The major problem for football in Australia is the administration insists on following what ever AFL and Rugby League does. For example, the draw is a mishmash of games that obviously marketing people have come up with not football people. We have this conflict between the new “Australian “ sport culture and “football” culture when it comes to how the competition is set up. All the major sports had the simple home / away competition with a finals series . Then all the codes became corporatised which , football followed along with and it’s not working as the crowd numbers show.
As the article mentions most football fans prefer to watch the major European leagues . That means they prefer to watch leagues that are a simple home and away competition with the highest placed team winning the Premiership.
Q: What is the most important thing any supporter of one of these European clubs wants to win? A: That clubs countries Premiership.
We see every year the joy of the Premiers players and fans particularly, if it comes down to the last day.
I love a good final series but if we are talking being part of world football culture then, I believe Australian football has to very seriously going down this road. Australian football has the unique opportunity to offer a competition different to AFL and NRL and be recognised and understand by football and sports fans both here and around the world . If this was to happen maybe a knockout cup competition just for the A league clubs could be played throughout the season with the final played the weekend after the regular season.
The NPL is sought of a 2nd division without the Relegation/ promotion. Again, this is an opportunity for football in Australia to differentiate itself from the other codes. None of the other codes could even contemplate a relegation/ promotion system. We won’t see big crowds turning up at 2nd division games but it will bring interest with the drama of clubs trying to go up and surviving the relegation. With h proper management that interest will bring new fans , investors and corporate backing.
It’s time for football to forge its own path not just follow other codes.

It still not a dedicated football stadium and it’s in a bad location where most fans will want to drive and park near the stadium. Therefore, because the stadium is in a residential area the inevitable conflict with residents will occur.
It also means the Roar has to pay money to Qld Rugby to be there. That means football is supporting a rival code. It maybe the best option for now but football must plan to be independent of other sports and the government when it comes to funding.

And why doesn’t Israel play in the Asian confederation? Because the Middle Eastern countries do not recognise Israel as a country. I’ve also read that the governments countries like Saudi Arabia will not guarantee the security of any Israeli team if they were to visit. What would happen if Israel qualified for a WC held in Saudi Arabia .
It shows how weak FIFA is. It makes a mockery of their no discrimination in football campaign.

Time for the eastern countries to breakaway. Logistically , it would be far more efficient to organise club and international’s competitions.

I think where the European inter club competitions is the big advantage they over Australia/ New Zealand/ Pacific. Austrslia had Super Rugby “ franchises” . Below that there are is a fairly lacklustre club competition. My suggestion is to create a annual ( 2nd tier) competition that the top clubs qualify . It could be similar to the European Cup competition.
The clubs could qualify from NZ , NSW/ ACT, QLD, Tonga and Fiji Club competitions.
Maybe initially, have 2 groups of 5 Clubs , 4 from NZ , 2 Qld, 2 NSW/ ACT 1 each from Tonga, Fiji. play home/ away, Top 2 from each group go to semis etc.

If it is successful it could be expanded.
The idea is to create more opportunities for players to compete against top clubs which will improve skills and gain experience. This will help prepare them for higher level competition.
I reckon it’s worth ago.

I hoping someone, Kev Walters? , can explain why Reynolds took short dropouts early into the game. The first worked out well until old mate decided to bat the ball down instead of catching it. Result Penrith converted try. Then Reynolds does it again , out on the full, penalty Penrith 8 -0. What might have happened if the Broncos had played it safe by kicking deep we’ll never know. It could be speculated that, the way the Broncos dominated late in the 1st half and deep into the 2nd half the result could have been different. Even when the Broncos were still in front during the 2nd half Reynolds chose to kick the dropout deep towards the sideline which went out on the full which put Penrith back in front of posts. Can’t remember if Penrith scored soon after but the Broncos certainly didn’t need to be defending on there try line straight away.
I reckon these weren’t errors, they were really bad tactics. The question is was it on field decisions or something the coaching staff came up with. Especially those dropouts in the first half, I don’t think I’ve ever seen that in a league match so early in the game. I thought I was going watching Rugby Union.
I’d be amazed if we ever see that again in finals game.

