The June 30 deadline for A-League independence is upon us but one group that always seems to be ignored when it comes to what we actually want from our football is the fans.
Will the A-League be fully independent of Football Federation Australia’s control come Monday morning? I have my doubts.
And if we want a reminder of how long it takes for anything to change in Australian football, let’s use Wednesday night’s FFA Cup draw as a barometer.
When last season’s Round of 32 was scheduled there were complaints about a draw which by design ensured three A-League teams played off against three other A-League opponents.
And this season? Sydney FC takes on Brisbane Roar, Perth Glory will host Western Sydney Wanderers and Melbourne Victory face off against the Newcastle Jets.
Why does the FFA persist with a seeded fixture list instead of conducting an open draw? Because little pressure has been brought to bear on them to change it.
Can anyone explain the FFA Cup draw? (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)
And the chorus is unlikely to be led by lower-league teams guaranteed the chance of a money-spinning run to the semi-finals.
So it is we’re left with a roundabout approximation of a knock-out competition that neither stirs the masses nor produces genuine – and genuinely romantic – cup runs.
And that status quo might have been acceptable as long as Fox Sports was willing to pay the cost of broadcasting the games. But is that still the case?
If not, and the FFA Cup ends up on SBS or Twitter or wherever else in the foreseeable future, are football fans not entitled to ask whether a seeded draw is still the way to go?
“Personally, I’m a massive supporter of A-League teams being drawn against member fed clubs in the round of 32 and played at the member fed home ground,” tweeted Brisbane Roar’s chief executive David Pourre during the week.
“It would give that local club a great boost financially (gate sales, food and bev etc) while also taking the professional game to the community”.
And Pourre knows a thing or two about trying to connect with the community.
He’s one of the shrewdest operators in the business and he’ll be watching at least three of Brisbane Roar’s A-League games from the compact Dolphin Stadium in Redcliffe next season.
There are a few reasons that make the move a no-brainer.
The first is money. The move will save the Roar a considerable sum of cash next season.
The next is leverage. The sooner the Queensland government wises up to the fact their stadium rental deals are bleeding clubs dry, the quicker something can be done about it.
But the last reason – and perhaps the most important for fans – is optics.
Last season the Roar averaged fewer than 10,000 fans in a 52,000-capacity stadium. But transfer that to a 10,000-capacity stadium and suddenly Dolphin Stadium is the place to be.
A small crowd looks on during the round 2 A-League match between the Brisbane Roar and Adelaide United at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Friday, October 13, 2017. (AAP Image/Darren England)
Yes, the move will inconvenience some local fans and it’s true that not everyone was universally pleased with the announcement. But that’s football.
Brisbane Roar should be applauded for trying something new instead of being complained about in hindsight for doing the same old thing.
And with so many questions around how the game will be run in future, it’s got me wondering what it is you’d like to see from our game over the next 12 months?
Personally, I reckon we finally need to see an end to the internecine politics and more of everyone in the game pulling in a mutually beneficial direction.
And that includes supporters. Football fans are quick to complain but the reality is that unless we all make an effort next season there won’t be an A-League to speak of in the near future.
It’s high time a few of us acknowledged that. Including perhaps the most important group of all – those running the game.
MarkfromCroydon
Roar Pro
I hope to see a few local players do a “Brandan” or similar. That is, play with guile and gamesmanship. Our players do not seem to know how to manage a game or influence the referee. These skills are part of football.
Mister Football
Roar Guru
However, you can have a salary floor without a cap. I would have thought that is the key point. Have a salary floor to appease the union. Let the Mariners stay afloat by signing a roster at minimum wages, then let a club like the Victory sign whoever they want.
Nemesis
Guest
Yes. The Salary Floor Is intrinsically tied to the Salary Cap. If there is no Salary Floor, no players' union is going to accept a Salary Cap. No workers' union goes in to fight for limiting the wages of workers. This is basic common sense. I can't believe it has to be spelled out.
Mister Football
Roar Guru
You have described a salary floor.
Nemesis
Guest
It's not just Perth. Look at the Melbourne Victory squad, removing Honda & Troisi who were marquees and you can't tell me CCM's 23 players should be paid the same wages as MVFC's 21 Salary Capped players. Or, look at Sydney FC squad. Not sure who were their marquees, but their 21 players in the Salary Cap are being paid the same as 23 players in CCM's Salary Cap. The Salary Cap inflates the wages. Given the professional player's working life is limited, they'd be irrational to all be taking a wage cut. More rational is that CCM is inflating the player wages just because the Salary Cap rules forces them to play 90% of the Salary Cap for minimum 20 players.
