to offer.
Kasey
Guest
I'd be very happy to see a NQ team back in the HAL, as long as they are at least a CCM-sized club in terms of support and finances.
Kasey
Guest
this will be my final word on the Soccer v football shemozzle, I will link to Simon Hill, because he gets to the point with so much more clarity than I could hope for Of course, a name is only a name. Many will continue to call it "Soccer" wherever they live - and proponents of "Football" should accept that. No-one has the right to dictate which terms should be used on an individual basis.(100% agree) "Soccer" will doubtless remain as a nickname for the game - and the "Socceroos" is a much-loved term of reference for the national team. But the official name of the sport is football. The international body is FIFA, not FISA. The region in which Australia plays is the Asian Football Confederation - and the governing body here is FFA, not SFA. There may be some way to go before the adoption of the term becomes universal in Australia, but seven years after the governing body took that bold step, it appears the mainstream media is gradually coming round to the process of change, too http://www.news.com.au/top-stories/mainstream-aussie-press-finally-adopting-the-term-football-as-soccer-seen-as-thing-of-the-past/story-e6frfkp9-1226486030704 long live Football!! Kasey - out. (of this conversation)
Jaredsbro
Roar Guru
It's funny Fussball, in the bad old days (a few years ago) you were being chased out of the roar for your anti-Australian statements. Now people are more willing to talk with you. Yet it comes down to what you want to call it. Mostly I use Soccer because I don't like the notion that you should call it what the 99% call it, if your heritage says different. But also football for me is the genus, it is not the name or a shorthand for any of the specific kinds of the genus. Anything else causes friction. It's only those who remember the truly bad old days, where Soccer had negative connotations. No longer in my opinion.
jack
Guest
I reckon the 10 teams they have at the moment are the first 10 they should of had! they finallly have the right balance. I think perhaps two seasons after this one before expansion then perhaps Canberra and Auckland as you know they have decent markets.
Punter
Guest
Wookie, we football fans, call it ARF or AFL (which I know is the league not the game, however that is how it's marketed in Sydney) to differentiate what we think as Australian football, just as you call it soccer to differentiate what you know as football. I do not think we football fans get upset with people calling the game soccer, Del Piero has called it soccer in respect that maybe Australia sees football as something else. It's more who uses the word soccer than actually the word. But if you deem Australian Rules football as football that's fine just as I deem soccer as football & that should be fine too.
Kasey
Guest
A Point I should have realised ages ago. engaging in a battle of wits with opponents like deebhoy and TC is clearly unfair as only I am fully armed. They make straw-man arguments about inconsequential things like football or Soccer then talk in circles adding nothing to the conversation about football. They can and should go back to sticking their head in the sand repeating the Mantra:LaLaLaLa or what ever it is that allows them to sleep at night knowing the big bad bogey man of world football is doing well in this country and goes from strength to strength. I'm sure being good little code warriors, upon passing away there will be a place reserved for them in AFL heaven at the right hand of the Haloed golden Sherrin.
The_Wookie
Roar Guru
wait and we have to put up with this "ARF" term the association gys came up with on this site. We were called Australian Football - and hence the AFL (it was never the ARFL or VRFL), and a host of state based football leagues (VFL/VFA/SANFL/WAFL - no Rs in there either) before that - when you were all soccer orientated - hell we were calling ourselves football associations (VFA, SAFA) Respect goes both ways. OH and Ive seen you on more than one Australian football - sorry AFL - thread in recent times.
Marc
Guest
+1, well said punter!
Kickass Koala
Guest
I did have a marketing idea for the Asian cup. Its a long slow process tho, I feel we need to introduce the best of each team to Australia while we can, in other-words, start ad campaigns individually showing the premier player for each asian cup team, ie) If you think Wilkshire can play, take a look at "_____" Might sound silly, but doing that for every team will get people thinking of them, and im yet to see any other ideas.
Nathan of Perth
Roar Rookie
At least they can sing, Rf, GCU never really got the hang of it.
Midfielder
Guest
JB From the MV fans forum ..... great site for crowd information... http://www.melbournevictory.net/forum/showthread.php?60502-2012-13-A-League-attendances
Midfielder
Guest
deebhoy Your funny ... I challenge to find one post I have ever made where I said other codes could not use the term football... As for RL ... I played at a reasonable level ... Guildford Owls in the Parrmatta comp .. still think it was the best fan song when the crowd would do the owl sound... Feel free to call it soccer I could not care less what you wanta call it.... but that you still try and fight for something most folk moved on from years ago makes you look a tad silly ... as I said move on the world will still exist and no one is going to put you in jail... BTW do you find it worth commenting when players and officials from RU, RL, AFL , Cricket etc talk about the EPL or the WC .... it's a totally non issue...
jbinnie
Guest
Having just had a conversation in these columns with a mutual acquaintance I supplied him with some figures that should become one of Gallop's tasks in his seeking consolidation of 10 teams & I refer of course to the huge differential in average crowd figures even at this early stage of the season.The range is huge with Victory averaging 27,296 to their 3 games while Heart are at the other end of the scale with 7,577. at their matches. Of course Heart have not had a "derby" which will greatly lift their average for a week or two. . For those who are already heralding Wests entry into the league, they have played 4 matches at home,averaging a healthy looking 11,667,but that figure does contain a "derby" which if it is removed from the calculation lowers their 3 home game average to 9181 so there is much to be done to lift that figure above the 10,000 figure that was mooted by FFA some years ago. So lets hope Gallop can stabalise these figures by marketing ploys applied where they are needed, for as long as that differential remains we will have problems to overcome.jb
asanchez
Roar Guru
I'm a bit both ways. I'm a true believer and have followed the game both here and abroad from a very young age. On one hand I understand exactly why Football people get upset that it gets called soccer. To some that's degradation of the highest order, and almost as if the game doesn't get the respect it deserves if it isn't called by its proper worldwide name. I totally get that! On the other hand I can also see why non Football people who may have recently taken an interest in the game get irked by a perceived 'pettiness' shall we call it, because of a simple name. The way I see it, it doesn't faze me either way. I'll keep calling it Football, as I always have, but I don't care if the next bloke calls it soccer. As long as you enjoy the game, and the game keeps growing in this country, thats the most important thing.
deebhoy
Guest
kasey i was just asking you the question,it seemed to me that you were saying weve moved on and that football now on means one thing in oz.i can work out for myself what sport peole are talking about based on my surrounds and company but you felt it necessary to rip into tc just becuase he had the audacity to use the word soccer on this thread.i just dont see the point
whiskeymac
Guest
Good luck Mr Gallop - right man IMO and in a good position to press on and upwards.