A league in shambles. A national team that no longer has any high quality players and is losing to some of the weakest sides of the game. A group of people in charge that seem to have a difference in priorities regarding the way the sport needs to be handled. A number of fans that seem to be distancing themselves from the competition. It is no secret that Australian football is deteriorating in an age where it should be thriving after the success of the Socceroos at the 2015 Asian Cup. We reached the point where FIFA themselves found it necessary to intervene so that things could begin moving forward again. What can be done to get out of this state and enjoy big open stadiums full of crowds once again, with people anxiously anticipating the weekend game for months in advance? Here are just a few suggestions:
- Drop the expansion, install a second (and third) division. Let's drop the pretenses here, we all know that this entire "expansion" effort is only being used as a means for the FFA to drain as much money as possible from potential investors. Additionally, in the way it is being handled, it feels like an attempt to silence the crowds that are (rightfully) crying out for more competition in the game, yet in a way that won't displease the high-profile officials in charge of the already installed A-League clubs. The result being a mingled, messed up situation that nobody believes in. From adding two teams teams per season, now it's gone down to one because they don't want to "upset the balance" (as stated by FFA CEO David Gallop) and with the potential removal of the Wellington Phoenix's licence, the number of total clubs by the 2020/21 season could be 11..? How will that work, schedule-wise? If the FFA and the A-League clubs themselves are indeed serious about expansion, then they need to stop this process and instead move on with a second division of about 20-22 teams for the opening seasons. Initially there could only be promotion to the A-League from this second division until a sufficient number of clubs has been reached that allows for a more complete, more wholesome tournament. Afterwards, there can be both promotion and relegation every season. There also needs to be a third division, but that's a secondary issue.
- Attract foreign investors. Even the CEO of Football Victoria, Peter Filopoulos himself stated that the clubs can only sustain themselves for so long by the money coming in from supporters. There needs to be a collective effort in order to bring in people that are willing to put in the money. We need to make them see that this is actually an attractive market for them. Why should Japan, China, Saudi Arabia and the UAE be making those leaps and bounds in football while we remain in the dust? Go abroad, advertise the sport, show that it is growing and that they can actually make their money back if they're willing to put it in. We need to escape this AFL-nation shadow.
- Respect your history. No big league anywhere in the world has any luck whatsoever if it doesn't respect its roots, wherever they come from. We can't be living in fear of potential elements that might cause trouble at the grounds and refuse to let the clubs live and thrive. Every league has its history that came from mainly ethnic and diverse backgrounds. Case in point: Spain, where Barcelona are the Catalans and Athletic Bilbao represent the Basques. Or England, with Liverpool coming from the working class of the port and Chelsea being the high-society of London. Or even Germany, with Bayern representing the Munich area and for a time being dubbed as the "Jewish club", while Dortmund were founded by Catholics. So at the end of the day, simply because a club has a certain ethnic background, that's not a deciding factor for its future. But being judged for it can be a deciding factor for its financial survival. And if there are current A-League clubs who don't wish to allow these historical teams access to the championship in fear of losing their current (limited) fan base, there are other examples out there to draw inspiration from, such as Chelsea and Manchester City, two clubs that were lost into obscurity for a long while, yet thanks to the right investments now sell out their seats almost every weekend. Which bring us to our next point.
- Make greater signings. If football is to advance here in Australia, we need greater players from outside. Players who have world class experience and know what the game is like on the top level, guys who can carry the teams when things get tough. And even though it's reasonable to think that making such signings puts a heavy burden on any club owner, the benefits more than outweigh the risks, since these signings more often than not pay off their own contracts in a matter of months through the sales of tickets, of merchandise and of actual club targets. I wonder how many Keisuke Honda or Ola Toivonen jerseys Melbourne Victory have already sold off. How many events have they held with one of these two as a 'special guest'. But the additional benefits are displayed on the pitch where they help their teammates reach a higher level. Terry Antonis, Kosta Barbarousis and Carl Valeri have all been on excellent for most of this season. I'm sure these signings must have something to do with it, they definitely pick up something during training.
