The Sydney FC vs Western Sydney Wanderers Derby on Saturday night reminded everyone of just where football will eventually end up in Australia.
Earlier that day, my Saturday morning walk took me in and around Balcombe Estate in the north-west of Sydney and along a walking track that snaked its way through six football pitches, where somewhere near 200 tiny tots were battling out matches and fighting for the sphere as passionately as kids are prone to do.
It was a beautiful and heart-warming sight for people like me who dream big for the game and see the slow but steady progress it has made in Australia.
It was a sight no doubt emulated at thousands of grounds around the country, as the nation’s most participated team sport launches into another winter season of activity.
Amidst the drama and turmoil that has and continues to hold the game back; keeping it reined inside a frustrating stable despite the booming participation numbers, football chips away and slowly lurches towards the final form of itself.
What if we celebrated that and managed to weed out those hell-bent on bringing down a game that is doing a hell of a lot right?
What if we celebrated the A-Leagues and their quality a little more and somehow convinced the slowly decaying NSL types to climb aboard, adopt a team and realise that the competition was the right strategic step to take after the former league had crumbled like a Roman ruin, effectively rotting from the core?
What if people actually appreciated the ten per cent increase being reflected in Macarthur FC’s crowds in 2023/24 and the near seven per cent increase in the number of people coming through the gates to watch the league’s other newest edition Western United?
Macarthur FC players celebrate a goal with fans. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
It would be quite astonishing if the average Australian could comprehend the 59 per cent increase in attendance across the A-League Women’s this season, as well as the wonderfully level competition that saw the underdog Newcastle Jets and Central Coast Mariners advance to the semi-finals over the weekend just past.
Just like the Phoenix in the men’s competition, they loom as new contenders after eliminating two of the big guns in Western United and Melbourne Victory.
What if people actually took a moment to reflect on the Women’s World Cup held in Australia/New Zealand during 2023 and the repercussions for participation and investment that the event brought?
Whilst some may be shouting from the rooftops rather negatively and wondering just where all the money has gone, the $398 million invested by state and federal governments prior to the tournament has had a definitive impact on football at a grassroots level, as well as other sports that benefited peripherally.
The Australian economy received an estimated $1.32 billion injection thanks to the tournament and football touched the hearts of around 70 per cent of the Australian population during the Matildas’ run to the semi-finals.
In spite of a $2.9 billion funding gap still existing in facility investment according to FA Chief Executive James Johnson, much has been done to improve the base upon which Australian football will be built and expanded in the future.
What if people stopped to comprehend precisely what the Socceroos managed to achieve in Qatar in 2022; advancing beyond the group stage and losing only to the two World Cup finalists along the way?
Moreover, just imagine if everyone in the country was made aware of the five consecutive World Cup qualifications for the Socceroos since 2006 and the brilliant successes of scores of young professionals plying their trade abroad off the back of international exposure.
Never in the history of Australian football have the players leaving our shores been as talented as a collective.
As a now truly global game, football success abroad has never been more challenging and difficult to achieve, yet cynical voices still holler from the rooftops about Aussies of the past who never had to compete with players from the burgeoning continent of Africa, or the emerging Asian nations and the increased competitiveness in the player market as a whole.
What if Australian football fans could celebrate their A-Leagues, knowing full well that players were not being protected and hidden from detection when it came to recreational drug taking; as the AFL powers at be, club doctors and players lie through their teeth to the most important people of all, the fans?
What if parents of young footballers could celebrate the fact that their son’s and daughter’s heads and brains were being protected as best they can be, and not treated as the collateral damage they are in more brutal games where legal action against the governing bodies will almost certainly become more frequent in the future?
And most of all, what if Australian football fans could reflect on all that has and continues to be achieved, despite coming off the back of historically appalling funding and support from government; bodies quick to pander to others, as well as a hostile media that frankly, could mostly care less if football didn’t exist?
What if we dare looked at football that way and realised that like a good shampoo, it won’t happen overnight, but it will happen.
