“Beckham to #aleague is tantamount to a sugar high and we all know what follows after a sugar high. #sustainableGrowth”
Francis Awaritef’s tweet summarises my suspicions about the A-League’s recent hype.
The knee-jerk reaction of the Australian sporting community has felt like a small earthquake.
Facebook feeds have been flooded with Beckham news, the A-League has taken out top spot on top news sites such as the ABC and the AAP and A-League is trending on Twitter… not bad for a Friday afternoon!
But as with all bandwagons the ride must eventually come to an end, and it appears highly probable that we will all wake up on Monday morning wondering if all of this was just a crazy dream.
I know it may be hard to settle with only Del Piero in our league, and it is easy to get sucked into the hype, but as supporters of Australia’s third biggest sport we should be accustomed to disappointment by now and need to be realistic.
Here are the facts:
Beckham’s contract expires at the end of the MLS season.
Beckham doesn’t think Australia is the worst place in the world.
Beckham is likely to want to give back to the game that gave so much to him.
Beckham would be a marvellous capture for an already buzzing league, his influence (believe it or not) will dwarf Del Piero’s.
To put it simply, David Beckham is the one of the most marketable footballer in the world and unfortunately, chances are he won’t be playing in the A-League.
Season eight has been a huge year for growth with TV ratings and match day crowds noticeably higher than previous seasons. But did you know season three had higher attendance figures than this year, without any marquees?
The A-League has shown promise before only to be let down by poor decision making.
So, I cannot stress this enough:
Don’t get sucked into the hype.
Don’t get comfortable.
We as football fans need to stay grounded and be realistic about where this can go, and should the A-League be blessed with the once in a generation marketing gift of David Beckham we must savour it.
Football’s future will be decided by not who is interested when the circus comes to town, but by who stays to clean up.
Are you the ultimate team manager? Pick your own superstar team and go head to head with other football fans for glory and cash prizes on Draftstars. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.
Liverpool have fallen further out of contention for the Premier League title - but that's perhaps the least of Jurgen Klopp's problems. Just as…
Liverpool have reached a verbal agreement with Feyenoord for their head coach Arne Slot to succeed Jurgen Klopp at the end of the season.…
The past 18-24 months have been an enjoyable ride for Arsenal and their fan-base after almost a decade of turbulence. Mikel Arteta has been…
Manchester City have chalked up another big win in their hunt for an unprecedented fourth straight Premier League title, with Phil Foden continuing his…
Here is the way the Roar expert panel sees all the action unfolding across the final weekend of play prior to the semi-finals.
Despite the short nature of his tenure as a professional manager, Arne Slot has established himself as arguably the most impressive manager outside of…
