And so another season of the A-League has kicked off. After a series of missteps by the new owners, we have fumbled our way to season 15.
An increasing concern, along with the strategic and administrative blunders of those in charge, is the fact many fans have rose-coloured glasses in regards to the state of the league.
The league is in significant trouble and the window of opportunity to fix the issues is rapidly closing, not helped by the new owners’ poor start and compounded by fans who refuse to see the situation for what it is. Fans are the heartbeat of the game and we will not solve a problem if we refuse to acknowledge its severity.
Just a couple of weeks ago, we had predictions of record crowds for Round 1. This is a perfect example of how detached well meaning and intelligent fans are from reality.
The combined attendance for Round 1 was 78,600 – more than 27,000 short of the Round 1 record of 106,365 set in the 2016/17 season. Worse still, it was more than 6000 short of last season’s Round 1 attendance of 84,761. To make matters even worse, this round also featured the Wanderers’ homecoming to Parramatta.
We have a league whose ratings and crowds are in decline, whose visibility is declining, whose broadcaster’s appetite for it is heading south and whose quality of football is the worst it has been in years… and we expect record crowds?
(AAP Image/Dean Lewins)
A troubling new dynamic has also arisen. The A-League’s radio promotion couldn’t get off the ground because owners couldn’t agree on the make up. Lets’s hope these are just teething issues.
The TV deal with the ABC is a bad deal. It was cobbled together in three days because none of the major free-to-air channels wanted the rights. We are stuck with 5pm games, which disproportionately feature the Central Coast Mariners and Wellington Phoenix. No disrespect to these fine clubs but these are hardly the teams who will be attracting the desperately needed higher ratings and interest.
Yet many fans still have their heads in the sand. Despite plenty of push-back from fellow fans, I knew Gold Coast United and North Queensland Fury would both struggle to survive as soon as they were admitted to the competition.
The A-League is full of red flags. The culture is poor.
Marquees should be non-negotiable. The idea we cannot have marquees given our limitations is a cop out. Once you limit yourself with your imagination, then the battle is lost. You think outside the square and you strategise. We have had successful marquees before we can do it again.
When the owners came in with promises of spending big, didn’t we all assume that a natural part of this would be spending on marquees to give the league a much needed short-term boost and to spark interest? We are the world gam. We should be leveraging this.
We have Western United, which most fans believe is a bad idea and rightly so. They will struggle to survive. Their only saving grace may be that they will have their own stadium. This infrastructure may actually then put pressure on Melbourne City, who have largely failed to capture the imagination, have not sufficiently differentiated themselves from Melbourne Victory, and whose owners are not impressed with the team’s progress and penetration.
The owners have started badly. If they can quickly up their game and put resources into the code, and come up with a concise strategy utilising football’s unique value proposition, then there is a glimmer of hope.
There may also be something from left field. If Foxtel can win back the Premier League rights, this may provide a short-term shot in the arm for the A-League. The time frame for this, though, is extremely narrow and the game will still have longer term issues to contend with.
Some people say if you don’t like it, don’t watch it. This is the problem.
The game is not only not attracting new fans, but it is losing rusted-on ones. Some fans recognise how dire things are but a significant number still have the rose-coloured glasses on.
We need to all be on the same page and once we recognise the game is in serious trouble, we can move to make our voices heard and hopefully play a role in fixing these issues.
Time is of the essence.
Bubby
Guest
Shocking article. It feels like a cut and paste from the anti-football journos of the past. The fact is after round 2 today the average a-league crowd this season will be well ahead of the average seaon total from last year.
Punter
Roar Rookie
Yes Chris, these poor AFL fans, no AFL for another 6 months anywhere in the world, hence they get lost in the football tab.
chris
Guest
Haha well said PH. This impostor and his "we in football" g arbage that hes been sprouting for months. I really urge him to go and watch a game but that would be a bridge too far for this intrepid "reporter".
chris
Guest
Punter "sokkah" is on its knees. Seriously. We can't get enough fields to accommodate all the juniors. We have 4-5 teams sharing one ground. Meanwhile the rugby fields in Sydney are empty. There are hardly any AFL grounds. But yes, soccer is on its knees.
anon
Roar Pro
She's being honest. Would you prefer she feel pressured to lie? If the foundations of the sport are so weak that a player can't say she enjoys watching NRL, then it's only a matter of time before the whole league collapses.
Punter
Roar Rookie
Yes how football are struggling, even in the women's game. I wonder if Caitlin watching this game. 90K sold out game for women's football & all paying customers too. https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/50071563
The Ball Bobbled
Roar Rookie
Yes indeed
The Ball Bobbled
Roar Rookie
Depressing and disappointing, not amazing. My case rests
Punter
Roar Rookie
Amazing how a sport can struggle when it's by far the most played & spectator sport in the world by a long long way.
