The A-League Men competition is providing more opportunities to young players than ever before, according to the Professional Footballers Australia association’s annual report.
So much for a retirement league.
The PFA’s annual report into the A-League Men was published this morning and it contains some interesting insights into the 2021-22 campaign.
We know the Omicron variant wreaked havoc with the league – with 50 per cent of all fixtures played last season forced to be rescheduled – but one of the positive side effects, at least according to the PFA, is that the average age of A-League Men players has dropped markedly.
“Since the pandemic has impacted Australian football, the average age of players in the A-League has dropped significantly,” the report says.
“Players aged 23-or-under represented 45 per cent of all contracted players during the 2021-22 season. Consequently, the average age (of players in the league) is 25.”
That’s an interesting stat, not least because Western United ended up winning the competition with the second-oldest squad in the league.
But as the PFA’s report points out, the emergence of genuine talents like Jordan Bos, Bernardo Oliveira, Nestory Irankunda and Kye Rowles – the latter of whom could yet play a key role for the Socceroos at the World Cup in Qatar – is a reminder that pathways are starting to open up for young players.
Nestory Irankunda (Photo by Graham Denholm/Getty Images)
The key is to get those talents playing regularly – and keep them playing. As the report points out, of the 332 total players in last season’s competition, just under 70 per cent of them are contracted to go around again this season.
That’s the sort of figure that makes the number-crunchers at the PFA happy, but it’s good for fans too. Less churn means better storylines on stars that stick around long enough for fans to form an attachment.
In years gone by, a marketable talent like Central Coast Mariners striker Jason Cummings might have arrived in the A-League Men on a short-term loan deal, played half a season in Gosford and quickly ended up back in Scotland at somewhere like Livingstone.
Now it’s our league sending players the other way, with Phillip Cancar, the aforementioned Kye Rowles, Lewis Millar, Keanu Baccus – who looked lively off the bench for the Socceroos on Sunday – Mark Birighitti and Nathaniel Atkinson all signing eye-catching deals in Scotland on the back of long-term good form in the A-League Men.
And with the likes of Connor Metcalfe at St. Pauli, Mohamed Toure and Yaya Dukuly at Reims, Stefan Mauk at Fagiano Okayama and Joel King at Odense BK all stepping up to demonstrably higher levels of the game, no one can argue the A-League Men doesn’t produce its fair share of quality players.
They’re getting paid a decent clip to do so – with the average A-League Men salary now worth just over $150,000 per annum – and the PFA will be the first to tell you the five-year Collective Bargaining Agreement they helped negotiate last season has reduced the number of players on one-year deals down from 51 per cent of all players in the league to 39 per cent.
Why does any of this matter? Well, if you’re the PFA, it’s because they’re in the business of looking after the best interests of the players.
But for fans – who shouldn’t necessarily be expected to care about these sort of admin issues – the simple reality is that less player churn, decent transfer fees, proper developmental pathways and more attractive salaries all add up to a more exciting competition.
And that’s something we desperately need this time around.
The PFA will be the first to admit that last season’s campaign devolved into a war of attrition at times.
But having survived the worst of the pandemic, and with the domestic game now actually on a reasonably solid financial footing, this has to be the season things turn around.
The PFA is excited about the new campaign. And to tell you the truth, so am I.
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
the good news we are finally seeing some A-league promos on CHannel 10. Its a nice song as well not that dumb rap song , again like all things with Channel 10 and Australian football its always too little too late. No promos for the Australia cup final and wouldn't it make sense to have this on broadcast as well not just 10 play. The indifferent news why is it that Stan Sports and notorious PFA figure Craig Foster, are doing promos for Stan Sport with UEFA champions league on Channel 10. Do they believe Channel 10 is now the football channel . When it comes to selling out Fozzie is a specialist busy making money off euro football and that dodgy A-league bid.
Roberto Bettega
Roar Rookie
Only 9 days until the start of the A-League season.
Punter
Roar Rookie
Thanks Mike good article, good to hear some positive information coming out of the A-League.
Midfielder
Roar Guru
Great article Mike just saw it.... Hopefully the word gets out....
Grem
Roar Rookie
You’re correct - we are definitely in the middle of a golden generation of men’s basketball and have had one a little while ago with Heal, Gaze, etc. They are survivors, too. The Kings even had to have a year or two out to rebuild. Tasmania would have been a great opportunity for us, but we may have blown it, especially with the AFL moving in as well. Both sports could learn from each other. I also wonder if basketball, football and union could team up and try to collectively bargain tv and government deals together - more power in numbers! A streaming service with 3 sports could really get some attention - even if they are less popular (in terms of viewers).
Tigertown
Guest
100%. Melbourne City’s Leckie accidentally stepped on his foot. Lewis then gets strapped into a leg brace after the game, looking like a NIDA actor winning a TV Week Logie award.
