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The talk of A-League expansion has once again gained momentum with many eager to express their support for an enlarged competition.
Recent good crowds at FFA Cup games in Tasmania, Wollongong and Canberra, as well as the presence of Northern Fury (a successor to North Queensland Fury) in the Queensland NPL, has given weight to the idea of new sides entering the competition.
However, a closer look at the A-League might point to current issues with two existing A-League clubs that need resolving.
The local F3 derby between the Central Coast Mariners and Newcastle Jets used to be a primetime fixture in the A-League, with quality entertaining football and sell-out crowds being a feature of such clashes. Their Round 1 clash last week proved to be anything but that, with both teams seemingly in transition and tipped to struggle this season.
On the basis of the 90 minutes of football at Bluetongue Stadium it is easy to see why, with the match saved from a miserable goalless draw by a last minute scrappy Mitchell Duke goal.
However, as much as the football side of things was not overly impressive, much concern must be directed upstairs. Ownership issues and a lacklustre supporter base must surely give David Gallop, Damien de Bohun and company at their Sydney headquarters some cause for concern.
The Jets’ recent ownership dramas have been well documented due to the knock-on effects it has had on the region’s rugby league side, the Newcastle Knights. Owner Nathan Tinkler is desperate in his attempts to find a suitor for the Jets with recent talk of a takeover by Mike Ashley and Newcastle United stalling.
Despite the assurances from the Hunter Sports Group that the ownership troubles will not affect the playing squad and staff at the Jets, one must wonder how long it takes before cracks and screws start falling off. Furthermore, the club’s active supporter group, the Squadron, has also felt the pinch, with recent restrictions proving too much for some members who have chosen to boycott games until the limitations are removed.
Down the F3 in Gosford and the situation is perhaps a bit more troublesome with low crowds, financial troubles and talks of relocation constantly plaguing the Mariners. While the club and staff have achieved remarkable success since the inauguration of the A-League, crowd numbers have stagnated in recent seasons and are tipped to decline once again.
After reaching an average of 15,237 fans in the 2007-08 season, the Gosford-based outfit has struggled to get anywhere close to those numbers in recent seasons, with the club managing an average of 10,018 in their championship season of 2012-13.
In their opening round fixture against the Jets, a crowd of 10,443 turned up to a half-empty Bluetongue to watch a clash that used to attract sell-out crowds only a few seasons ago. Membership figures are somewhere around the 5,000 mark, a decrease on last season where the club just fell short of 6,000 members. A season of struggle by the Mariners will do little to enlighten enthusiasm for the side on the Central Coast.
Qualification for the Asian Champions League might be a goal for most clubs in the competition, however for the Mariners it signals severe financial losses due to low crowds and the extra expenses needed to compete in Asia. It still would not come as a surprise if the Mariners end up withdrawing from next year’s edition of the competition, with owner Mike Charlesworth on more than one occasion expressing his disdain for the tournament.
Talks of relocation to Northern Sydney have intensified despite Charlesworth’s assurances that such a proposal is not on the table. The outright owner has also had to deny rumours that he is in talks of selling the club due to his unhappiness of losing money.
Although this A-League season has only just begun, the issue of expansion will become much clearer at the conclusion of the campaign when the situation regarding both the Jets and Mariners should either improve or worsen.
If the situation of either club worsens, then efforts must be made to defuse the instability and improve their financial states before exploring the concept of expansion again.
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