With the TV rights out of the way the FFA knows exactly how many dollars and cents they have to play with, so they need to start planning how and where to spend its newfound funding.
The TV money won’t be enough to fix all of football’s problems, but if it were to be spent wisely, it could go a long way to improving the game.
This has been another year of consolidation and steady growth, but with more resources available than ever before the FFA really needs to take the game to the next level. Let’s hope the next 12 months are not consumed by off-field politics now that FIFA has reaffirmed its stance by upholding the March deadline for the FFA to make structural changes to its board and to how football is run in Australia.
I’ve come up with five strategies that need to be implemented by the game’s administration, and some of them won’t cost much to implement.
But before we can analyse any of the five, the salary cap should be increased to $3 million per year from next season, and the FFA should give the clubs an extra $1 million, bringing the total distribution to $4 million per club per year.
1. Expansion
The current ten-club setup is getting a bit long in the tooth and the product has become stale at times because of it. The much-hyped expansion is long overdue, and hopefully the FFA will release their criteria as soon as possible to give prospective clubs time to set up for a start by the 2018-19 season at the latest.
The game is thriving at the community level, so I can’t understand why the FFA hasn’t already acted. The longer we sit still, the longer it will take to realise the game’s potential, and we may even lose the momentum football has managed to build. You need to strike while the iron’s hot, as they say.
2. National second division
This is a no-brainer. This code, just like any other, needs to play to its strengths, and its biggest strength is community and grassroots participation. What better way to bring the professional and grassroots levels together than by giving many of the state league clubs an opportunity to make the big time?
Start the competition as a semi-pro division, which will keep costs down, and televise at least one game per week on Fox Sports to give it the exposure it needs to grow. Make it a 12 to 14 team competition that could be expanded in future.
All future A-League teams can come from this division – and promotion and relegation could be put in place in a decade or so – but the main purpose for a second-tier in the short term is to give the game another layer and to create more opportunities to young players, coaches and administrators to show their wares.
3. Boutique stadia
This is the toughest strategy to implement, but if we don’t start planning for it today, it might never happen. At the moment Sydney FC, Brisbane and Wellington play in stadia that are way too big for them, and it does so much damage to clubs and to the league when matches are played at grounds that are two-thirds or more empty. It devalues the entire product. The 30,000-seat stadia, like AAMI Park and the new Wanderland, are perfectly sized venues for the A-League.
4. Ticket prices
The league and its clubs let themselves down big time in this area. I understand sport is a business, but prices need to be uniform across the league as much as possible.
At the moment a general admission ticket can range from $20 to almost $40 in different cities for the same basic access, and this is where the FFA can help the clubs, which in turn will help themselves and the game, by using the additional $1 million grant – which I mentioned earlier – to subsidise all general admission tickets at all grounds to around $25 and kids tickets to no more than $10.
This will help to get more bums on seats at all venues, which helps the clubs’ bottom lines, which is what they need. This will also help to increase membership. A nice touch would be to give all registered players under the age of 16 a free season pass to all A-League matches. This would be a great move by the FFA to grow the fan base by investing at the grassroots level, which in turn will help grow the the entire sport.
5. Fixturing
On paper this is the easiest and cheapest strategy to implement. How is it possible that before round 18 this season some teams have already played each other three times while others have played each other only once? We’ve now had three Melbourne derbies in 18 match weekends, which is way too many too quickly.
The entire fixture needs a massive overhaul for next season and beyond. There should be no more back-to-back-to-back home or away games for any clubs. Even two home games within seven days for any team should be an exception and not the rule. Asian Champions League clubs should have a flexible domestic fixture to avoid having their Asian progress hindered, as is the norm in many other countries. Again, having more clubs in the competition will fix many of our current fixturing issues.
These are my five strategies to get the league humming along towards its next phase. I’m sure the FFA would have some sort of plan, but let’s see what they can come up with.
If you were in the FFA hot seat, What changes would you like to see made? What changes would you implement for next season?
tim
Guest
But you can surely have different opponents in that period.
