There’s an interesting article outlining how Australian Football should unite ……https://www.frontpagefootball.net/post/it-s-time-for-australian-football-to-unite-and-discard-the-negativity?fbclid=IwAR2FBwDj9ZKiYm-HTZpq0FyGApyTRId6sFEA2Z_AxI7xSFK1_SgvDro1kTw

Gary,
We can’t change any of the above mate.
None of it.
Fact is Saudi will get the WC.
FIFA are calling on other bids.
We do not have to oppose…it will be a waste of time and money.
However JJ has and is in the FIFA tent.
We can offer to co host.
There is room to move…..just as their was re Spain/Portugal and the 2 other confeds joining the 2030 WC bid as co hosts.
Business is business Gary, their is room to move here if you have the ability to read between the lines and get of your moral high horse.
The moral high horse will get us nowhere mate. Nowhere.
We are irrelevant in the grand scheme of FIFA politics…..we are 1 x singular vote.
I am arguing we should be all in and supportive of our confed and put our hands up to co host some group games, some final 16 games, a qtr, maybe even a semi?
You never know…..it’s def our best and only hope.

Did you not read the above Gary?
I asked the question…what gives us the right to question human rights when we are such a fail at human rights anyways? Look at our pathetic track record with Nauru, and the stolen Gen just to mention 2 x issues alone? Besides this is not about world politics/human rights? It’s about football and FIFA politics! Imean what gives you the impression that our view counts anyway? I don’t want to get into that debate anyway.
Lets just focus on our love of Aus football…surely we have that in coommon?
So then lets focus on the chances of Aus ever getting a men’s WC.
Well they’re very slim aren’t they?
Well i see this as a co operative opportunity if you can look beyond political BS.
Facts are facts….Saudi will get the rights, its pretty obvious.
You or me carping from the sidelines won’t change that!
So why not bid to host some groups, some final 16 games and maybe even get a qtr or semi?
How good would that be for Aus football?
Great for
Asian football too.
Come on look beyond the usual BS and jump into the real world of FIFA $ and politics.
I genuinely suspect FIFA would love a country like Aus to back Saudi and jump onboard as a co host. Why not i say?

I don’t understand? Why has no one suggested we support Saudi’s bid? I mean it is pretty obvious Saudi will earn hosting rights. So why not support and join the bid with say China or Indonesia or both as co hosts. FIFA have set the new pattern, so lets face facts and work within the confines. This could be seen as an opportunity to progress the game and our influence with a positive contribution in our confed….which is Asia. Why can’t we just be positive contributors as a potential co host? Yes i know it is a 16 hour flight to Saudi, but it hasn’t stopped FIFA with the joint Sth American, African (Morrocco) co hosting with Spain/Portugal 2030 WC bid. FIFA and the AFC have clearly already backed Saudi’s bid, but common sense tells me they will not have 14 x suitable stadiums, and even if they build them like Qatar did, i’m pretty sure a co operative co host or two will be welcomed as opposed to the potential shouting from the rooftops about human rights issues alternative! I mean seriously where is that type of approach going to get us? Nowhere right! This isn’t about world politics, it’s about FIFA politics. Lets play FIFA politics to progress the world game in Australia. It will also benefit real politics and our place in Asia. Besides who are we to talk about human rights with our record (Nauru/Stolen Gen…just for starters.) So what i’m floating/suggesting is lets get off our high horse, make friends in Asian football to benefit the future of our beloved code and get behind Saudi’s bid and put our hand up as a potential co host. Perhaps China or Indonesia, Japan or Sth Korea will join the bid too, and it will really showcase Asia as the 3rd strongest confed in world football, because with ever rapidly progressing world footballing powers like Japan, Sth Korea, Iran, Saudi, Australia (the current top 5 in Asia) and many more rapidly improving nations like Uzbekistan, China, Thailand, Qatar, UAE, Jordan, Syria and many more, Asia is surely now as strong, or stronger than Africa and Concacef, and catching up to Sth America (outside of the top 3 traditional powers in Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay.) Now before everyone gets caught up in arguing about Asia’s footballing strength (never forget Japan beat Spain and Germany in the WC, and smashed Germany just last month, and Sth Korea are nearly as strong, Saudi beat Argentina in the group game and Aus and Iran performed quite well too. Asia is by far the fastest growing confed in world football and we would benefit from embedding ourselves further and in a positive manner rather than carping from the sidelines is what i’m saying. I really do believe this is an opportunity. I really believe it is realistic. But we need to leave human rights and politics out of it, and focus on football and if we can get a co bid together in time, i would not be suprised at all if we were awarded some group games, and possibly some final 16 games, maybe even a Qtr final and or a semi based on the quality of the womens WC delivery. Yep being a supportive AFC member…now thats a positive idea surely?

