In 1453 Sultan Mehmed II of the Ottoman Empire stormed Constantinople after a bitter siege, putting an end to the more than 1000-year-old Byzantine Empire.
Historians will tell you, however, that this event was the final mopping up of a once-great empire that had fallen into decline hundreds of years earlier. The mortal blow for the Byzantines in fact came in 1204, when a crusader army sacked the Constantinople, devastating the city and dividing up the lands of the empire. Although the Byzantines would later reconquer their kingdom from the crusaders, it was a mortal blow from which the empire never fully recovered, and it limped along before being finally swallowed up by the increasingly powerful Ottoman Empire.
Today we find the A-League at a crisis point. Faced by a one-in-100-year event few would have seen coming, will this be seen as the A-League’s ‘crusader moment’, the moment an ailing competition was dealt a mortal blow, or does this crisis provide an opportunity for resurrection, an out-of-left-field circuit-breaker that can finally jolt the game back to the right course?
(AAP Image/Joel Carrett)
Let’s first look at the challenges. The obvious one is finance. From all angles. Gate takings, sponsorship, membership, merchandise and of course TV rights, with Foxtel rumoured to be itching to pull the plug on the TV deal or significantly reduce it. This isn’t just one body blow; it’s multiple body blows administered with the ferocity of Mike Tyson at his peak.
The game, which had so long turned its back on the fans and allowed itself and its strategy to be dictated by corporate entities and TV corporations, can for the moment not rely on any of those things to save it.
We also have a brewing conflict with Professional Footballers Australia and the clubs over player payment as the ailing game threatens to cannibalise itself. Perhaps flying under the radar too is the mental impact on players and their families of an uncertain future.
Many old school fans, me included, have long since found comfort in the community-grounded teams of the state league, and with access to games being made even easier – a single platform recently launched to live stream games in New South Wales and Queensland – its appeal will surely grow.
However, all is not lost. In times of crisis there exists opportunity. And there are just enough flickers of hope that our game at a professional level can come through this and hopefully learn from its past mistakes.
The crisis will force a rethink into future structure and risk mitigation in the game. FFA CEO James Johnson has so far made the right noises. This is a man who seems to understand the urgent need to reconnect with the fans. He understands the competition needs to be agile to adapt to its future challenges, and so far he seems to command the respect of the clubs as a mediator in an ever-changing and often poorly defined power dynamic at the head office of Australian football.
It is still too early to see whether he can or will put his words into action, but he has made a good start. His power is of course limited with the new leadership model yet to be fully implemented, but if he can get all parties to work together, there may just be hope in saving the competition.
Out of this too will hopefully come an understanding that TV revenue, although important, cannot be king. It cannot be allowed to dictate football strategy and direction. Pending too is a general strategy for the game that we are still waiting for and that is long overdue. Let’s hope this crisis is a catalyst to fast track this.
Here is the opportunity to drive football back to the fans. To rediscover that it is the fans, the active support, the atmosphere that makes football tick and is the foundation from which you build all else.
The crisis is a huge body blow for an already ailing league. Football, however, if nothing else, is resilient. The game will survive. In what form? That is the question. For the A-League now is the time.
Will the next few weeks be remembered as its crusader moment, its mortal blow before it limps into the pages of history? Or will it be a moment where it through inspired leadership stands up, rediscovers its roots, redefines itself, clarifies its strategy and uses this as a catalyst to turn its fortunes around and begin the journey to finally fulfil its potential?
The Ball Bobbled
Roar Rookie
Very good suggestion "Australian Premier League " imo
AxeMaster
Roar Rookie
Maybe the A League might not survive this interruption. If they have to reboot, then I hope they do go with Optus sport. They should also consider changing the competition name to the "Australian Premier League" (APL) as well. The A-League name is so rank. Play at smaller suburban grounds for the most part and keep the derby's at the bigger grounds. Reduce the costs and have more teams, forget the relegation rubbish cos supporters will lose interest when their teams go down.
Micko
Roar Rookie
"Leverage the successful parts of the A-League"....they did! Perth Glory were the success story: a club for the whole community, away from the very limited closed ethnic base of most NSL clubs, and proved to be the model club to pave the way forward for a more successful era with the A League. Adelaide United also went from the NSL to the A League. Look at how SFC, MV, WSW have been success stories. Admittedly MH/MC & WU are concerns though.
Chopper
Guest
A great opportunity to reboot the national competition in the winter months has suddenly appeared. There will be NRL and AFL clubs unable to fulfill their obligations. This will leave some stadium space for football. Stadium management will have to cut its cloth accordingly as it will be better to have some tenants than none at all. Even the caterers at these stadiums will not be able to survive on their previous high prices with smaller crowds also having smaller pockets. I see a Bright A League played from March till the beginning of November live streaming on a number of portals with the production by a company jointly owned by the FFA and the clubs themselves. The profit raised from these portals will assist in running both FFA and the clubs including the new 2nd division. There could be div two games as curtain raisers along with the Women's games because the Bright A League will attract families and affordable from the cost of tickets to catering. This is a massive opportunity...
chris
Guest
No way will it die out. It'll probably prosper in its heartland more than it does now. What it will do though is focus the suits that suddenly don't have unlimited funds to splash around. TV money was drying up pre Covid-19. Thats now guaranteed and in fact they may even take some away from some sports.
