The appointment of Ange Postecoglou to the helm of the Socceroos is a great endorsement of the A-League, but is it the right move to grow the game in Australia?
The fact that the only other candidates for the job, Graham Arnold and Tony Popovic, were also A-League managers is further evidence for the undisputed growth of the country’s premier domestic competition.
But ahead of the appointment, with the Melbourne Victory board and its fans understandably reluctant to see Postecoglou leave the club, a friend of mine made an interesting point.
He suggested, for the sake of Australian football, Victory and its supporters should not stand in the way of the 48-year-old taking the national team job.
“The nation’s interests take precedence,” he said.
Which raises an important question – what should the nation’s interests be?
Should the Socceroos still be the main focus of audiences and administrators alike, or is the A-League now strong enough to be the priority?
It would be stupid to suggest the removal of Postecoglou from the A-League will do damage to the competition, because Victory will find a new manager and continue to be one of the country’s most eye-catching clubs.
But to what extent should Football Federation Australia focus on strengthening the Socceroos? Should it ever come at the expense of the A-League?
The answer to that question lies in the fact that Australia’s interest in football has grown in recent years thanks to the A-League and despite disillusionment with the national team.
Before the final flurry of critical 2014 World Cup qualifiers that were held some months ago, the casual football fan’s interest in the Socceroos was at a worrying level.
A run of bad performances had fuelled much disappointment and discontent.
But thankfully, the fortunes of the Socceroos no longer solely fuel the growth and promotion of the game in Australia.
We now have a domestic competition that is developing in leaps and bounds, with match attendance and television audience figures being proof of obvious growth.
Unlike the Socceroos, who play only about a dozen games each year, the A-League runs week in, week out when in season, which is far more effective in winning over new fans.
Years ago the standing of football in Australia relied heavily every four years upon how well the Socceroos fared in their attempts to make it to the World Cup.
Thankfully we now have a domestic competition that is not just shouldering the burden, but is now strong enough to be the stable foundation on which Australian football can make its stand.
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