Five simple tweaks to grow football in Australia

What a malaka you are mike?.

I think we could only increase the season length with teams. I couldn't see the league increasing the season length with the current 10 team model. My feeling of the mood with the current season length is that except among the most hardcore supporters, by the time teams are playing opponents for the third time, unless there is a particularly tight race for first or a finals spot, the season is limping along to the finish. We need finals to retain interest in the season until the end for fans of the teams that aren't in contention to win the title. Unfortunately, for most fans, ACL qualification on its own doesn't help them retain interest.

Anyone who thinks scrapping the cap will all of a sudden make the struggling clubs be more competitive on the field and make more money is living in a fantasy land. The only growth that would come out of scrapping the cap is allowing the big clubs to flex their financial muscle. There is no guarantee that will be a panacea for long-term growth either - if the league loses competitiveness and smaller clubs go under, in the long-term the league could go backwards. There are no dis-incentives to A-League clubs maximising their revenue under the current model. There is no 'luxury tax' where spending or earnings above a certain amount have to be re-directed back to the FFA. Tying the salary cap to revenue institutionalises the advantage of big clubs over small clubs more than an open salary cap. The only advantage of that model is that it ensures small clubs can't send themselves broke trying to compete with the big clubs.

"FFA cup – Why can’t some of these games be shown on the weekend. I know TV dictates a lot of the schedule but it doesn’t have to be every game on a weeknight." The actual barrier is the NPL and A-League schedules. In the early rounds, the NPL teams play on weekends. In the latter rounds, the A-League teams play on the weekends. It's not fair to expect the NPLs to reschedule games at the drop of a hat to suit the FFA Cup, particularly when it comes at the latter stages of NPL seasons (including finals).

Can't start the season sooner, media and fans obsessed with NRL and AFL finals right now. Easier to finish later than start sooner. FFA sells franchises, doesn't run clubs unless it absolutely has to to save the A-League, so not up to the FFA to expand the competition. Where's the clubs/investors money to start new A-League clubs or play in national division 2? Football NSW set the price for NSL players transfer fees. They and the PFA made them keep the transfer fees low so the NSL players could get opportunities to play A-League, otherwise they wouldn't get much of a chance if they are the same transfer costs as overseas players. They still get the same wages as everyone else if they are good enough, in the end its up to the player, not the FFA, if they change clubs.

http://www.theherald.com.au/story/4158379/south-melbourne-boss-chris-taylor-blasts-a-league-failure-to-blood-youngsters/?cs=2439&utm_source=footballtoday.com.au&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=footballtoday.com.au

Still, it's nothing to be proud of is it.

RBB, I used Roar as an example but for clarity they are not the worst when it comes to losses, far from it

I have no problem with how the Mariners are being run. Sure they have been playing rubbish football (especially Moss) but I know what Shaun M brings to the Mariners and I am sorry to have seen him leave WSW. More clubs should be building a sustainable model which is exactly what the Mariners have been doing and living within their means. Tie that with a completed CoE complex and you become a strong financial club. Just finish the damn thing.

For Waz & RBB The Mariners made a small profit last year, a public statement was made by the CEO and Charlesworth. As to the Mariner's spending... Last year and this year the Mariners will spent the smallest amount under PFA / FFA wage agreement they can which I think is 90% of the cap. Additionally a marquee is planned in the January transfer window. Next season will be a full spend. The reasons for the CUT BACK in players was because both Arnold & Moss over spend and Moss in particular had signed state league players on quite high salaries. Charlesworth, brought Peter Storrie who he considered a specialist in establishing, budgets on and off the park, and systems for growth. Storrie streamlined the back office, set budgets in place, while Storrie was doing this teh new CEO was activity chasing and developing local sponsors. The previous Roar guy who became oue CEO had lost almost all our local sponsors and his systems made it near impossible for locals to be involved. Today we have 64 sponsors of which over 60 are local. IMO Shaun our new CEO pinched from WSW has done an outstanding job have a look at the sponsor page linked below. http://www.ccmariners.com.au/corporate/partners/phr49sxsp8801lxy6sks0m7i8 So yes we currently have a low spend, and it was done to save the club, Charlesworth has accepted full ownership of the issue and has gone out of his way to explain in often great detail the issues ... to the point he has in questions from fans detailed line items in match day expenditure i.e stadium hire, rental of stalls, security hire etc. What annoys me we have many broadcasters who constantly sink in the slipper and they know the damage they are doing and at times I do ask myself as many on the Coast do ... WTF did we do to cope this for so long ... we kinda see Lucy Zelic as the Mariners own Rebecca Wilson and Fozzie as our own Peter Fitz. Maybe it will all change now as Fozzie like Okon ... Just consider this in all his years of stating how important it was to develop Football technical skills.... Fozzie has not once praised and rarely mentioned the COE and never mentioned the CC has Australia ONLY private school that specialists in Football technical skills and development from Year 4 to Year 12. Yet both the COE and the Private School is often what he calls for. Over the years it has done a lot of damage to the Mariners brand on the Coast. Thus our statement...""" Nobody rates us, we don't care""

Towser you are correct in that we do not have aspirational clubs. There is nothing to aim for, there is no plan or direction from the FFA in this regards except, we will consider it. Give clubs something to aim for and watch what happens, you start getting miracles happening like AFC Wimbledon and United FC of Manchester. We even had our own slice of it when the Wanderers came in the A-league and won it on the first attempt. Simply mind boggling. What I don't agree with is the method you suggested, through the FFA cup. There are proper mechanisms in place for P&R all over the world. Mostly two up two down and a third is a play off. In a 10 team competition I would be happy with one up one down. But right now we are obviously not ready for it. I will be the first to concede that. It requires careful planning and execution so that we don't get it wrong because it would be disastrous, but so is sitting on our arses and doing nothing for the next 20 years as well.

