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Three months ago many of us would have scoffed at the idea of Alessandro Del Piero playing in the A-League. But the move happened and the prospect of adding David Beckham has the competition buzzing again.
Beckham’s decision to leave Los Angeles Galaxy has added another layer of intrigue to reports he could move to Australia.
Last week he reacted with apparent bemusement to questions he could be headed Down Under, but that was before he announced he was set to leave Los Angeles after five years at the club.
So what would an A-League club get bringing ‘Goldenballs’ into their midst?
For one thing, a lot of publicity.
A case in point has been the frenzied media clamour surrounding a proposed move to the A-League.
It’s not often the A-League makes mainstream headline news in Australia but the simple fact is Beckham is the type of player who commands widespread media attention.
Which is odd from a purist point of view because he’s not exactly the most talented footballer in the world.
Aside from an ability to whip in some decent crosses from the right and curl home the odd free-kick, Beckham’s profile is largely based on the fact he’s a photogenic player with a high-profile wife.
That’s not necessarily a major problem for the A-League – watching a vastly superior Del Piero run rings around his own team-mates has been cringe-worthy at times – but it does raise the question of whether the A-League is gambling with short-term gimmickry over long-term growth.
There’s an argument that any money spent on signing Beckham would be better directed towards developing youth football.
But then the companies and corporations willing to put their money into bringing a player like Beckham to Australia aren’t doing it merely for the good of the game.
And if Football Federation Australia does end up playing a role in helping bring marquee players to our shores, is that necessarily a good thing for the rest of the league?
If FFA helps Melbourne Heart sign Beckham, for example, how is that fair on city rivals Melbourne Victory?
It seems that Heart would be the most likely fit for Beckham, for no other reason than they desperately need something to help boost their crowds.
They’ve already initiated a scheme to give away hundreds of free tickets to this weekend’s clash with the Newcastle Jets and sadly for Melbourne’s second side, they’re having trouble attracting fans through the gates of AAMI Park.
Beckham would help change that in an instant but as we’ve seen with the Del Piero effect of bringing in thousands of extra fans both home and away, the trick is to try and get these supporters to stick around.
Perth Glory and the Central Coast Mariners are the other names being bandied about as potential Beckham suitors, but it’s questionable whether one club with a stadium in the midst of a rebuild and another with one of the smallest grounds in the league would benefit more than the Heart.
But the overall question is what Beckham would actually bring to the league.
On the pitch he started 23 games for the Galaxy during the 2012 campaign, scoring seven goals and contributing nine assists in the process – suggesting that the former England star isn’t necessarily a spent force.
But it’s obviously off the pitch where he would make the biggest difference.
The international media exposure he brings with him is like nothing the A-League has ever witnessed before – the Del Piero coup included – and his ability to attract fans through the gates and potentially better players to the league is worth serious consideration.
But so is the question of whether signing Beckham could damage the integrity of the league.
Is it a short-term move at the cost of a clear long-term strategy?
That’s the debate we should be having.