Ange Postecoglou recently said that football has had a number of false dawns.
When everything looked like going ahead, just like now, infighting killed it off.
He hopes this time infighting does not kill off the current momentum.
They are wise words from Postecoglou, as we embark upon something we have never had before with a free-to-air media partner wanting us to succeed.
Here is a very brief history to explain why it’s both an “I told you so” moment and the start of phase three of football’s evolution.
Around 1870, Scottish miners started football in the coal mines of the Hunter Valley. Football grew rapidly. World War Two came and went, and a new wave of non-English European migrants arrived.
Essentially people who loved football were not happy with the way things were done and new teams emerged.
They were the so-called ethnic teams. They had operating models outside the existing models. This all happened in the mid ’50s and morphed into the NSL during the ’70s.
The issue many struggle with was not that the NSL was a poor competition, and to be fair it was way ahead of its time in Australia.
The issue was the mix of teams. It was never ever going to get broad community support.
While the (at best) semi-professional NSL faded away, something new and exciting was happening.
(Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)
The internet was bringing all sorts of things, such as Tiger Woods and basketball. Among the many new things we could get access to was football.
Then YouTube, and new football, under the A-League was the new kid on the block.
The football world was exploding. The 2002 World Cup was in Asia the MLS started to rebuild. The EPL had record media deals.
The late Johnny Warren often spoke about Frank Arok’s book on Australia football.
As they saw it, the single most important thing to do to make football work in Australia at the time was stability of the clubs in the competition and that meant guaranteed revenue.
Everything else could follow, such as promotion, relegation and expansion. Football just needed to stabilise.
Frank Lowy based the A-League largely off Arok’s book, however failed to read the parts after stabilising then bring other football things in.
Phase 1 was the start of the A-League. Phase 2 was being allowed back into Asia.
An inherent issue with the new awareness of football via the net was broadcasters had no faith in football people.
So everyone involved, aside from match callers, was from other codes, with Fox having far more vested interests in other codes.
Football has recovered a lot over the last 18 months or so, from having a $32 million media to no media deal, with most football journalists laid off, and SBS providing a tiny fraction of its former support.
What Warren always said was football needs to move from SBS to a mainstream broadcaster.
Today football has a $70 million media deal spilt between FA and APL.
There is a new operating structure and the Women’s World Cup. Importantly the three key people running football today are all from a football background.
Ten are showing all national games including lower levels, all A-League Men’s matches and many A-League Women’s matches and the FFA Cup. That is aligned with cross promotions across their network.
This is phase three. Never has football been in this position.
If we can – in the words of Postecoglou – remain united and don’t start infighting, this in time will lead to many things people want like expansion, promotion and relegation.
It remains to be seen if we can, as a community, support football and not nit-pick and tear it apart because it’s not everything we want.
But we are about to embark on something we have never had. Deep within my soul I hope it works.
matth
Roar Guru
It might not be at BBL level of promotion, but it's still a significant improvement. Paramount have changed the landscape a bit.
matth
Roar Guru
It's often the hardest thing for leaders, knowing when to let go.
Midfielder
Roar Guru
agree
Ac
Guest
I rest my case. I won’t comment again.
chris
Guest
But it has succeeded in this country. Go back to sleep.
Walter Kovacs
Guest
Then you'd know that 'the best person for the job' certainly isn't any of the currently-available Oz coaches.
Ac
Guest
The actual post was great - it was celebrating the hope that Football might be on a crest of a renaissance. Then you read the posts - mostly of a nature which shows why football has never succeeded in this country. How about stop deriding other codes stop deriding the media stop deriding each other. Celebrate your love for the game. Celebrate that you hope that it does well. But please stop this tearing others apart. It’s a real turn off.
NUFCMVFC
Roar Guru
thinking back to "Channel 0" being knocked back for the NSL rights, while SBS did well this does seem to be the final realisation of "what could have been or perhaps "should" have been
NUFCMVFC
Roar Guru
Good stuff. I'm looking forward to what Channel 10 and P+ deliver Good to have a derby on a Saturday night to headline things
c
Roar Rookie
I just signed up for paramount + $ 9.00 pm :thumbup: :football:
Grem
Roar Rookie
I think most people on here want the best person for the job. They could be from Australia or overseas. You should read the comments about our Australian coach, Graham Arnold, in previous articles and posts.
jbinnie
Guest
Roberto -Yes the 1974 team had it's players being called in from state league clubs ,mainly from NSW and Victoria. The fact that they were still "locals" meant that they were still reasonably positioned to be "got together". Also, the positioning of "poker machines' at that time meant that the NSW teams were in a better financial position to attract players to their state. The Qld team I was with at that time sold at least 5 players to NSW clubs, mainly Hakoah, and an examination of the 1974 side will show that the team was made up of nationalised "imports" ,3 from Scotland,3 from England, 2 from the Balkans ,1 German and 2 Aussies. Out of that 11 ,9 played their football in NSW and only 2 in Victoria so, as of then, money was still ruling our game. With the coming of the NSL 3 years later these figures started to level out a bit ,and by the time Arok took over in 1983 players from around the country were attracting attention. Up until the departures of Mitchell and Krncevic to pastures overseas Arok continued to gather success with his NSL squads, but, being a deep thinker about the game there is little doubt that he saw the writing on the wall as more and more of his charges were attracted overseas, thus making national team preparation more and more difficult. In my book this was an occurrence that has had an effect on out national team up until today. Our teams more and more look less as a team and more and more like 13 individuals pulled together for a special occasion once every couple of years. Sad but true. Cheers jb
Walter Kovacs
Guest
Yet your apparent insistence on the NT coaching-job needing to be an Australian is cut from a similar cloth of one-eyedness to theirs????
Steven tsimboukis
Guest
Children are the future for this country and 2 million us children love and therefore play football, not nrl or afl. CONGRATULATIONS to ch10 because you are the first commercial mainstream broadcaster to think commercially and believe me with careful and consistent advertising, the A LEAGUE football brand will grow dramatically in next few years with rising crowds and tv ratings and date i say we wont even need expensive marquees anymore congratulatons again ch10 as you will capture the BIGGEST slice of the Australian sporting audience!!!
Roberto Bettega
Roar Rookie
yes, never forget the incredible achievement of 1974, although it should be stated that this was pre-NSL they were all state league players!
M20
Guest
ABC Radio have been mentioning it in their sports news
Football is Life
Roar Rookie
that's exactly what I am trying to say!!
Para+Ten ISUZU Subway support Australian Football
Roar Rookie
Does anyone in the football family really want another repeat of CEO appointment chosen from outside of football: O’Neil, Buckley, and Gallop? I would suggest, it would be crazy to look at such unqualified nominations ever again; who are not real passionate football people. Don't be fooled, I can think of many Australian football people candidates that could step up right now.
fabian gulino
Roar Rookie
Great comment and artical,very true.
Football is Life
Roar Rookie
I have to ask the question, now that we have JJ and DT running the show, is future recruitment to Football Australia going to fare much better as we have two individuals who know exactly what to look for in potential candidates? I would suggest that if this is the implmented way forward for our Administration, would this not produce a flow-on effect?