With Western Melbourne FC set to join the A-League next season and Macarthur FC to follow in 2020, the A-League will soon be contested by 12 teams from around Australia.
The competition’s expansion has long been a talking point for administrators, clubs, players and fans, with little agreement on what is needed for football to thrive in Australia.
Melbourne Victory brand ambassador and former striker Archie Thompson joined The Roar on the Game of Codes podcast this week to share his thoughts on the direction the league is heading, arguing that while he’s still open to all sides of the debate, he’s certain that scrapping the salary cap is a necessary step to take.
Listen to Archie Thompson on Game of Codes
After announcing in 2018 that the A-League would be expanding, the FFA explored bids from across Australia before whittling it down to a shortlist of eight. Macarthur FC and Western Melbourne FC were eventually chosen ahead of other bids from Melbourne, Sydney, Wollongong, Canberra and Ipswich.
A-League clubs were restricted under a $3.063 million salary cap for that 2018-19 season with a salary floor of $2.756 million, or 90 per cent of the cap. However, numerous exceptions are in place including for marquee players, mature-age rookies and loyalty allowances.
Visit our Game of Codes hub to catch the full episode and be sure to subscribe and review on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts or wherever else you’re listening.
Pedro The Fisherman
Roar Rookie
If you are going to get rid of the salary cap then you will need to get rid of any Marquee Subsidies as well. The system is already favouring the big clubs without making it worse.
David V
Guest
They've tried to emulate Super Rugby, AFL and NRL at different times. They've tried appealing to the casual fan, the non-football fan. None of it is working. Time for Australian football to follow the established practices of football nations instead.
Max power
Guest
Yeah, that’s what the FFA is trying to do - emulate other sports Your ideas sound so easy - let’s mske you president
David V
Guest
Just scrap the cap, expand the league and implement promotion/relegation with a view to blanket national coverage. Enough with trying to emulate other sports in this country.