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
Where exactly is he a diver are you to suggest he faked an injury when Leckie got him. Ryan Strain on the other hand has been taught by the best Isaias in all the dark arts.
Freddy Jones
Guest
Football/soccer pundits should take note of another world game, basketball. Basketball in Australia has had a lot of success in becoming a world men's and women's powerhouse in international open and youth competitions and is represented in the top professional leagues in the US and Europe. There are lots of elite male and female players in the 17-21 years in top quality development pathways in Australia (e.g. NBA Global Academy and the Basketball Australia Centre of Excellence both at the Australian Institute of Sport) but especially overseas (e.g. NCAA competitions). The reputation of Australian basketball for its NBL competition and developing elite players is excellent and very rarely are players singled out because there are so many good young male and female players coming through and so the best don't play domestically in the NBL. Basketball has adapted and transitioned in Australia, helped at the elite level by strict foreign professional player imports of US, European and other players (except Asia). This has given Australian players excellent domestic professional national NBL opportunities and has improved the standard of Australian player greatly. Basketball in Australia, like football/soccer, has had it major hurdles but has survived and thrived to be near the top of world male and female rankings and excelling at the Olympics and World Cups. The NBL monitored the A League Men's two team expansion process (so many good bids from all over Australia). The NBL quickly jumped on the rejection of, for example, the terrific Tasmanian bid to start an amazingly successful Tasmanian NBL franchise in the Tasmania JackJumpers. So sad because soccer/football has had so many frustrated opportunities and false dawns. A pity as the sport still has so much potential to grow and excel as a sport domestically and internationally in so many ways.
scoots
Roar Rookie
Obviously a terrible thing to occur... but this has absolutely nothing to do with the article. Not sure why you would comment on this here... maybe too much positivity?
Roberto Bettega
Roar Rookie
Definitely a step in the right direction. We should now introduce a 3+1 rule for our overseas based players, meaning more spots for Australian players. Another change worth considering would be the introduction of a new category whereby any Australian player under the age of 21, signed up for a minimum 3 year contract, counts for half towards the salary cap.
Tigertown
Guest
Also, Mark Birighitti‘a done himself no favours transferring to Dundee United in Scotland. An exciting league, yes, but a poor team. The pastures were not greener. A king in Gosford, but a jester in Scotland.
Tigertown
Guest
Lewis Millar - potentially a gifted player with incredible ball control, brute strength & pace. Although, he needs an attitude adjustment, having milked too many tackles & aggressively abusing the officials.
Grem
Roar Rookie
Good, and if true he should never be let near professional football again. Disgusting if it happened and we don’t need anyone like that involved in our sport.
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
The A-league is a retirement league because the money is given to the over the hill players. The A-league has always had a lot of youth players, thats not the issue. The EPL you will hardly see any youth players. The issue is for those people who have no clue why the A-league are failing in the ACL and their club is failing in the A-league. The head of the PFA is Wilkinson that explains everything.
TheSecretScout
Roar Guru
no one wants to talk about the wanderers player accused of assault on a women in 2018? here's a hint, the player in question no longer plays in the a league......
Grem
Roar Rookie
In an ideal team to support, in my opinion, there would be 2 genuine marquees - who would be older players, 2 top quality designated players, who would be experienced and 4-6 regular A League players like Grant, Redmane, Mileusnic, Darrigo, O’Neil, etc and the rest of the squad is youth. Following Sydney this year I’m hoping to see a lot of Wood, Parsons, Segecic, Gird, Kurchaski, etc with Rodwell, Lolley, Mac, etc. Just look at yesterday and the buzz that Kuol brought to the game. Youth is exciting to watch and it can make money for the club, if looked after.
Sports
Guest
An NSD will actually give on field minutes to all the youngest players. The oldest A League squads in the league are still winning games as its a summer competition and players don't have to run and can hide behind other tired players. There is a massive gap where talent at the age of 20 can thrive in an attacking team in Australian football. As Arzani said, it's minutes on the field that count; https://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/they-don-t-really-care-fallen-socceroos-star-s-words-of-warning-for-epl-bound-teen-20220924-p5bknx.html
TheSecretScout
Roar Guru
39% is still an astronomical figure overall of players on one year deals. thats roughly 120 players who are playing for thier careers in 22/23, without the safety of long term deals. - Which goes a long way to explaining why alot of mid 20 players already have 4-5 clubs under thier belts moving forward, i'd love to see players locked in for a minimum of 2 years. that will be tough on the smaller clubs (mariners/newcastle/adelaide/wellington/brisbane) who will need to be prudent with how much they offer $$$ wise. but it would also be tough on the big clubs (sydney/city/victory/wanderers) when trying to move those wages off thier books