Positivity is essential to apply amongst the fans for the A-League, especially amidst all of the inconsistency it has served up in recent seasons.
From the ugly pitch invasion at the Melbourne Derby to the low crowds attracted each week, the code is in dire need of some optimism to realise Australia’s incredible potential as a footballing nation.
Last week, the APL announced their plans to expand the A-League Men competition by adding Canberra and Auckland into the 2024-25 campaign mix.
APL CEO Danny Townsend is confident that targeting these two areas is the necessary step forward to grow the game steadily.
“The exciting thing about this process is seeing the potential in these markets to help grow the league as a whole and form that drive interest and excitement in Australian football,” said Townsend.
Let’s start with the positive aspect of this decision.
The inclusion of Canberra United is much needed, as fans and neutrals have been crying out for this for years now.
Not having a single market based in the country’s capital city for so long now has been an incredible missed opportunity. A chance beckons for the potential to be tapped into and attract immense interest. For too long now, the NRL has had the luxury of cruising with their fan base and attendances for the Canberra Raiders, a code that is barely receiving any competition.
(Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images)
Football Australia’s most recent National Participation Report for 2021 showed that Canberra had increased its outdoor football participation rate by 11 per cent from the previous year, totalling 16,169 players across both genders. For one of Australia’s least populated cities, the demand is there.
Women’s football in the ACT has grown by leaps and bounds for 15 years now since the inclusion of Canberra United in the W-League. Having an established club will help springboard the development of the men’s side, where crowds can be drawn in for double-header clashes between the two respective Canberra teams.
Unfortunately, that’s where the positivity and optimism ends.
Prioritising another club from New Zealand instead of Australia and trying to grow the ‘Australian league’ just doesn’t sit well.
Although Wellington Phoenix playing on our shores has been a breath of fresh air by producing some great memories and showcasing many talented players, New Zealand should be focusing on growing their respective league and trying to develop their players and facilities.
Auckland City is already a well-established club who have appeared in multiple FIFA Club World Cups due to their dominance in Oceania. Would it be correct to simply switch to a completely different domestic league?
The collapse of the New Zealand Knights after two seasons provides further concern that the same won’t happen this time around. They too were also based in Auckland, averaging crowds of just under 3500.
With the Phoenix hovering around the 6000 attendance mark for home games this season, the big question is will Auckland take fans from Wellington, or will they be able to attract their own support?
Despite previously mentioning how a Canberra club would be a positive for the A-League, the financial equation seems to provide no real certainties, casting major doubt.
In the APL’s press release, they confirmed that they are seeking investors for the club. Townsend claims he has full confidence that a major investor will be found by June this year, but the potential new club has been actively looking for stable ownership for the past two years which has resulted in no success, according to ABC.
Of course, there should be excitement around expanding the A-League and trying to grow the game, but it doesn’t mean the hard questions can’t be asked.
Could it be a case of the APL not being fully convinced that a National Second Division will be ready to be implemented in the near future? Maybe this decision is trying to slow down that possibility without actually making the expansion stagnant and keeping the current 12-team format.
No one is arguing that expansion is critically vital to take football to the next level in Australia. The argument, though, is around which new clubs should be participating next.
TeamAustralia
Roar Rookie
Not a word about this on the NZF website, so probably just more Townsend wishful thinking.
Nick
Roar Rookie
The demographics have changed since. A LOT more people live in that area now. And the roads have improved.
Blood Dragon
Roar Rookie
North Harbour was a key factor to why the Knights failed.
Nick
Roar Rookie
the proximity to the CBD is irrelevant in Auckland. Everyone drives.
Nick
Roar Rookie
I'm quietly confident that when leases are up for renewal that an A-League team might be able to offer a tad more for the rent than a firmly amateur baseball unit...
Blood Dragon
Roar Rookie
North Harbour is a Ballpark in summer it cannot be used for rectangular sports until its converted to rectangle mode after Baseball season is over
Nick
Roar Rookie
Newcastle to Campbelltown is pretty quick these days...but you have to shell out the beans in tolls. Looking at about $20 on way with the M1 tunnel, the M2 and M7 tolls.
