Australian football has never had an easy route to success. Often, the code has had to overcome numerous adversities on and off the pitch, with varying degrees of triumph.
However, there is a new cause for optimism, following Football Federation Australia’s record-breaking media deal.
Bookmark Monday, November 19. It’s an important date in the game’s history; the day FFA inscribed its name within the big players of Australian sport.
The governing body put pen to paper on a landmark media deal, which will see the code receive an unprecedented $160 million – of which $148 million is in cash, while $12 million is in marketing support – over a four-year period beginning on July 1, 2013.
In a nutshell the deal will see football return to free-to-air network SBS – following a decade’s absence on the domestic scene – together with Foxtel. Pay-TV station Fox Sports will show every A-League and Socceroos game live, in addition to the 32-game Asian Cup tournament, hosted by Australia in 2015.
SBS will televise one-live match each round – on Friday nights – a weekly highlights show, all A-League finals games on an hour delay and Australia’s World Cup Qualifiers also on a one-hour delay.
While the last TV deal – an exclusive seven-year $120 million agreement with Fox Sports – garnered a figure of approximately $17 million a year, the new contract has not only doubled in fiscal value, however the reach is much greater, amid the welcome addition of prime-time Friday games on SBS.
Newly instilled CEO David Gallop said the inflow of money will assist in achieving the FFA’s three primary objectives, those being developing national excellence, offering financial stability for A-League clubs and cultivating a potent relationship with the game’s grassroots.
Gallop also revealed that the FFA remains determined to cover the $2.775 million salary cap for all clubs, with the intention of assisting with the financial burden many A-League franchises are currently facing.
“This announcement comes at a time when the Hyundai A-League is showing its true potential as a shop window for Australian football,” said Gallop.
“After seven rounds, average attendance of 14, 285 is up 32 percent on last year’s average, our TV numbers just under 100,000 represent a 35 per cent increase.
FFA chairman Frank Lowy was evidently satisfied with what his team had achieved, opening his speech at the media conference with “it’s a bloody good day”.
It’s not hard to fathom why the billionaire entrepreneur had a sly grin on his face, following some turbulent times over the past 24 months – where two expansion outfits in North Queensland Fury and Gold Coast United fold, as well as the infamous World Cup bid.
Mr Lowy believes the code is heading in the right direction, and said football should reach its full potential in the next three or four years.
“There’s never been any doubt that the game has a bright future in this nation, but today the football family can take comfort from the huge vote of confidence from our broadcast partners,” said Lowy.
Fox Sports CEO Patrick Delaney echoed Lowy’s sentiments, paying tribute to the game’s loyal fans and ever-improving domestic competition.
“It’s great to see the A-League really starting to burst out. We think it’s one of the most interesting and exciting and emerging sports in Australia.
“In the last two years the ratings have grown by nearly 100 percent and that’s a very very good sign. I think the A-League and the clubs have got and exciting formula, with fantastic young players coming through, some of our legendary players returning and the Del Piero-factor.
“It’s a very good formula for the future. Our big games in the big cities are blockbusters and we’ve enjoyed so much over the seven rounds of football so far.”
Whilst the media deal has an array of positive talking points, there’s an area which FFA tactlessly failed to neglect, the National Youth League. The NRL’s Toyota Cup – the competition’s youth division – is televised each week throughout the season.
Drawing on the success of the rugby code, it would have been great to see a similar set-up for football, where a National Youth League game was televised each round. A curtain-raiser to the main event could be been an ideal scenario – possibly in a Saturday afternoon timeslot.
Not only are youth vital constituents to the code’s development, however it gives fans a chance to witness some of the best young crop of players making their way through the system on a weekly basis. As football continues to mature, so should our thirst and knowledge for our local product. Hopefully the NYL gets some added exposure throughout this new four-year tenure.
Furthermore, there is much to look forward to, as football’s potential is slowly being realised.
Already this season we’ve seen a notable increase in TV audiences, crowd attendances, club membership, corporate support and a raft of worldwide exposure – coinciding with the marquee coups of Italian sensation Alessandro Del Piero and former England international Emile Heskey.
Overall, this week’s news has been well received from the football community. Confidence is certainly brewing amongst the general public; the sleeping giant is not so tired anymore.
Courtesy of Goal Weekly
Follow Robbie on Twitter @RobertDiFabio
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