Jeff dustby
Guest
Of course football is leading the way. It is better at everything - why do those other sports even better Football is a definite leader in fans with chips on shoulders
Waz
Guest
Note the previous deal was $22m/year including contra and the new deal $50m/year rising to $58m
Midfielder
Guest
Nem This is what I have heard and I would love your input especially revenue. Channel 10 look like the looser in the cricket bidding. 10 will throw everything at making football work, including at least one but more than likely two weekly shows, one a pre-round show say on Thursday night and the second a post round show. Heavy promotion on the Project, Nightly News and their morning show. What is up for sale is ... Saturday night live A-League next season with one match. When we go to 12 teams maybe two matches on Saturday night. Interesting what you have heard with both Tassie and the C/D ,,, Tassie with local, state and federal government backing and assume not an oval run by former MV folk is a very safe bet... the C/D is the gamble on another WSW bid... All will come down to revenue... If your correct and the 10 deal is a % of revenue then that could be anything... Most importantly how 10 do will effect what the sixth game gets.... the talk I have heard varies on what 10 rate next year... good rating and I don't know what that figure is will mean 16 teams... the jump will be from 12 to 16 ...
Midfielder
Guest
Nem From behind a fire wall… Dandenong faithful delivers blunt A-League expansion message to FFA, state government THE A-League’s marketing cry was “You’ve Gotta Have A Team”. But the message in Dandenong on Friday night to Football Federation Australia and the Victorian state government was “you’ve got to give us one first”. More than 2500 people attended the local derby as Victoria’s second division kicked off its season. And while the support for both Dandenong Thunder and Dandenong City was palpable, the sentiment behind having a third Melbourne A-League team based in the booming south-east was just as strong. Local club presidents – many of whom were at George Andrews Reserve – have vowed to unite behind a Casey-Dandenong bid, while the local councils are working together to get the ball rolling. Dandenong Thunder. Dandenong City. Investors are knocking on the door, Casey has forecast a $20m training facility at Casey Fields, Dandenong wants to build a boutique stadium at the Dandenong Showgrounds – although government funding would be needed – while Cardinia is the gateway to soccer-mad Gippsland. Talk to the fans on Friday and there is an apathy towards Melbourne Victory and Melbourne City. EXPANSION: race for next A-League licences intensifies DEROGATORY: lengthy ban expected for ‘f***ing gypsy’ slur Many “sort of” go for one, but the travails of time and distance to get to the city to watch games are real. But a professional team on their doorstep? To borrow a recently re-run phrase, “they’d like to see that”. There were 2370 registered players in Casey last year – the council can’t find enough pitches – the second highest council figure in the state. Only Monash had more, while Greater Dandenong (1946) isn’t far behind. Officially there are 156 nationalities represented in Dandenong, giving it claims on being the most multicultural council in Australia. That diversity was on full display on Friday as men and women of Croatian, Albanian, Serbian, Sudanese, Italian, Turkish, Greek backgrounds mingled in a family-friendly atmosphere, with girls and boys running around everywhere. Keyboard warriors have already dubbed the prospective Casey-Dandenong team “Apex FC”. They say sport can give youth a focus. Out in these parts soccer is that sport, with participation numbers swamping all others. Dandenong Mayor Jim Memeti was in the crowd, as too were several local members of parliament. NPL Soccer: Werribee City V Dandenong Thunder. (L-R) Dandenong’s Yusuf Ahmed and Michael Gerace celebrate after Yusuf’s goal. Picture: Josie Hayden Casey Comets president Dawn Stone – her club boasts a rapidly growing 442 players – insisted to Memeti the Comets would “do anything we can do to help” the push. Dandenong Thunder has Albanian roots, Dandenong City Croatian backing. They’re rivals, but Thunder president Ferman Zekiri and City counterpart Tony Dorotic are hellbent on working together to make the A-League bid work. “Look out here, more than 2000 people for a game that gets no mainstream promotion,” Zekiri said. “And that’s just our two clubs. Look at the rest of Dandenong, look at Casey – Casey is massive – Cardinia, Gippsland, all of it. They’d all get behind it. “You put a club out here, it’d just work, mate.” Originally published as Dandy derby holds bold expansion audition
Midfielder
Guest
