After Qatar 2022, if Australia is to succeed against the best in the world, its players must be playing against the world’s best – in Europe.
Hence, the only professional football league in Australia must act as a stepping stone – or a second chance – for its players. So how can the A-League Men benefit the world game in Australia?
The fact that 14 players – including many stars – called up by Graham Arnold over the last 12 months currently play in the A-League can create an argument that there is some form of quality in the competition.
But on the other hand, why are players such as Jamie Maclaren, Marco Tilio and Craig Goodwin, players of high quality, not in Europe’s best leagues?
So, why do we look at Europe as the benchmark?
Firstly, the number of games that are played. Last year, the A-League consisted of just 26 games per team – nothing in comparison to the struggle of the English Championship, 46 games plus FA and Carabao Cup appearances. And that’s in a second division.
Every season is tough, and that is what players need to get used to if they want to improve their game.
Secondly, the atmosphere.
Don’t get me wrong, the A-League has brilliant fans, but what atmosphere is there when the competition averages 5327 people per game, compared to the Premier League, which brought in just shy of 40,000 people per game?
Why does this matter? Just ask those who’ve fallen to the pressures and the abuse by their opposition’s ‘12th man’.
And most importantly, the quality. Nothing beats the high-pressure, cutthroat environment with the best talent in the world, in Europe. You either get better, or dreams are destroyed, life in tatters.
So if the A-League shouldn’t house the best Aussie players, what role should it play in Australian football?
The first thing that comes to mind for me is that it should act as a home and second chance for players.
Remember Daniel Arzani?
(Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)
As much as playing in Europe is encouraged, he has been prone to bad luck and a recent return Down Under could have rejuvenated his career. A loan move from Manchester City to Australia would have been a better option than sending him to the Belgian second division, where even there he has significantly struggled.
Arzani has talent, and it is up to A-League clubs to support him.
It’s a win-win: his career is turned around, and anyone who has played at a World Cup has talent, so he would’ve been an exciting addition to an A-League squad.
Australian players should be encouraged by the fact that they have interest at home, if they succumb to bad luck or mismanagement.
In some cases this has worked out already. Ben Folami rejuvenated his career at Melbourne Victory, earning a Socceroos call-up, despite being released by League One team Ipswich Town.
But in other cases it hasn’t worked out. Terry Antonis and Dimitri Petratos joined WSW as reputable players who had come back to Australia after struggling overseas, only to rarely feature, especially throughout the back half of the season.
Secondly, we can look at youth development.
Australian football faces being irrelevant towards European clubs. Yes, there is an increasingly large market in Asia, but the best play in Europe, and at least for now, will play in Europe.
While quite a few players have moved to Europe from the A-League, has it been top, top teams?
Joel King was the best young player in the league as of the 2020-21 season, but no one from Europe’s top five leagues came knocking. Instead, it was relegation battling Danish team Odense who bought him.
Garang Kuol nearly scored twice against Barcelona, but there was nothing this summer to sway him from staying at CCM.
Becoming a development league is easier said than done. A large hurdle is transfer fees.
What is the point of developing an academy and risking giving young players starts when, at best, you are only looking at a six-figure fee, even if the player has stood out?
Issues right from the roots of Australian football also ring out, but that would be for another article.
But youth player development is still key, indirectly. If the Socceroos succeed on the world stage, more interest in the A-League Men will proceed. And the Socceroos can only get better with better talent and academies.
But another aspect has opened up. And that began with Daniel Penha. The Brazilian’s game was not complete, but exciting, talented, and most of all, giving it all.
While I did say the A League should give overseas Australians a second chance, excitement will surround the competition if it is just as cutthroat, intense and as hyped as Europe’s leagues.
Bringing in overseas or local players who will give it their all for their careers will be key. Lachlan Rose was brought in from NPL2 and his grit and hard work has paid off.
There is no point bringing in solid but not very well-known ageing European players, who come to Australia for the lifestyle, when there are players out there who can create headlines, hype and hope for the league.
Australian football has a long way to go.
And the two aspects of the game that will correlate with success are the national league – A-League Men – and the Socceroos.
While both coexist, it is important that the Socceroos succeed by having its squad based overseas, while shifting the current league into a more gritty, competitive and exciting league, with chances for Australian players who are starting their careers, or have struggles in the tough European environment.
