With the worst kept secret in Australian sport now well and truly out of the bag, Australian football at an elite level appears to be just months away from being on its knees.
Foxtel’s scheduled payment to FFA, honouring the broadcast deal it signed in 2016 worth $346 million, has been missed and without football on the pitch to broadcast, the media giant now eyes an opportunity.
With the league failing to provide content, Fox Sports continuing to lay off staff and now the chance for a nice and neat severing of ties with the Australian game, the A-League is about to lose its host broadcaster.
The circumstances create a window for the Murdoch-owned body to walk away from a six-year arrangement, citing breach of contract and escaping from a deal that was doing little for them in terms of ratings or commercial benefits.
The immediate reality of already financially stressed clubs, unpaid players and staff and still no likely date set down for a return to action, makes the Foxtel move a no-brainer. For them.
Sadly it could and probably will have disastrous repercussions on the Australian game with the pool of funds available likely to have shrunk considerably when we finally do see our favourite domestic players back on the short grass.
In a nutshell, FFA is about to lose around $57 million per season, much of which is used to buffer the clubs spending of the $3.2 million salary cap and supposedly to attract marquee players to the competition in order to put bums on seats.
Already there is talk of a potential legal challenge to any Foxtel walk-out. Legal minds far more clever than mine will deal with that one.
Putting on my captain obvious costume, it is safe to say that there is not a corporate entity waiting in the wings to tip in anywhere near that kind of money in either the short or medium-term future.
Thus, the clubs will be spending far less on wages, FFA will be seeking a new partner to disseminate the games to the public and thus, Australia’s elite level football competition is about to take a few steps back.
Equally as scary is the prospect of a host of major sponsors and corporate interests leaving shirts, corporate boxes and functions; choosing instead to recover from what looms as a serious economic downturn.
Their employees and investors will probably demand that be the case until the bottom line begins to appear less horrific; many may well be unable to meet the terms of their deals and football will probably be even more financially precarious than other professional codes around the country.
Perhaps the elite league will return re-branded. Many will hope it does. Those harbouring desires to see Australian football return to the halcyon days of the NSL era, where community-based clubs held sway, will be hopeful.
People like me will be keen on seizing what looms as an opportunity to make an immediate move to promotion/relegation, with top-tier clubs suddenly becoming far more financially akin to those participating in NPL1 competitions across the country.
FFA head James Johnson will be sleeping little, pondering on these and a host of other issues that will not be overcome in anything other than the long term.
The Australian football community is on board with him; an experienced and credentialled man he is. However, is there something of a silver lining that may in fact see the game emerge more stable than the current scenario suggests?
Firstly, and thanks to a mostly consistent and diligent approach to isolation, social distancing and government policy that has aided the fight against COVID-19, Australia will likely emerge and re-open well before many other countries.
Liam Reddy has called for clarity amid the A-League’s COVID-19 suspension. (Photo by Etsuo Hara/Getty Images)
Potentially, that allows the game to begin its rebuild well before others have even begun to plan for the same. A-League players may well be forced to take considerable pay cuts, yet with many international leagues likely to be months away from play, players are unlikely to be poached.
Even when other competitions do return to play, should the financial hit they have experienced remain comparative to that of Australia, the domestic game might be able to hang on by the skin of its teeth.
Getting back to play quickly, restructuring where needed and riding a relatively strong economy that allows Australia to emerge from the pandemic as a comparative winner, could well be what sees football return successfully at the professional level, far less disastrously than many predict.
It is not joyful in any way to suggest that Australian football may well survive at the elite level thanks to the misfortune of other nations, yet as a harsh reality, it should be something FFA are looking towards in terms of getting the game back on track.
Maybe, just maybe, there is a path through this mess. James Johnson needs to be the man to find that path.
HR
Roar Rookie
Good point about the costs - I hadn't really taken into account stadium fees.
Blood Dragon
Roar Rookie
Perth's Ground does look good especially for a converted ground (it used to be an oval until 2004), HBF Park is one of the more expensive grounds to hire in the league which as as result leaves Perth with some of the highest ticket prices in the league but with no other alternatives but Ovals in the Suburbs or Optus Stadium Glory are stuck there
HR
Roar Rookie
I get what you're saying now, and I agree that most teams are stuck with grounds that are either too hard to get too, too big, the wrong shape, or too small/not of high enough quality (club-level pitches without any significant facilities to cater to the crowd). I haven't been there, but Perth's home ground looks decent on the TV - I think that an average attendance of more than half of the ground's capacity is a decent rule of thumb for the size of the stadium, and Perth seem to get something close to that.
AxeMaster
Roar Rookie
Elton John singing...."Goodbye my A-League, you know I never knew you at all....you promised so damn much but delivered sweet fu#* all"
Jordanv
Roar Rookie
Apparently, we can re-hash the eulogy for the AIS football program. 3 months is enough time to create a magical youth setup like La Masia or Ajax, right? More seriously, maybe the FFA should introduce a new "FFA Academy" team based in Southern Sydney (Kogarah, Belmore?) or Canberra that is youth-focused and constitutionally required to follow the Olympic football player eligibility rules - Australians only, maximum 3 overage players in the squad and the rest under 23. It would force game time for younger players and give them real football experience that pushes them to improve. Perhaps a bit like Chelsea this season - the coach would have to get the best out of his players and not rely on old has-beens. Win, lose, or draw I think most people would support a team that produces and toughens potential future Socceroos. The kids are cheap, you can lock them in for 3 years and sell overseas for a profit. It would also apply pressure on the young players to improve because they aren't going to be dropped and will be playing against more experienced and (sometimes) better players. The 3 overage players could add some spine and give guidance to the kids of what is expected from them at a professional level. Hire Ernesto Valverde, push the youth angle and I'd sign up as a member tomorrow! How's that for a positive angle in these dark times?