Nem From behind a fire wall... Dandenong faithful delivers blunt A-League expansion message to FFA, state government THE A-League’s marketing cry was “You’ve Gotta Have A Team”. But the message in Dandenong on Friday night to Football Federation Australia and the Victorian state government was “you’ve got to give us one first”. More than 2500 people attended the local derby as Victoria’s second division kicked off its season. And while the support for both Dandenong Thunder and Dandenong City was palpable, the sentiment behind having a third Melbourne A-League team based in the booming south-east was just as strong. Local club presidents - many of whom were at George Andrews Reserve - have vowed to unite behind a Casey-Dandenong bid, while the local councils are working together to get the ball rolling. Dandenong Thunder. Dandenong City. Investors are knocking on the door, Casey has forecast a $20m training facility at Casey Fields, Dandenong wants to build a boutique stadium at the Dandenong Showgrounds - although government funding would be needed - while Cardinia is the gateway to soccer-mad Gippsland. Talk to the fans on Friday and there is an apathy towards Melbourne Victory and Melbourne City. EXPANSION: race for next A-League licences intensifies DEROGATORY: lengthy ban expected for ‘f***ing gypsy’ slur Many “sort of” go for one, but the travails of time and distance to get to the city to watch games are real. But a professional team on their doorstep? To borrow a recently re-run phrase, “they’d like to see that”. There were 2370 registered players in Casey last year - the council can’t find enough pitches - the second highest council figure in the state. Only Monash had more, while Greater Dandenong (1946) isn’t far behind. Officially there are 156 nationalities represented in Dandenong, giving it claims on being the most multicultural council in Australia. That diversity was on full display on Friday as men and women of Croatian, Albanian, Serbian, Sudanese, Italian, Turkish, Greek backgrounds mingled in a family-friendly atmosphere, with girls and boys running around everywhere. Keyboard warriors have already dubbed the prospective Casey-Dandenong team “Apex FC”. They say sport can give youth a focus. Out in these parts soccer is that sport, with participation numbers swamping all others. Dandenong Mayor Jim Memeti was in the crowd, as too were several local members of parliament. NPL Soccer: Werribee City V Dandenong Thunder. (L-R) Dandenong's Yusuf Ahmed and Michael Gerace celebrate after Yusuf's goal. Picture: Josie Hayden Casey Comets president Dawn Stone - her club boasts a rapidly growing 442 players - insisted to Memeti the Comets would “do anything we can do to help” the push. Dandenong Thunder has Albanian roots, Dandenong City Croatian backing. They’re rivals, but Thunder president Ferman Zekiri and City counterpart Tony Dorotic are hellbent on working together to make the A-League bid work. “Look out here, more than 2000 people for a game that gets no mainstream promotion,” Zekiri said. “And that’s just our two clubs. Look at the rest of Dandenong, look at Casey - Casey is massive - Cardinia, Gippsland, all of it. They’d all get behind it. “You put a club out here, it’d just work, mate.” Originally published as Dandy derby holds bold expansion audition
punter
Guest
Nemesis we live in interesting times. I would have thought Sydney was the favourite, amazing if your call is true. Personally, just happy to see expansion. Interested to see how national 2nd works????
Nemesis
Guest
Need to get people who are close to NPL to answer, but I wouldn't think so. Also interesting to know which clubs get chosen. Eg Are MelbKnights deserving of a spot ahead of: Bentleigh Greens, Hume City?
AZ_RBB
Guest
Will there be any negative effect of the State NPLs losing 2-3 of their biggest teams?
Nemesis
Guest
The reports keep getting stronger. Expansion Aleague franchises will be: Tasmania Dandenong/Casey Thereafter the expansion will be via the National 2nd Division. Exciting times for football - leading the way as usual.
Mister Football
Roar Guru
The TV deal allows for expansion in its second year, when the annual rights jump from $50 mill per annum to $56 per annum to pay for two teams (which must come from any of Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane). Note that the contra is worth $6 million per annum.
Nemesis
Guest
"National Second division, which IMO is financially unviable and will continue to be for the foreseeable future" What is your estimation of the additional annual impost for existing NPL clubs moving from State NPL to a National comp?
steve
Guest
I agree with all your points bar the National Second division, which IMO is financially unviable and will continue to be for the foreseeable future. People can write about Soccer's grassroots reach in terms of numbers participating all they like, but the fact is those numbers aren't translating into interest in terms of crowd numbers or TV viewer's. They just don't. I'm all for an expansion to a 16 team A League as soon as possible.
Ruudolfson
Guest
A second division is a must if want to improve our player pool and increase the chances of doing better at youth level, expansion is obvious but a second division if done well has huge benefits for connecting the grassroots to the top.
ac
Guest
Can you tell me what the TV rights came to please? which network has got them etc.
Optusout
Guest
I don't work for the FFA but maybe I can message someone on LinkedIn?
Jeff dustby
Guest
Perhaps you can lead it ?
Optusout
Guest
It's not easy Jeff but the marketing team get paid to do it
jeff dustby
Guest
sounds very easy
Optusout
Guest
I want to see some aggressive marketing we need to challenge people who hate our sport. Show billboards of great moments we have had Promote the star players more Do something that gets people talking we need to be known More events that can maybe bring the fans An a league game