Beggars cannot be choosers and as such, Football Federation Australia has accepted Foxtel’s new and less financially rewarding deal to cover A-League football for the next 12 months.
Had they not, the domestic game was at risk of becoming an innocuous or potentially invisible entity.
Without a host broadcaster, A-League football would lose its face. Thankfully that scenario has been avoided, yet what occurs beyond winter 2021 when the new arrangement comes to its conclusion is anyone’s guess.
But for now at least, there are many sighs of relief, blended with real concerns around which direction the local game will head in the World Cup year of 2022.
The new deal sees Fox Sports remain the host broadcaster of the soon to be briskly wound up 2019/20 season, as well as the new campaign that will begin in December.
That new season will run into the depths of winter and return the game to a seasonal time slot that was jettisoned just over 30 years ago.
FFA head James Johnson has hinted strongly at the advantages of re-aligning the top flight competition with NPL competitions and junior play around the country; stating clearly that uniting the game will depend greatly on gathering it under a single umbrella.
FFA CEO James Johnson. (Photo by Brook Mitchell/Getty Images)
From there, the governing body will hope to morph, shape and steer Australian football into a brave new era.
A natural by-product of Friday’s announcement will be partisan positions and people both for and against the move will be adamant that a successful future relies on the game being played at a time that aligns with their view.
There are an array of issues, problems and sticking points that will make the timing change a difficult task, just as playing modern football in oppressive summer conditions has presented a host of challenges throughout the history of the A-League.
Effectively, discussions and debate around the move will focus on three key areas.
#1 Should football enjoy the free air in summer or tackle other codes head on during winter?
The A-League enjoyed not competing with the other major football codes in Australia during summer. Cricket and basketball became their warm weather rivals but in reality, all three had little impact on each other’s attendances and viewing metrics.
Winter presents a different beast altogether, with many NRL and AFL fans potentially forced to choose between their first love and an additional interest in football.
For most, that decision will be a no-brainer, and in what will be a hectic winter period for those of us attempting to keep up to speed with all three codes, some who have taken a moderate interest and previously viewed A-League play may do so less frequently in the future.
#2 With flat lining crowds already an issue, is a winter move destined to accelerate the decline?
Crowds are impacted significantly by inclement weather, and whilst Brisbane Roar may well enjoy the switch, knowing that an average temperature of 21-22 degrees through the winter months will mean generally pleasant conditions for their home matches, southern parts of Australia will be typically frigid at times and the trip to Wellington may well become something akin to an Antarctic adventure.
Many Australians are traditionally reluctant to throw on a coat and beanie to brave appalling conditions, something no doubt born of our enjoyment of such a generally temperate and pleasant climate, as well as the attractive option of a night in front of a television and warm fire, watching the contest from home.
Potentially, many will chose this option more frequently in the winter months and on freezing nights, A-League matches with less than 5,000 fans could become all too common.
All sports suffer losses when the weather gods conspire to make attendance at matches unattractive, yet the potential impact on A-League clubs’ game day revenue is realistic and concerning.
An empty stadium watches on. (AAP Image/Dean Lewins)
#3 Will a deterioration in the standard of A-League pitches hamper the product?
With all four codes running concurrently, the pitch conditions required for top quality football will become difficult to maintain in many Australian stadiums.
The Roar have traditionally battled with poor surfaces in the final months of the A-League season, when the Brisbane Broncos have begun chopping up Suncorp Stadium in March and April, as well as they odd concert or two. Winter football would see that battle run for the entire season.
AAMI Park, Marvel Stadium and GMHBA Stadium will host AFL, rugby union and league fixtures, sometimes just days or hours before Melbourne Victory, Melbourne City and/or Western United attempt to impress their fans on their surfaces.
Sydney FC, Western Sydney and Macarthur FC will face a similar dilemma in Sydney.
Still years away from a completed venue on the site of the former Sydney Football Stadium, Bankwest Stadium has been doing the lion’s share of the work.
The venue looks likely to host at least two codes on a weekly basis, with rugby also destined to use the facility when the Waratahs eventually return to the field in a newly structured competition.
Suburban grounds such as Netstrata Jubilee and Leichhardt Oval will be nowhere near as smooth and manicured as during the summer months and the Jets will also share McDonald Jones Stadium with their league counterparts.
Adelaide United, Perth Glory and Central Coast Mariners should always provide a decent surface, however, with memories of some appalling A-League pitches used during the early months of the league and union seasons still vivid, it is fair to be concerned about the level of football produced on what will undoubtedly be pitches of lesser quality.
Is the move to winter realistic? Wise? Or potentially another disastrous tinkering with Australian football? Have your say on these core issues below.
