Youth development and infrastructure are the two pillars that can help the game become what it wants to be.
Football needs to have a competitive, thriving domestic competition and to be the outright second biggest sport in this country, or at the very least a clear third.
And, also at the grassroots level, it must be a sport which doesn’t turn aspiring participants away, because there simply aren’t enough pitches or facilities to go around, for both boys and girls, or because the sport is unaffordable to play.
So there’s plenty of work to be done.
The other great thing about these pillars is that they are somewhat administration-proof. It doesn’t really doesn’t matter who is in charge of the league or the sport at the time. The game will still survive, and even thrive, if we’ve fixed youth development and infrastructure.
Don’t get me wrong, there’s many more things that need to be fixed in Australian football, but if I had a choice to fix just two right now, I’d pick these two.
And both can be fixed – or, at the very least, heading in the right direction – in three to five years if things are done properly.
Lobbying governments is part of infrastructure – and yes, our game has struggled doing that over the decades but more than that we’ve always failed to talk to governments as a united voice.
The FA should work with the states and prioritise the top items per state, at any given time, before either going out to speak to their state and federal leaders.
Time and time again, the FA goes to government looking for funding but they are fighting for the same dollars as the state feds are for other projects. Competing priorities need to become a thing of the past if we want to use this lever to grow the game.
The other great thing about infrastructure is that, as hard as it is to achieve, lobbying governments and actually achieving a result can take many years, sometimes decades, but once things are signed off and actually built they are there to stay. Good things take time, so I hope the FA and the state feds are lobbying hard, hand in hand, with the long game in mind.
The stadium at Tarneit, in Melbourne’s western suburbs, where Western United will eventually play comes to mind. A boutique rectangular stadium closer to the centre of Brisbane is another, and the Socceroos still without a proper home facility is a third – but there are many many more examples of this issue.
(Photo by Shaun Botterill – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
As we get more infrastructure, this will actually solidify the game’s position and growth, no matter who is in charge. This is why this pillar is so fundamental.
Player development is also multi-faceted.
Can the existing state league clubs do better to develop young talent? Of course they can. Some clubs already do it quite well, but many others not so well.
A proper domestic transfer system and a second division would help the cream rise to the top. Much of the problem is that there aren’t enough opportunities for players to be developed, rather than the way development is being done right now.
More clubs and more divisions naturally means more opportunities, and that’s not just for players, but for coaches, administrators, referees, physios, backroom staff etc.
That’s not even including promotion and relegation as yet. That’s another must, but it’s not exclusive, and it can probably wait a few more seasons. The top two divisions can still run side by side for a few years without it, before it being fully and properly introduced.
Once we get to a stage where we’ve got enough opportunities domestically to develop more players, and we’re producing a heap of good young talent, while valuing these players correctly, that’s when we know we’re going places. This is also why a proper domestic transfer system is so important.
Melbourne Victory buying a contracted player from Adelaide City or Canberra Olympic is the same as Everton or Leeds United buying a player from Central Coast. It’s money coming into the Australian domestic ecosystem. And more often than not, some of this money will then be reinvested to make more of the same, by ultimately fine tuning and repeating the development process.
We only have to look at the MLS in 2022, where multiple players are going directly to the Premier League for transfer fees of over $US10 million each. There is no reason we cannot replicate this if and when we get our house in order.
That also highlights the need for our domestic clubs to prioritise youth development, and perhaps save some money, which is often wasted on old foreign players coming to Australia for a pension.
Munro Mike
Roar Rookie
From Govt...............there'll be enough money to supply schooling and other public facilities. The notion of 9 figure amounts getting thrown at a Stadium............in the short term at least that won't be part of the 2026 Commonwealth Games..........won't happen. After that?? Let's see if we're in recession or not??
stu
Guest
Governments spend public money to maximize a return - votes. Soccer is a great 'non-contact' and skill development sport for children hence the good numbers. However the adults vote, and there is little evidence of a fan base in soccer the size of NRL/AFL. As indicated, generational change has to be the primary goal to change the culture and in turn becomes a voice. We cry from the roof tops on various 'injustices' that are not sustainable as the national interest in soccer is not at the same level as other codes at a professional level, then nothing is done until it is time to be outraged again. Be specific on the goal and how to achieve that goal without blind emotion with the emphasis on achieving the goal or we continue to be outraged to try and survive. As a foot note, it is highly doable to see random games of any code in a park or on the beach. Kids don't need a structured training session to start a game, perhaps best example is the school oval at lunch time!
