Football fans should be hugely encouraged by new FFA chief executive James Johnson’s maiden press conference, although he failed to mention the fans themselves even once.
As far as first impressions go, Johnson’s introductory speech on Wednesday was a good one.
Perhaps the best thing about it was that he sounded like an actual football person, rather than a bureaucrat parachuted in with little understanding of the world game.
That’s probably because he is a football person. A former youth international, Johnson only missed Australia’s run to the 1999 FIFA Under-17 World Cup Final in New Zealand through injury.
And having turned to the administrative side of the game after injuries ruined his chances of a professional playing career, Johnson has racked up an impressive list of stops for the resumé, including the Asian Football Confederation, FIFA, and more recently, the City Football Group.
That might be why Johnson speaks in such a polished manner. He certainly sounds like an articulate administrator.
And the consensus already seems to be that he’s a careful, considerate leader who’s happy to seek input from those around him.
But if there’s one criticism of Johnson’s first press conference – and Football Federation Australia’s decision to stream it should be applauded – it’s that he failed to make reference to fans even once.
Perhaps that’s because Johnson peppered his speech with euphemisms like “stakeholders” and “community” throughout.
Could fans be one of those stakeholders? Perhaps.
But if Johnson wants to break free of the past – and much of what he said during the conference was spot on – then one of the most obvious ways to do so would be to acknowledge that fans have traditionally been the most ignored stakeholders in the game.
I don’t think it’s a stretch to suggest there have been times in the recent past when football fans have been treated with outright contempt.
And that’s not such a problem when Johnson is surrounded by like-minded administrators and journalists who need to cultivate their relationships with him as a source, but who never need to worry about buying tickets to a game or being hassled by stadium staff.
Police monitor the crowd at an A-League Sydney derby. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
That’s not to imply Johnson won’t stand up for fans in the future. It’s just that for all the positive rhetoric, it was mostly geared towards an audience of fellow administrators.
Still, that’s a minor quibble in the grand scheme of things, and Johnson’s plans to concentrate on transforming the FFA, unbundling the A-League and bidding for the FIFA Women’s World Cup are instructive.
His suggestion that he wants to see the FFA become “a football-first organisation” should be music to the ears of critics who have wondered why there’s been such a concerted effort in the past to chase casual multi-sport watchers.
And the desire to “unbundle” the FFA from the A-League is another development that needs to happen sooner rather than later – for the good of both parties.
Whether the A-League can actually flourish outside of FFA control remains to be seen, but there’s no denying that things can’t keep muddling on the way they have been this season.
As it stands, tonight’s showdown between eternal rivals Adelaide United and Melbourne Victory should be one of the games of the season, if only to see how the Reds react to Gertjan Verbeek’s spray after last weekend and Victory respond to Marco Kurz’s sacking.
There should be a febrile atmosphere inside what will hopefully be a packed Coopers Stadium for one of the highlight fixtures on the A-League calendar.
No doubt Johnson will be watching on with interest and wondering what sort of role FFA needs to play in the Australian game going forward.
He’s off to a decent start after an impressive performance in front of the cameras on Wednesday.
He should just remember one thing – fans are key stakeholders too.
anon
Roar Pro
Competition pushes every workplace & every industry higher. Aussies might not realise this because, in general, many Aussies are unable to succeed when competition goes beyond their little closed environments. We could do without the racist comments.
anon
Roar Pro
Great post mate. It's like they dream of the NSL days.
Kanggas2
Roar Rookie
Punishment??? lol. It’s sport not a criminal activity , funny guy . Manchester United are not run well , they are rabble . But they won’t get relegated, please punish them for being a basket case though Somebody has to come last and most clubs who get relegated are not badly run , they are generally just smaller clubs . They will get replaced by other smaller clubs . The only clubs in 50 years in England who have bucked the yo-yo trend and won something are nott forest , Blackburn rovers and Leicester City. Norwich city and Bournemouth are about to go down in the epl . They are 2 examples of clubs run brilliantly, but somebody has to finish bottom .
Kanggas2
Roar Rookie
I lived in the west midlands for a while and nobody talked rugby at all . I taught at a lot of government schools, not a hint of rugby . Rugby was totally private school and the elite .
Midfielder
Roar Guru
Waz If you have to ask, then I don't think any answer will satisfy you. I have seen a lot of change.... most of it in communication and discussions pertaining to where to go... If you want a list of direct changes i.e. introduction of a second division, introduction of P & R ... then the answer is no... However as I said we see the world through different eyes... what I see is an organisation climbing off its knees after three years of civil war, looking to be inclusive while holding as best the can things together... The agreement if not fully signed off as yet re Hal clubs taking over, the development towards a second tier / division, ... Bressh on the new board, the new CEO... But I am slowing coming to the conclusion in many ways we are our own worst enemy ... AS I see it .... its the expectations of what can be achieved ...many have IMO unrealistic expectations of what can be delivered in the short term, and this again my opinion is based on what they see as the Football market... there is almost a refusal to acknowledge the sporting environment and media in Australia and to even suggest Football has competition and has to work hard to win respect from the broader public is met with scorn with comments like its an excuse among many others. What I see is the game has survived three years that would have destroyed some other codes... and is working hard within its ability to determine a way forward... for me that is a big achievement ...
