The A-League will look very different next season whether we like it or not, with the final 13 games of the regular season potentially our last chance to see some of its biggest stars.
The appointment of Frenchman Erick Mombaerts as Melbourne City coach may yet turn out to be a masterstroke.
City were much the better side in their 2-0 win over reigning champions Sydney FC on Saturday night, even if they were gifted both of their goals by a couple of defensive errors.
Mombaerts is unlikely to read too much into the win, although of the two teams on show at ANZ Stadium in Homebush, only one of them looked like potential champions – and it wasn’t Sydney FC.
One defeat doesn’t spoil a season, obviously, and Sydney FC can afford to treat the loss as a timely wake-up call.
But what Steve Corica will need to do between now and the finals series is re-motivate a squad that suddenly looks a bit complacent.
Melbourne City, meanwhile, are cruising in second spot and will hope Brisbane Roar can do them a favour and beat Wellington Phoenix in Newcastle on Wednesday night.
They also have the league’s top scorer in Jamie Maclaren up front, with the Socceroos ace locked in a colossal tussle with Sydney FC’s star English striker Adam Le Fondre for the Golden Boot.
(Mike Owen/Getty Images)
Maclaren took his goal against Sydney FC with typical aplomb, and we may be seeing a few more Aussie attackers in action by the time the next A-League season rolls around.
That’s because next year’s broadcast deal of $32 million, some $5 million of which reportedly exists in contra, is worth around half the current deal.
What that means in practical terms is that player salaries will be slashed and A-League clubs will somehow need to run even leaner operations than they already do.
And that, in turn, is likely to see some foreign players – and no doubt a few Aussies too – look overseas for their next stint of professional football.
How much of an impact will these pay cuts have? Plenty.
With reports of some players facing cuts of up to 80 per cent of their previous salaries and the Professional Footballers’ Australia association no doubt ready to step in on their behalf, this is a battle we’ll hear much more about over the coming months.
And since we’re on the subject – and at the risk of making myself more popular around the shadowy corners of the internet than I already am – perhaps it’s worth pointing out that some of the fans who for years have refused to pay for Fox Sports are the same ones who now seem bemused by the idea that a lot less money will soon be funnelled into the game.
(Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
Some of those fans continue to insist that everything will be alright in the end because so many viewers are streaming games on Kayo or the My Football app, even though those figures are yet to be made public and could just as easily reveal that virtually no one is watching at all.
The medium-term solution is to set up a one-stop dedicated Over-the-Top streaming service housing multiple tiers of football content, which viewers are charged a fee to access.
In the meantime, with foreign stars like Markel Susaeta and Ola Toivonen already making the understandable decision to return to Europe, perhaps there’s another way to view what is inevitably going to be a pared-back A-League next season?
And maybe it’s that players like Lachlan Brook, Kristian Popovic and Pacifique Niyongabire – who all scored in Adelaide’s 5-3 win over Perth last Thursday – might actually get some decent playing time going forward?
Which should hopefully mean Jamie Maclaren has some more home-grown talent keeping him company at the top of the goal-scoring charts – and, with any luck, the Socceroos.
Chris h
Guest
Confirmed it as 22,000 in house, 175,000 tv if the EPL moved here
will
Guest
Q: What would be the local attendance/tv audience, if the EPL moved to Australia? I'm not sure it's as high as contributors here think.
Lionheart
Roar Rookie
that's already happening at the best academies Micko. They select who enters and they don't charge fees. The other academies, that take anyone who will [pay,. yep, agree, a scam. They need to be called something else - not academies.
Beni Iniesta
Guest
Well, Central Coast will surely be fielding a full-on youth team next season if they're playing at all. That should give the kids plenty of playing time. But onto more important things, when are they going to introduce promotion-relegation to the national 2nd division etc. etc.?
NUFCMVFC
Roar Guru
Optus Sport picking up Simon Hill is a real sign of where things are going
NUFCMVFC
Roar Guru
Yeah I'm really hoping Optus Sport will pick up HAL to go along with JAL and KAL. At the very least the ACL It depends on how much they can and are willing to hold. Eg for Fox Sports the HAL timeframe flowed well into EPL and so they probably viewed the two as a bundle I had no issue with Fox Sports holding A-League, what I really wanted to see was FFA Cup or ACL on FTA which could have acted as a form of broad reaching promotion of the local teams Especially around the first half of 2010's when there was a fair bit of energy around WSW and the derbies and crowds were decent
AndyAdelaide
Roar Rookie
macarthur just signed matt derbyshire, why oh why do a league clubs keep recruiting lower league English players when there are aussie kids than can do the job for probably half the price!!!!! derbyshire isn’t going to exactly put bums on seats either. He’s the third player over 34 they’ve signed now, absolute waste of money!!!
At work
Roar Rookie
I’m not sure about who’s going to sponsor the FFA Cup, but I’ve got a strong feeling Optus Sport will pick up the rights. Simon HIl joining them is the first step of bringing Austrlain football to the new home of football
At work
Roar Rookie
It would be a nice change to see McLaren be challenged for the golden boot my a non-VISA player for once.
Will
Guest
In terms of technical development alot of the new breed of Australian young players have better advanced technical skills to senior counter parts largely due the SAP program imposed by the FFA around Australia. Each state does it differently but what I can see its made a great difference in the technical skills in young Australian players. Maybe its no coincidence that we are seeing great young talent Australian football now largely due to what was implemented almost a decade ago. The only thing they are missing is the physical side given they are playing against grown men in a full time environment and maybe the decision making and execution could improve but only with more experience, but once they get that intact then watch out because of quality of kids coming through is very good with more to come.
Roberto Bettega
Roar Rookie
In comparison to Rugby, the $32 million deal is pretty good (of course Rugby only needs to fund less than half the teams, at the moment).
chris
Guest
Parents do coach kids yes. But a lot of kids also go into SAP programs where qualified coaches take the role. You can't expect a qualified coach given the huge playing numbers at grass roots level. I see some of the kids coming through SAP and they look very good. The future is bright for football. Yes the global competition is getting tougher and tougher but I think that, in the main, we are on the right path regarding coaching and programs etc.
Ad-O
Guest
It could be worse. They could have ended up with Rugby Union's deal.
Micko
Roar Rookie
This whole "academy" thing in soccer is a scam! :angry: Let the best talent go through to receive the best training!
Micko
Roar Rookie
The World Game is gone now?
Lionheart
Roar Rookie
that last phrase of yours, about the last two weeks and youngsters, has been enduring in the A League for a few years now. We've always had a good batch of youngsters coming on and impressing from one club or other. Many have gone overseas, and come back. Not many have made it beyond their initial flashes of youthful brilliance.
chris
Guest
Yep - and so has Rugby. Foxtel big on navel gazing and inward looking. The sooner they disappear the better.
chris
Guest
Thanks for the tip kangas but I'll talk about what i like where i like. I get tired of the constant badgering of the A-League standards by msm and some of the supporters of the other codes. While at the same time lauding the world class athletes that are playing AFL and league. I watch league as well but Im not hoodwinked into thinking that a few 150k league juniors and Pacific Islanders makes for a world class game.
Mike Tuckerman
Expert
Isn't the A-League community precisely who football is played for? I'm pretty sure Melbourne Victory fans have noticed Ola Toivonen's absence.
Mike Tuckerman
Expert
The self-evident problem with selling the game to Fox Sports - and we all know I've defended them in the past - is what happens when they lose interest? Well, we've suddenly found out.