The struggle to put out a fixture list that’s suitable to an uneven number of clubs is a reminder that nothing ever comes easy in the A-League.
Where’s the schedule?
It should have been released by now, and while the fact that it hasn’t is hardly the crime of the century, it doesn’t augur well for what was supposed to be the start of an independent A-League on August 1.
That’s literally three days away. Restless fans hoping for a bit of off-season distraction could be forgiven for wanting to be able to plan their match days accordingly.
But clearly the complexity of adding Western United to the league and factoring in byes has made drawing up a schedule that’s fair for all 11 clubs easier said than done.
Who could have seen this coming? Apparently not those who decided to delay Macarthur FC’s entry into the league by another season.
That delay might suit a Western Sydney Wanderers side moving back to Bankwest Stadium, but the new ground’s so impressive they should have no problem attracting fans through the turnstiles anyway.
And having teams play some opponents three times and others twice is less than ideal.
There was an interesting piece from Dom Bossi on the back page of the Sydney Morning Herald on Saturday in which he suggested, among other things, that Channel Ten is keen on increasing their A-League and W-League coverage.
According to Bossi, Ten are willing to produce their own A-League coverage and broadcast games on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, doubling the current free-to-air coverage of the league.
But it was his suggestion that Fox Sports are unhappy with A-League ratings that should have piqued the interest of its constituent clubs.
“The A-League’s dwindling TV appeal will be made clear to club owners and FFA next week when they meet with Foxtel chief executive, Patrick Delany, on Monday,” Bossi wrote.
“Having successfully negotiated for the A-League to become independent of FFA, the onus will fall upon the clubs to improve the competition’s commercial and public appeal.”
None of that is new information. But how the clubs improve their commercial viability in a rapidly changing media landscape is anyone’s guess.
“Senior stakeholders suggest they are expected to be ‘read the riot act’ by Delany, with Foxtel understood to be deeply unhappy with the A-League’s ratings,” Bossi added.
“It’s understood Fox Sports would consider ending their partnership with the competition if it weren’t bound by a six-year broadcast agreement which expires in 2023.”
Again, that information isn’t particularly new to anyone with their ear to the ground, but it does beg the question of why there was such a willingness to add two new teams in Western United and Macarthur FC at the behest of a broadcaster seemingly looking to cut ties with the competition.
That’s not to downplay Fox Sports’ role in the upcoming season. Without their broadcast funds, there might not even be a season to speak of.
But the difficulty in drafting up an acceptable fixture list and the lopsided nature of the draw is a reminder that many decisions in the A-League still get made for the wrong reasons.
If Western United are ready to go in October – and the addition of Italian veteran Alessandro Diamanti alongside Greek playmaker Panagiotis Kone should make them one of the league’s more entertaining outfits – then Macarthur FC should have been too.
An 11-team competition isn’t the end of the world, but it’s hardly the hallmark of a well-run league either.
With any luck the football on display this season makes up for any administrative headaches off it.
We’re still waiting on a fixture list for what is a make-or-break campaign.
Hopefully it’s released this week and we can start planning for what is undoubtedly the most important season in the short history of the A-League.
Kannga2
Roar Rookie
https://www.google.com.au/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/football/2013/jun/15/fixtures-premier-league-football-league-compiled Totally backs up my point about which clubs pair , not the clubs you decides do .
Maximus Insight
Guest
But not evidence treated credibly by a sound mind
Nemesis
Guest
Don't follow the lower divisions of England much anymore. Just looked at the fixture. QPR plays first home game on 11 Aug at Loftus Road. Fulham plays 1st home game on 11 Aug at Craven Cottage. Both kick off at the same time. Stadiums are closer to each other than Docklands & AAMI Park. In fact, a quick glance at the fixtures shows Fulham & QPR play at home at the same time quite regularly. Looks like Charlton Athletic also plays at home kicking off at the same time as those other 2 London clubs quite regularly this season.
Kannga2
Roar Rookie
Yeah , 30 years ago they did and what happened at all the train stations and streets etc where different sets of fans met up Anyhow that’s 30 years ago and t v and policing effect fixtures inn England currently
Nemesis
Guest
Pretty sure all matches in England in all 4 League Divisions, were played on Saturday, kicking off at 3pm before TV money started dictating kick-off times.
Kannga2
Roar Rookie
The epl and efl fixtures need combined planning due to a few factors especially around the clubs from the same city Lots of clubs can’t have home games in the same weekend City / united Spurs gunners etc Then you have cross division issues Villa — Birmingham city / Coventry ( ground share ) West brom / wolves Wednesday/ Sheffield United Chelsea/ Fulham Newcastle/ Middlesbrough Cardiff / Swansea The list goes on
Nemesis
Guest
The English Premier League is an independent entity. It operates separately from the 72 other clubs in that compete in the 3 lower divisions that are operated by the English Football League.
Kannga2
Roar Rookie
Stuart, I suggest you look into the complexities of organising fixtures and what goes into that for 92 clubs in England Let’s be realistic about what’s going . Western melb can’t lock down a home ground and Foxtel want there supposed block buster fixtures played 3 times , which attract slightly bigger then abysmal ratings . Meanwhile every competition in Europe is starting very soon and in Australia we are doing very little . A 16 team league and August kickoff can’t come soon enough.