Stevo
Roar Rookie
No problem jb, I get that he's young compared to some of the material that you mention but that doesn't translate to JJ not having read about the evolution of the game in Oz. But maybe that's a distraction from other points, yes, marketing of the A-league and kick-off times have been contentious issues for a while. I'm probably as frustrated as most. Playing times have been dictated by broadcasters, the price you pay for taking money from the media. I'm hoping JJ is aware of these issues but I don't envy his job. But good luck to him. Cheers.
chris
Guest
One worrying thing for NSW at least, is the SCG Trust taking over ALL major stadiums in Sydney and Newcastle. The SCG Trust is comprised of a boys club interested in rugby, AFL, cricket and league. Football will get no favours from this group, so competing for resources directly in the winter months is further complicated by this. We remember the SCG turf fiasco with Sydney FC. These numpties dont understand nor care that football needs a good surface to play on.
TK
Guest
What you are saying is I don't believe the hard data that shows in 4 out of the last 5 years crowds increased at roar games when winter football started when the proposition originally put is that crowds would fall. What I am saying is 4/5 previous years the facts say that doesn't happen. The season that did fall was about 200 ppl. If you have data to prove what you are fearful of then I think it would be helpful for the debate if you produced it to verify your position that you believe crowds will fall. Otherwise, in Brisbane at least you have nothing to fear. The opportunity then lies in maximising engagement with the players of association football to start attending.
c
Roar Rookie
#1 Should football enjoy the free air in summer or tackle other codes head on during winter?- is a misnomer there was no free air in summer eg down south media discusses afl 24/7 365 days of the year
Fernando Cobra
Guest
1. Summer evenings would be great to go to the stadium. 2. Agree that jun/jul should be off. Having a-league finals at the same time the national team competes in international competitions (usually jun/jul) would be bad. Best league players would be serving the national team and their teams would be jeopardized.
Admiral Ackbar
Guest
Here’s what I want to know. Will Wellington Phoenix fans still take off their shirts in the 80th minute, even if they’re playing in July with a 7:00pm kickoff?
Tom
Guest
Importantly it aligns with the Asian Champions League and the AFC’s international program. It’ll get rid of the problem of clashes with the Asian Cup and qualifying tournaments.
lesterlike
Roar Rookie
Well that’s just being ludicrously pedantic Waz and you know it. When people are talking about “aligining with Asia,” they are saying we should align with the AFC and AFF calendar for club and international competitions. No one gives a damn that we were aligned with Arab leagues because that doesn’t affect Australia however the timing of AFC and AFF competitions does.
Matt
Guest
It would be nice to see a couple of other considerations made... 1. Could remaining in summer with a shift to only night matches in January and February help...? I’d like to see games played every night at 7:30 for a couple of months, a bit like the big bash 2. Would it be possible to play the season from March to May and then August to November with a winter break? Keeps June and July free for international competitions and gives us some more free air while still having some NPL crossover and avoiding the hottest months
Waz
Roar Rookie
The current (summer) season already alligns with some countries in Asia, the proposed new (winter) season will align with some other countries. There is no “one season” in Asia - each country chooses the best start and stop time for its circumstances. Australia should too.
Waz
Roar Rookie
The club (Roar) themselves believe it is an issue, and have data to back that up. Supporters themselves, via on line forums only admittedly, claim the conflict exists. And in the past, Football Brisbane have rescheduled entire rounds of grassroots and NPL fixtures to avoid clashes with big games - why would they do that? What you’re offering is more of the “trust me” or at least “trust the FFA” on what could be a very risky proposition - if crowds were to fall off dramatically the loss of revenue could kill some clubs. So before moving the season I’d want more evidence than “the new CEO will have considered this” ... I’d want some detailed analysis and comprehensive surveying of supporters to know for sure. That has not happened.
Blood Dragon
Roar Rookie
the thing with the FFA App i ask is why would the A-League and W-League have fought so hard to gain independence to have there broadcast rights on a service owned by there former owners?
TK
Guest
I think that sort of work would help inform this sort of discussion.
TK
Guest
I had a look at the Roar attendances over the last 5 years and the monthly average numbers in Jan, Feb, March and April (excluding finals) look like this: 2104/15 - Jan (0) Feb (9263) March (9661) April (9266) end of season 2015/16 - Jan (15466) Feb (10585) March (14649) April (17491) end of season 2016/17 - Jan (13764) Feb (11909) March (13576) April (10106) end of season 2017/18 - Jan (8424) Feb (8635) March (10128) end of season 2018/19 Jan (8204) Feb (8356) March (8095) April (8620) end of season This data would seem to show no significant drop off in crowds resulting from the season start of winter football. Maybe most people involved who are already roar fans still come to the games even when their season starts. Maybe a move to winter could potentially engage the enormous player base that are currently not coming to A league games - but could if there was opportunity for more engagement during the winter season when they have their boots on themselves. I accept we shouldn't hope - but I expect that any CEO with football experience would have already considered this issue before mooting the move - the data is readily available for someone at FFA to give him the analysis.
