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News has broken on Wednesday that the head of the A-League, Damien De Bohun, has resigned from his role.
While there has not yet been a press conference called by De Bohun or the Football Federation of Australia (FFA) to formally announce the resignation, it has been reported by Fox Sports that De Bohun informed his staff on Tuesday, and will formally address the clubs on Wednesday Afternoon.
De Bohun has been head of the A-League for a period of four years and was the longest serving head of A-League in the competitions history but has had to deal with the ups and downs throughout.
It has been made clear by some fans throughout the season that A-League certain sections of the football community have lost confidence with De Bohun, and it appears to have finally caught up with him.
No doubt celebrating the departure of @DamiendeBohun as all are. https://t.co/ZVCulZ8188
— RunnaLittle (@RunnaLittle) March 9, 2016
The reason cited by De Bohun though is a family one. Being based in Melbourne, and it is believed that the constant travel between Melbourne and Sydney, where FFA headquarters are based has finally brought him to the decision to resign and move back to Melbourne permanently.
It is expected that De Bohun will see out the remainder of the season before exiting the role, giving the FFA adequate time to find a suitable replacement.
While he was the head of the game during the boom period with some of the best overseas players on the planet such as Alessandro Del Piero joining the round-ball game in Australia, the huge rivalries that have been created and the massive growth in crowd numbers, especially for new club the Western Sydney Wanderers, the low points in the last 12 months have become all too regular.
Clubs such as the Newcastle Jets and Brisbane Roar have gone through financial difficulties, while there have also been issues with the Wellington Phoenix, crowd numbers and whether or not they were going to get their licence renewed to the A-League.
Furthermore, there have been constant arguments about the expanding of the league, which to this stage De Bohun and his team have stood solid on, not granting any new licences after the North Queensland Fury and Gold Coast United were declared bankrupt in 2011 and 2012 respectively, and the Wanderers entering the league in 2012.
More issues relating to crowds this season have also risen to the surface, with both the Western Sydney Wanderers and Melbourne Victory given suspended fines and point deductions due to the massive flare drama gripping the game. Casting back to earlier in the season, there were also mass walkouts by fans throughout games.
FFA CEO David Gallop praised the hard work and dedication of De Bohun throughout his tenure.
“Damien brought incredible energy and dedication to the task, which spans a huge range of sporting, business and regulatory issues,” said Gallop.
“Running the A-League is a seven day a week undertaking. Damien did that while travelling across the nation and New Zealand to be on the ground with clubs to better understand their key issues and environment.
“I totally understand his decision to return to Melbourne and wish him all the best.”
De Bohun meanwhile, talked about the sustained growth of the A-League over the last four seasons.
“What is most important is that the Hyundai A-League has become a part of the mainstream of Australian sport over the last four seasons,” said de Bohun.
“From the outset this role has been exhilarating, with some of the early highlights being the Wanderers taking the A-League by storm and winning the AFC Champions League, and the marquee players like del Piero, Heskey, Ono, Kewell and Villa giving the competition genuine star quality.
“The real focus, though, has been to work closely with the ten clubs and the vast array of other key stakeholders including broadcasters, A-League players and coaches, sponsors, stadiums, media and most importantly fans to create a stable and sustainable competition.”
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