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At least once or twice a week we discuss or debate the prospect of expanding the A-League, but a far more pressing issue at hand is expanding Australia’s football culture and knowledge.
Regardless of how many teams we want in our domestic league, the only way it will ever expand is by first expanding football’s foundation.
Much like the USA, Australia has numerous national sports, which makes competition fierce. Code wars aside, all of the sports can easily and relatively peacefully co-exist.
The problem that has long plagued football, however, is that it has had to compete with the AFL and NRL heavyweights.
For some Victorians, the only form of football is AFL. Likewise in the north, NRL might be the only code for some.
But football has come a long way in the past decade and can go much, much further. The FFA is all too aware of this, and is doing everything they can to see it through.
Football is fully established in virtually every corner of the globe, from the biggest economic empires to the tiniest pacific nations. This gives the game in Australia limitless potential to build upwards and outwards.
We’ve all added our opinions when it comes to the argument about expanding the A-League, but the general agreement reached is this – consolidate the league first.
In order to do this, the FFA need to go to the sport’s foundation. Build a strong enough foundation, and you can add as many levels to the football pyramid as you need.
Instead of focusing on adding more teams to the A-League, we should be looking to the NPL, FFA Cup, Y-League and W-League.
The NPL is one of the greatest achievements of the FFA, and this is the best example of using the word ‘consolidate’. The Victorian league has been green-lit, meaning that 2014 will see an even eight statewide semi-pro leagues go ahead.
It’s easy for the casual fan to overlook the NPL, but it will play a vital and strategic role in football’s growth. Realistically, we all know that Australia is too large and too underpopulated to support a fully professional second tier.
The NPL is the next best thing. Each club needs to meet strict criteria, including facilities and coaching accreditation.
Clubs receive incentives for their players who move up to the Y-League, A-League or Socceroos, meaning that we will see clubs produce some highly talented athletes.
The reach of the NPL is far greater than that of the A-League, as it encompasses many regional teams. And while many locals can easily choose to ignore it, the FFA have taken a wise step forward in establishing this competition.
This is the beginning stage of football. The final piece of the puzzle for the NPL would be a broadcast deal.
The FFA Cup also offers a huge reach. It gives each A-League and NPL club – and even clubs lower in the pyramid – the chance to fight it out to become the nation’s best.
The introduction of the FFA Cup and NPL means more ‘known’ teams in Australia. More known teams mean more fans of the sport.
And more fans means more aspiring talent.
It’s easy for us to discuss where the next A-League team should be, but the biggest and best opportunity we have to expand the league is to expand football in Australia as a whole.
The bigger football’s foundation, the bigger the top tier will eventually be.
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