That ectoplasm called #sokkahtwitter can be a weird place, but it generally encapsulates the zeitgeist of where football should be heading and that which is undesirable for the game.
One of its failings though is the framing of arguments predicated on a rather unhelpful dose of binary thinking.
Binary opposition describes a scenario where a pair of concepts are absolutely opposite in meaning.
Consider these three simple questions.
Do all NPL devotees shun the A-League?
Do all A-League fans fear promotion/relegation may emasculate their clubs should they be relegated?
Do all A-League fans look down their noses at NPL teams thinking they have no place competing with them?
Of course not. There are some extreme viewpoints, and these are painfully easy to find on #sokkahtwitter.
The reality is that expansion and subsequent promotion/relegation is coming, even if it has taken some great gnashing of teeth to get even to this point.
Clubs looking to retain their A-League status and those looking to move into the top tier have similar yet differing adjustments to their forward planning to make with this in mind.
In a promotion/relegation scenario, A-League clubs would hold as top priority staying up, and this has different implications to just staying in the top six and challenging for the championship and ACL places.
The frequent lament of stale games for teams eighth, ninth and tenth after 18 or 20 games of the season engenders apathy.
Teams that honestly see themselves as relegation suspects would plan accordingly to consolidate then build.
Division Two teams with a real chance of promotion can plan to maximise their lower resources to give promotion a shake.
Those with modest resources and honest and realistic executives will concentrate on not dropping.
The implications for aspiring players is enormous, with players serving their club’s interests by giving their all while fully aware that rival outfits may be looking at them. Promotion/relegation allows for more of this quid pro pro to happen.
As for fans, if a fan bases their loyalty on whether their team stays in the A-League or not, are they real fans?
(Photo by Tony Feder/Getty Images)
If European champions such as Manchester United, Juventus, Marseille and Bayern Munich can drop and come back with their fan base intact, then so can Australian teams.
Broadcasting the game has already adapted to the changed landscape, with live streams of all NPL games making the game infinitely more accessible to fans, while Fox Football has been relatively stale, albeit with the welcome introduction of grassroots commentator Teo Pellizzeri to the mix.
And let’s squash this whole DNA concept of promotion and relegation not working in Australia.
Hiding behind acronyms is at best amateurish. If we’re talking about whether the sport or the nation the sport exists in is a determining factor in how a sport is organised, then the sport wins easily.
The overwhelming majority of football leagues worldwide run on promotion/relegation, and in countries with economies far more destitute than our own – even Venezuela relegate their bottom two teams.
This concept is miles away from the Anglo-centric and self-serving league and AFL silos.
Critics of promotion/relegation quote scepticism of the FFA as a reason not to proceed with it.
That’s a different matter. Toppling Steven Lowy was but the start of a new era, and while no one in their right mind is convinced the Lowy influence has been washed out of the FFA’s thought processes, there is visible change.
The presence of people like Remo Nogarotto pushing for expansion as the first step should engender some optimism.
Football needs to be unlocked in this country.
The A-League has been a welcome change as a whole to attract more mainstream eyes on screens and bums on seats, but it has been as much a straitjacket as a security blanket.
There are enough anti-football forces wanting our game to stay in its place. Why should we limit ourselves from within with binary thinking?
oldpsyco
Guest
I believe Promo/Rel will be a sort of panacea for the game due to the fact that it will increase the number of clubs and thus voices involved at the top of the sport in this country. We desperately need more voices, more opinions, and a larger brains trust. It obvious those currently in control are not up to the task!
chris
Guest
How about anglo-centric in this wide brown land? There. Better? Thanks for the read Jorginho. P&R will happen. Its not an if but when.
David V
Guest
You were doing well until you went off on a tangent with "Anglo-centric", the irony is lost on you that league football and the system of P/R originated in England. A proper multi-division system with clubs representing a given area would be a very English thing to do! Even Japan with its J2 and J3 are following it.
Lionheart
Roar Rookie
Brenton Speed's commentary style is quite suited to NRL, and T20 cricket where they want to hype the play up. But there's no need for that in football.
reuster75
Roar Rookie
Not to mention the obsession all Australian commentators have with 'banter' and the need to be funny. I also find it disappointing so many football commentators can't pronounce players names correctly (it took a twitter user to tell Brenton Speed how to pronounce Ola Toivonen's name).
Nemesis
Guest
Another terrific opinion piece. Looks like The Roar is lifting the quality of its football content. National 2nd Division is a certainty. There is absolutely no one, who matters, who opposes it. It has support from ALeague, NPL, State Feds, FFA and PFA. Promotion & Relegation has been included in the A-League clubs' recently published Blueprint for an Independent ALeague. So, once again, there is absolutely no one, who matters, who opposes it. This is a huge change in mindset from 10 years ago, or even 3 years ago. Change is Coming. We are on the cusp of major evolution in how club football operates in Australia.
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
The ultimate motive for all this talk about promotion and relegation and second division is to get a piece of the massive Chinese gambling pie, where the afternoon time slot has little content for six months . The 8-2 result would have earnt a lot more money than any transfer fee, and more people want a piece of that action.
Lionheart
Roar Rookie
Interesting that you welcome the introduction of grassroots commentator Teo Pellizzeri to the mix. Personally, I find our commentary about as amateurish as our refereeing. I like to watch the game on TV and not be distracted by the commentary. For me, the attraction is the match. not the commentary. I need to be guided, for sure, with player names and some fine points, but I don't need a blow-by-blow description in superlatives that I have to absorb and consider to find their meaning. Richie Benaud said that when he commentated the cricket he was always mindful that it wasn't radio, that the TV audience could see the game and they could think for themselves. Teo, and the other Fox commentator who also calls the NRL and AFL too, should heed Richie's advice, in my opinion.
Mister Football
Roar Guru
#sokkahtwitter is the most fun you can have on twitter. The author writes: "The reality is that expansion and subsequent promotion/relegation is coming..." If coming means coming in 15 years time, then yes, P&R is coming.
Buddy
Roar Rookie
I like the general talk of promotion/relegation although it seems to be somewhat obsessional of late and is regularly touted as the panacea of any perceived troubles within the game. If it comes about as a result of consultation, careful planning and a very clear set of rules and standards it will be a good thing but if it is introduced “on the run” and not properly crafted the game could head backwards instead of forwards. On the subject of fans and loyalty etc, many fans who are “nailed on” will stick with a side but equally there is a drop off from a section that don’t wish to watch football at a perceived level. I remember when Manchester United were relegated from the old division one in the mid 70’s (Dennis Law at Man City) and they had a terrific following playing in division 2 with players who really should never have been relegated in the first place. However, there was still a reduction at home games but other clubs benefitted from a huge away following. Right now Ipswich are preparing for life in League 1 having been a championship side for well over a decade. The talk amongst their fans is whether tney will renew membership/season tickets or just buy tickets for the games they want to see. That is coming from people who have held season tickets for 20 years plus but are now considering just what loyalty they have left for a perceived under performing club. It is all part of a natural process. Fans want to be part of a winning culture and don’t necessarily want to go along and watch a poorer quality product. It doesn’t matter how much you berate someone for not being a true fan; the truth is everyone is different and has their reasons fot attending, not attending.