jw1739 Posted February 6, 2020 Report Share Posted February 6, 2020 23 minutes ago, Nate said: Perhaps that's a good thing. Fox Sports has been such a double-edged sword for the A-League. Yes, the windfall from the broadcast deals are probably what's kept the league afloat financially but at the same time, they've held the league to ransom with regards to kick-off dates and times, season length and club expansion. All I know is, something has to change (several things realistically) to rejuvenate the A-League and breathe new life into it again before it's too late. Don't think you can wholly blame Fox. FFA and the clubs have played their parts. I still remain to be convinced that there is a clear vision of what we are aiming for, or clear objectives to be achieved on what timetable. Does anyone know precisely how the league is to be managed next season? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
belaguttman Posted February 6, 2020 Report Share Posted February 6, 2020 2 hours ago, Dylan said: IMO the Aleauge will end up on Optus next. That would be a good thing. The HAL is more accessible now with Kayo, but Optus would be even better 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate Posted February 6, 2020 Report Share Posted February 6, 2020 1 hour ago, jw1739 said: Don't think you can wholly blame Fox. FFA and the clubs have played their parts. I still remain to be convinced that there is a clear vision of what we are aiming for, or clear objectives to be achieved on what timetable. Does anyone know precisely how the league is to be managed next season? Of course, I think it's just one of many symptoms of the greater disease. I think at the very least, Macarthur coming in next season will be good for the league as they have a good base, will be playing at just the one already established stadium (looking squarely at you Western United), and will create two extra real derbies with Sydney FC and WSW. But as for long-term vision, who bloody knows... one can only hope. I have a lot more confidence in James Johnson as the CEO of the FFA actually being a football person than any of us surely did in David Gallop at least, so that's something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harrison Posted February 6, 2020 Report Share Posted February 6, 2020 2 hours ago, jw1739 said: Does anyone know precisely how the league is to be managed next season? As I understand it, this season, despite the ‘operational’ separation, is still being run by FFA and in conjunction with the clubs. They haven’t finalised the legal and financial separation, but that should be occurring very soon (potentially in a matter of weeks or months). Next season will be the first season of true independence and should look a lot different. There is also a new CBA being negotiated (started three weeks ago) which will come into effect for next season and will take us through to the end of 2023 (which is also the end of the current Fox broadcast deal). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dylan Posted February 6, 2020 Report Share Posted February 6, 2020 9 hours ago, Harrison said: As I understand it, this season, despite the ‘operational’ separation, is still being run by FFA and in conjunction with the clubs. They haven’t finalised the legal and financial separation, but that should be occurring very soon (potentially in a matter of weeks or months). Next season will be the first season of true independence and should look a lot different. There is also a new CBA being negotiated (started three weeks ago) which will come into effect for next season and will take us through to the end of 2023 (which is also the end of the current Fox broadcast deal). The cap will go in the new CBA, or at least modified so much that its not going to matter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dylan Posted February 6, 2020 Report Share Posted February 6, 2020 11 hours ago, belaguttman said: That would be a good thing. The HAL is more accessible now with Kayo, but Optus would be even better I think it will be on Optus and probably on Channel 10 with some kind of weird partnership between the two. If I were in charge id offer it to Channel 10 for pennies. They just lost most of their best sport so id suggest they might be willing to take something and make it their own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shahanga Posted February 7, 2020 Report Share Posted February 7, 2020 13 hours ago, Dylan said: The cap will go in the new CBA, or at least modified so much that its not going to matter The cap has to go. we can’t have clubs being forced to make their teams worse. Ridiculous situation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
citypool Posted February 10, 2020 Report Share Posted February 10, 2020 So the cap going and 12 teams next season things are looking better Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harrison Posted February 10, 2020 Report Share Posted February 10, 2020 Don’t think it’ll go, but it’ll probably be expanded to such an extent that richer clubs can spend a fair bit more and build noticeably stronger squads. So maybe the payment to clubs will be $3.5 million (which will also be the Floor) but the Cap will be $4.5 million. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
