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Expansion must take priority over promotion and relegation

Roar Guru
11th April, 2017
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What would become of the Jets if we had promotion-relegation? (AAP Image/Darren Pateman)
Roar Guru
11th April, 2017
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They say that a league is only as strong as its weakest team. If you take this A-League season as a facile example, we have a long road ahead – 41 points separates the Premier’s Plate winners Sydney FC and last-placed Newcastle Jets.

If that wasn’t a stat to make you gasp, it’s a 15-point endeavour for the Jets to grasp a sniff of finals football, which as we all know, is an objective that cannot be fulfilled this season.

One way this can be fixed, which will enhance the size and quality of our league, footballing opportunities for our youth stock and provide greater financial benefits for our struggling clubs? Simple. Something that is long overdue.

Expansion.

Now you may be thinking, well… Duh. We’ve wanted that longer than an Incredibles sequel.

The uninviting truth is that it comes at the cost of putting a promotion and relegation system on hold. Ten years? Twenty years? Who knows, but it needs to take a back seat.

It will be the second time in a ten-team competition that three teams have finished this season with less points than matches played, a dismal return for members and paying customers alike. Two of those three teams are our two regional NSW teams, the Central Coast Mariners and Newcastle Jets.

In terms of improving their fledgling financial situation, expansion means more matches, which in turn provides improved deals with sponsors and more membership opportunities. With the new TV deal, the losses of regional and other struggling clubs won’t exactly cease but can at least steady the ship.

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These are teams that have had issues on and off the pitch in recent years and the sight of them rapidly tumbling is worrying to say the least.

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A promotion and relegation system would spell the demise of both clubs, because it’s financial suicide for the FFA to initiate a second division.

Go ahead and find me a station that is willing to lose ungodly amounts of money for an extended period of time televising second division matches.

If there is no form of outsider’s income, like TV money, besides possible investment, memberships, ticket sales and the logistical norm of the football club’s income, how can these teams survive?

Take the English Premier League as an example.

In 2014-15, Hull City, Queens Park Rangers and Burnley FC were relegated from the top flight. At the conclusion of the following season in the Championship, Hull City finished first and made only a loss of £5 million, QPR an £11 million loss, and Burnley took the brunt, losing £21 million.

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This is despite Hull and Burnley getting promoted once again.

Here you can obviously see the effect of TV money, but also the detrimental result relegation has. Scale that down to the A-League clubs’ already minuscule financial returns, and it’s a scary thought, isn’t it?

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I am excited about a second tier being formed and the best way to go about it is by taking it one step at a time and introducing the second division and familiarising it alongside the current A-League format.

This is already being attempted, after representatives of almost 100 National Premier League clubs from around Australia met in Melbourne late in March to discuss a second tier.

As reported in The Australian, “the recently formed Association of Australian Football Clubs announced it has set into motion plans to formulate a model for a second-tier competition to be introduced by the 2018-19 season.”

This shows determination and drive that has been missing of late, as well as a willingness to implement a second division that is logistically feasible and runs smoothly. This means that a proper promotion and relegation system can be implemented down the road with reduced risk.

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However, the FFA must show some gall to step up and truly govern the game with authority. After all, they are the governing body and anything that runs without their stamp of approval will cause waves.

Do we really want to see our clubs put in jeopardy or, in the worst-case scenario, see them vanish? Promotion and relegation isn’t worth clubs themselves. Imagine the impact it has on players, staff, and especially fans.

Let’s take a deep breath and focus on what will keep this league together, while also progressing at a faster pace: expansion and a second division.

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