Stuart you have stated your view clearly, you stated in the article preceeding the survey and yet still a clear majority 54% disagreed with your sentiments and voted Winter is when football should be played. I would argue that if an article clearly outlining all of JJ’s principles explaining why Football is going to return to Winter – IE The alignment of grassroots, NPL, Asia, transfer systems, introducing a second div, promo/rel, ignoring other sports etc etc, then the numbers i’m certain would be more convincing – maybe more like 60 or 70%.

Anyways, numbers, analytics, data pffff what we have been craving Stuart is a leader! A visionary with passion, a genuine football person not scared to make decisions. I trust JJ more than any fan, scribe or multiple sports fan. I trust his background in football as a player, his career expertise garnered at Man City and FIFA etc and now he’s delivered a Womens World Cup and 11 principles and started honouring the old 74 legends, brought legends like Rale, Dukes, Neil etc back onboard etc. Please just embrace the positive changes, rather than running with a divide and conquer style article? I mean i’m not trying to disrespect your opinion or anything…… each to their own and all, but JJ right now seems very much to be the guy we have all been craving to take control of Spaceship Football for decades, so i think nows the time more so than ever to just get on board.

A couple of poorer pitches here and there, a few smaller crowds here and there pfff, small price to pay for a united pyramid, stand alone game with pro/rel played in smaller football grounds. Stop worrying about crowd sizes, TV ratings and watch the football improve….. the rest will follow organically.

If a smaller club folds, there’s plenty to take their place – its how it works all over the world. The market decides, promo/rel decides. Clubs and indeed federations that have their house in order deliver.

Footballers – IE the players want to play in Winter man. Its a Winter sport. Get over these silly other reasons – they no longer matter when a confident football leader is in charge.

Hey Chris, it doesn’t really matter long term if Fox are interested. JJ will now be able to play them instead of the other way round. Yes they will be interested as the advertising dollar will now beckon, ratings too will rise for the female game, and on the back of increased gov funding at all levels the whole code will benefit.

Ultimately winning the hosting rights is a big story for sure, but over time it will just be part of the overall improved positive football narrative from the new FFA leadership team.

The Matildas are fine representatives of our game, the Golden Gen are back in the fold and contributing to the postive debate. It is still going to be a tough year or two for the A-League, but i genuinely believe JJ will work hard for the game’s alignment and growth.

If we get a second division of sorts – even if it is just the NPL system used in each regional (state) and then National Champions crowned as per, with promo/relegation introduced ASAP, it will provide the narrative, pyramid and pathway. It will bring the whole football family back together pushing in one growth direction with all the excitement and storylines promo/rel brings, not to mention the improvement in football standards etc.

Argh blue sky on the horizon again at last for our wonderful game!

Caps off a great week for Aus football. TV deal tick, steps to align the football pathway pyramid tick, planning for 2nd div tick, Womens World Cup to Aus and NZ massive tick, some positive coverage on mainstream media tick. In JJ we trust. Commercial TV will be chasing the Matildas now, Fox will be under immense pressure in the coming years to now boost their Football coverage in general or they will lose it to a bigger bidder in a year’s time. FFA TV, SBS, Optus and now the commercial channels will express renewed bandwagonesque interest in covering Football across the board – just you watch. Also local, state and Fed governments will jump on the bandwagon regarding funding. Here comes a massive flow on effect.

Before naysayers call BS on this, remember the big difference right now is Gallop, Buckley, O’Neil or any other footy plant is not in charge. Yes indeed, we have a genuine Football First administrator in charge of our beloved world game. Ah yes…… the potential in coming years is real my friends.

Bring on the 2nd div and promo/rel!

