Why do we watch football? Is it to follow our team’s exploits on the pitch, or to understand what goes on behind the scenes?
It seems like a relevant question to ask going into an important round of A-League action, with around 50,000 spectators expected to file through the gates for Saturday night’s Sydney derby.
It’s a measure of the A-League’s success that a fixture with an anticipated attendance mirroring some of the largest in Australian sport has flown largely under the radar.
That’s because much of this week’s media has been focused – rightly – on the political machinations of Football Federation Australia, and the oft-mentioned prospect of an independent A-League.
A standalone A-League has been warranted for years, but it shouldn’t be forgotten just how far we’ve come in a little over a decade.
Following the game during the dying embers of the National Soccer League, few could have predicted a ten-team league drawing huge crowds and yielding impressive results in Asia could possibly even exist in Australia.
Yet, much as the Sydney derby will attract the lion’s share of attention from this weekend’s round of fixtures, the question remains whether that’s enough to focus our entire attention on the football?
Or to put it another way, can we trust the FFA to run the domestic game effectively and still do the right thing by its constituent clubs?
That’s essentially the question put before some chastened FFA officials this week, who belatedly and perhaps begrudgingly look like they’re finally going to cede some power to the clubs who do the bulk of the work to fill the coffers.
And it’s not just A-League clubs who want a greater say in how the game is run, but the State federations and players’ unions as well – and no doubt plenty involved at the grassroots level too.
That’s exactly as it should be, as far as I’m concerned, because the state of inertia around the A-League is detracting from the football on the pitch, and leading to commercial opportunities being squandered in the face of newly-arrived summer rivals.
But when it’s all said and done, does the average football fan even care? Or think it’s important?
I often ask myself such questions when I sit down to write, not least because some readers insist that only positive news will help the game, or tell me that what football needs to succeed is to present a united front.
To that I would say I’m about as unlikely a cheerleader as you could ever hope to meet – and besides, writing an independent column means I’ve never felt especially beholden to anyone.
I would rather write about topics I feel will produce a lively debate – even if that reflects negatively on the A-League, or focuses more on what’s going on in the boardroom than in the stadium.
Perhaps I’m in the minority though, and the only topic I should be focusing on this weekend is the action on the pitch.
I hope that turns out to be the case, because too often this season I’ve worried that the leaders in charge are not doing enough to adequately showcase the product.
And that’s something that needs to change.
As an aside, I’d like to extend my best wishes to The Roar’s departing Managing Editor Patrick Effeney, who celebrates his final day in charge today.
In his three years at the helm he has always accepted my late-night filing, steady stream of scurrilous emails and stubborn refusal to even countenance copy suggestions with good grace, gentle humour and, dare I say it, a steady editorial hand.
And while I know there are plenty of others working just as hard behind the scenes, it would be remiss of me to let the day pass without saying farewell.
All the best, Paddy – it’s been a pleasure.
j binnie
Guest
Kaks - This is a very worthwhile thought ,but the impracticality of it is greatly outweighed by the possibility of it ever happening. The history of the game in Australia is inexorably intertwined with political maneuverings that have not always been made for the benefit of what we see on the field. Just as recently as 2003 we have had a government inspired investigation into these maneuverings in the Crawford report ,and, to prove we do not stand alone in this problem area, in 2015, we had the top man in FIFA resigning for the same underlying problem. The root of the problem in both cases proved to be money, or the use of that commodity, and as long as we have "professional" football,that potential problem will exist. Wish you hopes could be innovated but ?????? Cheers jb.
Griffo
Roar Guru
That's the question among others at the end of the day - how much to distribute and where. I would expect this would need to be reviewed from time-to-time as things change. It would be one of FFA's biggest worries, having a shrinking pot to run all they have on their plate. Community football is huge. What to spend and where with the greatest impact...it's huge.
Griffo
Roar Guru
Chris - had a response but must have got lost... Basically I did know and expect that - subscription services work off accounts which are tracked much like IP addresses are for online streaming services. I was mainly thinking the old school teev, which isn't tracked except by extrapolating a sample of the population. How much more are people watching online, or have more choice, than just a night in front of the telly...it's those numbers that affect ads... It's why I usually have the SBS streaming alongside the TV just so it counts :-P
Griffo
Roar Guru
Meant to respond to this earlier - agree. Di Pietro I've heard once or twice mentioned as possible, future FFA CEO. As you say, him over Griffin and Sage...