As I’ve written before, I’ll be dead when it does, but it is still fun to see the little wins along the way.
Christo the Daddyo
Roar Rookie
I’m referring to my comments, not yours.
Football Fan
Roar Rookie
So how do you explain the figures I gave you?
Christo the Daddyo
Roar Rookie
My point is based on facts too.
Football Fan
Roar Rookie
“The perception of the Aleague will improve over time” is my personal opinion despite it's current state but the main point of your post was that "the general population has always supported the national teams" which I have shown based on FACTS to be false.
Christo the Daddyo
Roar Rookie
“ The perception of the Aleague will improve over time” It’s actually declining.
Football Fan
Roar Rookie
Australia has NOT "always supported the national teams". The Matildas attracted 2500 fans against Brazil in a match played in Sydney not that long ago. In fact many of the players in the current Matildas team were playing that day. They even ended up playing behind closed doors in another match around the same time because they couldn't attract enough fans to pay for costs and justify opening the stadium. Their matches were certainly not shown on commercial FTA tv like they are now. The Socceroos attracted 15k against Argentina in the Bicentenial Gold Cup in Sydney, yes they were players missing from the Argentina team but can you imagine only attracting 15k now? No way. There are many other similar examples. The Socceroos were also not deemed commercial tv worthy not that long ago hence why SBS showed all their games. The national teams coverage has evolved as has the interest from the public. The perception of the Aleague will improve over time as well but will take much longer as it builds generational support.
Grem
Roar Rookie
Absolutely agree – reading some articles and the comments by a few football supporters and the regular trolls is quite depressing at times! The A Leagues IS a great competition to watch and although I’m told not to talk about this – it draws from the LARGEST pool of talent of any sport in Australia! So what does that say about the standard of other popular sports that draw from very little pools of talent? I just enjoy the games and seeing our players progress to the Socceroos and other leagues. And, I too, enjoy actual football articles. SS does a great job. I also love to read comments by actual football people as well – Midfielder, Cameron, Waz (most of the time!), Punter, Redondo, etc – too many to mention.
Football is Life
Roar Rookie
Good Man FF, a soldier cannot win a war alone, it's a privilege to be in the trenches with you mate. Grem, Chris1, Waz, Lionheart, we've been fighting for all it's worth for years now.
Grem
Roar Rookie
“It’s quite obvious what’s happened – the AFL knew they had a problem with guys using drugs, so let’s just have them pull out with a sore hammy and dodge the testing that way,” he said. “Anyone with half a brain can see why they’ve done it. They’ve obviously tried to move the chess pieces around to navigate a (WADA) policy they have agreed to abide by – because the carrot is federal government funding. Just a bunch of cheats. Keep sweeping Mike. That’s what the AFL is good at.
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
WHat is the relevance of the average squaddie across the whole Thai league, I would believe that if you take only Thai players across what you say might be about right. They have 16 teams in Thailand first division. Have a look at Buriram United. They have Kenny Dougal the Socceroo. He has played in the Championship and he is 30. They also have a South Korean center back who has about 200 J-league and K-league games and he is only 32. They also have two Brazilians who have played in Serie A higher credentialed than Penha and Tulio. These players are there for one reason the money they are getting is bigger than what they were getting in Europe,Brazil and Japan Korea. You have got it totally the wrong way around about the A-league. 5% of the A-league is there for the money. The A-league has a thing for really old and foreign players, Ninkovic, Aldred, Isaias , Lopez are there for the money but its a relatively small amount. Australia is a shop window for Asia as well so people try to get money but also look for more, the reason the Brazilians come here is not the money is that much better but the eye of Asia is more on this league so guys like Tulio, Penha etc The A-league is paying some players good money that no one else in the world would want . the rest are looking to put themselves in the shop window, some will not accept a league that takes them out of the Socceroos window, the rest will take any big money offer that comes along. A-league is a lot of state league players wont play in the A-league, because a bench player in the A_league doesnt get much and they get 20k in the NPL plus have a job at the same time. Of course you cant do that in most of Asia because the local jobs pay peanuts.
