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Jeff Williamson is a business consultant. Passions are sport, music and film. Jeff is an advocate for expansion of the A-league and a strong NPL. Jeff also thinks our national capital should have a team in the A-league. He is also an idealist who believes in peace, justice and fair play.
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We hear a lot about the failures of the English football academy system. There have been numerous articles about how a large number of…
The grand final of the National Premier Leagues (NPL) is on this Saturday night. For everyone who talks about a national second division, this…
It's state finals time in the National Premier Leagues, and this weekend has a lot of good football to watch. Last Saturday evening, I…
The best football competition in Australia, the FFA Cup, launches into the round of 32 this week. There is something about cup competitions that…
One of the things I like about being part of The Roar is the discussion about different issues. It’s a healthy thing. I do…
Sunday, April 2, 2017, marked 40 years since the National Soccer League kicked off, in Canberra. At Manuka Oval in the ACT, Canberra City…
A lot of opinions have been shared recently about a new national second division. We have heard from those opposed to the idea. The…
On Saturday night, I watched the opening game of the English Premier League, between Hull City and Leicester City. It was played at the…
The Round of 32 of the 2016 FFA Cup is now complete, raising plenty of talking points for the ongoing tournament. The Central Coast…
Recently, I journeyed to WIN Stadium to watch the Wollongong Wolves in the NSW National Premier Leagues, and as I sat in the grandstand,…
On a very pleasant Sunday afternoon at Blacktown Football Park in Sydney, I watched an entertaining battle between Blacktown Spartans FC and APIA Leichardt.…
The Asian Champions League for 2016 is under way. This is the top level club competition in Asia, bringing together the best teams from…
The Board of Football Federation Australia (FFA) has announced that it has decided an application from Wellington Phoenix for a 10-year licence extension to…
A lot of football fans want to see promotion and relegation introduced to the A-League. After all, so many of the top football leagues…
The A-League has finished for another season with a sold out final at AAMI Stadium. Despite all the controversy about which venue should be…
I am looking forward to watching the A-League finals, starting on Friday night with Adelaide versus Brisbane. It should be very different to the…
This Easter weekend was spent contemplating the impact of weather on sport. Last Saturday evening I was due to be at Melita Stadium to…
Last week, on the World Game website, David Lewis reported that several clubs were considering leaving the National Youth League competition. Every season, we…
Sebastian Hassett has written a report for the Sydney Morning Herald that should be a concern for football fans. Sebastian has reported that the…
The first round of the National Premier League was played in Sydney over the weekend. I was at Marconi Stadium in Bossley Park on…
Thanks jb.
It’s good to have your insight to the background history.
40 years ago in Canberra
Thanks for the info Ken.
Football has a rich history in Australia, and it’s a good thing to talk about it.
40 years ago in Canberra
Canberra City had no ethnic affiliation in its early years. It was was created specifically to represent Canberra in the national competition..
40 years ago in Canberra
I don’t think Western Suburbs had an ethnic background.
The earliest record I found of them was in 1964 when they played New South Wales Amateur Division B.
Their successes were:
Ampol Cup Winner: 1971, 1976
Peter Wilson, Col Curran, and Dave Harding all played for the club.
The club amalgamated with APIA Leichardt in 1978.
40 years ago in Canberra
Perth Glory entered the NSL in 1996, played to 2004. Then they continued in the A-league.
Perth won three league Premierships and two Championships in the NSL. They have been runners-up in the A-league once and in the FFA Cup twice.
40 years ago in Canberra
Thanks Ben. Very informative.
There are so many Pacific Island nations that could use some help.
Kiribati: Forgotten by FIFA, but not by KIFA
That was a good result for both Andorra and the Faroe Islands.
It surprised me that UEFA organised their qualifiers without a preliminary round.
FIFA World Cup: Is it time for UEFA to embrace preliminary rounds?
Good point.
It’s important that people experience the A-league live.
The A-League should try to crush the NRL in ticket sales
Would be hard to change the A-league to a winter season.
It would be good for football if the A-league and NPL seasons were closer.