Yo No Mates, why Roar, why Glory? Why are you so worried about attendences? Do you have financial investment in the league? JJ clearly said, “Stop worrying about other sports.” All these crowd obsessed peeps on these forums. Leave that concern to the CEO’s who will finally own the game in a year or so as FFA and the league’s club owners finally transition, allowing the market to decide. Then NRL and AFL obsessions like salary caps, playing on oval fields etc will be done with. JJ appears to me to be a confident leader, a man who knows the game and knows where it needs to head. Forget BBL, NRL, AFL and lets start playing in smaller football specific grounds. AAMI is good in Melbourne, Coopers in Adelaid, Dolphin in Brissy, Perth’s ground is good enough, Kogarah, Leichardt etc good for Sydney, Wanderers new ground is great, Campbelltown is ok for Macarthur. All is good. If one weekend Wanderers is booked out, go to Marconi and sell it out – awesome, imagine the atmosphere. Some of the NPL clubs that eventually get promoted like Wollongong, Sth Melbourne, Sydney United, Brisbane strikers etc, their grounds are good enough. Smaller clubs will add interest and connect the older historical clubs and tribes with the new. Win win.

Yes Lesterlike, Poldark, Rob Bettega, Mick and others get it! I’m assuming they are genuine football people.

Stu i’m by no means dissing you, your articles are thought provoking, regular and usually you exhibit a true love for the game’s greater good. Debate about the game’s future is always a positive in a landscape of – well not much written debate at all.

Fact is we just don’t have enough football lovers in our media landscape at all. That alone says how strong the game’s undergound support really is. I mean sometimes one must wonder how football is so strong down here at the distant bottom of the world, but it clearly is.

We get unbelievable crowds at the A-League, in the old NSL and at international games, especially considering how little marketing and promotion there has been over the decades.

The game has survived that 32 year period of no WC qualification between Rale’s epic 74 soldiers and the GG in 2006. There were some great national teams in between, some incredible players, but the admin, the game’s beancrunchers let them down. The history is strong – it is now time to be proud of it and celebrate it.

Clearly there is a massive underground of support, the game has survived so much dissapointment, We have had to put up with politician style leaders (i use the word leader loosely) who don’t even like the game running it for decades. Guys like sir Arthur George? Hill? O’Neill, Buckley?Gallop? So many career imposters kinda just doing their job for the beankeepers, but not really caring, not really motivated to really, i mean really grow the game and make the hard football decisions!

I don’t include Mr Frank Lowy in that list (and i know he employed some of the above as his second in charge) because Frank’s love for the game stems way back (I remember him attending Hakoah games at Wentworth Park all those years ago and his passion, business acumen and financial clout helped us achieve the 4 x WC Qualifications in a row, The A-League’s initial success etc etc.) Thank you Frank you legend!

Legends like Johnny Warren, Les Murray and more recently Craig Foster and Bozza were/are the real deal. Of course there are so many more real lovers of the game at all levels of the game and this is not the forum to list the hundreds of tireless football pundits, coaches, volunteers etc etc, but we all know who they are and love them for it.

The point i wanted to make was – Stu i did pick up a worrying comment somewhere in this thread whereby you said, “I will rarely be able to attend a match in winter time. As a man with a press pass, that is particularly sad.” That’s a worry for you personally for sure, i’m sorry to hear that. However, it is self interest coming through, a rare slip up no doubt. I get that we all have our own families, work commitments etc, but this decision by JJ is all about Football and not worrying about the other codes, just football and its future.

As other readers like Poldark, Lesterlike, Mick, Bettega have pointed out, it’s about aligning the football pyramid. At present we do not have a pyramid, nothing makes sense. There is a clear disconnect.

The pyramid works all over the world. The youth, the men and women play on the same day or at least weekend. Kids, parents/families, society and the media in general don’t have a clear understanding of the pathway. It is clearly a broken system/pyramid.

JJ is prioritising to fix it now. He has started the process. He is clearly putting the groundwork in place for a 2nd division, 3rd div etc etc – even if it is only through the existing NPL state frameworks and then a national play off system. That will work, people will understand that.

Connecting the dots as Miron Bleiberg pointed out makes sense. Then little Johnny or lil Katherine can aim for her local rep team and hope to progress to the top. It will build football culture – it will connect the A-League with local clubs, NPL clubs and align everything Stu.