Redb
Roar Guru
It's not going to die out like the dinosaurs either. Either code wont die in its heartland . Tell him he's dreaming.
chris
Guest
Yes the thirst might be there but the money won't be. So we will see an end to the spending like there is no tomorrow by some sports. You know? Like AFL pushing its weight around in areas it is not welcome. Lets see how they go without all those millions/billions to splash around.
Nemesis
Guest
Wonderful opportunity for club football in Australia to reboot. Leverage the successful parts of the A-League. Add in the successful parts of the NSL. Avoid the failures of both. Keep things small at the start. Remember, the whole point of football is to get 2 teams of 11 to play a sport. It's not to create a TV show or entertainment. If we get the product right, then we can create a business out of the sport. A-League moved to quickly to create money out of sport. We lost our way. We're no the only ones. Football comps around the world are asking the same questions & calls for restructuring.
lesterlike
Roar Rookie
"Out of this too will hopefully come an understanding that TV revenue, although important, cannot be king. It cannot be allowed to dictate football strategy and direction." Great point. Foxtel's whinging has constantly killed needed reform, whether it was season length, kick off times, international breaks or down right basic stuff like continuing to have clubs play each other the same number of times after expansion. FFA allowed Foxtel to have their way for far too long because the Lowys had stacked the place with a bunch of non football people who had no idea why such reforms were important and were only interested in the bottom line, regardless of how much it compromised the game.
Redb
Roar Guru
Wishful thinking by Lynch. The thirst for the respective winter codes will be even stronger in 6-9 months. The AFL will be impacted, nothing is immune. The fans will be waiting.
Stevo
Roar Rookie
There are not many moments in our lifetimes that present themselves as unique opportunities for renewal or decline. Everybody will be experiencing an existential moment. This is one of those moments. This article about Myers is relevant: https://www.theage.com.au/business/companies/myer-shouldn-t-allow-this-crisis-to-go-to-waste-20200330-p54fdv.html "Behind one door there is the possibility that Myer will not survive this crisis." ... "Behind the other door is a long painful recovery for Myer but the emergence of a new slimmed-down department store chain with a better looking balance sheet and a lower and more appropriate cost base." What's the connection? This crisis is an opportunity to redefine what the A-league is about and how it should run and connect with the rest of Australian football. A chance to finally build a unified pyramid from grass roots to the professional top.
Roberto Bettega
Roar Rookie
Optus or DAZN looking more and more likely. https://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/a-league-looking-for-new-broadcast-partner-with-fox-sports-set-to-walk-20200330-p54fbc.html A-League looking for new broadcast partner with Fox Sports set to walk Football Federation Australia has begun scoping out options for a new broadcast partner for the A-League, believing Fox Sports is looking to end its 15-year partnership with Australian football. Despite having three years left to run on its contract, senior club and FFA sources anticipate Fox Sports will seek to end its $57 million per-year deal with the A-League, which has been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. FFA chief executive James Johnson would not comment on negotiations with Fox Sports but confirmed the organisation has already started to discuss back-up plans in the event the pay-TV network pulls out of football. "The COVID-19 pandemic has forced us all to question all aspects of how we do business. From the way we work, to the programs and services we deliver. Change, innovation, potential and possibility are commodities we have to deal in now," Johnson said. Foxtel declined to comment on its partnership with the A-League when contacted by the Herald on Monday, however clubs have been warned by FFA not to expect to receive the last quarterly payment for this year's broadcast rights. That final payment is due next month and worth around $900,000 for each club. Club sources suggest Central Coast Mariners and Brisbane Roar are set to follow Perth Glory in temporarily standing down their squad while the season is suspended due to lost revenue. The A-League will not resume until April 22 at the earliest. An extended delay to the season could provide Fox Sports with the opportunity to walk away, according to sources with knowledge of the contract.
Lionheart
Roar Rookie
of course the game will survive, and eventually it will be much stronger. But the immediate aftermath is not likely to bear much resemblance to the competition we've all grown to love. Perth Glory has already stood its players down, and SBS report today, now in the Murdoch press too, that Roar and Jets are about to join in solidarity with Sage. Only City and Sydney, they report, will keep their players on their books. All caused by Foxtel about to jump on its next payment. And you can be assured Foxtel won't be standing on firm ground when we come through all this, and won't be a bidder for future seasons, not at last seasons prices anyway. It's going to be a long road back I fear.
Midfielder
Roar Guru
Nice article, we are used to recovery but I hope it does not get to that.
Roberto Bettega
Roar Rookie
We need to remember that we were about 3/4s of the way through the season, so the clubs have earned about 3/4s of their usual annual revenue. Football is very well placed to survive this. Even if things go pear shaped, we will be ok. Why? I refer to an article Michael Lynch wrote the other day, where he compares the big Winter codes to the big dinosaurs dying out with an asteroid strike. Football in this country is different. Our strength is the grassroots, no matter how bad things get financially, we will always be able to put on a game of football. Let us assume the very worst case scenario: that some clubs don't make it back, that we shrink to an East Coast league (as the NSL was for many years), that we become semi-pro, padding out squad lists with youth players, that we are hosting games in little suburban venues. You get the idea, if necessary, we can shrink the league to such an extent that it costs next to nothing to run, and it will still be a good league! So I say to all football fans, one way or the other, we will come through this and still have a national league, of that I have no doubt.