From golden generation to lost generation: What went wrong with football in Australia?

It all makes sense now...

8 clubs were needed at the start so the favour would have extended to anyone who had enough money they had no choice. They had three bids at the start for Melbourne, Geoff Lord had the most money, and then the other bid that had some money was by Miribella and his money was brought in to join Victory. The third bid was led by Horvat not Melbourne Knights whose fundraiser was the pink haired paparazzi bloke and I assume they raised nothing. South Melbourne did not bid. The ethnic club that joined the A-league was Hollandia who played as Brisbane Lions in the NSL. The only ethnic club that bid for the A-league got in over Brisbane Strikers.

I stand by what I said. The FFA carried the Victory in the first season since they did not raise the requisite money. That favour would NOT have been extended to South Melbourne Hellas (an existing club, a real club, with a storied history, Oceania club of the century, but with no love from the FFA).

I would say the reverse anyone with the full money would have gotten the Melbourne team, Victory had millions raised as opposed to anyone else. Hellas had no money at the start of the A=league , they then got given millions for letting their ground have an athletics track, on top of having it rebuilt by the government . Your confusing Hellas making a bid for Heart once they got the government money and new ground, with them having any money before that.

The golden generation...4ever golden generation.. Only if Australia Federation valorizzed young footballer.. See you in Qatar 2022

It was just a name change. It was the exact same entity. The ASF wasn't placed into liquidation to establish SA, which DID happen to SA when the FFA was established. That being the case, not sure which bit is misleading.

Roberto - This latest comment is not just a little misleading. From around 1965 until 1995 (30 years) football, or soccer as it was known, was run by a body called the Australian Soccer Federation. It was only then ,in 1995 that Soccer Australia came into being and by 2003 was in such a bad state that the Crawford report was initiated to look into the affairs of that body. In 2005 that body was nearing liquidation and was re-named Football Federation Australian. This body under F Lowy set about cleaning up the mismanagement of the previous elected bodies, that's where your previously mentioned "government millions" went. You go on to mention The Under 20 team reaching the WC finals in 1988 meaning that most of the kids playing in that team, having learned their basics around the age of 6-10, in other words, back in 1976 . This was no surprise to the coaching fraternity who had been introduced to a new concept in coaching (small sided games on small pitches) beginning around 1974/5. This is another fact of life in football that has disappeared from general conversations in football circles. Cheers jb.

There never will be another “golden generation”, you can look at any sport and there’s always that once in a 100 year group of players that comes around. However In saying that, there can/could be some really great players that could represent Australia one day again, the problem is consistently getting them to that level which is where the myriad of issues happens. We’ve lost so many quality junior players because of the absurd local federations fees each year to register them (easily over $1000 a year). This drastically needs to get lowered, we should not be paying that much for our kids to play a sport they love. So what happens when these kids reach 14 and you can see there skills really start to develop in the positions they play? Next step up would be your local premier/state league clubs in their respective age groups (under 16/18/reserves etc). Which is all fair and good, but what about the immensely talented ones? This is where the AIS centre of excellence comes into play (elite coaching/training/conditioning) etc for the 14-18 year olds . They would be 30 or so players that have been identified as potential socceroo’s players in the next 4 years, hone there craft with the end game being playing in a strong European or Asian league . Currently these really talented kids aren’t getting that elite level of coaching/training/conditioning and are either leaving the game completely or playing in their states local leagues with fully grown adults. The only step up from the local leagues is the a league, there is no in-between. This is where the national second league needs to be introduced to give these players the opportunity to make the grade. The y league currently and always has been a joke of 8 games, it’s a waste of time and money for such little amount of game play. The next ‘golden generation’ is already here and that’s the talented local African Australian players, however our local coaches can struggle to contain there natural born flair and the players can also be difficult when asked to stick to their roles rigidly . I’ve witnessed it first hand here many times over the years in Adelaide with our African Australian players. It’s a bit of give take from both parties, but I truly believe that the socceroos in the next several years will have a team that incorporates 7 or 8 African Australian players in the matchday 18. Socceroos will never be world beaters, but they should always be competitive. The smaller nations of Asia are catching up rapidly, they’re spending millions of dollars on there various age groups; while Australia continues to be stagnant. It’s a very exciting but very scary time for the game in Australia

BB Well, yes and no. Let's not forget that the golden generation, which all came from the NSL era (even if a few never played in the NSL) all happened under the hopeless, pathetic, bankrupt tutelage of Soccer Australia. We might all complain about the present day FFA, board, chair and CEO, but I tell you this, nothing can compare with how weak and pathetic Soccer Australia was in its final 15 years or so. And yet... Never before had our U20s and U17s been so strong on the world stage. At one point, each was ranked no. 4 in the world for performances at their respective WCs. Even the Olyroos made the final four in 1988, and who can forget the heroics of Ned Zelic in getting us past a strong Dutch team away from home to qualify for the next olympics ony a few years later. After being able to follow the exploits of the socceroos for over 40 years, and our underage teams, the improvement in the Matildas, the exploits of our great socceroos internationally, it occurs to me. The quality of administration at the national level appears to have very little to do with anything.

