Domestic professional football will be played into the winter months next year after FFA secured a revised broadcast deal for the A-League with Fox Sports.
The 12-month agreement will mean the pay TV network’s relationship with Australian football will extend until at least July 2021.
Under the deal, Fox will broadcast the remainder of the 2019-20 A-League season and the 2020-21 campaign.
It means the planned resumption of the current A-League campaign on July 16 can go ahead as planned.
The 2020-21 campaign will now kick off in December and conclude in July next year.
It means for the first time since 1989, domestic professional football will be played in Australia in winter.
FFA chief executive James Johnson hinted the move may be longer term than just for the new broadcast agreement.
“The shift in the timing of the next A-League season is a strategic decision to enhance the alignment of our top tier professional men’s league with the grassroots playing season,” he said.
“There are numerous benefits to this, including better aligning the competition pyramid of Australian football to facilitate enhanced football outcomes like a modern domestic transfer system, and enabling deeper engagement with our vast grassroots football community at the precise time our many participants are most engaged in our great game.
“Despite challenging times, this deal will help us continue the process of transforming our professional leagues and move the sport towards an exciting future.”
(AAP Image/Joel Carrett)
The FFA and Fox had been at loggerheads ever since the league was suspended due to the COVID-19 crisis in March.
It is understood the new deal is a $32 million contract, significantly less than the $57 million-a-year Fox was paying as part of its previous six-year deal which was set to run until 2023.
That deal is now dead in the water and the FFA will have to use the next 12 months to either negotiate a new contract with Fox or find another broadcast partner.
“This new deal also provides us with the opportunity to work with FFA over the next year as they reset and re-energise the professional game in Australia and explore the best possible range of future broadcast options for the game,” Fox Sports head Peter Campbell said.
As well as the A-League and W-League, the new deal also includes the final four Socceroos World Cup qualifiers in their Asian Round 2 group and any Socceroos or Matildas friendlies scheduled between now and the end of July 2021.
It does not include the FFA Cup, which may be broadcast in-house by the FFA and clubs via an online streaming platform.
“We are excited for the future of the FFA Cup and will make further announcements about its future direction in due course,” Johnson said.
ABC TV will continue to broadcast one A-League and one W-League match per week until the end of July 2021 as well as FFA-controlled Socceroos and Matildas matches.
Blood Dragon
Roar Rookie
in an ideal world every club should have there own stadium but the reality is that most clubs cant afford the build them
AndyAdelaide
Roar Rookie
this was the move to always make, it aligns the grassroots level of the game with the professional. My concern is stadia, most of the eastern states clubs wont have the luxury of a 'hindmarsh' that no other code shares. We're going to see some very ordinary pitches in the middle of winter every club must have there own purpose built stadium!!
chris
Guest
Glen I think that will happen both ways. I go to a few league matches a year but I probably wont do that given a choice between league and football.
Micko
Roar Rookie
Based on what, more teams using the stadium currently? Yes sure. But presumably the stadium rental is the same for everyone, so the stadium operator wouldn't care who's using it, as long as it's being used. All this means is the stadium will be vacant for a period over summer.
Blood Dragon
Roar Rookie
the NRL teams likely makes more revenue for those stadiums then A-League teams
Blood Dragon
Roar Rookie
the title is misleading, it is more accurate to say that the league is trialing a part winter season due to the 19/20 season being delayed
NoMates
Guest
Cant wait to watch the FFA Cup on Optus!
Glen
Guest
As a follower of the NRL and A-League and a member of the Eels and Wanderers, I think this will probably dilute my interest in the Wanderers quite a bit. It was nice to follow another team in summer while the NRL isn't on. I will still remain a member but probably attend and watch less games. If I had a choice I would probably rather watch an NRL game as neutral than a Wanderers match, in the event they clash. As many have said, there are enough rusted on A-League fans that it should cater to those first and foremost. But there will be people like me who will possibly drop away a bit. It might be made up for by re-engaging some of the lost fanbase though.
Johan
Guest
Some of what you write is true Chris but the truth is that there are not enough a league fans - rusted on or otherwise. I have come across many locals who follow asso football but support European teams that they have no connection to as they feel it gives them prestige to disrespect and disregard the local league.
Fernando Cobra
Guest
imagine loosing the team´s best players at a-league finals, cause they will serving the national team in some important competition.
Fernando Cobra
Guest
in fact, the main European leagues run from august to may - june and july are off. another point against this calendar, if maintained for the years to come, is the league will be running during the period in that, usually, world cup, asian cup (south-american cup, when inveted) and Olympic games take place. Strongly respecting the contradictory, I would prefer a calendar with june and july off.
chris
Guest
Im sure teams that make the latter stages of the Asian Champs League will get some more time off and start pre-season a little later. Most professional leagues in Europe only get around 30-40 days off anyway before the new seasons commence. Our players will deal with it.
chris
Guest
The A-League already goes head to head with those sports. The overlap into the NRL and AFL seasons will be almost the same as the overlap it currently has.
chris
Guest
Good points LH. Football will be fine as we already have rusted on A-League fans. This will only grow as the game closer aligns itself with grass roots. JJ talks about the football pyramid and no other game in this country has a base as big as football. Forget the channel 9's and 7's and Foxtel. All run by people not interested in football or for that matter, anything that isnt league, AFL or cricket. All other sports are boutique to them and not worth nurturing.
chris
Guest
Rosario whatever Johan said, just ignore him.
Fernando Cobra
Guest
with a-league running from december to july and final part of Asian champion League running from august to november, when the player will get 30 days hollidays plus 30 days pre season? Are we simply assuming that aussie clubs will not play final part o Asian Champions anyway?
Micko
Roar Rookie
This should improve the FFA Cup too! Could even have stand alone FFA Cup rounds like the poms do with their cup comps. :thumbup:
Micko
Roar Rookie
Won't really be that hard Dave.
Micko
Roar Rookie
Easy Ben....it's called: "first in, best dressed"! :happy:
Lionheart
Roar Rookie
Soccer's got to go its own way, whatever that is, and stop looking around at the other football codes. It's inspiring surely, that two of our female players are signed with Europe's best clubs for salaries that match anything paid to NRL and AFL players. And there's plenty more where that pair came from, plus some promising youngsters appearing out of our academies which have only been running at a decent pace for two, maybe three years. We have to go the world football path, and get away from this groove that is Australian sport.