A kid starts at grassroots level and if he or she is good enough then progresses to an NPL club or A- League academy playing NPL, but then there’s a disconnect. There’s no clear pathway to aim for the top. There’s not enough opportunity. There’s no transfer system encouraging NPL clubs to nurture youth and develop them properly, the kids chop and change clubs every second year. Its dumb, counterproductive and in some extreme cases even corrupt!

Having a clear, understandable football pathway and pyramid will make our game stronger, it will stand us apart. It will be our core strength. It is why JJ clearly said, “Stop worrying about the other sports.”

If we have an aligned NPL system with 3 or 4 divisions (we already have state based systems in place) promo/rel in say 2 years or so from NPL 1 to go up and down, then let the economics, the marketplace, the football decide.

NPL clubs will have to raise their game and employ good TD’s, good youth coaches, build loyal cultures etc. A- League clubs will have to do the same and keep looking over their shoulder as if they don’t, they will get relegated – just like all football cultures/pyramids all over the world.

As a sport we will be stronger, we will have a unique structure/pyramid, narrative and culture. We will develop youth and the interest and fanbase will grow organically. We will once again respect the migrant based clubs who have played such an amazing part in nurturing footballers and we will also respect the Anglo clubs who have done similar. But shoving franchises down our throat with no connections to youth or football culture alone won’t work.

The game needs restructuring from the bottom up or top down – who cares – as long as its done. To his credit JJ has listened to the masses, shown leadership and made the hard decisions.

It will work.

What a week for Australian football. Next the Womens World Cup and from that some increased funding from State and Federal governments.

With a proper football pyramid local, state and Fed governments will respect/understand and be forced to respond to the numbers and they will be forced to commit more funding. Football will represent a power, a voting powerhouse.

Naysayers need to get behind football people like JJ who want to unite the tribe. We have never had a genuine leader like him. Wow how did it even happen. The winds of change are a blowin.

PS If by some chance we don’t get the Womens World Cup – it ain’t the end of the world. It will be a real filip if we do, but these fundamental structural changes are way more important in the long run.

The end.

Yes Lesterlike, Poldark, Rob Bettega, Mick and others get it! I’m assuming they are genuine football people.

Stu i’m by no means dissing you, your articles are thought provoking, regular and usually you exhibit a true love for the game’s greater good. Debate about the game’s future is always a positive in a landscape of – well not much written debate at all.

Fact is we just don’t have enough football lovers in our media landscape at all. That alone says how strong the game’s undergound support really is. I mean sometimes one must wonder how football is so strong down here at the distant bottom of the world, but it clearly is.

We get unbelievable crowds at the A-League, in the old NSL and at international games, especially considering how little marketing and promotion there has been over the decades.

The game has survived that 32 year period of no WC qualification between Rale’s epic 74 soldiers and the GG in 2006. There were some great national teams in between, some incredible players, but the admin, the game’s beancrunchers let them down. The history is strong – it is now time to be proud of it and celebrate it.

Clearly there is a massive underground of support, the game has survived so much dissapointment, We have had to put up with politician style leaders (i use the word leader loosely) who don’t even like the game running it for decades. Guys like sir Arthur George? Hill? O’Neill, Buckley?Gallop? So many career imposters kinda just doing their job for the beankeepers, but not really caring, not really motivated to really, i mean really grow the game and make the hard football decisions!

I don’t include Mr Frank Lowy in that list (and i know he employed some of the above as his second in charge) because Frank’s love for the game stems way back (I remember him attending Hakoah games at Wentworth Park all those years ago and his passion, business acumen and financial clout helped us achieve the 4 x WC Qualifications in a row, The A-League’s initial success etc etc.) Thank you Frank you legend!

Legends like Johnny Warren, Les Murray and more recently Craig Foster and Bozza were/are the real deal. Of course there are so many more real lovers of the game at all levels of the game and this is not the forum to list the hundreds of tireless football pundits, coaches, volunteers etc etc, but we all know who they are and love them for it.

The point i wanted to make was – Stu i did pick up a worrying comment somewhere in this thread whereby you said, “I will rarely be able to attend a match in winter time. As a man with a press pass, that is particularly sad.” Thats a worry for you personally for sure, i’m sorry to hear that. However, it is self interest coming through, a rare slip up no doubt. I get that we all have our own families, work commitments etc, but this decision by JJ is all about Football. Not the other codes, not crowds numbers, not pitch quality, but football and its future.