Jwoody74
Roar Rookie
Yes and those sub contractor companies like NEP and Gearhouse are bleeding money and furloughing what full time staff they do have. Will be interesting all round what happens when it does return especially as to what price the providers may possibly hitch the prices up to for the equipment and the OB trucks to help the providers get back on track also.
Blood Dragon
Roar Rookie
i think you have misunderstood me, what i'm saying is most cities in Australia don't really have suburban grounds that could host top flight teams on a full time basis, the only city that does is Sydney, Adelaide are fine at Hindmarsh and don't really have anywhere also to go besides suburban AFL grounds anyway, Perth and Melbourne have no alternatives besides AFL Ovals and an Athletics Track in the case of Melbourne, Brisbane has 1 suitable Suburban Rectangle 30km north of the CBD and in the Opposite direction to the Roar's HQ in the Logan area other then that it has a 5ok athletics track 10k south of the city with no PT and an AFL oval at Springfield opening in 2021
HR
Roar Rookie
Ah, so you're talking about an A-League hub for the remainder of the season? If so, you're right that Sydney is probably the only city with a sufficient number of grounds to host a whole lightning carnival-style tournament. If you're talking about the future of the league over the next few years though, it doesn't make any sense not to use the mid-size grounds that already exist in each city. I get the idea that it's stupid to play at Marvel or Suncorp or SFS or Adelaide Oval (these are the grounds that I though Micko was referring to, and I agree that a large stadium that's two-thirds empty has very little atmosphere and the view of the action isn't good from the lower tiers), but to rule out mid-size (10-25K capacity) grounds on the basis that they're already in use by A-League teams seems dumb to me. As an aside, I would consider Hindmarsh to be a suburban ground. It has better access than a lot of suburban grounds thanks to the tram from the city, but everything outside the parklands surrounding the CBD is suburban in Adelaide - it's pretty well undifferentiated from there out to the edges of the suburban sprawl.
Roberto Bettega
Roar Rookie
You are right, but then again, what else is there to talk about right now?
Blood Dragon
Roar Rookie
Adelaide already use that and it's not exactly suburban as its the main rectangular stadium for South Australia and its 3.5k km from the Adelaide CBD, i meant smaller suburban grounds not in use by the a-league and the only city with those that would be good enough for top flight would be Sydney
forevervictory
Roar Rookie
The A League articles on here are the same recycled articles we’ve read all before. And another one this week on A League ‘attendance’..I’ve seen that one a million times. The same way you write about A league lacking excitement , managed poorly and doing nothing different year on year, I can only say it feels as though the roar is no different. Who ever manages the A league Column needs to look into that...
HR
Roar Rookie
Might it be worth it for the FFA to make a deal with SBS and broadcast everything free-to-air so that the club sponsors get their logos on TV? A reduced cost for the broadcast rights with a FTA station would surely get more eyes on the game, which might encourage club sponsors to cough up more cash with increased viewership. This would be happening at a time when a lot of other codes are moving progressively behind paywalls, and we've seen the carnage that has wrought on rugby here and cricket in the UK for example. Giving kids some football that they can watch without a subscription to half-a-dozen decent streaming services ought to help grow the game, and might get them to head along to matches in person too.
HR
Roar Rookie
The standard will drop considerably if they're having to work full-time to support their playing. A reduction in wages might be tolerable for some players, but they're not going to (not should they) play for pocket change.
HR
Roar Rookie
Hindmarsh? It's a free tram ride from the city centre, and with a capacity of 16500 and a good atmosphere with an attendance over about 5000 it's a good size for the league.
HR
Roar Rookie
Realistically, any decently-sized league already has the cash to buy all of the elite players in the A-League with the money they find behind the metaphorical sofa cushions. I don't think it's that likely that some reductions in local salaries will drive all of the players offshore if they haven't already left, especially given the degree to which they would necessarily be isolated if they played overseas.
Beni Iniesta
Guest
The English Premier League is looking to start June 8 - that is before the A-League you know. https://sports.ndtv.com/english-premier-league/premier-league-could-resume-on-june-8-report-2219490
Beni Iniesta
Guest
Sport to find its feet here faster than Europe? Why? English Premier League looking set to start on June 8. https://sports.ndtv.com/english-premier-league/premier-league-could-resume-on-june-8-report-2219490
Beni Iniesta
Guest
"A-League players may well be forced to take considerable pay cuts, yet with many international leagues likely to be months away from play, players are unlikely to be poached." Hate to break it to you, but this is completely wrong. The English Premier League is going to be back in June - perhaps by June 8. That will be before the A-League is back. Have they even discussed a return date? Most European Leagues will be back in June if they haven't cancelled their season like the Dutch have. https://sports.ndtv.com/english-premier-league/premier-league-could-resume-on-june-8-report-2219490
Johan
Guest
Unusually good piece Disco (stu). You have however missed one crucial point. Since its inception, a league players have been grossly overpaid for the standard of association footballer that they are. They should not have been on more than. $70,000 per year given their skills. The league and most clubs were living beyond their means and the chickens have come home to roost. C’est la vie Peeps!
XI
Roar Guru
**starts playing "Goodbye, Mr A" by the Hoosiers**