haz Posted February 11, 2020 Report Share Posted February 11, 2020 On 10/02/2020 at 10:34 AM, Harrison said: Don’t think it’ll go, but it’ll probably be expanded to such an extent that richer clubs can spend a fair bit more and build noticeably stronger squads. So maybe the payment to clubs will be $3.5 million (which will also be the Floor) but the Cap will be $4.5 million. Imo it should be 3 Internationals + 1 AFC. Keep the current cap but 4 players (domestic or international) are outside the cap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harrison Posted March 2, 2020 Report Share Posted March 2, 2020 Don’t want to derail the other thread so I’ll post this here in response to @Shahanga’s latest post. I’m not sure they will go with the five foreign marquees. Chris Fong was pretty clear on it in this article. https://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/time-to-scrap-salary-cap-says-mariners-boss-charlesworth 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dylan Posted March 2, 2020 Report Share Posted March 2, 2020 2 hours ago, Harrison said: Don’t want to derail the other thread so I’ll post this here in response to @Shahanga’s latest post. I’m not sure they will go with the five foreign marquees. Chris Fong was pretty clear on it in this article. https://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/time-to-scrap-salary-cap-says-mariners-boss-charlesworth Still think they will have 4-5 players outside the cap. IMO it needs to happen. It should have happened years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shahanga Posted March 2, 2020 Report Share Posted March 2, 2020 4 hours ago, Harrison said: Don’t want to derail the other thread so I’ll post this here in response to @Shahanga’s latest post. I’m not sure they will go with the five foreign marquees. Chris Fong was pretty clear on it in this article. https://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/time-to-scrap-salary-cap-says-mariners-boss-charlesworth Fong wants 7 foreigners? Bloody hell what a disaster that would be. Clubs could fill their lists with yet more foreign journeymen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jw1739 Posted March 2, 2020 Report Share Posted March 2, 2020 3 hours ago, Shahanga said: Fong wants 7 foreigners? Bloody hell what a disaster that would be. Clubs could fill their lists with yet more foreign journeymen. Like Arsenal? I remember the uproar a few years ago when there was not a single English player in their starting line-up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malloy Posted March 2, 2020 Report Share Posted March 2, 2020 4 hours ago, Shahanga said: Fong wants 7 foreigners? Bloody hell what a disaster that would be. Clubs could fill their lists with yet more foreign journeymen. Increasing to 7 visa players might have the reverse effect. It feels at the moment that there is pressure on clubs to fill their visa spots, where as if there are 7 it might just be a large enough quote that clubs don't feel as pressured to bring in visas and therefore actually properly vett the players. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harrison Posted March 15, 2020 Report Share Posted March 15, 2020 Should we start worrying about the ability of the game to keep operating? As @Shahanga mentions in another thread, if the NRL and AFL are worried about their clubs, surely we should be concerned, especially when most A-League clubs are losing money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
belaguttman Posted March 15, 2020 Report Share Posted March 15, 2020 48 minutes ago, Harrison said: Should we start worrying about the ability of the game to keep operating? As @Shahanga mentions in another thread, if the NRL and AFL are worried about their clubs, surely we should be concerned, especially when most A-League clubs are losing money. At least the clubs in marginal seats will be bailed out 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harrison Posted March 16, 2020 Report Share Posted March 16, 2020 Confirmation here. https://www.a-league.com.au/news/update-covid-19-impact-football Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jw1739 Posted March 16, 2020 Report Share Posted March 16, 2020 14 minutes ago, Harrison said: Confirmation here. https://www.a-league.com.au/news/update-covid-19-impact-football No other option really. On reflection I think they'll have to play the Finals too - doesn't participation in the ACL require the clubs to have played a minimum of 27 matches? If we stop at the end of the regular season (26 matches) then none of our clubs will be eligible for the ACL next season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harrison Posted March 16, 2020 Report Share Posted March 16, 2020 3 minutes ago, jw1739 said: No other option really. On reflection I think they'll have to play the Finals too - doesn't participation in the ACL require the clubs to have played a minimum of 27 matches? If we stop at the end of the regular season (26 matches) then none of our clubs will be eligible for the ACL next season. FFA Cup matches count, so every club reaches 27. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malloy Posted June 13, 2020 Report Share Posted June 13, 2020 https://www.theage.com.au/sport/soccer/ffa-keen-to-establish-domestic-player-transfer-system-20200613-p55297.html Good news, a transfer system needs to be brought in ASAP. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jw1739 Posted June 14, 2020 Report Share Posted June 14, 2020 13 hours ago, malloy said: https://www.theage.com.au/sport/soccer/ffa-keen-to-establish-domestic-player-transfer-system-20200613-p55297.html Good news, a transfer system needs to be brought in ASAP. FMD the fans have been calling for this for as long as I can remember. Why does it take FFA so long to get these messages? I read what Johnson had to say...now I wait for FFA to devise something unnecessarily complicated...and take at least two seasons to do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harrison Posted June 16, 2020 Report Share Posted June 16, 2020 I posted this on the FTBL forum yesterday. Thought I’d repost here for discussion because I didn’t get much over there. These ideas have been done to death though and wildly optimistic. Anyway... Essentially, I don’t think the A-League will survive in its current form. We were sliding into irrelevance for years and the pandemic has almost finished us off. But I think it’s given us a great opportunity to fix the league. It’s a huge roll of the dice, I get it, but doing nothing is no longer the safe option. As if it’s not