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Expansion is once again dominating the tabloids and online forums as the hottest and most divisive topic in football.
The discussion continues to polarise opinions, leaving the FFA with an arduous task of having to take a variety of factors into consideration before ultimately introducing new teams into the A-League.
The establishment of new clubs is the first step towards the dawn of a new A-League era, including significantly increasing the exposure to enable new supporters to latch onto clubs as well as providing better opportunities for youth players.
While it may be a little premature to look too far ahead, one cannot help but look towards the future of the A-League with excitement.
For one, an expanded league could leave the FFA to consider eradicating the finals series.
The current system has evoked an ambivalent response from fans, Many endorse the FFA’s integration of a large aspect of Australian sporting culture into the game, but others prefer a more traditional football approach.
It is perplexing that a team that finishes sixth in a ten-team competition can potentially go on to be crowned ‘champions’, leaving the ‘premiers’ to be regarded as the next-best team.
Granted no team that has finished outside of the top two has ever won the championship, but it is also interesting that under the current system there are more teams making finals than missing out.
A finals series should reward the league’s best teams rather than exist to simply extend the season or for mere marketing purposes.
One can argue that the finals series in the A-League is not the least bit necessary, notwithstanding that it generates a sense of excitement and is a key part of the FFA’s strategy to draw large crowds.
In Australian sporting culture the opportunity to participate in a finals series is a significant incentive, and many players and fans are greatly motivated by the idea of just making the finals, never mind taking home the silverware.
The FFA, however, may not have a choice, because its lucrative commercial TV rights deal may demand the existence of a finals series.
The current A-League format is unique. All teams meet three times before the top six participate in a finals campaign to determine the league champions.
In the league’s early days the finals series was necessary to reignite excitement and passion following the disbanding of the National Soccer League.
However, as the quality of the league improved over the years so too have the opportunities for clubs to claim success.
The Asian Football Confederation granted the A-League two and a half spots in the Asian Champions League, which has resulted in Adelaide United making the final and the Wanderers famously becoming the first Australian club to claim continental silverware.
While many feel as though we have no place there, A-League teams have been very competitive against clubs that are considered financial powerhouses.
Participating in the Asian Champions League is something that is not marketed nor conveyed as significant throughout the season. Qualification into the Asian Champions League is something all clubs should strive towards rather than scraping into the top six.
The Champions League is the ultimate finals series, comprising the best teams across the Asian confederation.
Through the A-League’s expansion and its potential removal of the finals, the significance in finishing in the top three can thus be amplified – the race to qualify for Asia will generate even more excitement than another finals series would.
Interestingly, the one piece of silverware that is very much neglected is the premiership, awarded to the team that finishes the season on top of the table.
However, it feels as though we perceive the best team as being the one that wins the championship as opposed to the team that finished on top after playing everyone three times.
If the league expands to between 14 and 16 teams in the near future, the FFA could completely remove the finals and create a season in which every team meets each other twice, creating a fair competition.
Those who advocate for the concept of a finals series need look no further than the FFA Cup. This competition features the best clubs across not only the A-League but all of Australia.
The cup arguably generates more excitement than the finals, providing lower tier teams the opportunity to prove themselves against the nation’s best.
The magic of the cup was very real in 2016 when premiers Adelaide United were knocked out by Redlands United in an epic encounter decided in extra time. Green Gully also shocked the country when they scored two goals in the dying minutes to knock the Central Coast Mariners out of the tournament.
This type of excitement doesn’t exist anywhere else.
The FFA Cup and the league will get only bigger and more coverage, which poses the question as to whether the finals series is really all that necessary anymore.
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