The figure of 3k is incorrect per player. It is a lot more. Average would be a little over 32k. I could be wrong on the 30% on any increase but that is my understanding of the PFA deal with the FFA.

Lots of good ideas & contributions from many posters on this article ,good stuff asanchez. Biggest problem I see from a fan perspective for the A-League is maintaining the current standard of football, indeed even improving the current standard of football, whilst giving clubs outside the league the incentive to improve in order to be added to the league. Reason I say from a fan perspective ,is that no matter whether you get the financial/commercial side of the game spot on, the reason I turn up to a match is to see quality on the park,I guarantee that I would have left the A-League years ago if some of the dire stuff in the early years was common fare. I watched the Manchester Derby last night, whilst I'm Football savvy enough to know this is "Football at the top" I need to see that whats on the park in the A-League has more than a semblance of professional football. Others on here are more qualified than me to comment on the financial aspects of the football industry, however I can offer a way forward with the proper commercial/financial aspects in place & using the current structure of NPL & A-League. First the NPL has to be made up of clubs that have the potential to be bigger than suburban and the smaller ethnic clubs. It may even discount ethnic clubs per se long term , but what I"m going to suggest gives every club below the A-League the one thing they dont have, an incentive to improve. So that means a combined club from Canberra, Tasmania, Geelong, North QLD,added to the current Gold Coast, Ipswich teams, plus it may mean a few clubs in the big cities merging to form bigger clubs(ie in Southern & Northern Sydney for instance). Whatever, the NPL is not set up currently to provide teams that can maintain the standard on the park, let alone improve it, to either an expanded A-League or a Second Division run in either juxtaposition or indeed seperately from the A-League. Get that right, then start off by adding to the A--League ie gradually expanding to a 16 team League(proper 30 game home & away season) then if that is succesfull look at a second division. However what has to happen is that the FFA has to tell everybody that this is the PLAN in order for clubs to well, plan. Now how to add initially to the A-League, well my suggestion is to use what we currently have in place the NPL & FFA cup. Now the FFA cup IMO has been much needed competition to provide that link up between A-League & grass roots, however if it can also provide a means of an NPL club getting into the A-League it will have double the impact. Also add to this the winner of the NPL entering the A_League expansion mix then we give the revamped NPL clubs overall a major incentive to improve their lot. So(and timing wise this can be rejigged to suit) if the winner of the FFA cup is an NPL club, they play off against the winner of the NPL that year. If no NPL club wins the FFA cup then no playoff ,no expansion. IMO if an NPL club can win their way into the A-League by this method then they deserve to be there,. Of course this comes with a proviso that they can meet all the fInancial/commercial demands that the FFA requires of an A-league club. The winning club should already have met some of those demands, because of the incentive to do so, however they have till the following years season to do so, if not no expansion. This way IMO their is more chance of strong clubs being added to the A-League & eventually strong clubs being added to a second division. This way also if the first "Expansion stage" never eventuates(or reaches a number less than 16 teams) then it indicates to me that Australia cant sustain a professional football league,beyond a certain number of teams, let alone a second division.

Sanchez, The PFA have already have an agreement with the FFA on the next TV Deal. From my understanding it is about 30% of any increase in TV rights will go to the players. That does sound a lot you might say but considering the players have had wage restraint and very little real increase since the last tv deal you can understand where they are coming from. In any case its too late, the FFA already agreed to this, so its a fixed amount. ie if we get 65m only, then I would imagine the players would get 30% x 25m or 7.5m. If every player got the same distribution of that 7.5m it would be about 3k a season. 23 players x 10 teams = 230 players, divide that 7.5m. There is definite mismanagement at some clubs. We need running costs to be streamlined as much as possible so that clubs are able to give themselves every chance of making a profit.

If the Roar are losing $2m a season then that alone should tell you something. Something is wrong at the Roar. They should not be losing $2m a year. The Roar management do need to find revenues but more importantly they also need to cut costs somewhere because that figure you gave me is way too much. Considering how successful you have been on the park and your average overall attendance over the years, your management and ownership needs an overhaul, especially your ownership. I don't want to hear about excuses that football competes with the Broncos or that stadium deals are crap etc etc, every club has their issues. Just fix them up or you will die as a club. Simple as that.

I'm told by people inside the HAL that Mariners didn't make a profit nor did 8 out of the other 9 clubs. So don't hang your argument on that. Also lets say the floor didn't exist in the cap, clubs like Roar are regularly losing over $2m each season which means they would have to cut wage costs dramatically (by about $1 million within the cap allowing for two marquees) which is huge. And if attendance goes down due to lower quality on show (every 1,000 spectators = $320k approx) then it could trigger a death spiral. Cost cutting is not the answer, increasing revenues is!

asanchez.- Thanks for the reply which in itself contains an awful lot of self truths. Most of what you say strikes home at the problems that never seem to go away. Cheers. jb

RBB - You are not alone in admitting you "don't know the ins and outs of club finances",in fact I would go as far as saying very few ,if any of those writing to these columns have access to the "real" figures so that we,as fans ,are forced to try and understand the "business plans" that are used by the 10 franchises. Your comment re.Victory is very well put,they are showing how it can be done ,it is up to others to follow suit. We hear about them having a much larger market but you rightly have pointed out the competition they face and it would not surprise me if Victory "outdraw" the Storm this season.Your last "call" spells it out "get on with it".Cheers jb