asanchez
Roar Guru
Stu, Your points are valid and I understand them. But we do not live in a place where parks and streets are full of kids playing soccer. We live in an organised, heavily regulated country, where structured competition is king, and the numbers of kids that play the game on the weekends prove exactly that! Football participants get less than $50 per person, based on the current funding. By this same metric, every AFL participant get $1000 and every NRL playing kid gets over $500. This is ridiculous and massively disproportionate! This is what needs to be spruiked heavily at govt levels and be corrected. That would go a long way!
asanchez
Roar Guru
Massive issue! And it’s now holding the game back, particularly at grassroots levels. But our game needs to be better at talking to governments and selling the game and also selling that message. Show Albo and co what Morocco did with their home training base for their NT, show them what France did years ago with Clairefontaine etc, and then show them the scenes from Fed Square and all the other live sites around the country, plus all over the world. This is what the game can do, if it’s properly funded! Sell them the message…
asanchez
Roar Guru
Agree with this! But also it’s not their fault that Probuild, a massive Tier 1 national building company went broke during Covid. Their CEO was a Director on WU’s bid, which practically ‘guaranteed’ the building of the stadium at that stage. Unfortunately, as of today, they won’t have the proper stadium that they promised, and it’s crap! But they’ve gotta move on from that. What they can do now is get it going, which is happening at the moment. And you are right, it is a land grab, but in business, even moreso than in life, there's no such thing as free lunch! If someone is giving you something ie. a stadium, they’re not gonna do it for free. So the execution has been terrible, I agree, but the whole idea wasn’t the worst I’ve ever seen! Stage 1 is being completed at the moment, that’ll give them a small 5k capacity stadium, but they should be lobbying government to get a $100m upgrade shortly after, plus a complete redevelopment of the surrounding area, which is happening, but it’ll take some time. And because of where it’s situated (I know that area quite well) that will be massive for the community down there, so there’s plenty of reasons to get the government involved.
stu
Guest
I wish the author good luck with the solutions described in the article. It would be worth considering that many football playing countries, western or third world, survived very well with a local green park or piece of dirt to achieve a kids game. As noted on many, many occasions on these pages it is the cultural battle the game faces here rather than facilities with signs attached confirming this is for soccer only. My suggestion is to stop looking for peripheral solutions to making the game great. Direct Marketing and salesmanship of the game is perhaps the better solutions. Dont just plant the seed, but water it and weed it through each generation. Invest in this as it will be long, hard work.
Munro Mike
Roar Rookie
Not sure what AFL has to do with the Western United housing/stadium model??
chris
Guest
Infrastructure is a real issue. With cities growing and most of the kids taking up football over other sports finding grounds is a massive issue. We have that right now. Fields are over populated and overused. I don't see new grounds being established but lots of new housing developments and high rises. Councils place restrictions on the number of hours grounds can be used for (rightly so), so the bottom line is that new facilities need to be built. It's a huge problem that needs government assistance.
Simoc
Roar Rookie
I think this mantra has been going on for the last 30 years. Australian football is AFL. The game you speak of is known as Soccer in Australia but football in most parts of the world. So you didn't pass first base. Australian Soccer just had its finest World Cup and hopefully, within twenty years they will repeat the effort. But don't hold your breath. We specialize in self-destruction here. If we had a Kuol type talent come through each year or second year in twenty years we would have a very talented team and if they played with the commitment of Arnolds team they would do very well. But there are no guarantees as hugely talented teams like Germany demonstrated. But I think the next challenge is doing a Morocco at a World Cup. That would be great!
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
The only way for Western United to improve their support is if there is a lot more development and housing in the West of Melbourne particularly near the stadium. So its stupid to have a stadium there and no housing near it. Getting something built on time in this country there are a lot of people who are waiting years to get their house built after being promised it in 12 months. For every tax payer in this country I dont see it being an issue if they are paying for it they can build it whenever they like, if only this applied to all the new AFL stadiums and training centers.
Munro Mike
Roar Rookie
The Tarneit stadium........to be delivered in 'stages'; that's code for it may never be completed. Western United came in on a massive lie - that they would build a new stadium within 2 years. 3 years in and 'construction' was only about to begin........on phase 1. That whole Tarneit issue is far less about a stadium and far more about a big land development deal. Not really the sort of thing you should be promoting as a model to emulate!!!
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
None of the NPL clubs do it well except for Adelaide and even there it seems to be only because its the poorest state in Australia and a lack of rich parents than a plan.
Midfielder
Roar Guru
Apa Wise words