- Expand your network. It's not just about making great signings that will bring in the fans and the goals though. It's also about making those clever signings that could potentially bring in the cash later on. Football is like a stock market. You need to know where to invest and, unfortunately, clubs here in Australia don't seem to have that knowledge. Which is why there are less than 20 players from the African continent, which is known as a goldmine of hidden talent. Australian clubs need to create a scouting network group and send it all over the world in order to be able to beat other more famous European clubs to the punch when a shining young potential pops up somewhere in Latin America, Africa or even Asia. One good way to do this is to maintain contact with previous high-profile signings, like Alessandro Del Piero for example. He played for Sydney FC and that could prove beneficial to the club in order for them to broaden their horizons in the transfer market.
- Choose your fans. Last, but definitely not least, is a matter that needs to be cleared out as quickly as possible. The FFA needs to decide on this and also needs to know that based on their decision they could be left with half-empty stadiums. They have to make clear what type of fans they want at their games. Do they want passionate, lively fans, who are willing to give their hard-earned money in support of their favorite team and follow it out of state or even out of the country if need be? But who often use curse words and won't hesitate to voice their dissent should they bare witness to a group of players who are uninterested and pay no respect to the club's jersey? (All this of course, within the realm of reason and no hyperbole such as clashes with authorities or other club supporters.) Or do they want to bring families with soccer mums and children to the grounds, who see the game as nothing more than a passing fancy, a different way for them to spend their afternoon but who might not return for many weeks since they have other responsibilities and other things to do? Families who simply watch the game, sometimes clapping when the team scores a goal, yet mostly sit on their phones waiting for those long 90 minutes (who decided soccer games should be so long anyway?) to go by. The FFA needs to decide on what hill it is willing to die on. Yet, with already one fan club being shut down (Melbourne City) due to "extreme policing" and another (Red and Black Bloc) having its members banned simply because they asked their club's players to do better, Board Member Joseph Carozzi's statement that "we want fans that will stick by the clubs through thick and thin" pretty much clears things up on this matter, making passionate supporters feel redundant at this point.
Australia (and more specifically the FFA and the A-League) have so much work to do, it isn't funny. But the worst of it is, they don't seem to know where to start. With the game caught up in the micromanaging of corporate officials who think they're dealing with a business, rather than the favorite pass time of hundreds of thousands of people in the country, the future seems anything but bright. Yet one can still hold out hope that the right steps will be made and one day we'll see people lining up to watch a world class match, right here on home soil.
- Drop the expansion, install a second (and third) division. Let's drop the pretenses here, we all know that this entire "expansion" effort is only being used as a means for the FFA to drain as much money as possible from potential investors. Additionally, in the way it is being handled, it feels like an attempt to silence the crowds that are (rightfully) crying out for more competition in the game, yet in a way that won't displease the high-profile officials in charge of the already installed A-League clubs. The result being a mingled, messed up situation that nobody believes in. From adding two teams teams per season, now it's gone down to one because they don't want to "upset the balance" (as stated by FFA CEO David Gallop) and with the potential removal of the Wellington Phoenix's licence, the number of total clubs by the 2020/21 season could be 11..? How will that work, schedule-wise? If the FFA and the A-League clubs themselves are indeed serious about expansion, then they need to stop this process and instead move on with a second division of about 20-22 teams for the opening seasons. Initially there could only be promotion to the A-League from this second division until a sufficient number of clubs has been reached that allows for a more complete, more wholesome tournament. Afterwards, there can be both promotion and relegation every season. There also needs to be a third division, but that's a secondary issue.
- Attract foreign investors. Even the CEO of Football Victoria, Peter Filopoulos himself stated that the clubs can only sustain themselves for so long by the money coming in from supporters. There needs to be a collective effort in order to bring in people that are willing to put in the money. We need to make them see that this is actually an attractive market for them. Why should Japan, China, Saudi Arabia and the UAE be making those leaps and bounds in football while we remain in the dust? Go abroad, advertise the sport, show that it is growing and that they can actually make their money back if they're willing to put it in. We need to escape this AFL-nation shadow.