As other readers like Poldark, Lesterlike, Mick, Bettega have pointed out it’s about aligning the football pyramid. At present we do not have a pyramid, nothing makes sense. There is a clear disconnect – do you understand this critical principle Stu?

The pyramid works all over the world. The youth, the men and women play on the same day or at least weekend. Kids and parents/families, society and media in general don’t have a clear understanding of the pathway? It is a broken system/pyramid.

JJ is prioritising to fix it now. He has started the process. He is clearly putting the groundwork in place for a 2nd division, 3rd div etc etc – even if it is only through the existing NPL state frameworks and then a national play off system. That will work, people will understand that. Connecting the dots as Miron Bleiberg pointed out makes sense. Then little Johnny or lil Katherine can aim for her local rep team and hope to progress to the top. It build football culture – it will connect the A-League with local clubs, NPL clubs and align everything Stu.

A kid starts at grassroots level and if he or she is good enough then progresses to an NPL club or A- League academy playing NPL, but then there’s a disconnect. There’s no clear pathway to aim for the top. There’s not enough opportunity. There’s no transfer system encouraging NPL clubs to nurture youth and develop them properly, the kids chop and change clubs every second year. Its dumb, counterproductive and in some extreme cases even corrupt!

Having a clear, understandable football pathway and pyramid will make our game stronger, it will stand us apart. It will be our core strength. It is why JJ clearly said, “Stop worrying about the other sports.”

If we have an aligned NPL system with 3 or 4 divisions (we already have state based systems in place) promo/rel in say 2 years or so from NPL 1 to go up and down, then let the economics, the marketplace, the football decide.

NPL clubs will have to raise their game and employ good TD’s, good youth coaches, build loyal cultures etc. A- League clubs will have to do the same and keep looking over their shoulder as if they don’t, they will get relegated – just like all football cultures all over the world.

As a sport we will be stronger, we will have a unique structure/pyramid, narrative and culture. We will develop youth and the interest and fanbase will grow organically. We will once again respect the migrant based clubs who have played such an amazing part in nurturing footballers and we will also respect the Anglo clubs who have done similar. But shoving franchises down our throat with no conections to youth or football cultue alone won’t work.

The game needs restructuring from the bootom up or top down – who cares – as long as its done. To his credit JJ has listened to the masses, shown leadership and made the hard decisions.

It will work, just you watch it.

What a week for australian football. Next the Womens World Cup and from that some increased funding from State and Federal governments.

With a proper football pyramid local, state and Fed governments will understand the numbers and they will be forced to commit more funding. Football is a power, a voting powerhouse.

Naysayers need to get behind football people like JJ. We have never had a genuine leader like him. Wow how did it even happen. The winds of change are a blowin.

PS If by some chance we don’t get the Womens World Cup – it ain’t the end of the world. It will be a real filip if we do, but these fundamental structural changes are way more important in the long run.

The end.

