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Is the A-League overrated by people who like it or underrated by people who don’t?

2nd May, 2019
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Roar Guru
2nd May, 2019
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1753 Reads

I recently asked one of the PDHPE teachers at my school if he watched any of the A-League games on the weekend, and he replied by saying: “No, who would want to watch that trash!?”

That got me thinking: how good is the A-League compared to other leagues?

The A-League isn’t one of the best leagues in the world, but is it really as bad as non-A-League watchers think it is?

For example, how close would Perth Glory vs DC United be? DC United have a stand-out player in Wayne Rooney and have a lot more money than the A-League.

Almost every country in Asia is investing in football except for Australia. For example, China is putting so much money into football, and their president Xi Jinping is a known lover of the game.

But the fact that Scott Morrison isn’t the sportiest of people has nothing to do with it.

The FFA has denied promotion-relegation for another 15 years and that sums up the effort that the governing body is putting into the A-League.

And adding new teams from Melbourne and Sydney team doesn’t make it any better.

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Those franchises might be the best thing for the FFA, but not for football as a game.

New clubs from Melbourne and Sydney can fund themselves, and won’t need too much money from the FFA.

It also means there are more derbies. Next season, there will be nine Melbourne derbies.

These local clashes attract bigger crowds and more lucrative TV deals, which means more money for the FFA to use.

The stadium to be built by Western Melbourne Group

(Image: Western Melbourne Group)

But where does that money go, because it doesn’t seem to be going to the right places.

Surely most if not all of the money the A-League receives must be going to a savings account for promotion-relegation, but apparently not.

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What’s most likely is that in 14 years, the FFA will release a statement saying that promotion-relegation will not happen for another 15 seasons.

If the leaders of football in this country aren’t going to help, then who is?

The A-League is not the best of leagues, and most fans watch it because it’s in Australia, which means that it’s on at the right time and you can support a local team.

I used to be a big supporter of Manchester United, but around three years ago I started to go to Sydney FC games and I found it a lot more fun, as you can actually be there and see the players.

I kept on enjoying it and I have started to watch the other A-League matches because I know the players and feel as if I have so many connections to the league due to how local I am, and also my love for the game.

Now I watch all of the other A-League games, but that’s because I want to see what Sydney would be coming up against.

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I have developed a love for the club, but definitely not the league, and that is mainly caused by the FFA.

But the only reason I now like Sydney FC more than Manchester United is due to Sydney being a local team, which I prefer.

A country as economically big as Australia should be doing better at football and it’s not because of a lack of interest.

But what can the FFA do to help?

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