Griffo
Roar Guru
Yeah that is mostly what I'm reading - it's coming but is delayed. And like I said, I think governance reform is probably the main thing requiring effort at this point, the result of which is likely to drive finalising expansion criteria. Say a couple of months post 31 March to finalise and relase post Grand Final.
Griffo
Roar Guru
That's okay Real - I meant what you said but had five seconds to type it out at work...perhaps do the opposite and have time to type out my thoughts more accurate next time ;-)
Cameron
Roar Guru
+1 to this.
Cameron
Roar Guru
Agreed. When the football is on, focus shifts to the football being played. When the round concludes, all topics are back on to be discussed, includes the football that took place on the weekend.
Cameron
Roar Guru
Those people that are assuming are key personal who area involved in the expansion process. Joanne Plummer from Victoria Patriots, commented on the Daily Football Show that FFA have not addressed the criteria required for expansion. http://outside90.com/victoria-patriots-advisory-board-member-boutique-stadium-in-the-plan-346/ Victoria Patriots, South Melbourne, Tasmania, Brisbane Strikers have simply all gone ahead to continue ticking off the boxes they believe will be set in the criteria. It is expected that the criteria for expansion will be set after the season concludes.
Lionheart
Guest
thanks for that jb
j binnie
Guest
Lionheart -The history of the development of football tactics is quite long ,pundits would say some 90 years so it would require quite a number of "articles" to cover what has happened. I am not passing the buck here,but if you are interested I can recommend a book,easily read, and first published in 2008 so is reasonably current. The book is called "Inverting the Pyramid" written by a relatively young journalist called Jonathon Wilson. The reason I found this book so accurate that I have been lucky enough to see live many of the teams he uses to illustrate his findings. It is not "heavy reading" but is extremely accurate in his interpretation of Tactical innovation. Cheers jb.
j binnie
Guest
Lionheart - the "linear links to the immediate past" was simply a reference to Frank Lowy and Steven Lowy being in charge of the FFA. Steven would be acutely aware of what happened to his father back in the 1980's and how it was done,and so "the ghosts of the past" are still on hand when the present ruling body are planning a future. Cheers jb. ps There will always be a "top of the tree "in any organisation and football is no different ,we have a "pyramid", from the point at the top down to the broad base at the bottom. Not to worry. jb
Realfootball
Guest
Not wishing to be overly pedantic, Griffo, but "circling the wagons" was a defensive move by wagon trains to create a continuous 360 degree perimeter in response to Indian attack, not an offensive tactic of encirclement, which seems to be what you are suggesting. And, yes, I am doing something really boring at my desk...
Realfootball
Guest
No, it's being reported in the media. I'm not assuming anything. By back peddling, I was also referring to the decision to delay the expansion criteria promised this month.
Jeff Williamson
Roar Pro
Has not been any announcement on expansion. People assume it is being delayed because FFA have not said anything.
Jeff Williamson
Roar Pro
That could be a good idea. Too many articles are specualtion rather than truth.
Jeff Williamson
Roar Pro
Some of that TV money must go back to community football.
Jeff Williamson
Roar Pro
When a game is on, the politics do not matter. Will be watching Newcastle v Adelaide tonight on TV. Of course, the politics will not go away until FFA clarifies what they plan to do. I do not worry too much as only my friends are seeking my opinion. Enjoy the football.
Maxo
Guest
No it will be another weekend when refs penalty decisions will overly influence a game only to be followed on Monday by a coach's whining about officialdom with the implied Geoff Tooveyism "there must be an investigation".
Chris
Guest
Hey Griffo - actually I know for a fact that the data exists to show who fast forwarded and at what time etc etc on the IQ box. (I used to work for a company that analysed all this type of data). We packaged up all of this and sent it off to whichever retailer was interested in it. Now whether the advertisers actually work off this type of granularity I couldnt tell you.