Caleb Tilders
Guest
If "we dont like football" why is Soccer our most played youth game? The main issue is there is a missing link in the chain from kids playing soccer to getting starts in the A-League and moving to Europe, The missing link is academies and NPL sides. Clubs get no reward if their play leaves to Europe, CCM have produced some of Australia's best youths yet haven't been financially rewarded and remain financially weak. So academies are pay-to-play excluding lower and middle class families because of the cost associated. Furthermore NPL sides dont get rewarded for selling their youths to ALM clubs so again they remain apathetic to youth development. Its not that we "dont like football", its that there isn't a way for talented kids to play without paying up. Look at AFL and NRL, the AFL see talented kids from all over australia get picked, and sure there is some finance involved, but there are still plenty of middle class kids who get to play. We have to fix out football chain.
Football is Life
Roar Rookie
Does it have to be the best football league in the world? My question is this, if we have a league that creates perpetual development of Australian youth, that puts an emphasis on Australian players and ultimately results in WC qualification after WC qualification, then why does it have to be the best league in the world? Additionally, what is the definition of the best league in the world? The EPL is predictable i.e. 6 teams will be at the top of the table in some sort of order that varies yearly, and it's so chock full of foreign players that I would suggest it's detrimental to the development of English youth. Look at England's recent international results. La Liga is so far in debt and so mess up it's in decline, Ligue 1 is a joke because it's basically a demonstration match involving PSG and some other team that's going to be pounded. Serie A, well I would suggest that it's the results of a similar construct to the EPL just 10-20 years before EPL and there's no Italy at thte WC. I would believe that it's hard to argue against the Bundesliga being the best league in the world. Their league is chock full of German talent that most nations would kill for, they development system feeds directly into it, and at this point if you research the discussion about the upcoming WC, the concencus of opinion is that nobody will get near the Germans, maybe the Dutch, but they are red hot favourites. So buildiing a league that may not be the best league, but works in a similar manner to the Germans and the Dutch is that such a bad thing?
Andypandyahh
Guest
Really good summary from Football is Life. despite the recent fall in ratings I think we're in a great position to launch this season and beyond. The league sees the marketing value in having exciting & unpredictable youth (the only players I know from Adelaide, CC Mariners, etc are the exciting young ones). Now with ~$150m available from private equity we will bring in 3 to 4 big names per year (Nani, Fabrigas, Roggic(?), etc) and with 150m we can afford to do it for 20+ years. some will say it's a 'sugar hit' but if you do it for 20 years the Aust public will become diabetic for football. Bring it. Try ignoring that Rupert.
Blood Dragon
Roar Rookie
Its not that Aussies don't like Football rather its that Aussies would rather watch the best league when it comes to any sport and the A-League is never going to be the best football league in the world
Football is Life
Roar Rookie
Good call Wes. I would suggest that a higher media profile and a active program to combat the biased backyard sports media could change the status quo
Football is Life
Roar Rookie
The contempt for our game is a result of "seeding". What media there is, is completely and utterly biased in certain directions. Just take a look at the wonderful work done by Offsiders on a Sunday morning, and what about the 9 sports program "sports" equals NRL full stop. Then there is the completely educated and unbiased Channel 7. The mob who suggested in the news that the floods have been the result of scientists actively seeding clouds to make rain. Yep that's really happening. That's like saying Putin is mentally stable and a great guy. We have to take the fight to these rubbish media channels and get our own message out there.
Football is Life
Roar Rookie
Where I come from, the Test Pattern smashes AFL ratings
Football is Life
Roar Rookie
Ferno, welcome to the football faithful mate. Keep the faithr and drag your mates to the A-League
chris
Guest
And what level is that of your own country as you say? If its the EPL, then do you look down at people who follow the Scunthorpes and the Swindon Towns? No I'm sure you don't.
Football is Life
Roar Rookie
Dont forget Carlos Hernandez and Daniel Penha!!!! What this article clearly illustrates is the younger generation's inability to A) think strategically, B) to show patience and understand the requirement for building and gradual advancement and C) that when we do get more cash in the bank, it needs to be invested in promotion and marketing to begin to combat perception, because it's purely perception that is our biggest enemy
Grem
Roar Rookie
That’s why the Barcelona game was so good – to educate viewers as to how good we actually are. I just don’t get this attitude from Aussies – I like football and am only really interested in OUR football, unless we are at a World Cup. I like basketball and like to watch the NBL and NOT the NBA. I realise we’re all entitled to watch what we want but why the contempt for our game? I can only assume that AFL and League would fall into this category, too, if it was actually seriously played in other countries.
Football is Life
Roar Rookie
Grem, what Australian really dont understand is the actually dimensions of the football world cup. 200 odd nations, four years to qualify, you come home with millions even before kicking a ball. Yeah easy stuff really and our so call "not good" enough league is providing players that contribut to WC qualification. I have said it before, when cross-country volleyball has a WC that rivals ours, and when the World's Highest Paying Probation Scheme has a World Cup that is not based on dividing up the players in their league and putting the shirts of different nations on them, then and only then will I start to take those backyard sports seriously.