There is no secret to the abominable state of affairs our sport is in. We are just no bloody good at administering it. Never have been, never will be. Death Wish that's all.

Hmmmm....sort of implies that Australia should not have struggled against Scotland?

KP....you lost me when I read the first line....

JB It is impossible to make the case that Lowy did not have it in for the ethnic clubs, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. Let us not forget that even the mighty Victory was short of the necessary starting capital figure, the FFA had to carry them financially for at least one full season. The key point here is that that favour was never, ever going to be extended to Hellas. The ethnic clubs were not wanted, full stop.

Roberto - you are a hard man to convince. How did F. Lowy know that Marconi, Melbourne Knights, Apia, South Melbourne, Sydney Croatia, Sydney Olympic, Hakoah ,Fitzroy, Carlton, Hiedelberg, etc could not achieve the finance needed to change from a part-time configuration to a fully professional league. Do you honestly believe that he had these identities examined in order that he could set a figure that none of them would be able to achieve. That my friend is a romantic dream and obviously nothing I can tell you will change your mind, So be it. Last night I spoke to high up official of the NPL side Brisbane Strikers, and he agreed with my observation, his club had on more than a few occasions examined the chances of getting into the A-League but financially found it a step too far, but they did get a fair hearing from the FFA. After all, surely it is no accident that in a comparatively short life span,15 years, three clubs, Northern Fury ,Gold Coast United and Auckland have all "dipped their toes" in the A-League and they too, found it a step too far. jb

So yes, Lowy had political backing. So yes, Lowy was given tens of millions of dollars of government money to clear all debts (which means it's completely irrelevant that the NSL was bankrupt). Most importantly, Lowy was given carte blanche to do whatever he wanted to do. He wanted the ethnic clubs out, and he created the conditions to ensure that the ethnic clubs were out. And guess what? They have been out ever since.

Australia has a population of over 25 milllion- even if talent is taken by other sports i think there should by enough good players out there. Problems with the development of players and seeking out and utilising the best we have.

Yeah so reliant on Cahill; no one in recent times can consistently score a goal! Also i have at times questioned if our starting mens national lineup is the best we really have? Some players i believe shouldn’t make an A-league team, let alone go to a world cup and get game time! Problems with scouting or coached lacking substance to cull certain players quicker?

They only "struggled" against Iran after that effing clown ran onto the MCG and tore the net down with the aussies 2-0 up and in control, resulting in a 20 minute stoppage to repair it.

When I look at the quality of talent coming through in the US Mens National Team, young players lying or being involved at big clubs in Europe and contrast that to us, its explains where the game has focused on. Mark Viduka said it once in an interview that the aleague is a business that focuses on the shop window, but they left the kitchen unattended and now the national team and even the aleague is facing consequences for this. How could you market and promote on something that has little done to make it better for the server? It you dont focus on developing better players then how could your national league and national team be in an healthy state? This the direct consequence of the FFA not focusing on the tomorrow, it didnt help that they had non football in charge make crucial decisions which ultimately help or hinder the development of the game in Australia and look where we are now. Poor player pathways, youth teams struggling to qualify for youth world cups in Asia, little game time in the crucial development ages, inconsistent coaching, little players in the top 5 leagues in Europe and the removal of the only elite football training centre in the AIS. Some of these things have never been resolved, some have had little work put into them, some removed entirely, it just shows where the game's priorities have been in Australia for all this long. Big problems and the something the game should focus on if they want a better future, especially in the post covid world where the football world will alot different. Great opportunity to reset it in the right direction for future success if Australia craves it.

Roberto - I think you have missed the point I was trying to make completely. You talk about many ways to resurrect the NSL, an organisation that was close to bankruptcy after a lifespan of some 27 years. You go on to say Lowy received millions of dollars to clear existing debts while ignoring the fact that Lowy had been absent from the NSL for 20 years and was invited back by a political government, NOT by interested football people. By envisaging the necessity to improve not only the management of the code ,and the clubs therein, he also pictured a full time type of competition to get our teams up to the standard of overseas leagues. To do this he brought forward the idea of club franchises with a purchase price of $500,000 for a license and , even at 2005 prices, another $2 or $3 million dollars putting 23 players under contract not to mention another $million or so outfitting the teams and providing administration to run the whole show. So we could say it cost $4 or 5 million to gain entry into the proposed competition. Not a ball kicked. If you are of the opinion that there were clubs all around Australia with that kind of disposable income then I can assure you, speaking from experience, you are well off the mark in your assertion that ethnic clubs were deliberately "dumped". I did a football budget for an NSL club around 1984 and the year's expenditure came to $57,000 for the football operation. Get it, an increase of 5000% in 20 years. jb.