For the first time in what feels like an eternity, the A-League Men will return to its traditional starting time of early October, with the new season culminating on the weekend of 26-27 May 2023.
However, as has been the case right throughout the COVID pandemic that first interrupted the competition in March of 2020, this season will also feature an extended break for the players. However, this time around it will not be illness, instead the A-League Men will hiatus from November 18 – December 8, allowing all Australian footballing eyeballs to focus on the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
That will please managers of clubs destined to lose some of their best talent to the Socceroo squad but also provide some refreshing clean air for the A-League Women competition that will launch on November 18, just three days before Senegal and Netherlands kick-off in arguably the world’s biggest sporting competition.
The start date of the women’s competition appears a clever one, with the league provided an opportunity to bounce off what will be a football-saturated news cycle.
(Photo by Sarah Reed/Getty Images)
For the men, any concerns that A-League matches could simply be lost amongst the briskly moving hype and busy schedule of a World Cup is also removed, yet despite these two potential positives, not all will be in 100 percent support of the three-week break that the powers at be have implemented, nor the actual starting date of the season.
Some will question whether a competitive match or three is the best way for domestically based Socceroos to lead into a major tournament. With a start date of October 7 and a likely departure date to Qatar in the second week of November, players could potentially have no more than four and perhaps even as few as three matches under the belts, along with the work they will have done in the pre-season.
It is for this precise reason that Socceroo coach Graham Arnold called for an early start to the competition, with players like Craig Goodwin, Rhyan Grant, Jamie Maclaren and Marco Tilio given more time to work into top form before heading to Qatar.
Others will suggest that with football the talk of the sporting world and a certain water-cooler topic right across Australia, the three-week cessation could actually be used to market the A-League; ride off the back of the World Cup if you will, in a similar manner to the women’s competition.
In reality, there would be little crossover in playing times. Early evening or dusk kick-offs in Australia lead nicely into the less viewer-friendly kick-offs in Qatar, with 9pm (AEDT) reasonable and the matches that follow providing Australian football fans with the nights of broken sleep that always coincide with World Cups in time zones far from our own.
Theoretically, I guess it could work. However, some would cynically suggest that many football fans will use the A-League hours to catch up on sleep and prepare for the long nights ahead.
Others may cite the potential for more young talent to be presented with opportunity whilst our best domestic players are abroad. However, it is certain Arnold will rely heavily on overseas-based players, with only a handful of A-League men in the mix.
Could an A-League Men team be hampered were they forced to continue to play across the three-week window? Potentially, yet in the most recent Socceroo squad selected for the play-off match against Peru, just six domestically based players were named; with Melbourne City the only club seriously impacted.
(Photo by Mohamed Farag/Getty Images)
There will be proponents of both schools of thought and arguments tossed in all directions in terms of whether a pausing of A-League Men play during the period is necessary or helpful.
Could the local competition parlay some of the love football will receive during the period? Perhaps. Could it be simply swamped and given little love at all with the nation’s hopes transfixed on our Socceroos and their matches against France, Tunisia and Denmark? Highly possible.
However the league will pause, fans will lose plenty of sleep and anyone keen to attend a top-tier football match will have the A-League Women to savour.
It is likely to all feel a little weird, with Australia less accustomed to this sort of period of inactivity than European nations. Whether it is the prudent move will not be known for a few months, yet something tells me the World Cup will be so bandwagon-ly captivating and exciting, that many Australians will forget the A-League Men even exists.
Garry
Roar Rookie
The whole idea is ridiculous. First it was June & based in aircon stadii in one city effectively..where’s the need to see a new country ? And the fact aircon is required is ludicrous. Then they decided it wouldn’t work in June anyway so they moved it when original bid conditions asserted June was ok. Now the whole world calendar has been overturned to cover up FIFA's mistake/corruption.
Garry
Roar Rookie
Totally agree and Ive been saying for months Qatar shouldnt happen and if national teams dont want to boycott then fans should. I think any fan attending should hang their heads in shame. Its only encouraging such acts. "How FIFA can adorn its head office in Zurich with the colours of the rainbow flag in June and then five months later invite us all to a place where people can be imprisoned or worse, where they to show affection towards the person they love, is utterly offensive" Theres also the culture against women as well as immigrant worker abuses. The whole idea is ridiculous. First it was June & based in aircon stadii in one city effectively..wheres the need to see a new country ? And the fact aircon is required is ludicrous. Then they decided it wouldnt work in June anyway so they moved it when original bid conditions asserted June was ok. Now the whole world calendar has been overturned to cover up FIFA's mistake/corruption.
Rodger King
Roar Rookie
FIL - Wouldn't have changed a thing back then, but I didn't know any different. Now I am older and wiser {the Mrs debates that at times} yes the players were more loyal and they were still on a good wicket compared to the rest of us. But we didn't see some of the best players in the world week in and week out. The pitches were rubbish after the first month of wet weather and fullbacks never went over the halfway line and they could kick the living daylights out of you, with complete impunity, egged by their coaches and dragged if the winger went past them too many times. My memory is pretty good, loved it back then but love today's football more.
