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Top to bottom, the A-League’s doing it tough

David Hall

by David Hall

07 Sep 05:40am

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Filed under: A League, Central Coast Mariners, Ffa, Football, Soccer, Sport, The Jets

35 comments

They say a week is a long time in football – they’re not kidding. This week has to go down as one of the longest in the A-League’s short history.

Dramas with refereeing decisions, last season’s champions bottom of the ladder, players unpaid, clubs on the brink of financial collapse, falling attendances, controversy over simulation and FFA’s match review panel - the list goes on, and none of it makes good reading for Australian soccer fans.

It started in week five and the outcry surrounding two contentious refereeing decisions over acts of simulation – or diving as everyone else calls it. Before all the roundball-haters open their yaps, let’s just say that no one who watches soccer supports diving. Neither do most players, come to that – but there are always those who will take advantage of the situation.

Neither case was very clear but both sparked outrage, not only at the perceived acts but also the official reactions. The clubs – Central Coast Mariners and Perth Glory – then expressed their own outrage at FFA’s handing down of a two-match ban in each case without any course for appeal and both were on the brink of court action.

Personally, I think the bans were harsh but they certainly send out a message that diving won’t be tolerated. No one has a problem with that but the clashes with clubs again highlighted FFA’s lack of flexibility and unwillingness to listen to its stakeholders.

Then came news of Newcastle Jets players going unpaid for two weeks, just one sign of the severe financial distress the club is in. The Jets have issues paying for stadium use on matchdays and suffer a fractious relationship with the Knights, but Newcastle has long been one of the nation’s footballing breadbaskets. You have to wonder how the club could be allowed to get to this state in the first place.

Owner Con Constantine has poured millions into the Jets, just as FFA have done with North Queensland and Adelaide, but they seem frozen into inaction by the Jets’ troubles. Frank Lowy is in Europe and Ben Buckley apparently in China. It seems the Socceroos and the World Cup bid remain priorities but who’s looking after the problems on our doorstep first?

Then there are the attendances… The standard of football we’ve seen in the opening six weeks of this season has been the highest of the A-League’s short life – but either no one knows or cares. Almost 7k at the Mariners on Friday, just over 4k for newcomers Melbourne Heart, an awful 7558 for Sydney FC, 7k for the Jets and a slightly better 10k for Perth.

We know that finals series in the major codes always has a negative impact on A-League attendances but it’s hard not to get disheartened by these numbers. Again, what is FFA doing? There clearly has to be some improvement in connecting clubs with the fabled millions out there playing the game every weekend. We’ve heard all the stats on participation – but where are they all come Saturday night? And don’t get me started on Sydney’s performance against Adelaide…

This isn’t being over dramatic, it isn’t a crisis – yet, but everything points to a game that needs a lot more love and attention. Football can break new ground as a major player in Australia but for those in charge, this should be a wake-up call: there’s more to life than the big money of the Socceroos, and there is still a great deal of work to do.

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35 comments

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    • Macca says:

      07:15am | 07/09/10

      I’ll make the excuse for the Sydney crowd, namely that Sydney siders are fickel sports lovers, and they won’t flock to a team coming last.

      With the Eels playing the Warriors and Penrith playing the Sharks there was already two games competing with the Sky Blues. Combine that with the rubbish weather and Sydney’s chances of getting a decent crowd were gone long ago.

      As for Central Coast, as good as Gosford stadium is, it has bugger all cover if it rains. And I’m guessing Melbourne Heart were competing with 80K+ at the G. Its just that time of year for the A-league, things will pick up. Just hope Mr Lowy has his purse strings not too tight.

      As for the two diving suspensions, wholly agree with both and very pleased with the FFAs position. An avenue for appeal would be nice, but when clubs are struggling to pay wages, I don’t think they need to have an in-house lawyer because their player was too soft on the ball

      Reply

    • Macca says:

      11:07am | 07/09/10

      On another note, the Socceroos game against Switzerland was a cracker. The non Football / soccer fans will wonder how a 0-0 draw could be entertaining. If it wasn’t for Schwarzer and if MacDonald had had a good game in front of goal, it could easily have been 4-3.
      Looking fwd to Poland tonight

    • Patm says:

      08:16am | 07/09/10

      Looks like that new stadium in Melbourne will be a massive white elephant and a drain on taxpayers for the next generation. Questions should be asked about that, it stinks like Hindmarsh but on a bigger scale.

      Last year I prognosticated that if Australia doesn’t win the right to host the World Cup the A-League will be dead within five years. It might actually be less. It’s not is such bad shape as the old NSL yet, but then the NSL didn’t have the overheads of the A-League.

      Win the World Cup bid and the government will be embarrassed into funding the league until 2022.

      Reply

    • james smith says:

      01:44pm | 10/09/10

      The new stadium is also used for Melbourne Storm and Melbourne Rebels as well as Melbourne Demons, the A-League will be in Melbourne for a long time, we have 18,000 members.

    • T.Chong says:

      08:30am | 07/09/10

      “Falling attendances” how could that possibly be ? The World Cup was going to kickstart the massive untapped love of soccer that varios vested interests assurred us that we all secretly have for soccer.
      Soccer is up against the far superior codes of AFL, rugby league, and union, with summer dominated by cricket.
      The soccer revival is about as real as the basketball revival that is often touted as the next big deal that will make inroads into other sports. It wont.

      Reply

    • Jason says:

      09:10am | 07/09/10

      Whole-heartedly agree, TC. I have been hearing since primary school 25 years ago that soccer will be the biggest code in the land within X amount of years. It isn’t and it never will be. Our favourite football codes were decided a century ago and that’s the way it will stay, just like in the US, Canada and Ireland, who all have different national sports that will never be overtaken by soccer.