MarkfromCroydon
Roar Pro
@ Nemesis, I see your point, but, conversely, it could be argued that the CCM players were being paid the right amount, but the Perth players were accepting 'unders' of what they could get elsewhere. We see in our league, every season, players leave at the end of a good season to go and play for more money overseas. Maybe there are players accepting 'unders' for one season because they are happy to play in Australia.
Nemesis
Guest
"if my club turns into the overseas branch of English League 2 I’ll go elsewhere." That's my definition of a plastic football fan.
Nemesis
Guest
@MarkfromCroydon, I don't care what people think is the reason for a Salary Cap, I'm merely using my common sense to see what's actually happening with a Salary Cap. Last season, Perth Glory won the Competition quite easily. As far as I know they had Castro as a Marquee & no one else. Let's assume there was another Marquee - Spiranovic, or Davidson, etc. That means the other 21 players at Perth Glory were being paid the same (or 10% more) than the 23 players at CCM. All I need is my common sense to tell me, the Salary Cap has inflated the wages of the 23 players at CCM because there is no way the open player market would pay those 23 CCM players the same total wage as the 21 players at Perth Glory.
MarkfromCroydon
Roar Pro
@Nemesis, that's not correct. As Mister Football has stated, the salary cap is in place to provide a more even and competitive competition. FFA say that in their description of why they imposed it on the competition. It is not there to raise player wages, and in fact it lowers wages as it limits the total spend a club can make.
MarkfromCroydon
Roar Pro
NPL teams have junior teams so they can charge high fees to subsidise their senior teams. NPL clubs are the highest charging clubs in the country. It would be great if they lowered their fees, but I doubt they will.
con
Guest
lets all hope the FFA never grant the A league independence as all they will do is waste our money for there own own self interest nothing for the national team very little for grass roots , I mean why do npl clubs have more junior teams than Melbourne victory ,they M V should have a thousand juniors it should be HUGE but it ain't all they do together with other big A league clubs like Sydney fc is buy titles and trophies
Redondo
Roar Rookie
Now you're just being silly.
Nemesis
Guest
That's the difference between some fans. The only verifiable footage I need to convince me a footballer is going to add something to ALeague is to see them playing a competitive ALeague match. Don't care if they won the World Cup for Spain, France, Germany; or they lost the opening round of Asian World Cup Qualifiers for Pakistan. If I see them playing & they look good to me, I honestly don't care what others say about the player I'll back my own judgement.
Redondo
Roar Rookie
Mierzejewski was verifiably a top level footballer prior to playing here. Verifiable by footage and print media. He was only not in the Polish national team while he was here because of differences with the coach. The distance between Mierzejewski and the subjects of this conversation is immense.
Redondo
Roar Rookie
A club which is struggling after a couple of woeful seasons, whose attendances are half what they were a few seasons ago, hires a coach who has never coached before, who recruits a bunch of tier 3 footballers hoping they might be undiscovered gems... It might all turn out well but it looks ‘courageous’ to me. Like I said, it’s your club so I understand you defending it but if my club turns into the overseas branch of English League 2 I’ll go elsewhere.
Nemesis
Guest
Any football fan who gets overly excited by a new signing before they've seen them playing, makes me laugh. If a no-name from the amateur leagues of Mongolia came to MVFC & played well, that's all I want. I don't care what name is on the back of a shirt. I only care about what they do for 90 minutes each match for 27 matches. A bloke called Adrian Mierzejewski was signed by Sydney FC 2 years ago. People whose only football engagement is PlayStation sneered because the bloke had spent the previous 2 seasons in the Gulf - Saudi Arabia & UAE. As soon as he touched the ball, anyone who has played football in real life at any level, would've seen the guy was going to be something special.
Waz
Roar Rookie
Incorrect. FIFA gives clubs the right to organise their own competitions, it’s a condition of FIFA membership.
Waz
Roar Rookie
How did he miss the point? What point did he miss because I’m struggling??
Waz
Roar Rookie
Redondo “Fowler’s recruits have hit their ceiling down in the bowels of 3rd and 4th tier English football” That’s a statement not an opinion. What facts or observations have you made that underpins that? He has not signed mid-30’s Scandinavians he’s signed English, Irish, Welshman, and Scottish players aged 23 to 30. The article link I posted gave several examples of players who people believed had “hit their ceiling” but went on to play in the EPL. So your entire comment ignores the reality that good players are to be found in lower leagues and whether they perform well or not next season is not a reflection on the standard of our league, instead it’s a reflection on grant/Fowlers ability to identify talent. The angst being shown over this in unfootball like.
Waz
Roar Rookie
There’s a variety of memberships and overall prices appear to be down. The three options that concern this are: - 13 game membership (all games) - 19 game Suncorp Membership (not including Dolphin) - 3 game Dolphin (not including Suncorp) They had almost 5,000 full season members last season so would need to double that to rest capacity. Another 5,000 temporary seats could be put in making capacity 15k