ambitious enough, I’d love to see all of these solutions in place for a March kickoff next year. I know I’m delusional. With the revised offer from Fox at $11 million plus production costs, surely it is time to move to our own streaming service. Whether it is FFATV or just A-League Netflix, the League needs to control its own content for once. There are 125K members out there already, is it safe to assume that all or a vast majority would sign up to a $20 a month service? Over 9 months, that’s roughly $22 million. Is it that far-fetched to think we could stream all matches in a much more cost-effective way (fewer cameras, pared-back pre/in/post-game coverage) with that kind of base and revenue? Selling ads brings in a little more. The next idea would be to move to a winter season. Hardly revolutionary but this is now getting too hard to ignore as an idea. P&R won’t work unless we do it. The benefits of alignment with grassroots and NPL are fairly obvious. We can leverage the engagement due to all of Australian football being played at the one time, particularly with the steaming service. Aligns us with Asia. Not necessarily sold on the quality improving all that much but selling our lifestyle would be a bit easier to foreign players as they get to play in winter and then holiday in summer. Stadia is the problem but it would force the game to start moving on this tricky issue. I also don’t think it’s an insurmountable hurdle but I know it’s a tough one. Immediate expansion to 16 clubs for the A-League, beginning with Canberra and the best of the rest of the failed bids last round. The League is just too stale with the same 10 clubs year after year. WU haven’t brought many new fans but I still think Macarthur will despite their issues. This leads me to the problem of fixtures. Sixteen teams give us a proper 30 round H&A season. I think that’s about the minimum. Plus Cup and ACL and some teams are getting almost 40 competitive matches. I do not like the finals system and my opinion is we get rid of them but as a driver of revenue and exposure they are going to hang around. IMO it’s Cup football that suits knockout matches though. It’s never sat well with me (doesn’t help that City shit the bed all the time). P&R and a second division needs to be done ASAP. Is a 16 team league viable? Made up entirely of legacy and the best NPL clubs. I just think the legacy clubs need to be brought back if we’re to thrive as a sport. Even as a sign of goodwill, we could give SMFC and Wollongong immediate entry into the A-League. The existing clubs have authenticity and passion and heritage and we need that desperately. We’d also be re-engaging a lost segment of the footballing community. Reunification is vital now as we lose mainstream coverage. It could run stand alone and closed for a few seasons before we attempt to link the pyramid. The next few ideas are a bit smaller but still important. Walking from Fox gives us independence, which is overwhelmingly positive. That needs to be finalised now. Transfers and loans need to be legalised to establish some kind of market here. It also helps with development of young players. A renaming and rebranding of the A-League appeals to me. Cosmetic yes, but our current name has always felt like a gimmick. The final suggestion is very controversial but I’ve changed my mind on it. I just don’t think Wellington can work with the above changes even though I have a soft spot for them and want to see them do well. I’ll leave it there. Is it any of it feasible? They’re all ideas we know about and want to see implemented. All of them give the League credibility and would go a long, long way towards giving us a professional league that we can all be proud of. If we don’t do it now, will we ever do it? And what are the chances of those changes saving professional sport in this country? Where does the money come from? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jw1739 Posted January 19, 2021 Report Share Posted January 19, 2021 I'm still waiting for something of this "brave new world" of Australian Professional Leagues to be revealed. Where's the walk to match the talk? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mus-28 Posted January 19, 2021 Report Share Posted January 19, 2021 I'm still waiting for some response about the Tards behaviour at the W-League Derby. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jw1739 Posted February 3, 2021 Report Share Posted February 3, 2021 Executive appointments. https://www.a-league.com.au/news/australian-professional-leagues-announce-new-executive-appointments Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jovan Posted February 6, 2021 Report Share Posted February 6, 2021 This does my head in. The perpetual myth of the participation rate converting to A League support. From being involved with grassroots for decades the vast majority of juniors are not interested in the A League and are not interested in soccer full stop. The vast majority play because it's the best option for little Johnny and later years Jane to participate in organised sport, but not because of any passion or interest in the game itself. The endless attempts to convert participation in support of the A League is flawed they just don't get it. They need to accept that soccer is a minority sport and should target it's connected market and strive to engage with those rather that this utopian dream of becoming a top tier sport. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jw1739 Posted February 7, 2021 Report Share Posted February 7, 2021 1 hour ago, Jovan said: This does my head in. The perpetual myth of the participation rate converting to A League support. From being involved with grassroots for decades the vast majority of juniors are not interested in the A League and are not interested in soccer full stop. The vast majority play because it's the best option for little Johnny and later years Jane to participate in organised sport, but not because of any passion or interest in the game itself. The endless attempts to convert participation in support of the A League is flawed they just don't get it. They need to accept that soccer is a minority sport and should target it's connected market and strive to engage with those rather that this utopian dream of becoming a top tier sport. Another contender for Post of the Year. @Jovan - multiple likes. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jw1739 Posted March 15, 2021 Report Share Posted March 15, 2021 Other than these two executive appointments I've seen nothing else from APL. A-league match presentation, club websites etc. are still the same old dreary format and nothing seems to be really changing under the new management. COV-19 has probably set APL back on its heels a bit, but I would have expected a series of initiatives by now. Anyone heard anything? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jovan Posted March 15, 2021 Report Share Posted March 15, 2021 4 hours ago, jw1739 said: Other than these two executive appointments I've seen nothing else from APL. A-league match presentation, club websites etc. are still the same old dreary format and nothing seems to be really changing under the new management. COV-19 has probably set APL back on its heels a bit, but I would have expected a series of initiatives by now. Anyone heard anything? Sweet FA. More things change the more they stay the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jw1739 Posted March 16, 2021 Report Share Posted March 16, 2021 The other appointment I came across very recently is that of Danny Townsend, Sydney CEO, as APL Managing Director. https://www.a-league.com.au/news/apl-statement Looks like deckchairs on the Titanic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewConvert Posted March 16, 2021 Report Share Posted March 16, 2021 8 hours ago, jw1739 said: The other appointment I came across very recently is that of Danny Townsend, Sydney CEO, as APL Managing Director. https://www.a-league.com.au/news/apl-statement Looks like deckchairs on the Titanic. Not really. Don't forget that the APL came into existence because the clubs wanted to run the competition themselves so it makes sense that they put one of their own to lead the organisation. Whether he is the right person for the job remains to be seen but time is really running out. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jw1739 Posted March 16, 2021 Report Share Posted March 16, 2021 3 hours ago, NewConvert said: Not really. Don't forget that the APL came into existence because the clubs wanted to run the competition themselves so it makes sense that they put one of their own to lead the organisation. Whether he is the right person for the job remains to be seen but time is really running out. What I'm not sure of is whether he has given up his Sydney role, or whether he's doing the two jobs concurrently. I've found information about APL very hard to find so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harrison Posted March 17, 2021 Report Share Posted March 17, 2021 4 hours ago, jw1739 said: What I'm not sure of is whether he has given up his Sydney role, or whether he's doing the two jobs concurrently. I've found information about APL very hard to find so far. He will remain as CEO of Sydney. Look at the bottom of this article. https://www.theage.com.au/sport/soccer/sports-flick-founder-27-lifts-veil-as-stan-circles-a-league-rights-20210307-p578ib.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewConvert Posted March 17, 2021 Report Share Posted March 17, 2021 3 hours ago, Harrison said: He will remain as CEO of Sydney. Look at the bottom of this article. https://www.theage.com.au/sport/soccer/sports-flick-founder-27-lifts-veil-as-stan-circles-a-league-rights-20210307-p578ib.html Conflict of interest or what? I wonder why the other clubs agreed... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harrison Posted March 17, 2021 Report Share Posted March 17, 2021 4 hours ago, NewConvert said: Conflict of interest or what? I wonder why the other clubs agreed... He’s a smart guy who knows football in this country. APL could do a lot worse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shahanga Posted March 17, 2021 Report Share Posted March 17, 2021 4 hours ago, NewConvert said: Conflict of interest or what? I wonder why the other clubs agreed... Hopefully because he was the best candidate. I’m happy to give him a chance. The clubs have to deliver now, they’ve no one left to blame. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shahanga Posted May 9, 2021 Report Share Posted May 9, 2021 I’m reading that the APL are seriously considering a Private Equity investment on the A League for a minority stake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate Posted June 10, 2021 Report Share Posted June 10, 2021 A-League ready to unleash ‘David Beckham’ rule "The tweak - dubbed the Beckham Rule when rolled out by the MLS in 2007 - will run in tandem with existing two-player marquee regulations. It will work in favour of the A-League elite who will be able to lure additional talent in the $300,000-$600,000 pay bracket without breaching salary cap guidelines." https://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/a-league-ready-to-unleash-david-beckham-rule Are we about to sign some big-name players perhaps? Not getting my hopes up, but this is good news for the league as a whole and us particularly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jw1739 Posted July 29, 2021 Report Share Posted July 29, 2021 Are we seeing anything new in this context? Or has it all been pushed aside by coronavirus, lockdowns and the Olympics? The A-League seems to be jogging along in the background on auto-pilot as per a usual off-season. Even the deck-chairs aren't moving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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