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For the A-League administration, the current stats make for good reading.
Today the A-League has a $40M per year TV deal, a game on free-to-air television, 96,000 paid up members across all 10 clubs, average crowds of 13,000 per game and a total attendance for this season of 1.8 million spectators.
Things are looking up for the code, and kudos must go to everybody. The administrators and players can pat themselves on the back, but most of all the public should be thanked for parting with their hard-earned coin and turning out to the games. It shows the league is constantly growing.
It must stay that way.
To do so, we need to iron out a few things first. A few recent hot topics:
Alessandro Del Piero to coach Sydney FC
This is unconfirmed at this stage, but there are plenty of rumours flying around that ADP is one of the favourites for the top job. To me this would be a slap in the face, not only for the other coaches in the race, but also for our league.
Sydney FC is supposed to be one of the biggest clubs in our league. For them to offer the head coach job to ADP, who neither has any coaching experience or any qualifications, would be ridiculous.
If he was to play some kind of assistant role, I’d actually endorse it! But for the top job, as big a legend as he is in world football, I say no. Coaching is a different caper and he should start at the bottom of the ladder like everybody else.
Also, very few great players have made great coaches – there there is no guarantee his on-field skill would translate to the coaching box.
FFA to help out Australian clubs
This is a hot topic at the moment, particularly as we’re now into the semifinals of the A-League.
Obviously we can’t get the AFC to change the scheduling of their main club competition, but the FFA can do better to help our clubs. A helpful fixture to aid those clubs wouldn’t be a bad start.
Qualifying for the ACL should bring more benefits to clubs, not extra burdens. It’s already an uneven playing field for Australian clubs with salary caps and the A-League squad restrictions. They don’t need the FFA to make it even harder for them.
If they were to help clubs, not only would the clubs be in a better position to perform better in the ACL, but also it won’t ruin and devalue the finals by having players hampered by jet lag, tiredness, and poor preparation.
Case in point, the Mariners. FFA must sort these problems out now.
Work together with governments to fund stadium upgrades
The issue of stadia and adequate facilities is constant for football fans and the clubs. It needs to start moving along now.
Clubs like Western Sydney, Newcastle, Adelaide United all have major issues that need urgent action. Most of the solutions involve funding, which some clubs have already been fighting for.
For me it’s the responsibility of the FFA to get involved and help each club in their individual situations.
The Wanderers still haven’t got 100 per cent commitment for a significant upgrade to Parramatta as clearly they need. Newcastle can’t seem to ever get a decent pitch to play on.
Finally, Adelaide United continue to be at loggerheads with the South Australian government over massive rental hikes at Hindmarsh, while the ground is still in massive need of upgrades.
People don’t want to watch games that are significantly tarnished or not helped by crap pitches. This devalues the spectacle and the whole A-League brand.
The Wanderers now play in a stadium that actually devalues their worth as it keeps out potential new members and casuals because of its small capacity. This cost to the Wanderers could be millions of $$ and lost fans before it gets sorted out.
The FFA needs to help out, not only to get the best outcomes for those clubs, but for the game itself. As the league gets bigger and better, the stakes get higher, and they need to be on the ball with all the strategic stuff.
Making these changes will improve the on-field product well into the future.
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