- Respect your history. No big league anywhere in the world has any luck whatsoever if it doesn't respect its roots, wherever they come from. We can't be living in fear of potential elements that might cause trouble at the grounds and refuse to let the clubs live and thrive. Every league has its history that came from mainly ethnic and diverse backgrounds. Case in point: Spain, where Barcelona are the Catalans and Athletic Bilbao represent the Basques. Or England, with Liverpool coming from the working class of the port and Chelsea being the high-society of London. Or even Germany, with Bayern representing the Munich area and for a time being dubbed as the "Jewish club", while Dortmund were founded by Catholics. So at the end of the day, simply because a club has a certain ethnic background, that's not a deciding factor for its future. But being judged for it can be a deciding factor for its financial survival. And if there are current A-League clubs who don't wish to allow these historical teams access to the championship in fear of losing their current (limited) fan base, there are other examples out there to draw inspiration from, such as Chelsea and Manchester City, two clubs that were lost into obscurity for a long while, yet thanks to the right investments now sell out their seats almost every weekend. Which bring us to our next point.
- Make greater signings. If football is to advance here in Australia, we need greater players from outside. Players who have world class experience and know what the game is like on the top level, guys who can carry the teams when things get tough. And even though it's reasonable to think that making such signings puts a heavy burden on any club owner, the benefits more than outweigh the risks, since these signings more often than not pay off their own contracts in a matter of months through the sales of tickets, of merchandise and of actual club targets. I wonder how many Keisuke Honda or Ola Toivonen jerseys Melbourne Victory have already sold off. How many events have they held with one of these two as a 'special guest'. But the additional benefits are displayed on the pitch where they help their teammates reach a higher level. Terry Antonis, Kosta Barbarousis and Carl Valeri have all been on excellent for most of this season. I'm sure these signings must have something to do with it, they definitely pick up something during training.
- Expand your network. It's not just about making great signings that will bring in the fans and the goals though. It's also about making those clever signings that could potentially bring in the cash later on. Football is like a stock market. You need to know where to invest and, unfortunately, clubs here in Australia don't seem to have that knowledge. Which is why there are less than 20 players from the African continent, which is known as a goldmine of hidden talent. Australian clubs need to create a scouting network group and send it all over the world in order to be able to beat other more famous European clubs to the punch when a shining young potential pops up somewhere in Latin America, Africa or even Asia. One good way to do this is to maintain contact with previous high-profile signings, like Alessandro Del Piero for example. He played for Sydney FC and that could prove beneficial to the club in order for them to broaden their horizons in the transfer market.
- Choose your fans. Last, but definitely not least, is a matter that needs to be cleared out as quickly as possible. The FFA needs to decide on this and also needs to know that based on their decision they could be left with half-empty stadiums. They have to make clear what type of fans they want at their games. Do they want passionate, lively fans, who are willing to give their hard-earned money in support of their favorite team and follow it out of state or even out of the country if need be? But who often use curse words and won't hesitate to voice their dissent should they bare witness to a group of players who are uninterested and pay no respect to the club's jersey? (All this of course, within the realm of reason and no hyperbole such as clashes with authorities or other club supporters.) Or do they want to bring families with soccer mums and children to the grounds, who see the game as nothing more than a passing fancy, a different way for them to spend their afternoon but who might not return for many weeks since they have other responsibilities and other things to do? Families who simply watch the game, sometimes clapping when the team scores a goal, yet mostly sit on their phones waiting for those long 90 minutes (who decided soccer games should be so long anyway?) to go by. The FFA needs to decide on what hill it is willing to die on. Yet, with already one fan club being shut down (Melbourne City) due to "extreme policing" and another (Red and Black Bloc) having its members banned simply because they asked their club's players to do better, Board Member Joseph Carozzi's statement that "we want fans that will stick by the clubs through thick and thin" pretty much clears things up on this matter, making passionate supporters feel redundant at this point.
Australia (and more specifically the FFA and the A-League) have so much work to do, it isn't funny. But the worst of it is, they don't seem to know where to start. With the game caught up in the micromanaging of corporate officials who think they're dealing with a business, rather than the favorite pass time of hundreds of thousands of people in the country, the future seems anything but bright. Yet one can still hold out hope that the right steps will be made and one day we'll see people lining up to watch a world class match, right here on home soil.
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