RbbAnonymous
Roar Rookie
I love the direction this new CEO is taking us. He is taking a very confident approach and why not, football is still the greatest game on earth whether its played in Australia or elsewhere in the world. Of course there is trepidation from A-league fans about the switch. However, in regards to the well being of the players and having a better spectacle then there is no argument, the switch from summer to winter just make sense. The speed of the game will obviously increase, we will align our seasons with our AFC partners and our NPL competitions and the players will be less at risk. As a fan I love watching A-league games in summer but even I concede it can get uncomfortable watching games in extreme heat and that the well being of the players should take precedent above everything else. It is difficult enough watching a game in high temperatures but imagine for a second playing in those conditions. As for the broadcast deal I thought it was reasonable considering how covid-19 has affected most sports and our daily lives. However I am looking forward to more bold decisions by this CEO, including setting up a broadcasting arm for a subscription service. While I applaud Foxtel for their committment to football they were having too big a say in the running of our sport, which I felt was fraught with a little danger. We have a broad base with which to work from and to tell you the truth we have more upside than downside. In the sense we need to do a better job of converting football fans into A-league fans. This conversion rate just needs to keep increasing over the years and we will be more than fine. It is FOOTBALL who can determine that. With control firmly in our destiny we decide the direction of our sport, we set the narrative, we can determine how we want our competitions to look, not a broadcast partner. All I want to see as a football fan is the best competition we can make the A-league, that would include 14-16 teams in the future, pro/rel battles, NSD matches, womens football, transfer fee news and signings, FFA cups and charity shield type events, touring teams to Australia and Australian teams touring overseas, archive footage of old socceroo matches, NSL matches and GF’s. Its all Australian football and its our story and its up to us how we want that story to be told so that it is appealing and moves our sport forward.
Maradona's Lovechild
Roar Rookie
Yo No Mates, why Roar, why Glory? Why are you so worried about attendences? Do you have financial investment in the league? JJ clearly said, "Stop worrying about other sports." All these crowd obsessed peeps on these forums. Leave that concern to the CEO's who will finally own the game in a year or so as FFA and the league's club owners finally transition, allowing the market to decide. Then NRL and AFL obsessions like salary caps, playing on oval fields etc will be done with. JJ appears to me to be a confident leader, a man who knows the game and knows where it needs to head. Forget BBL, NRL, AFL and lets start playing in smaller football specific grounds. AAMI is good in Melbourne, Coopers in Adelaid, Dolphin in Brissy, Perth's ground is good enough, Kogarah, Leichardt etc good for Sydney, Wanderers new ground is great, Campbelltown is ok for Macarthur. All is good. If one weekend Wanderers is booked out, go to Marconi and sell it out - awesome, imagine the atmosphere. Some of the NPL clubs that eventually get promoted like Wollongong, Sth Melbourne, Sydney United, Brisbane strikers etc, their grounds are good enough. Smaller clubs will add interest and connect the older historical clubs and tribes with the new. Win win.
NoMates
Guest
This is bullcrap, Winter A-League is only suited to 2 clubs, Roar and Glory while the rest of the clubs suffer low crowds and bad pitches.
Waz
Roar Rookie
Your position seems to be the assumption many make, and it might happen. However, we know a lot of A League supporters are involved with other clubs and we know some clubs report a drop off in attendance when other football starts up in March. So it would be wise not to move the season and HOPE these people turn up but to do some checking first.
Poldark
Roar Rookie
Thanks for the great post, obviously you are a man ( or woman) with a great passion for the world game. I think we are greater in number than would appear. Having been through the highs and lows of football here in Australia over the last 60 or so years I am still passionate about our game and I have this ‘gut feel ‘ that, finally, we have someone in James Johnson motivated by the same kind of passion.
jbinnie
Guest
Stevo - regarding your comment and quote on my statement re. JJ's knowledge of the original summer soccer proposal,it was neither "smug" nor was it meant to be unnecessary. The original article on SS was printed on, or about 1984/5. Although I don't know JJ or his age,in guessing he is in his mid forties, that would make him around 9 or 10 when the article first appeared hardly an age when he would have been interested in football administration, he was probably enjoying kicking a ball with his junior team. What worries me is that from the time the original proposal was first aired until the "suits" implemented the suggestion, (some 4/5 years later),the original suggestion was almost un-recognisable from it's intention. Gone was the 6.00pm kick offs on Fri,Sat or Sunday (that's when NSL games were played). Foodlighting was almost a forbidden word,and "marketing to a target audience was a step to gar for club committees. That is what concern me. Does our new top honcho know what the intentions were behind the original "summer soccer" idea. The A-League has produced a better standard of football and in doing so has raised the crowd levels to a figure averaging up near the 8-10,000. Now if only we could get a marketing guru to professionally publicise what has always been deemed the most populous participant sport, Association Football. Cheers jb