Nick Symonds
Guest
"Does anyone else think they might struggle to build much of a support base in the opening years with the nomad thing going on?" - They'll be playing out of at least four stadiums in four different cities across two states that are separated by 500 km of water. - Walkout song suggestion: "Most People I know Think That I'm Crazy" - Billy Thorpe and The Aztecs
MarkfromCroydon
Roar Pro
The Superliga Argentina has had a system for the last 5 years or so where every club plays every other club once, but they play against their 'classic' rival twice. However, its only happened in one season as the local authorities in Buenos Aires couldn't guarantee crowd safety. In the 2015 season, the league was split into two conferences of 15 teams with each team playing the other 14 once, and also 2 matches against their 'classic' rival from the other conference Basically it was set up to try to get more Boca-River, Independiente-Racing, etc (Classic derby) matches. In Mexico, until a couple of years ago, it used to be that the league was randomly split into 3 groups before the start of the season. Even though each team played every other team once, the final table before the "Little league (Liguilla), or finals" was not how the teams were selected. So a team could get 30 points and finish 4th, but had to play a repechage to qualify for the finals, but the team that got 24 points and finished 8th were already qualified for the finals. etc. etc. There's been lots of different systems through South, Central and North America. It is actually reasonably common for those leagues to prioritise t.v ratings over other things. they sometimes start matches at 10.00pm or later. Over there, crowds are not so important, but t.v ratings are.
Nick Symonds
Guest
"maximise attendance metrics, be fair to all clubs, maximise broadcast metrics" - You got the order wrong. TV metrics come first, integrity of the competition comes second and attendance is third. That's all official. No mention of fans whatsoever. - Key Principles Priority 1: Maximise Hyundai A League broadcast metrics Priority 2: Fairness and competition integrity for all clubs Priority 3: Maximise Hyundai A-League attendance metrics and other commercial priorities https://www.a-league.com.au/news/ffa-confirms-competition-calendar-hyundai-a-league-201920-season
Timmuh
Roar Guru
Could the delay in producing a fixture be partly because the A-League is gpoing to be indepeendent. Its a small thing, but maybe having the FFA release the fixture for the newly independent league is seena s a bad look by some. Others have alluded to Western United's issues, all their proposed grounds have timing issues. Kardinia Park is only available for the middle portion of the season, Bellerive is primarily a cricket venue and too big a surface for watching Assoication Football (North Hobart Oval would probably be betert for being close to the action and close to the "city" centre; but facilities are run down). York Park is even worse though at least without a cricket pitch square. If it was only one or two games they could do the schedule with a tba venue, but they likely have to have away games at both ends of the season and talks with the Cats and Geelong council may be ongoing. Does anyone else think they might struggle to build much of a support base in the opening years with the nomad thing going on? Even WSW, who were frairly well established, had issues without their home.
Stuart Thomas
Expert
I did a piece on it a little while back Apaway. Essentially a three pronged criteria where metrics is number one and integrity comes after. Lock in Original, Sydney and both Melbourne derbies during those 6 weeks and don't hold your breath for a third incarnation of Wellington vs Central Coast.
Stuart Thomas
Expert
With you 100% on this. We've Mickey Moused when we didn't need to.
Stuart Thomas
Expert
Tend to agree. Last season I made it to Wellington, Adelaide, Central Coast and AAMI Park. Probably not affected by when the draw came out, although I can see how some long distance travellers might want to plan a big trip as early as they possibly can.
Stuart Thomas
Expert
You raise a good point there Fadida. Far easier to schedule something if the participants all have a purpose built stadium that does little else but host football matches. Although, the draw appeared to be done and now under review thanks to some dissatisfied parties.
Lionheart
Roar Rookie
The FFA website explains the principles used in drawing up the season ladder - three priorities: maximise attendance metrics, be fair to all clubs, maximise broadcast metrics. I'm not sure the first and third are complementary.
Lionheart
Roar Rookie
yes, but it's not far to go anywhere when I lived in Gippsland we could easily go to games in Melbourne on a day trip
Nick Symonds
Guest
BOOK RELEASE: A new book, "Chronicles of Soccer in Australia – The Foundation Years 1859 to 1949" by Canberra librarian and archivist Peter Kunz claims that the first match in Australia took place on 18 March 1859 in Richmond, Tasmania. Well before Albert Park in 1883 or Parramatta in 1880. It also details that carrier pigeons were used to send half and full-time scores by Coledale, in what I guess that was an early forerunner of Twitter. The book involved "12 years of research through national archives and liaison and fact-checking with other sports historians" and "will be launched by Andy Harper at Gleebooks, Sydney on Wednesday at 6.30pm." - https://thewomensgame.com/news/footballs-160th-birthday-528817
RbbAnonymous
Roar Rookie
Not sure how an uneven draw is supposed to entice more viewers to the A-league. It certainly isn't helping with the integrity of the league, which should be paramount. The fact that the FFA thinks so is one of the reasons they are "outgoing" and shouldnt be near a fixture or the A-league again (thank god).