In my life I have watched and studied a lot of various sports management systems and leaders in sporting codes.
In Australia, two sports leaders stand out, taking their codes from being in decline when they took over to major growth and establishing excellent systems with clearly defined pathways for those following.
They are Wayne Jackson in AFL and Ken Arthurson in rugby league.
Both changed the perception of their codes at the time of their appointment. Both found ways stop their code’s decline, start growth, and find ways to connect to and expand their fan-bases.
Kerry Packer with cricket had a similar effect.
Today in football, we have Danny Townsend and James Johnson, arguably the best management team in Australian sport today.
They operate a spilt system with FA running the national teams and football in general and APL running the A-, W-, Y- and E-Leagues.
(Photo by Brook Mitchell/Getty Images)
The media deal with CBS by both APL and FA is by light years the best media deal we have ever had, especially so given the recent freefall in ratings.
We won the rights to host the 2023 Women’s World Cup. Transfer fees between clubs and levels are in an advanced stage. A second-tier structure is close to being finalised.
James Johnson is slowly moving FA towards a national federation more in line with traditional FIFA models. There is still a long way to go and promotion and relegation is still a while off, but the direction and planning is there for all to see.
Danny Townsend has put the football fan at the centre of his plans. All his systems and structures centre around providing for fans.
In doing this Townsend has also identified a ways to connect to the football player base and non-A-League fans via the hub for the digital investment.
Channel Seven has shown all the Matildas and Olyroos matches live and both have rated well. The best proof is they are being broadcast a lot on the main channel.
Further, in the opening ceremony, football was mentioned a lot and I can’t ever recall that happening before. This is good for the start of the CBS broadcast with Socceroos matches scheduled for World Cup qualification starting in August.
(Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
The backgrounds of these two young executives is what has been argued is needed to lift Australian football. Both are football people. Both are vastly experienced in their chosen fields and are now operating with defined roles.
We are in good hands and look forward to being positive again.
I have listed below two videos. Both are interviews with Danny Townsend, which clearly demonstrate not only details of the new media deal but equally illustrate APL plans.
The first highlights the degree of planning APL is undertaking.
I have never heard any Australian sports administrator talk with such a deep understanding of their code, providing detailed and modern plans to connect to the often-talked-of player base. It is a long interview but unbelievably good.
The second is an interview with Lucy Zelic on SBS, showing Townsend clearly has the respect of football media – something I can’t recall any other leader aside from Frank Lowy at the start of the A-League having.
Adam Cerra
Guest
This has to be one of the worst articles ever written about Football in Australia. Danny Townsend admitted he was the person who put commercial drinks breaks into the A-League games. - Record low crowds - Declining TV ratings - Terrible Quality TV / Stream Broadcast - Unusable Digital Assets
Midfielder
Roar Guru
Second post and JJ again... https://www.footballaustralia.com.au/news/australian-football-united-and-advances-towards-a-connected-football-pyramid-release-optimised MASSIVE MASSIVE MASSIVE MASSIVE should read Very long and will post opening bullet points but article is huge including FIFA international breaks... The Australian football season (29 October 2021 – 28 October 2022) is designed to unite the game at all levels – organising domestic football over 52 weeks For the first time, A-League and Westfield W-League will break for Men’s and Women’s FIFA International Windows ‘Transfer windows’ enable the registration of players for all applicable competitions in alignment with FIFA requirements The Men’s season will commence with the A-League opening the 2021/22 season and finish with the FFA Cup Final as the last match of the season The Women’s season will commence with the Westfield W-League and finish with the NPL Women’s Finals Day NPL competitions to align finish dates across the country to maximise connection with an NPL Finals weekend for NPL Men’s and NPL Women’s respectively A placeholder for the National Second Tier (NST) competition as an important first step towards bringing this competition to life
Midfielder
Roar Guru
Two bits of news coming outta of FA today... JJ is slowly moving things... First posts.... more in the article... https://africa.espn.com/football/australia-aus/story/4441281/football-australia-adds-national-second-tier-to-football-pyramid-in-calendar-restructure Football Australia adds national second tier to football pyramid in calendar restructure he introduction of a national second tier has taken a significant step forward with Football Australia inserting a placeholder for the competition into the nation's domestic football calendar for 2021-22. The new schedule will be unveiled on Friday and will see an aligned Australian football pyramid played year-round through 2021-22, beginning with the A-League season on Oct. 29 and concluding with the FFA Cup final on Oct. 28, 2022. Football Australia will also introduce other reforms for the international breaks and to the National Premier Leagues (NPL). The women's season will commence with the 2021-22 W-League, before ending on Sept. 25, 2022 with a newly nationally aligned conclusion to the country's state-based National Premier League Women's (NPLW) seasons. The men's equivalent of those games will occur on Sept. 11; the new "finals days" ensuring that NPL's season across the country will align to conclude on a uniform date -- part of Football Australia's push to greater connect the game across the country, raise the competitions' profile and, it hopes, increase their prestige and value over time. Envisioned as running largely in parallel with these NPL competitions, the placeholder dates for the second-tier competition -- previously mooted to be called the Championship -- have been pencilled in to commence in January 2022 and conclude in May. However, with a final model still to be settled and more consultation needed, this timeframe may shift when the federation seeks to commence a formal competition in the following years. "The placeholder is an important first step towards the creation of [a national second tier]," said FA CEO James Johnson. "[It allows] for its ongoing development and, subject to finalisation of the model, can be adjusted within the [domestic football calendar] framework." A Football Australia spokesperson confirmed to ESPN that the competition remained a priority to the federation, while its chairman Chris Nikou declared in May that he was "expecting [an NSD model] to come to the Football Australia board in the second half of this year, and I'd love to see a second division up for the 2023 season."