Stuart, perhaps the most important point JJ made in one of his recent releases was when, he said, “Football needs to stop worrying about other sports.” Article link here – https://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/stop-worrying-about-other-sports-says-ffa-chief-johnson
He is so right, the biggest mistake football stakeholders and fans have made in recent years is they often worry and comment about other sports.
With a genuine football leader now in charge in JJ, forget all that old BS, like seriously. His move to align the football pyramid is so painstakingly obvious and makes so much sense that the debate really should be over. Miron Bleiberg said similar in an interview with Lucy Zelic last week too. The Golden Gen have said it all along. The Central Coast Mariners CEO likes the idea, the list will grow till all agree.
Regardless of whether all agree it is now a mute point thankfully!
The decision has been made by the boss – a real football boss, it is now our job s fans, football journalists, administrators etc to get behind the future of the game. Talk is now cheap!
JJ has done it with football’s long term growth in mind.
You cannot have a bunch of A-League franchise playing in the heat connected to nothing in particular any more.
The football pyramid and all that obviously entails will soon be aligned.
Youth pathways will begin making sense.
All games will be played on the same day/weekend.
Football is/has and always will be a winter game all over the world.
Kids can play in the morning and aspire to reach the heights of their heroes that night or next day in a televised game of the no 1 league in our country.
I suspect that with the leagues aligned within say 2 to 3 years we can expect a 2nd div with promo/rel and all the excitement and opportunity that presents. (That will stand the sport apart alone.) None of the Micky Mouse Commonwealth Codes you and too many peeps seem concerned about have promo/rel, none of them are world games! If Football owns that space it will be the ultimate sporting narrative in this country. Before time – watch the other Comminwealth or Aus only code try and copy then!
Transfer fees from NPL clubs will be introduced in the newly aligned comps – opening new income streams and encouraging NPL clubs to develop youth properly and also encourage club/football culture to develop further, rather than the constant transfer of youth players to new clubs every year.
Oh man i could go on and on about the benefits.
It just makes so much sense.
JJ has been around man, just trust in his acquired knowledge and the advise he has been taking from the Golden Gen and many more.
Competition for bums on seats with the other winter codes will be real, but thats ok, hopefully the A-League will move back into more affordable football specific grounds that have a better atmosphere. 6, 8 or 10k crowds is good. Some debies will still attract 20k plus no doubt. Maybe some NPL or 2nd div games can be played as pre game entertainment providing better value and more interest like back in the day when you could watch Reserve grade and 3rd grade before say St George Budapest V Hakoah or Apia or whoever back in the day.
This is a total win, football people really need to stop questioning this decision – its done, its set in stone and it will 100% align and grow the sport.
Just wait and see when some of the old school, traditional historic NPL clubs get promoted into the A-League – you watch the interest levels grow, watch the pathways start making total sense and watch the cultures all merge into 1 Aus footballing culture!
We have such a great Aus footballing history mostly emanating from the post WW 2 older migrant NPL clubs – this will be recognized again and watch the storytelling and history play back into the narrative.
JJ’s move will be seen as something historical – along the lines of Frank Lowy kickstarting the A-League 15 years ago or the socerroos qualifying for the world cup 4 x times in a row thanks to Frank’s investment in the game.
This will lead us into the next chapter, it needs to, because the game was getting stale. More teams in the A-League, a 2nd div and youth pthways will open the game up to a whole new gen. Bravo!

Wow, this is incredibly good news. The new leaders at FFA have scored the equal of Ned Zelics incredibly angled goal V Holland in that memorable olympic qualifier back in the day. Aligning old soccer with new football is going to do wonders for the game at all levels – aligning the grassroots and NPL football pathway pyramid and not caring about NRL, AFL, Cricket or whatever Australian only code or Commonwealth code and behaving like the true world game, playing in winter and getting the 2nd div organized to set up for true promo/relegation will grow the game imeasurably and unite all. Brilliant. In JJ we must now trust. Lots of work ahead, but one helluva start. This guys the real deal.

Griffo you are right. Kayo and Fox have deleted A _League content, they’ve sacked a bunch of Aus football commentators and look to be negotiating hardline. Looks like we will know within weeks if we go ahead as a 4th or 5th rate sport on Foxtel behind NRL, AFL, Cricket and Rugby or we be brave/proud as a code and pave our own way forward to a “Real” footballing future unifying the game with a clear broadcasting plan to unite A-League with 2nd div via the NPL’system, pro/rel etc etc.
After viewing O’Rourke on FB the other day i worry that he wants to just take the self preservation route of signing with Foxtel on their terms (guaranteeing his job) but jeopardising the long term future of the game.
Now is the time to be brave as Fozzy, Golden Gen and other football peeps believe.
If the Mariners and Glory owners aren’t real commited Football club owners that want to support a brave new world, cool, then fasttrack promo/rel, 2nd div etc now!
May be tough for a year or two, but aligning all the leagues will lead to the game’s long term growth. It has to be done!

We already pay $60 a month for Foxtel and the only reason most of us Football fans have Foxtel is purely for the A-League period. I would be happy to pay the same amount for A-League as long as we get promo/rel in the mix and a 2nd division. simple! If we as football subscribers get A-League and a 2nd div i’m sure the numbers will add up.
Sick of a recalcitrant racist media hating on football. Piss em off and lets start rebuilding our own game and getting the coverage we wish for and deserve – then the game will grow.
The main points of difference – IE We are the world game, we have promo/relegation and active support/atmosphere for a meaningful competition will sell itself in the end. We must sell and be proud of our points of difference!

