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How Fox can effectively put EPL money into A-League

18th November, 2015
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A special fund for special players, can FFA make it happen? And should they? (AP Photo/Rob Griffith)
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18th November, 2015
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When Fox Sports lost the rights to the English Premier League to Optus, $25 million of TV rights capital per year was retained by the station.

This $25 million is a huge opportunity for football in this country, and it all sits in the hands of the TV rights negotiators at Football Federation Australia. If used correctly, this $25 million could be a game changer.

While I understand the FFA may have debts to settle, or financial savings to build, I wholeheartedly believe this money can be used to make a whole lot more money.

The FFA currently earns $160 million over four years ($40 million per year) from their TV deal with Fox Sports and SBS, covering the Socceroos, A-League and Westfield FFA Cup.

I propose Fox Sports – or any other broadcaster willing – to contribute $260 million over four years ($65 million per year) to the next football TV deal. For the sake of this business case, we’ll call the extra $25 million on the deal the ‘Fox Superstar Clause’.

The Fox Superstar would be a marquee player that draws crowds.

Most marquee players in the A-League collect between $400,000 and $1.2 million in the A-League. Most of them are very good players but are often previously unknown to even the most devout Australian football fan. While lots of these players are effective (Besart Berisha, Thomas Broich, Diego Castro etc), none attract a previously untapped football audience.

The Fox Superstar Clause changes that.

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About $2.5 million (10 per cent of $25 million) would be made available to each club on the condition of one thing only; the whole sum of that capital is spent on one marquee player that both Fox Sports and Football Federation Australia approve of.

To earn this player, the A-League club must submit a short report that details why this player will add value to the local market and the statistics, facts and market research that these assumptions are based on. If the A-League team doesn’t sign a Fox Superstar, Fox Sports keeps their $2.5 million.

To give you an idea of what you can get with $2.5 million; Didier Drogba earns $1.3 million at Montreal Impact, Alessandro del Piero collected $2 million at most at Sydney FC, and Andrea Pirlo picks up $2.2 million at New York City FC.

Recently, I spoke to one of my old Major League Soccer colleagues in New York, who informed me that his agency has 2010 FIFA World Cup Golden Ball winner Diego Forlan and the mercurial ex-English Premier League striker Hugo Rodallega available for $2 million each and willing to move to greener pastures.

The Fox Superstar Clause gives you more than added superstar quality to the league, it creates numerous other benefits too:

• Encourages bigger stadium attendances Australia-wide, thus improving the television product and sponsorship value for each club and the governing body.
• Encourages larger national and international television audiences, improving sponsorship.
• Improves the television product, audience and financial viability of the financially ‘smaller’ teams such as the Newcastle Jets, Central Coast Mariners, Wellington Phoenix and Perth Glory.
• Greater incentive for free-to-air television broadcasters to become involved in the next TV deal.

Of course, there should be no barriers imposed on any club that wants to add some of their own money to the $2.5 million to pull an excellent player.

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You can even go further with the concept, too. There’s the possibility that the FFA reduce the number to $2.4 million for each team and hire two full-time scouts or agents that offer a pool of FFA and Fox Sports approved players that are offered to all 10 A-League clubs or to specific clubs. Alternatively, they can encourage international agents to get involved with a $100,000 ‘bounty’ for each world-class player brought to the A-League.

So what about the other marquees? Leave them as they are.

The Fox Superstar Clause is an equal improvement for each team in the league. Plus imagine three marquees per team, the standard of football would skyrocket. Clubs would feel more comfortable to sign a defensive marquee player and each team will have three heroes to support.

How big could this be for football in Australia?

Put it this way, Major League Soccer in the United States has three designated (marquee) players per team, including superstars like Kaka, Steven Gerrard, Drogba, Frank Lampard, Robbie Keane, Sebastian Giovinco, Giovani dos Santos and more.

In the last four World Cups, USA has made it to the round of 16 three times, including a quarter-final berth in 2002 in South Korea and Japan. These players inspire excellence around them.

Imagine what it could do to Australian football. Could the FFA make it happen?

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