Rodger King
Roar Rookie
Good point, all it will take is a politician 'mis-speaking' over here and opps, where's Aaron gone?
Football is Life
Roar Rookie
yeah, there's the pay packet, but there's also the politics and the associated risk. Bill Birtles had to make a dash out of the country in the middle of the night, two Canadians went missing for quite some time. I equate Mooy's choice to play where he is as choosing to play football in Iraq during Operation Desert Storm. Are the bucks really worth it?
Football is Life
Roar Rookie
I remember the Jimmy Hill days. Rodger, and they were brilliant. Understand your sentiments and experiences, but i have to question your memories being so vivid. Was it because you actually loved it and would do it all again? There was a purity in football back then there's no denying it.
Jordan Sports Fan
Roar Rookie
Yea so that is referring to promotion and relegation between NPL and NSD? Both of these administered by FA. As it stands, broadcast rights would need to be negotiated between FA and a suitor, they are not imbedded in the AL deal.
Garry
Roar Rookie
lets see shall we.."This will invariably affect how the competition connects with the NPL upon its launch, with Johnson stating that there would be an objective to have some sort of means of connection between the league and the NPL, either as a concept to be grandfathered in or immediate, upon its launch."
Rodger King
Roar Rookie
FIL - go back further mate, when there was only one match 'replayed' in black and white on a Monday night. Match of the Day with Brian Moore. Back then if you wanted to watch a match you had to go to a ground, stand in the pouring rain, freezing your [you know what's off] and hope like hell you don't miss the 5:10 bus because mum will not keep your dinner hot. As far as keeping up to date with the other scores, you'd remember the old scoreboards with the alphabet on them and having to buy a match day program so you knew which game was which. Match Z 3-1 oh yeah, Oxford vs Luton. You'd then ask your mate, are they in the 3rd or 4th Div. Oh yeah, those were the days. No thanks. Rather love it the way it is right now. Greedy players and their managers and all.
Rodger King
Roar Rookie
A fair bit of difference in the weekly pay packet. Not sure I would have changed jobs for less money, pretty sure the Mrs wouldn't have been too happy either.
Rodger King
Roar Rookie
Personally, it will affect the King household, we love our A-League so will miss it. We will also watch most matches during the WC, no matter how we feel about where it is and how they got it, and the many souls who lost their lives building the stadia, All of that will be forgotten by the time the games KO. An interesting discussion took place around the dinner table about the Premier League, will they be taking a break too? I mean it is likely to be more disruptive for those clubs than ours.
Jordan Sports Fan
Roar Rookie
This is not true. The NSD would be administered by Football Australia, whereas the A-Leagues is administered by the APL. TV rights for NSD will be a separate negotiation.
coolncold
Roar Rookie
There is no need to have a break for the A-league during the a one-month WC finals in Qatar. 1) Support the idea of b0yc0tting this most c00rupted WC. 2) Not many players are selected from the A-league. There may be at most 6 players have to leave for a month to prepare and play in the group matches (and possibly one match in the elimination stage). 3) An A-league club may just lose one or two players. The harm is not big but it can provide chances for fringe (young) players to experience. 4) There are 26 matches in the league. So, the missing one or two players in 4 matches is not very influential.
Garry
Roar Rookie
The other leagues a re generally reluctantly taking breaks the WC should not be in December NOR in Qatar.
Garry
Roar Rookie
It looks like the Australia cup later rounds will play late Sept which should give some games.
Garry
Roar Rookie
On recent form Sainsbury is our best perfomer.. and apart from his size I really think Souttar is overrated.
Towser
Guest
The break is what it is regarding this years World Cup. I don’t know whether anyone else has suggested this, can’t see it flicking through. Rather than debate the merits or otherwise in relation to the A-League, why not take advantage of the extra eyes glued to football. The only time that football breaks through the “Water cooler barrier “ in Australia for a regular(albeit 4year) competition is at World Cup time. SBS is the broadcaster, they also rely on advertising. There’s no broadcasting reason for them to give the A-League a “Freebie” pre match/ half time etc, but the APL could pay for ads during the cup.
Football is Life
Roar Rookie
Actually, I have to question whether clubs will release a lot of their players in Europe. This is smack bang in the guts of their season. Are Europe taking the break too. Forgive my ignorance, just havent had time to catch up. Too much work, not enough football!
Football is Life
Roar Rookie
Mooy should never have returned to China. He should have just e.g. tapped Ange on the shoulder and said "G'day, need a midfielder?".
Football is Life
Roar Rookie
Stu, ideally, you would hope that if a few of the lads in the WC squad were domestic lads, that they'd spark some curiosity and thus, a few more would stick their heads in the door and see what's going on. Even if a few change there opinion or are pleasantly surprised, we've had a win. I think the big difference for football will come with the 2 Div. That is the crucial first step to uniting the tribes. When we ultimately have pro/rel, we are bound for the promised land.