TheSecretScout
Roar Guru
lol sleepy, such a stereotype. hope you're enjoying your lockdown :)
TheSecretScout
Roar Guru
its tough for these arrogant east coasters to accept there are other cities in australia rather than sydney/melbourne, its that 'LA syndrome' they have. You would have to pay me a vast sum of money to live in either city, besides the smugness of the people the cost of things is absurd as is spending an hour+ in traffic in the morning and afternoon to get home. i'd much rather be in australias most livable city. Where our reputation for healthcare, education, stability and infrastructure is known worldwide. + even if i have to get to the heart of the city for a meeting first thing monday morning, doesnt even take 30 mins
Blood Dragon
Roar Rookie
the NZ TV Deal with Sky is up at the end of the 21/22 season and Paramount + launch’s the same day as Australia in NZ could be interesting to see what happens there especially with ViacomCBS being a stakeholder in the APL
Midfielder
Roar Guru
Waz & Others What has not been talked about to date with APL is overseas sales. In the DT interview he speaks of the number of countries taking the A-L.... further I have read in an APL doc that overseas sales are expected to be 2 to 4 mill but they think that figure will grow to much larger in the next few years. I can only assume negotiations are ongoing, however I am looking forward to seeing this play out as Fox seemed to a lot of control over this...
Midfielder
Roar Guru
Waz Very true i.e 13 mill V 40 mill seems a tad low.... and if you add FA ... 100 mill over 3.5 years say 30 mill per year thats 70 mill... However I would point out that the NBL is not critical in Fox moving forward ... Today Football is to CBS... Further and as most are aware, this media deal was completed following 3 to 5 years of a civil war that resulted in undeliverable negativity about Australian Football... rating and crowds in free fall..with many predicating if we wanted to be broadcast we would have to pay the broadcaster. I know its very early, in lets say the reboot .... I have never in my lifetime seen a combination of things like we have now... First we have knowledgeable Football people in charge, Second neither are connected to old war games, third both are or appear to date very competent, fourth the media deal on FTA and Paramount is by light years squared the best media deal we have ever had. Fifth both JJ & DT have detailed plans moving forward and these plans are largely set not for debate, In brief, Australian Professional Football, has never been in a position where we have Knowledge, Independent, Football people supported by a FTA commercial broadcaster were Football is also critical to them. All this backed up by a 30 million dollar investment in the development of the game. If anyone say six months ago wrote that this would be our position today they would have been attacked for being so inept... Sometimes, mate, some unexpected people just get it right... The challenge now is to take advantage of this position,
Roberto Bettega
Roar Rookie
Probably a fair deal for the NBL in terms of where it sits alongside football in this country. I listened to an interview with Larry Kestelman, and he is basically saying the exact same things about his broadcast deal as are/were being said about the new football deal.
Waz
Roar Rookie
Just for comparison the NBL got a 3 year/$45m deal with FoxTel, assuming 10% of that is contra that’s around $13m/year. AL Football got $200m/5 years plus the FFA did a separate deal for international and FFA Cup games.
Midfielder
Roar Guru
astute post mate and lets hope we can unite together this time
Nick Symonds
Guest
"James Johnson is slowly moving FA towards a national federation more in line with traditional FIFA models." - Moving FA towards a national federation would be worthy of an article in itself. Wonder what that could mean for the Canberra (ACT) and Tasmania bids?
Rodger King
Roar Rookie
Chris, I have to assume you have never had the privilage of living in one of those cities you off handedly cast aspersions on. I speak from a position of having lived and worked in Sydney and also here in Adelaide. As much as I loved my time in NSW and living in Sydney, it isn't the centre of Australian Football, even though most everyone over there thinks it is. If you ever get the opportunity to live and work, raise a family, build a future, you should really look in to moving to one of those 'sleepy towns'. You would be doing the right thing by yourself and your family. Your snide remarks reinforces everyone's opinion concerning the East Coast bias. Well done.
Towser
Guest
Yes seen it Mid , very insightful and detailed planning involved.
chris
Guest
Maybe people that live in those sleepy towns you mentioned have too much time on their hands and just whinge whinge whinge about Sydney and Melb? :)
Midfielder
Roar Guru
My title was changed by the mods ...
Midfielder
Roar Guru
Thanks Para + Ten Never in my lifetime have I heard plans to finally connect to the player so well advanced and through out..
Winter A League is Awesome
Roar Rookie
Maybe the title could have been JJ and DT are the most visionary football management in a while and the football community eagerly awaits the results. Probably wouldn't fit though :silly:
Winter A League is Awesome
Roar Rookie
Agreed. JJ is at least not fighting the fans and standing by while active support is decimated. Has he achieved what Lowry did? Not yet but I hope it will be more as his white paper outlines. A vision for the future of football is more important than fighting fans as previous FFA regimes.
Para+Ten ISUZU Subway support Australian Football
Roar Rookie
Yes Mid, I encourage every Australian football fan to watch DT's interview. It certainly spells out the new APL vision with facts, figures and achievable objectives, which I have never heard before from any knowledgeable football person. Well done finding it and posting it.