It was a “promise” not a commitment to upgrade facilities eg dressing rooms suited to females as well as men which is great if they follow through.
No, the state government decided football is not worthy of a upgraded stadium of its own. My guess is they want to limit the options to Lang Park and Ballymore which they tipped millions into. Spending so much money on Ballymore was ridiculous. Considering it in a bad location for mass access with one local bus route. But the main reason that amount of money should not have been spent is that Rugby has been in decline for years. The Super Rugby and internationals will still be played at Lang Park. So, millions have been spent for local rugby competitions to play there that might attract a few hundred people. You can see why football fans get frustrated by the lack of funding for even just one football stadium to be constructed.
Big Ange made a the point recently that Australian football won’t reach its potential until we have dedicated stadiums in all our cities.
I truly believe our national, state and club administrators should be pursuing independent backing to build new stadiums and upgrade current stadiums. The AFL and NRL will always have the governments backing over football. It’s time for the football community to forge its own path and not rely on disinterest politicians.

Unfortunately, the Qld government has totally ignored developing any new facilities for football in Qld for the Olympics. Considering football is one f the major draw cards during the Olympics you would think the federal and state governments would want to construct a new stadium for football.
The way the football competitions are set up a new stadium in Brisbane would be used all year by Brisbane based NPL clubs and the Roar.

In the 1990s Clem Jones want to upgrade Perry Park to a 15 to 20 000 seat stadium using his own money. I can’t remember the official reason it didn’t happen but the strong rumour was vested interests in another major stadium didn’t want the competition.
Clem Jones had made his money from his civil engineering company, had been Lord Mayor of Brisbane, was appointed by Gough Whitlam to head the reconstruction of Darwin after Cyclone Tracey and was a football tragic.
Perry Park is in a ideal place. It has 2 major roads running past him me being the ICB. A rail station across Abbotsford Rd. It’s close to the airport and a short distance from the CBD.
It is shameful the Qld government did not include Perry Park in it Olympic Funding. Particularly, when $ millions will be spent at the Albion precinct just up the road from Perry Park.
After the Women’s World Cup the Premier, her Ministers and Anika Wells Federal Sports Minister and Qlder were showering themselves in the success of the tournament in Brisbane. They promised a lot of things for football facilities around the state. I’m not holding my breath.
I think football in Qld and Australia has to realise it is going to have to self fund its own stadium’s development. Quite frankly this would be ideal so, our organisations don’t have to keep going cap in hand to governments for funding.
The more financial independence from government the more control over footballs future our organisations have.

Add the Gold Coast Robina Stadium. Holds 27000. Only 1 hr drive and train from Brisbane.

I reckon we have all grown up with the drama and excitement of a final series in all codes . But it has always nagged me the “best” team of the year is called the ‘minor premier’ and remember by few people.
Yet, in the most of the football world the team with the most points is considered the Premiers with the Premiership seen as the ultimate achievement.
If the A league went this way a league cup knockout competition for A league clubs only could replace the final series. The draw could be based on the previous years position, 1 v 16 etc. It could be played during the year with a 2 round semi- finals . The Grand Final could be the last game of the year.
And there is still the Oz Cup.

In the end all ideas should be openly discussed and tested. Remembering, Those who refuse to change are doomed to failure.

I think football needs a point of difference from the other codes. Creating a secondary division will give that difference.
At the moment football follows league/ AFL in the way the draw is setup and the finals series. Yet, we all follow leagues in the UK, Europe and elsewhere, that simply reward the team with the most points the premiers and that is the ultimate prize. At the other end of the table is the drama of teams fighting to stay up. The 2nd division will bring the excitement of teams competing to go up a division.
So, I would suggest that the FFA and A-league seriously investigate , changing the system to be similar to what is in place in the majority of world football.
I realise the Australian sport culture has developed to have a final series of some type. I think football has plateaued in Australia and needs to find a way that is different to the other codes and recognisable to football fans and the general sports fan.

As far as teams like Adelaide, Perth and Brisbane being relegated well the risk of that system. But there is reward for teams going up or fighting to get back to the top league. It should force all clubs to become more professional seek better ownership so they hey can invest in higher quality players and player development.
It may even spur investment into more high quality Football dedicated stadiums across Australia. A good example is Perry Park in Brisbane. It is in an ideal spot in the inner north , has a major roads access, a train station across from the stadium. Unbelievably , there is no money allocated by the State and federal governments to upgrade the stadium as part of the Olympic funding. What is one of the biggest events in the Olympics? Football , of course.

Tells me where football Sits in the view of our political establishment.

