My last piece took a look at the potential future of the A-League, how it could and should be taken to the next level.
This season is going along well, and taking a break now for the Asian Cup in our own backyard, which should be massive for the code.
Here’s hoping the Socceroos do well and win some silverware. After all, they’re still a major vehicle and beacon of light for our code and it’s potential.
But back onto the domestic front, and the A-League is now at the halfway point. And until now there’s been a few issues that have come to a head that the FFA needs to sort out as soon as possible, for the better of the competition.
The ownership issues at the Central Coast and Newcastle really need to be addressed quickly. Being two former winners of the competition, these two clubs need to be preserved.
The little club that can from Gosford has given us so many highs and lows, had many great moments and has become many people’s second team. We all know that they come from the smallest region, in terms of population, out of all the 10 teams, but surely a bloke named Mike Charlesworth would’ve done his homework before buying this great club.
All I’ve heard coming from his camp in the past 12 months since the takeover has been hogwash, embarrassing his own club, its fans and A-League fans in general. Taking the team to play in Sydney to grow their fan-base, and going on about how the coast can’t sustain this team – please Mike, gimme a break.
People aren’t stupid, they can see right through all this crap, and up until Lawrie McKinna got back involved a few weeks ago, the fans had voted with their feet, and fled away in droves. Sure, they haven’t been performing on the field, which hasn’t helped, but it’s clear for all to see that there’s bigger problems there.
In my opinion, Charlesworth doesn’t want to be there. I’ve hardly seen him in Australia or at their games. If he keeps wanting to make drastic changes to their club, and he can’t stay out of the headlines, the FFA should take a strong stance and strip away the licence from him. Their fans don’t deserve this, and the league doesn’t need an owner like that. He could do irreparable damage to the code in that area much like Clive Palmer did not so long ago.
The region can easily sustain this club, and if run properly they can get more than 10,000-strong crowds consistently and grow their sponsorship base. I actually think that their current crowds aren’t that bad, considering the small catchment area and their position on the ladder.
Now the other problem child, when it comes to ownership at least, is the Newcastle Jets. This is a much more straight forward case, where their owner Nathan Tinkler doesn’t have his heart in it, and is running out of money. They are up for sale, and I’m sure the FFA is working hard in the background to help find a suitable buyer for the club.
But hats off to the Novocastrians, they still turn up in decent numbers week in, week out. If that’s not a good sign for any potential buyer, I don’t know what is. If run well, Newcastle can easily get crowds of between 12,000 and 15,000 more regularly, and challenge for titles. They’ve always been a proud football town, and I’m sure this situation will sort itself out in good time.
The game and the league are growing, and they will get bigger and better as time goes on. More money will come into the game via future TV deals, more sponsorship, potentially more overseas investment and a growing popularity, meaning better players and a better spectacle overall. But to allow the league to get to that point, all current 10 clubs must survive and thrive.
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