Nick
Roar Rookie
North Harbour Stadium is still the better choice for any Auckland franchise. Football is much stronger in the north shore and west of Auckland than it is the south.
Timmuh
Roar Guru
Yes, perhaps "strange" is the wrong word. It is just unfortunate the two arms of the sport don't seem to have planned this together. Again, I'm looking at it without the knowledge of the game many of you have. A second tier with promotion/relegation can only work if/when they do (maybe they have, it just doesn't look like it to this observer). Even then, its a big risk, given the nature of Australia and the relatively small market share Association Football has as a domestic viewing base. But worth it in my uneducated view, if it means more player depth through more players exposed to full time professional set-ups and more decently resourced youth academies.
Roberto Bettega
Roar Rookie
Timmuh It's really not all that strange at all. The FA and the APL are not on the same page. The FA is establishing the NST. From the APL's perspective, it's a separate comp. The APL (and Silverlake) are in the business of selling licences for $20+million to play in a closed shop league. Nothing could be further from their main objectives than to allow the winner of another comp into the A-League at no cost to that club (in fact, to allow clubs into the A-League is contrary to their philosophy).
At work
Roar Rookie
I think a better approach would be to spend $100m on putting a roof over the two sides and try and cover the ends to protect people from the bitter chill during Winter.
Geoff Foley
Roar Rookie
Can do Bruce-Campbelltown in just over 2 hours if you get a good traffic run
Garry
Roar Rookie
With the cost of airfares Im sure they can do deals meaning the extra 5 nights accomodation will be 50% cheaper for ALL teams.
Randy
Roar Rookie
interesting, didn't know that. They don't need it though, the NRL gives them a grant of 13.1 million.
Timmuh
Roar Guru
Looking at it as an outsider, it seemed a strange call. The new NSD would provide, in a few years, a way to expand the ALM (partly) through performance. For a few years the NSD could be used as a promotion vehicle only, until ALM reached the desired size when relegation could be added to the mix. I do understand not wanting to wait that long, and perhaps wanting to at least give the new areas to the league a starting point with a leg-up. It just, again from the outside and without knowing any detail, a little disjointed to invite NSD candidates - including two ACT ones - and then have ALM expansion announced. Of course, NSD may not go ahead; depending on how the expressions of interest look, budget expectations, media interest, etc; and almost certainly a March 2024 timeline is wildly optimistic. If the announcements had been reversed, it nay have looked more like a coherent plan and less like the two parts weren't working in ignorance of each other.
Blood Dragon
Roar Rookie
FA likely want to kill the A-League and have NSD replace it WA and SA are tapped out and while QLD should get a 2nd team where do you put it? A 2nd Brisbane Team will just kill Roar, Gold Coast is the most suitable market but people will Winge that Gold Coast is a "failed market", Sunny Coast won't have a Stadium until closer to the Olympics while NQ is to small and to hot
Blood Dragon
Roar Rookie
14 teams mean we can move to a standard home and away season and meet requirements to compete in AFC Club Competitions Perth would likely do both NZ games back-to-back but for east coast teams its cheaper to fly to NZ then it is to Perth so back-to-back games for them is unnecessary.
Christian Montegan
Roar Pro
Especially when the home and away season includes clubs from the NPL and expands further with a second division, it’s going to be fundamental to have every team playing each other twice both home and away. Two NZ teams in the same division resulting in 4 trips in total for the Australian clubs. Wouldn’t want to be Perth…
Blood Dragon
Roar Rookie
It makes sense for Perth and maybe Adelaide to do that but for everyone else it would be cheaper to do 2 separate trips to NZ a Season for Away Games
Roberto Bettega
Roar Rookie
to follow up on the government grant query, this Canberra Times article from only 2 weeks ago says that the annual grant to the raiders is now $2.6 million per annum, which is pretty close to what they give the Giants (of course they only play a few time per year in canberra) https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/7649967/raiders-score-13-million-boost-on-eve-of-nrl-season/