Football is Life
Roar Rookie
Sound article, and good questions asked. I think that a little context is required here. With consideration for how long Australia has been taking football seriously, I believe we're on a trajectory that will see greater achievements in the future. With absolutely no disrepect to the NSL, as much as there was some great football, it wasnt really in realms of a serious professional league. So considering that we've been serious about football for around 17 years, I believe that we are not tracking too badly. We have McGree at Middlesbrough, we now have approximately 8 Australians in the Scottish league, we have Australians in Japan, Croatia, France and Denmark, all World Cup qualifying nations, and now we have Mabil in La Liga. Throw in 5 World Cups and really, are we struggling? Now let's take a look at the young fellas that have emerged over the last few seasons, Brimmer, Devlin, Wensel-Halls, Atkinson, Wales, etc. The football these lads are playing is extraordinary. A lot would say they're just Australian lads, and they're not playing in Europe, but their quality cannot be too bad considering the rate that Australian lads are getting picked up. I believe that Kusini Yengi and one of the Toure lads are now overseas. What we are talking about here is a perennial issue that has to be overccome. The perception of the A-League. Nah, it's not good enough, nah there are no big names. Wrong in every regard. Have a look at the experience that is coming in to mentor young Australians, Diamanti, Prijovic, Berengeur, Yorke, Mikeltadze, Davidson, Spiranovic, Charlie Austin potentially Nani and Fabregas this coming season, Strike me, not too bad for a nation that's "not a football nation" but qualified for 5 straight World Cups.What I am asking you to do, is to grab a few of your mate, head down to an A-League game this season and start to get your mates interested in our league. This is not someone else's league it's ours and I challenge a check of a lot of nations to achieve what we've achieved in under 20 years. What will we be achieving at the 30 or 50 year mark? Keep the faith, support Australian football.
Sheffield WesDay
Roar Rookie
Hey Ferno. I once had the same opinion as you, Aussies just don't like Football. But I think the interest in the Barcelona v All Stars game and the ticket sales for the upcoming Roar vs Villa vs Leeds, or Everton/Celtic/and Sydney teams would contradict that. Aussies love football, we just seem to reject our own football.
TheSecretScout
Roar Guru
more hits than misses from south america, plus generally their salary is not worth it. - If you want bang for buck, in terms of technical skills - I would be targeting players from the Balkans (all you have to do is look at recent seasons of the a league, proof is in the pudding) you can go through any under 10’s side all the way to under 18’s in Australia and you will find players with heritage from (Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia, Albania, Slovenia, Macedonia) will generally be ‘technically’ the best. sure, all the players with African heritage are the rage at the moment due to pace, power & dribbling – but Australia still needs to get the fundamentals right with ‘technical skills’ before the country can start matching it with asias best teams, let alone the worlds
Ferno
Guest
You are so wrong. I don't watch any sport other than football. I've lived in Australia since 2005 with a break from 2017 to 2018 and, even during this period I was out, I watched A´League on youtube. I go stadium and I pay the streaming, no matter how bad it's compared with the level of football in my original home country. what really piss me of is the fact that australians don't mind about their own football and are looking for excuses for that. That's nothing wrong with football in Australia except the "stray dog complex". Australia has a small population and other popular sports to share the attention It's hard to have something comparable with EPL here. If that is what australians are waiting to follow football, forget it. It's not going to happen.
chris
Guest
Agreed Grem. This myth that we "punch above our weight" in a sporting sense is misplaced. We are behind Sweden in summer olympic medals won. In winter olympics we are nowhere. In fact Norway leads that table. In football we are ranked between 30-40 on a regular basis. Basketball we do well but no better than say Serbia or Croatia in the scheme of things. We are no different to any other well resourced country.
Grem
Roar Rookie
I agree with developing our youth better than we presently are. We certainly have many talented youngsters who could be in the A League. I'm not sure how we're a nation of elite sports people. I think we overrate ourselves. We compete in very few world sports at a high level. Tennis? Athletics? Rugby Union? Even in rugby Ieague (which has a very small world) we struggle to beat NZ, a small country where league is a minor sport! We do well in swimming, our male basketballers are good, our female footballers were top 10. I think we need to develop in all areas of sport greater than we presently do.
chris
Guest
Peppa Pig smashes AFL ratings in Sydney and Brisbane as well. It's a really popular show.
chris
Guest
Grem no doubt Ferno will be watching the AFLW. In his mind, the second biggest sport in the land!