Yeah agree with everything your latest post says again Grem except the origin call? The Origin is just another manufactured Aus sport thing? Mate v mate, state v state – what a bunch of bullocks. Its just a Murdoch promoted propoghanda bunch of BS. It means o. They play for nothing except perhaps a chance at a Kangaroos shirt, and who do they play against? NZ and Britain every now and then.
Football is the world game, we must stand aloe and intro promo/relegation, winter football align the leagues and be proud of our game once and for all. Gallop was hopefully the last in a long line of NRL plants to keep the game down, boxed in it’s corner. It (the NRL plant tradition) dates back to Sir Arthur George in my lifetime. IE Sellout commissioners. This time we have JJ a real football guy. Not saying Frank Lowy wasn’t one, but he only employed Buckley and Gallop for their connections with Foxtel, now that Foxtel want out – lets move onwards and upwards.

Yep totally agree Grem. Please on behalf of all Aus football fans don’t bow to Foxtel’s plans to box Football into a 3rd or 4th rate code corner now JJ and FFA. Call there bluff and stand strong. Would rather see the season played out without Foxtel coverage or maybe just the remainder of this season on Fox and then move to Winter and align A-League with state NPL’s and intro promo/rel next year with NPL national champs and second place promoted!

Maybe take Foxtel’s 11 mill for 2 x games and get Optus on board for rest and SBS for match of the round. I don’t know just speculating and hoping for the best outcome for Football’s sake.

Don’t want to see us marginalized again. We have so many good content products – A League, hopefully 2nd div, W- League, NPL’s, Soceroos, Olyroos, Joeys, Matildas etc etc.

Yes, yes and yes Newie! Totally agree – whats the saying, “Don’t waste a good crisis.” Do it now, move next season to winter too and stop playing in big oval grounds or grounds they play NRL on etc. Suburban grounds, AAMi and Wanderers being the exception intro a couple of old NSL clubs back in ASAP or kickstart the 2nd div, NPL national champs or top two and lets get this ball rolling. Imagine the feelgood factor, the excitement around promo/rel, the lift in football level, youth getting a chance, uniting the tribes… the list goes on.
Get rid of the salary cap, intro transfer fees – so the smaller dvelopment NPL clubs get a fresh revenue source – wow the game would have new life.
Finally, as mentioned elsewhere what if say 300,000 hard core football tragics paid $500 or so annually directly to FFA or the independent League for guaranteed streaming coverage of all games 1st and 2nd div – better than paying Fox right, cheaper and it grows the game we love directly.

Stuart is Play On Magazine an online mag/website? I’ll go on the hunt to read. Hopefully the stronger, more organized NPL clubs can enter the A – League well before 2035.

The argument about existing franchises having exclusivity till 2035 will be invalid once Fox bail or Football bails on Fox.

Throw Covid in the mix and i really believe it has to happen in the next 12 months, 24 max. The football pyramid and pathways need to be restructured urgently for the game to thrive and be re united as one big football family. The time feels right now.

We can’t sit back and accept being 3rd or fourth rate and in the corner at Fox?

Now is the time to stand alone, our product is good, the A League is a decent development league – add promo/rel, 1 or 2 decent Euro or South American marquees and one quality West Asian marquee and one qual East Asian (4 absolute max imports per team, no sal cap, increase squad sizes and it will improve dramatically and be taken seriously by so many more fans and countries. I’m so sick of all the naysayers. It’s the best league we have and if the youth are promoted it will improve. (Hell, The Wanderers won the Asian Champions League first year in – just shows you the potential.)

The only reason i subscribe to Foxtel is for the A-League. I pay for both my annual subscribtion and my elderly fathers so he too can keep up with every A League game.

As if ironed on tragics like myself and many others like me wouldn’t be stoked to withdraw our Fox annual subscription (for memory it costs around $700 to $800 annually) and instead pay direct to say FFA or the independent League as they transition ownership. Lets just say it cost half that and we still got to see every game, had expert, genuine football commentators, panel shows, preview shows, 2nd div games as well – how good. Hell even if it cost similar, i would much prefer my hard earned went directly into footballs coffers, especially now we have a real football person in charge in JJ (someone who is listening to the Golden Gen and many other football stakeholders etc.