If my memory serves me correctly, Brisbane had it chance to have a purpose built football stadium . I think it was in the late 1990s Clem Jones , who had become a very wealthy man through his engineering company, proposed to upgrade Perry Park , Albion to a 20 000 seat stadium and he would finance it. Amazingly the State government wasn’t so keen. Why? The rumour was the Taxpayer funded Lang Park Trust (Suncorp Stadium) did not want another stadium that would take games away from Lang Park. In the end the state government wouldn’t let it happen and that has been the typical attitude of all Qld state governments for too long.
As we’ve seen recently the NRL ( a billion dollar business which they often remind everyone of) attacked the NSW government for withdrawing funding for upgrading suburban grounds. That’s where the NRL and AFL are at. They demand something from government and they expect to get it.
Appointing a politician to this type of position is a standard procedure for corporations. How often do you see ex-politicians getting corporate roles. Corporations want to have people who know and have connections in the political
world and they know politicians egos want these positions.
I won’t hold my breath but let’s see if a more balanced sport funding policy starts to evolve from this type of appointment.
I think the real question is , does the Football executives have a one clear plan of what the code requires in Australia. If not, no politician will invest serious money in a fractured plan/organisation.

Too right!
I’ve made suggestions in a comment . I believe australian football needs a transformation similar to when the English 1st division changed to the EPL. I dont need to explain what happened.

Something has to be done about the Asian Football Confederation. It is ridiculous that the national teams and clubs have to travel half the world to compete. I cant see why it cant be changed into 2 seperate confederations ,east aisa and west asia . Geographically and logistically it would make more sense. Australia would be in east asia. I reckon the quality would improve particularly at club level.

Could australia engage with south american clubs more regularly. Super rugby has the the Pumas from Argentina . Could football have some type of southern hemisphere cup?
The point is , football has to come up with some big ideas for NEXT season not for 5 years time.

I truly believe football in Australia has to change and start doing things differently to the other codes. One change, having a 2nd division with promotion / relegation looks like it might happen in the not to far future.
The other change I think should happen is to make the premiership the major prize. I believe the champions of Australia should be the team with the most points at the end of the season. This would also align the aleague with 99.9% of the worlds competitions. Think about Liverpool , what is the one prize they want to win over all others. The EPL of course. We see around the world the excitement of fans when their club wins the league title.
The thinking in australian sport has been , there must be a final series because thats our culture. And fair enough because the excitement of finals games can be amazing. But there has always been a bit of a empty feeling that the best team for the season never really gets acknowledged. They get the dull title of minor premiers. If they don’t win the grand final they are seen as failures.

I would suggest the FFA cup be played at the end of the season. And why not have another knockout cup played over the season.

When the 2nd division starts maybe first goes up automatically and 2nd to 5th play off for the other promotion spot.

Football in Australia has to start doing things different to the other codes to attract attention particularly, of broadcasters. We keep hearing broadcasters need content. Having 2 promotion /relegation would be a good start.

Right now, football in Australia has nothing to lose.

Competition betwwen clubs to identify and develop talent is key to our future . Not only domestically but for players wanting to play overseas.
I believe getting the 2nd tier competition with promotion and relegation, would give incentive to semi-pro clubs to take on the challenge to grow and get promoted. It should also mean more talent staying in the game because they can earn a living from the game. It should be done soon but carefully planned.

Just like the in England when they moved from Division 1 to the EPL the invigorated competition now dominates the world in football. I really do think the aleague should make the premiership the major prize not the grand final. Nothing like winning a grand final but as we see every season across the world there is huge celebrations for winning a premiership. For instance, the one prize Liverpool are desperate to win, the English Premiership. We all know how the celebration will go and I think it would be the same here for the aleague. Instead of a final series maybe a knock out cup final or the FFA cup final .

The old saying goes something like, from disaster comes great opportunity. The code with the new and best ideas will recover and grow the quickest .

I didn’t even know the FFA had stopped this program. Mark Viduka is correct to call for to restart the programme. Also , align it with state and club acadamies. Maybe the FFA could develop a coach the junior coach programme. Junior coaches can get a certificate to coach juniors and then graduate to a coach instructor in a junior club. This would help many parents who take on coaching but dont necessarily have a deep background in football. But dont make it to difficult otherwise it will turn people away.
It is ckear most football supporters realise there has to be a invigorating of football from juniors to the national teams.

Wild idea- a long term goal maybe to have each team with its own stadium so to move back to a winter sport or mostly winter sport. Build it and they will come.