Tufanooo
Roar Rookie
I didn't ask what it needs. I asked why is it needed at all. Your last paragraph advocates the need for more money so that these players can leave for better opportunities overseas?? That's absolutely insane. There is no ROI if any player leaves and goes overseas. None at all. No one would give money to a venture so that the best can disappear to the other side of the world and earn millions and not give a cent back to Australia.
Tufanooo
Roar Rookie
That should be the goal. But at no stage would any sensible government throw money into supporting that goal. No government wants to see its best and brightest not contribute to its own tax base. If the A-League is only good for being a development league, it needs to do it without govt support.
Tufanooo
Roar Rookie
Lol
Football Fan
Roar Rookie
13th man, everyone can watch/follow/support whatever sport they like but I personally cannot support a code (AFL) that has gone out of it's way on so many occasions to derail the progress of football in so many different ways. Maybe you're too young to know what's happened over the years or maybe you don't care but I for one will never spend a cent supporting or following a code that has proven to be the enemy of my sport on so many occasions. I do not go out of my way to read AFL articles or insult people who follow AFL. Nor do I go out of my way to criticise the AFL but there is no way I will sit silent when so many, so often, both in the past and present, attack the game I love. On those occasions, I will defend my turf and respond accordingly. As for your last sentence, I do not believe you are a true football fan if you don't try and support football in the country you live in, to help it grow and improve. A true football fan will support a Euro club, Aleague club and even an NPL club, assuming the time and money is available. They don't have to watch and/or attend every game in every league but surely if you follow the EPL for example you can go to the occasional ALeague match each year instead of bagging it at every opportunity and quite often without justification.
Football Fan
Roar Rookie
Love your comments FiL. I've had countless debates with people that criticise the local game or don't attend. Many have never actually been and have this pre-conceived idea that it's not good enough because it's not the EPL. Keep up the good work mate.
Football Fan
Roar Rookie
There are multiple groups of people that the APL need to target. I agree with you Waz that the APL needs to be prepared to address the question of why many people have abandoned the Aleague. The other obvious group they need to target is the people going to Matildas matches. I believe the vast majority of these people have never been to an AL match, men or women. As you say, the NSL bitters are a very small but vocal minority and definitely don't represent all participants below the Aleague as they seem to claim so often.
apaway
Roar Guru
Superbly put, Stuart. there is much to love in the domestic game. I can be almost guaranteed of seeing an exciting, all-action goal-filled game in any A league mens or womens round. The story of the A league Mens top two is pure Hollywood - Wellington and Central Coast, friendless (apart from the hardcore faithful), penniless and often pointless, now showing the rest of the competition how to rebuild a club from the ground up. The drama at Adelaide last week with the insanely talented Nestory Irankunda. The pulsating Sydney derby, which is hopefully on its way back to being the hottest sporting ticket in the Harbour City.
Punter
Roar Rookie
Wow what do we need, we need more money. At present football is bottom subsidizing the top level where it should be the other way round. We need better coaches & players don't need to pay huge amount of monies to be coached by the top teams. We are slowly getting more & more players into the top leagues, it won't happen overnight, but we came from a very low base. The type of players required these days all have to have high technical skills with a great first touch.
Tufanooo
Roar Rookie
Thailand is big money these days have you ever followed the ACL , Malaysia less so but the top couple of teams. The average salaries of players in the top division in Thailand is less than the A-League. It's about $7k a month. Hardly big money. Lower cost of living in Thailand, sure, but hardly big money. The A-league is for players who want to stay in contention for the national team and bigger overseas leagues. Rubbish, and that only applies to about 20% of the players. The remaining 80% of the A-League players stand no chance of getting a nice contract in Europe, Japan, China etc.
Tufanooo
Roar Rookie
Ok, agreed But my comment is still true. We cannot produce top line talent. The top line has moved away from what we are capable of developing. Once a gap starts to increase, it requires an almighty (and arguably unjustifiable) level of funding to reduce the gap. The question that needs to be asked, is why would we need to reduce the gap?