Like i said above, might be tough for a year or so economically, but i have no doubt SBS would jump straight into televising the 2nd div if made up of many old NSL clubs etc.

Gallop, Buckley and co before just bundled everything lazily into Fox. There’s so many products – there’s A League, Asian Champions League, Soceroos, Matildas, W- League and soon no doubt 2nd div that should all be televised.

Government also needs to step up big time. Federal and State Gov need to make Football the number 1 tax payer supported sport financially – it makes so much sense financially, politically etc.

We have the numbers, the community, the collective power – we have to stand up for the game and stop being divided!

Glad you like the moniker and football thoughts Stuart. I’ve been enjoying your articles for years and finally found some time to register in comments and join the forum discussions.

Hey Surfside 66 I agree it sure looks like now is the time to break ties with Fox. There’s hardly been any football coverage on fox for months, in fact there’s hardly been any football coverage in any media other than dedicated football websites like The world Game, Four Four Two and the football section of The Roar.

These times are starting to remind me of the great man’s “Sheilas, Wogs and Poofters” era yet again. I mean seriously what have the majority of Australian’s got against football? It is clearly the greatest game of all, the most revered and watched globally, it has by far the most participants in Aus, we have qualified for 4 x consecutive world cups and yet our national league can’t command media support.

Frank Lowy did a great job resurrecting the game, but Gallop stalled things with Fox in recent years, James Johnson looks like a great new CEO – a real football person and great administrator – now is surely the time to stand tall and proud.

I have no doubt there will be some pain initially, if we split with Fox, but what a chance to re align all levels of the game and introduce promo/relegation in whatetever form necessary, whether that be top 2 from a national NPL finals series (jeez even leave the NPL in its current state based format to save $ and let the top 2 teams from each state play off in a finals series and the two grand finalists get promoted.)

I know thats the crudest form, but all i’m trying to say is there has to be some incentive for NPL clubs to aim higher and some way of punishing A League clubs that don’t invest or perform to a certain level.

Whether that is by introducing a genuine second tier – IE B- League, or aligning state based NPL leagues and offering a means to get promoted as mentioned – the powers that be have to bite the bullet and make it happen.

Yes we all know the economics will be tough, however if a club falls over – so be it. It happens all over the world. If one club fails the next will be buzzing to step up. Let economics and football quality decide as is the case globally.

Our sport must be our sport, not some kind of Aus hybrid based on NRL or AFL systems/marketing or some other sports mechanics.

We must stand alone and proud to grow. We must be proud of our great Australian football history, be proud of the struggles, be proud of how we have punched above our weight even well before Rale’s great 74 squad qualified.

We have the talent, we have good coaches, we have just got to improve our systems and pathways.

NPL clubs need to be thrown a lifeline with a transfer system introduced immediately, so that they are incentivised to nurture youth (so players don’t swap clubs every year or second year.)

Promo/relegation and a clear pathway for ambitious 2nd and 3rd tier clubs from the existing NPL system like Sth Melbourne, Wollongong, Syd United, Brisbane etc (because they have grounds ) and or including new ambitious franchises from Canberra, Hobart, SE Melbourne, Sunshine Coast wherever.

Whether it be FFA and the clubs owning the rights and re selling to a combo of say Optus, SBS and many other options, in the end we will be better off.

Football people in charge of the games destiny, growth and marketing! No more putting the game down, no more putting up with negative coverage of so called brawls/flares etc (what rubbish!)

Football is a family game, we have the numbers, i’m sure a solid percentage of us would allow $100 out of our rego, or if your not a player/participant, even just a fan $100 x even just 500, 000 people of the 1.5 to 2 million numbers we are often quoted would match the current numbers Fox are paying as broadcasters? Surely that extremely rough back of the envelope model would pay for A-League and W-League streaming, then there could be seperate Optus deals on top, SBS for 2nd div and A League FTA match of the round, highlights packages, weekly round up shows, preview shows etc etc. Also big sponsors would come back on board, get your real football commentators like Williams, Fozzy, Bozza, Zelic etc instead of yobbo’s like Brendan Speed.
Lets own the game and re build the game.
PS This is obviously a very rushed forum style response. Haters will no doubt pull it to pieces, but the sentiments reworked with real numbers by the powers that be i believe genuinely have merit.