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Every semi-regular A-League viewer has seen NAB’s ‘Future of Football’ advertisement, where they give predictions for Australian football’s future.
Most people who haven’t seen the ad would have seen ‘ten-year challenge’ posts on their social media feeds and would know how much things can change over a decade.
So, what is the future of football and, more specifically, what will football in Australia look like in ten years’ time?
Here are my predictions for the Australian football landscape by January 2029.
1. No A-League salary cap
The new, independent A-League would have realised that the salary cap is holding back Australian teams from becoming Asian powerhouses, and that it doesn’t stop minnows from struggling.
Melbourne Victory and Sydney FC rotate through ownership of the Premier’s Plate, so nothing has changed.
2. The finals series stays competitive
Although the Premier’s Plate is dominated by the Big Blue rivals, the finals series still allows the competition to stay competitive and have underdog winners, proving why it needs to stay part of the A-League calendar.
3. Second division kicks off
By 2019, the A-League will use the promotion-relegation system, with 14 teams in the first division and ten teams in the second division. The first division will include the following clubs:
Sydney FC, Melbourne Victory, Western Sydney Wanderers, Melbourne City, West Melbourne, Canberra, Perth Glory, Brisbane Roar, Newcastle Jets, Adelaide United, South Melbourne, Wollongong Wolves, Wellington Phoenix and Red Bull Gold Coast.
Meanwhile, the Second division will feature: Central Coast Mariners, Auckland City, Adelaide City, Hobart FC, Darwin FC, Brisbane Strikers, South West Sydney, South East Melbourne, Fremantle City and Sydney Olympic.
4. Melbourne City win silverware
By 2029, Melbourne City will have had at least one successful season, winning either the Premier’s Plate or the grand final, before selling most of the squad to Manchester City the next season, and making sure the club never dominates.
5. An NPL team will win the FFA Cup
With the great performances we’ve seen in previous FFA Cup tournaments, with Bentleigh Greens and Avondale as great examples, it shouldn’t be long before we see an NPL team perform a miracle and win the whole trophy.
6. A-League attendance records will be broken
By 2029, the highest ever A-League attendance will be 100,000, for a Melbourne Derby grand final at the MCG.
7. Red Bull join the A-League
Australia will become another home for Red Bull football, with the Austrian energy drink company reviving Gold Coast, using their resources to buy and produce young Australian players before selling them to Austria and Germany.
8. More A-League clubs will build their own stadiums
After the success of West Melbourne new purpose-built stadium, many clubs will be flocking to build their own stadiums, such as Sydney FC, Perth Glory, Brisbane Roar, Melbourne City and Gold Coast.
9. More indigenous players
A football club playing in Darwin will encourage indigenous kids to pick up the game and will be some of the more skillful players in the competition. Richer clubs will begin to set up academies in indigenous communities.
10. Women’s football will become much more popular
Australia to host the 2023 Women’s World Cup and win at least one of the tournaments between now and 2019.
11. Australia bids for the 2034 World Cup
After the success of the 2023 Women’s World Cup, and a successful World Cup for the men in 2022 or 2026, football will be in a golden age, leading Australia to bid for the right to host the world’s most prestigious football tournament.
12. Cheaper grassroots football
The FFA will subsidise grassroots football much more, with some clubs allowing kids to play for free.
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