The Ball Bobbled
Roar Rookie
No one is trying to stop her from doing exactly that. However you can be diplomatic - for example "i love watching rugby league, as for soccer i see enough of it up close" or something positive about her love of rugby league without bagging the sport that she gets off on and pays her wage - it wont help her fellow players if the A league and W league fold - why kick the sport when it is down - it needs all the support it can get - not bagging from within its own ranks at this critical time
Lionheart
Roar Rookie
and it's a great game Punter. Too many overlook that point, the greatest game of them all actually.
Post_hoc
Roar Rookie
Dear Nick It's time you stopped using the "We" when you talk football. Arrogant of me to say? Yea maybe but.... Decided to have a look at your recent published work for Roar A league owners have taken two significant missteps..... Ailing A league at a crossroads, but there is hope [oh goody glass half full type of article] FFA needs to be held accountable for Matildas.... Declining A league in need of a shake up A league a game in crisis New Football is beginning to look like old Soccer Not a single positive, not even a neutral article, talk about death riding, you are the Grimm Reaper of Roar with regards to football. Now clearly you don't like football in Australia, don't try and argue that you do. no one can enjoy a sport but constantly find and write negative articles about it. It looks like Australian football and you are in a toxic relationship. And as a friend of football in Australia i am urging the relationship to end. As such I can inform you Australian Football has broken up with you, we don't want you in our life anymore. I've called a big yellow taxi and your belongings are on the front lawn. I wish you well, I hope you find another interest but for all our health we can't continue with this relationship. Don't cry, we will always have the A League All Stars as a memory, go with good grace..... Love Australian Football
anon
Roar Pro
This is Australia not China. People are allowed to speak their mind.
Lionheart
Roar Rookie
Foxtel paid many, many times more for the NRL, AFL, They can't blame the A League for their woes, small bickies compared to their major expenditure. I also think your first paragraph is premature. The FFA, while officially not involved, are actually still running the A League with Greg O'Rourke. The Owners are still warming up.
The Ball Bobbled
Roar Rookie
Tennis is not struggling to survive and in desperate need of support- you dont have to bite the hand that feeds you - it seems to me a bit like like a stab in the back thats all
AR
Guest
“Only in 2018 when A-League rights were being negotiated, Optus Sport was a potential competitor.“ Um. Right. So you agree. Foxtel had competition.
RbbAnonymous
Roar Rookie
This article is terrible and the suggestions in it would be of no benefit to the A-league. There are a number of things I hate about the A-league and none of them have anything to do with having or not having Marquee players. That is a cherry on top to be fair and it will only apply in certain circumstances. The much better option which I am glad is happening is getting rid of Marquees altogether and allowing football clubs to know their audience and to buy players accordingly. If you have a big stadium and you think you have a player that fits in with your style of play and you think he can fill the stadium then sure a club would go and get that player, but to make Marquee players mandatory is absolute nonsense. Finding those rare players is difficult and they usually don't bring any long term benefit. The cost benefit usually outweighs their purchase anyway. Now to the things that annoy me about the A-league. The first issue is the VAR which we have seen is killing the sport. The FFA and the powers that be want to have the VAR which is doing untold damage. This is not just an A-league phenomenom but one that is hampering the EPL and other top leagues around the world. Getting the atmosphere back into the stadiums might actually be a thing this year. HAL-leluia. For too long we have listened to outside influencers who have no interest in our sport and who want to potray the supporters as hooligans. Lets hope the A-league clubs listen to their fans for a change and get rid of the excess police presence and security forces which are not needed at the grounds. For the first time in a long time I didn't see as many police but alas they were still there. The police should be banned from the grounds proper and remain just outside the sporting precinct if they need to be anywhere. They are an absolute nuisance, they are basically paid to watch football on the taxpayers dime because no where in the stadium are they ever needed. It would be the most requested posting for the whole rostered week, double time and half to watch football. Unreal. Other issues are the fairness and integrity of the competition or lack thereof. Rigged draws and bye rounds should not be part of any football draw. Kicking off on time would be a nice one to have. How about getting rid of the salary cap and this idea that every club must be equal or be given a shot of winning the A-league. In every football competition there are big clubs and there are little clubs. This isn't communism, there should be no intervention or policies to equalize the competition. For the most part competitions like the A-league should be run on auto-pilot but we try and over complicate things with rules to equalize the competition. These are the things that annoy me not whether or not a club can afford an Marquee or not. This notion should be dispensed with immediately and substituted with the word player, because thats how it should be.
anon
Roar Pro
Nick Kyrigios prefers the NBA to tennis. She's free to state her preferences.
Punter
Roar Rookie
Lets just remember, this is one person's opinion & football is by far the most spectator sport in the world by quite a fair distance.
The Ball Bobbled
Roar Rookie
Maybe you are right. Perhaps Caitlin Foords comments (FTBL site) on her assessment of the game as a spectator sport sums up the crux of the problem. Hugely disappointing though from one who represents Australia in the sport and just when it is struggling to survive. With friends like that ….