There is plenty of commentary currently regarding Usain Bolt’s football trial. Those who are anti-Bolt look for any argument to strengthen their point. Pro-Bolters will forgo reality to jump on the positivity bandwagon.
Why is this concept so divisive? Because like all things outside of the norm, it threatens the current balance.
Does Bolt have the talent and football smarts to become a starting A-League player? After watching him in some charity matches, and witnessing his cameo at the recent Gosford trial match, I am nearly certain that will not happen.
But does that mean he will not earn a contract? That is a different story, and one that many are not prepared to discuss.
Will Bolt reach a fitness level and an understanding of his teammates to be a squad player, who could play ten minutes at the back end of games?
Most will argue that a player who’s rumoured signing fee would be in the vicinity of $3 million dollars should not be on the bench, but Bolt would be earning around $100k as a footballer, and $2.9 million as a marketing tool. And $100k for a squad filler is not alarming at all, while $2.9 million for a marketing tool that has the potential to influence the Central Coast Mariners’ global brand the way Bolt can is a bargain.
He single-handedly drew an attendance of 10,000 to a small-fry trial match, with 51,000 TV viewership. The fact this match was televised at all speaks to his marketing potential. The media surrounding him has eclipsed anything else in Australian football in recent memory – especially with the non-football public.
And the fact that his fee would be self-supporting, due to increased sponsorship dollars, means it has the potential to be the shrewdest signing in A-League history – from a once-proud club that has fallen into insignificance in recent years. This could be the reset the Mariners required, but not directly from Bolt’s on-field influence – the increased awareness and sponsorship he brings would lead to bigger revenue, crowds and gate takings, which all lead to larger operating budgets.
This leads to increased player spend and, in turn, to increased success.
Usain Bolt (AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts)
But the thing that has been grinding my gears is the theory that Bolt would take a young Australian’s spot – or block the way for NPL talent to have a chance at the A-League. Articles have moved from pundit comments surrounding this topic, to actually sourcing comments from current NPL players bemoaning this fact.
So let’s start with some facts.
Bolt is Jamaican, so will only play under a visa player contract, and therefore will not take a position that can be used on an Australian player.
As for blocking the path of NPL players – taking into account the above point of VISA contracting – there are few overseas players who have graduated from NPL ranks to A-League visa status (Fabio Ferreira is an anomaly).
But as for people commenting on the Mariners’ attitude of investigating Bolt as a player blocking pathways, those comments are quite simply blowing the wrong horn to suit their argument, with little to no link to realistic fact.
The Central Coast currently have a squad (still unfinished at the time of writing) of 23 players.
Of those 23, 16 are Australian youth, under the age of 25. Four of this year’s signings have come directly from various NPL clubs, including Jordan Murray, who has been breaking national goalscoring records for fun. Nine of these players are current or recent members of Junior Socceroos squads.
The Mariners youth system has in the last two years produced from their own NYL and NPL squads first-team players such as Trent Buhagier (now Sydney FC), Lachlan Wales (now Melbourne City), and Peter Kekeris.
They have also in recent years given lifelines to young Australian players returning from overseas, such as Daniel Da Silva (now Sydney FC), Mitch Austin (previously Melbourne Victory), Aiden O’Neill (sure to be a name in lights this season for the Mariners).
For years, the Mariners have been known as the team where Australian youth can actually expect A-league game time. Many, many squad players from other teams have signed at the Mariners due to the chance for a starting position. While this strategy has likely been based on minimising cap spend as equally as giving youth opportunity, it is a fact that can’t be argued.
No other team in the A-League gives as much opportunity to Australian youth as the Central Coast. No other team in the A-League gives as much opportunity to trial, or gives as many contracts to NPL players. No other team searches through opposition teams’ depth to promote the opportunity of game time to Australian youth players.
The Usain Bolt experiment still has a way to run (pardon the obvious pun). There are a variety of topics to cause heated discussion on the subject around the water cooler.
But anybody arguing that this experiment in any way diminishes opportunities for Australian players needs to have a good look at the history of the club they are commenting on.
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