On the other hand, a summer season makes it easier to attend. But games definitely need to be at night.
Sweltering summer A-League season hurts the hot cities
The local clubs are where we see the heritage of football in Australia.
What does Australia's rich history mean for its football identity?
Football has a lot of good things happening right now.
There are some issues such as expansion that need to be sorted, but these do not stop me from enjoying the game.
I am certainly watching our world cup qualification path, and looking forward to the Confederations Cup.
A-league premiership will soon be decided, and the fight for finals places is going to be interesting.
And the NPL has started, and I am going to watch my son play each week.
You can keep your code wars, football is the beautiful game
It would probably help this article if there was a little more discussion about each stadium.
As an example, AAMI Park in Melbourne is excellent for Victory. It is the only stadium in Melbourne suitable for the A-league.
South Melbourne need to offer a better stadium than Lakeside – it is not ideal for football.
Wollongong do have a good stadium. Very suitable for the A-league.
Canberra have a very good stadium – as was seen during the Asian Cup – and is certainly A-league ready.
It's the stadiums, stupid
The FFA would help themselves and everyone if they were more open.
For example, FFA says they do not have funds for expansion. But nobody really knows why, because FFA do not release any info.
People would accept FFA decisions if we knew the reasons.
Football needs change, but not for change's sake
Good to see some solid research going into this.
It is well worth trialling this idea.
The winner takes it all: Trialling a new penalty system
What did Phoenix say when you put this idea to them?
It would be very nice of Phoenix to do this for Wollongong.
It’s time for Phoenix to actually rise from the ashes
I understand the revenue issue. The relevance of that may change if the A-league administration separates from FFA.
The state federations do not necessarily represent the views of the local associations.
In England, local associations are given a vote, as are different tiers, including EPL. Not a model I would wish to copy, but an example of more direct input from the grassroots.
Creating a new order for football in Australia
A-league clubs should only have a small percentage of the votes.
We need to remember that the FFA is our national association. It is responsible for football at all levels – not just the A-league.
Therefore, each tier of football should be represented. Especially the local associations where we all started playing football.
Creating a new order for football in Australia
Good luck with the refereeing.
As a retired ref for my local association, I am glad to see others stepping up.
It is very different being in the centre. Even when you called it correct, someone will probably be yelling that you did not. It is even worse when you get it wrong.
Ease off the A-League refs, I might be one soon!
Definitely worth sending to Fifpro for their comments.
I think Brendon Schwab (from Australia) is doing some work with them now.
Football transfer fees have become ridiculous and need to go
Congratulations on the birth of your son.
The interesting thing about cricket is how Test cricket got to be a five day match.
Most cricketers grow up playing a short form of the game.
Cousins but not brothers: Understanding the stark differences between baseball and cricket
Interesting thoughts.
Do you think FIFA is the best organisation to administer, or should national associations play a part?
What sort of administrative cost would be involved, and who should pay that?
How could bank fees be minimised? The reason I ask that is that if the payments to clubs are on a sliding scale (as they are now), you might see the under 13 club getting a fairly small amount and watch half of it disappear in international payment fees.
Football transfer fees have become ridiculous and need to go
I was glad to hear Les Murray strongly backed Canberra for the A-league whilst he was promoting his Southern bid.
EXCLUSIVE: Craig Foster talks fans, finances and ideas driving A-League's Southern Expansion
Talk about axing the Brumbies is all about the shortcomings of the Super Rugby format and nothing to do with the Brumbies or Canberra.
Australian rugby has been asked to consider reducing to four Australian teams. If a team goes, it could be Rebels, Brumbies, or Force.
If south Melbourne and south Sydney succeed, Australian football is dead
The AFL Commission is a non-profit.
The commissioners are elected by the AFL clubs, with each club entitled to make nominations.
As for the other things you don’t like about the AFL model – I can’t treally comment because I do not really follow that. I am a football fan (that is, association football).
Other models that impress would include the Bundesliga.
Buy-buy old A-League and welcome NewAL
FFA Cup is a great competition. Every year, I am surprised by some of the teams that progress and some that do not. Always interesting.
The FFA Cup conundrum