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The A-League has had its fair share of Asian players through the doors. Ryo Nagai, Sergio van Dijk (kind of), Hiroyuki Ishida, Song Jin-Hyung. Oh, and Shinji Ono.
Granted, there has been a mixed success rate and far fewer than there should be – more of an indictment on the scouting mentality of Australian clubs than the talent pool emanating from Asia – but it’s a sign of the times.
With Australia now cemented in the Asian football landscape and the AFC Champions League draw tossing up some mouthwatering ties for local clubs, its obvious that the link between clubs here and in Asia should improve.
Former Central Coast boss Graham Arnold appears to have poached his former player Michael McGlinchey for new club Vegalta Sendai, with personal terms the only hurdle to overcome.
Fortunately, the one-time Socceroos coach has promised not to raid the Mariners further, but having an Australian at the helm of a Japanese club could present a number of opportunities for players to make a step into Europe.
Arnold is not the first Australian to coach on the continent, but he is by far the most prolific.
Although he was the one who said earlier this year that “there are too many foreigners in the A-League”, there appears to be a growing path for both players and coaches.
The players
Eddy Bosnar, Joel, Ryan and Adam Griffiths, Erik Paartalu, Josh Kennedy, Lucas Neill and Alex Wilkinson are among the dozens of Aussies plying their trade in Asia.
There are a bucketload more Australians over there than there are Asian players over here, and that is where the improvement must be made.
There seems to be little problem for players wanting to move from the A-League to the J-League, K-League, Chinese Super League and the like.
But for one reason or another, A-League scouts are more focused on eastern Europe than our neighbouring leagues.
Japan star Naohiro Takahara emerged as the latest player keen on a move to the A-League last week, spurred by his former teammate Ono.
Right across the content there are talented youngsters and veterans still near the top of their game – something Australian clubs must take advantage of.
In 2009, the Professional Footballers Association (PFA) backed the proposal for an Asian marquee player rule, which would have made one Asian player available outside the salary cap.
Of course, the international and Australian marquee rules now allow clubs to sign top quality players, but it is worth revisiting the addition of an Asian exemption.
The fans
Western Sydney Wanderers’ pre-season tour of Asia in September was a crafty one. Ahead of their Asian Champions League debut, matches in Japan and China gave them not only a taste of the competition they will face, but a chance to reach out to a new crop of fans.
While Asian football is scarcely followed by Australians, Asian Champions League aside, there is significant potential to boost the A-League’s international appeal.
With 4.3 billion people across the continent, it makes sense.
Japan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and China have all been exposed to the A-League as part of the global broadcasting deal and Melbourne Victory’s qualification to the ACL group stages would only serve that further.
The organisation
Asian clubs have plenty of experience dealing with big money, big players and a significant fan-base.
With the A-League battling to become one of Asia’s powerhouses on the domestic front, there is plenty to learn from the structure of Guangzhou Evergrande, FC Seoul and co.
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