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The challenge of accommodating the eleventh franchise in the 2019-20 A-League season was always going to prove a difficult one.
With Western United FC just four months away from stamping their brand on the domestic competition the complexities around restructuring the season can never be underestimated.
Eleven was always going to be something of an awkward number for the powers at be and it necessitates a bye in each and every round.
For true and fair home-and-away play to occur, an 11-club league would require a 33-week season – if the FFA were keen to continue having teams meet on three separate occasions.
Contractually this is impractical, as is a potential shortening of the season.
To maintain equity, that shortening would require an alternate strategy where teams would meet each other just twice with an additional two bye weekends for each club. It would result in a 22-week season and remove more than a month of football from the schedule.
Diluting A-League play is a frightfully dangerous step to take, even if for just one season.
As it stands, the FFA have taken neither of the above approaches. In fairness to them, broadcast deals, Asian Champions League play and the AFC Under-23 Championships in January made their task unenviable.
Saturday saw the announcement of the Competition Calendar for the upcoming season. It lays out the key features of the restructured format. The more difficult task of collating the draw is to follow, yet the FFA have been quick to announce the changes.
Will the A-League season change dramatically? (Photo by James Elsby/Getty Images)
The season will feature 29 Rounds of home-and-away play with each franchise granted three byes. The finals remain intact, with six of the eleven teams qualifying, with the same procedures in place in terms of who meets who in week one.
Where it starts to get interesting is in the detail. Initially, and to accommodate the addition of Western United FC, clubs will face their ten rivals on just two occasions.
That fills 20 weeks of play; supplemented by an additional six, where each club will face a currently undisclosed opponents.
With the byes included, it all adds up to 29 and a competition that has now unfortunately joined other codes by administering a fraudulent draw.
It is those six additional matches that could potentially make all the difference. It is realistic that Club A could draw four of the bottom six in those games and also feasible to see Club B struggling against four of the top six.
Personally, I fear potential A-League discussions around ‘soft draws’ and unfair advantage based on the guesswork of FFA draw creators.
With such a fluctuation in form experienced by many clubs from year to year and another off-season of wholesale roster changes having already begun, how a draw constructed in June 2019 will guarantee equity is beyond me.
It is, however, not beyond Greg O’Rourke.
His explanation was as follows.
“In collaboration with our stakeholders, we will be focussed on developing a schedule which will amplify broadcast and attendance metrics, support club growth initiatives while providing a fair and equitable fixture schedule for all clubs that also meets key player welfare principles.”
The FFA has even designed a methodology for the decision making process behind the additional six matches.
It has three prioritised layers.
Priority one is to “maximise A-League broadcast metrics”. It therefore appears safe to assume that season 2019-20 will feature three Sydney derbies and nine Victorian derbies and is unlikely to see the Mariners and Wellington do battle twice in Gosford.
Of course, we all want to see big crowds and solid ratings, however, should “Priority 2 – Fairness and competition integrity for all clubs” perhaps have been number one?
The FFA’s admission that the lust for ratings outweighs the integrity of the competition is somewhat stunning.
Priority three, which is to “maximise A-League attendance metrics and other commercial priorities”, marries in well with number one and should always be a fundamental goal in the domestic game.
However, as clubs eagerly anticipate who their opponents will be in the additional six matches, the true nature of the crap shoot is clear.
FFA CEO David Gallop (left) and FFA Chairman Chris Nikou (AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts)
Logically, and if true to the FFA’s claim that broadcast metrics are indeed their number one priority, Melbourne Victory will play a key role for them.
It would seem likely that of their six additional opponents, Sydney FC, Western United FC, Adelaide United and Melbourne City will be locks.
If you want metrics, they have to be.
Should all be humming along swimmingly, I’m not quite sure how that is remotely equitable.
Of course, they could be struggling near the foot of the ladder yet would that scenario only prove beyond any doubt that fortune will play too great a role in the FFA’s new Competition Calendar?
Perhaps a shortened season that maintained true competition integrity would have been the sage move.
What we have now could rob mid-table teams of semi-final positions, impact the winner of the Premier’s Plate and/or place serious doubt over the validity of the final standings.