Nemesis
Guest
If you think Pro/Rel sends clubs broke then you don't follow any sport in Australia. Not just sokkah. All major sports have Pro/Rel. All major sports have a ranking system so the crap teams get to play the crap teams. The best teams get to leave the crap teams in their wake & find a level where they can push themselves to be their best. The only reason clubs go broke in the 21st century is because unrealistic business models have been created & clubs overspend chasing the big payday of some elite leagues. There is no big pay day attached to A-League, so there's no reason for clubs to overspend to get there. If clubs will get relegated they'll probably find they are more profitable playing in the N2D than the Top Division. Their revenue will fall, but their expenses (especially player & staff wages) will fall dramatically. At the simplest level, if we refer to "A-League" as the 28 (or 32) teams in Div 1 & 2, each player's contract would reflect: base wage + $100k bonus if playing Div1. So, Div1 squad wage would be $2.3M more than Div2.
David V
Guest
Rugby League and Rugby Union in England have promotion/relegation systems as well. In England, the Rugby Union establishment was originally against the very idea of national league and cup competitions because of regional and class prejudices. Contrary to popular belief, Rugby Union is in fact a sport played and enjoyed by all classes outside of London and the Home Counties - the West Country, Midlands and even parts of the North, whose clubs were looked down upon by the London Rugby Establishment, who feared that competitive games would see their order threatened by those uppity provincial clubs. "Code Wars" are a complete non-issue in England as well. The football and rugby league communities in the North coexist beautifully (Martin Offiah once worked for MUTV, for a start). Gloucester people passionately support their local rugby union side like no other, but they also support Midlands football teams (despite Bristol being closer!). Bath Rugby and non-league football side Bath City FC even play each other in a charity cricket game.
David V
Guest
Anachronism? Is that why the system works seamlessly in Europe's elite and no-so-elite nations? The system of promotion and relegation punishes clubs that fail to manage themselves properly, period.
Redondo
Roar Rookie
Yep - div 2 comes first of course. And, following that, if pro/rel will enhance the commercial viability of the A-League then the A-League clubs will adopt it.
Roberto Bettega
Roar Rookie
we're in elite company! the majority of football fans want P&R but the key question is - do the FFA and club owners want it?? and even if they do want it, can't happen until we have a robust national 2nd division bedded down
Redondo
Roar Rookie
Football is the biggest sport in the world and of all the 200+ countries who play it only 8 have top level leagues that don't have promotion/relegation. They are: Australia India Philippines Canada United States New Zealand San Marino Gibraltar So there's always the possibility you don't know what you're talking about. Or, as Nemesis inferred above, like many Australians your knowledge of sports business models is based entirely on domestic sheltered workshops like AFL and NRL.
Ad-O
Guest
Its debatable whether pro sports follows the same business model as other industries. Personally I don't see how pro/rel lifts standards if it's sending clubs broke or disincentivising investment in a majority of A-League clubs. There's always the possibility it is anachronistic, a drain on resources that is tolerable in bigger football economies but doesn't necessarily suit the game in Australia.
Ad-O
Guest
:-)
David V
Guest
I'm all for promotion/relegation. I'm all for helping grow the game in this country. What I am appalled by is the level of discussion surrounding all things football in Australia on sites like this. Nemesis has often displayed in his posts a condescending attitude towards his fellow countrymen, bordering in this case on abusive. It's as if one believes football is really only for some enlightened elite and not for the whole populace. Ironically, an attitude that some of the NSL "bitters" also seem to have. Fragmentation and constant slinging in online discussions: none of this helps Australian football and only reinforces the perception of the game being its own worst enemy.
Waz
Roar Rookie
Mid, So what has changed then, please list things? I’m not being flippant I’m being serious. In the last 14 months what has been done: - NCIP Replaced. - Gallop Gone. (anything else?).
Waz
Roar Rookie
Nemesis, The conversation was about what the FFA has achieved in 14 months since Lowy left. Not JJ
TeamAustralia
Roar Rookie
I do not require a football education especially from an uneducated boor like you Nemesis. I see plenty of football in Australia, the UK and Europe each year and have been attending Oz top league since the 80's. You appear certain that WUFC will always beat a promotion seeking team as WUFC are "....spending all that money" but what if the money dries up in 5 years or 10 years time? How can you be certain say a South Melbourne could not beat WUFC in 5 years time? You assume I am a Aussie worker - to set the record straight I have 4 businesses and employ over 120 great people. Please also keep your stupid anti Aussie comments to yourself as the only damage they do is to your failing reputation. Yours in football
Roberto Bettega
Roar Rookie
Team Australia, if WU was only spending $25 million, it wouldnt be such a great loss, but apparently they are planning to spend $180 million on a new stadium now thats serious money anyway, there's a reason why the new CEO doesn't mention P&R, it's not on the agenda, at least not for the short to medium term
Nemesis
Guest
I agree supporters are important.. to clubs they support. The FFA, moving forward, will have zero direct engagement with me as a supporter. The only direct contact FFA will have with supporters will be when organising friendlies or WC Qualifiers. For me: friendlies are practice matches, so I rarely bother attending any more. WC Qualifiers the scheduling is outside the control of the FFA. It is set by AFC. Ticket prices FFA does control, so that's one issue where FFA can better engage with me, as a fan. The rest of the time, my fan experience for ALeague will be dictated by my ALeague club, not the FFA.
Nemesis
Guest
Why would Western Utd, after spending all that money, finish bottom of a 14 team competition & be unable to beat a team of semi-professionals in a 2 leg playoff? If you can't understand why, you need to watch more football & educate yourself. Pro/Rel lifts the standards in an industry. Just like Pro/Rel in your job means the crap workers either get shown the door, or never move ahead; but the ambitious, successful worker get promoted. Competition pushes every workplace & every industry higher. Aussies might not realise this because, in general, many Aussies are unable to succeed when competition goes beyond their little closed environments.