    • John Goslino says:

      09:28am | 07/09/10

      The World Cup in 2006 gave a big boost to soccer especially at the junior level, making it by far the biggest junior sport in Australia and largest sport by participation with a growing female contingent, unlike the other football codes.  However, that has not translated into a long-term truly successful national league, in part I think because of poor management and marketing at club level, and also due to conflicts as our season correlates with the European season, with people getting a lot of high class action on the box and perhaps not so committed to watching their local A League team.  There are also financial problems within League and AFL clubs, and the former does seem to be faltering hence the move by AFL to capitalise in Sydney and Gold Coast.  Soccer won’t be affected by such actions, and hence will continue to develop if not necessarily become the major attended sport in our country for a while yet.

    • Darren says:

      10:16am | 07/09/10

      As a spectator sport Football may be struggling but as a participation sport it ranks as the highest sport played by boys in the country.  At our local club this season we had 21 junior boys and girls teams across the Under 9 to Under 18 age groups.
      The challenge for the FFA is to convert high participation rates into a larger spectator base.  With the A-League solely on pay for view, the lack of promotion of the national league at the local club level and the competition from entrenched sporting bodies this may be a while from happening.

    • Patm says:

      11:11am | 07/09/10

      @Darren,

      It does have the highest participation rate and has done for decades, with a significant bump in the middle of the last decade, but it is now starting to wane especially among the young.  I think a lot of people had a momentary infatuation inspired by the movie ‘Bend It Like Beckham’.

      The participation rate for soccer is meaningless. Soccer participation rate has never translated into loyalty at club or national level. It’s a lot like bicycling, people do it for personal fun and exercise not because they find people racing along in lycra exciting and want to emulate them.

    • Darren says:

      02:15pm | 07/09/10

      Not sure about the waning participation rate when the Australian Bureau of Statistics has 20% of boys 9-11 playing Football in 2006.  In my own experience our club has seen steady growth in player numbers since then and this season 35% of our players were in the 9-11 age group.

      I would disagree that the player base is meaningless and would suggest it’s a key target area of the FFA and their marketers looking to increase their supporter base.  Maybe they need to take a look at the AFL and NRL and take note of the manner in which these codes are promoted, marketed and supported by the media to see how they could do it better.

      The A-League is a product to be sold to the masses and if their marketing or media exposure isn’t working for you or if the product is not up to scratch then their success will be limited.

      It will be interesting to see if spectator numbers change after the September finals have finished around the country.

    • Patm says:

      04:38pm | 07/09/10

      @Darren, I don’t know what’s happening with your particular club, but I think you’ll find the ABS shows that soccer participation rates among children has been in decline nationally since 2003, which is incidentally the year following the release of ‘Bend It Like Beckham’.

      I remain extremely skeptical that low level participation can be converted to top level support. Soccer has had the highest participation rate of any code in NSW since before WWII and still remains far behind the NRL in terms of support. We’ve been hearing these ‘soccer will dominate’ stories for decades now but it never happens, those juniors never become adult supporters.

      I think my bicycle analogy is spot on, people like doing it themselves but they mostly aren’t interested in watching others.

    • Kyle says:

      09:18am | 07/09/10

      I think the finals week in AFL and the conclusion of the NRL season still divides the average sports fan. For instance Melbourne Heart had to compete with Collingwood - Bulldogs at the MCG on Sat night and St Kilda - Geelong was on the night before. Punters and families probably can’t afford tickets to an AFL game and the A-league on the same weekend.

      There hasn’t been a lot of promotion of games in the start of the A-league, I think the strategy was to not bother steering sports fans away from their number one code (AFL/NRL). Maybe the clubs are coping with the drop in crowds at the start by not spending as much on marketing.

      It should be about attracting those fans to games when the AFL/NRL seasons finish. Personally I think the A-league should still start later and run through some of the beginning games of AFL/NRL.

      There are some positives though. A base of 10,000 is great for Perth and someone finally got the scheduling right for GC. The crowd would’ve been dismal trying to compete with a Titans game.

      Reply

    • AFR says:

      02:36pm | 07/09/10

      Titans and GC United play out of the same stadium - might be difficult for them to play at the same time smile

    • Kyle says:

      10:09pm | 07/09/10

      Well thank you, I wasn’t aware of what stadium I saw over 10 GC matches at. I was saying it was good GC didn’t play on Sunday or Thursday when the Titans AND the Broncos had a game on Friday. Also god they didn’t play after the last crowd of 3,500. Less home games the better for GC while NRL’s still on.

    • Denny Crane says:

      09:22am | 07/09/10

      The A-League will always do it tough with a start in August, running head on into AFL & NRL finals.

      FFA, have indicated that thier will be increased advertising in October to capatilise on people not going to football in the summer.

      This summer will be the hardest for the FFA, as the ashes series in the cricket promises to be most even in Australia for years.

      The FFA & A-League need to be very careful in what happens this summer, the last thing they need is to see teams going into administration whilst bidding for a world cup, as that would give FIFA an excuse no to have the world cup here, as we know England will get 2018, and that with Premier League teams last season in adminisration.

      2022 QATAR, are the warm favourite.

      A-League has a chance to thrive in Australia, the grassroots of football are huge, but how do they translate that to bums on seats, that has always been the question

      Reply

    • Tim says:

      09:43am | 07/09/10

      I’m a Heart Supporter. Swapped over from the Victory to get some support for the new club. I’m not a soccer fan, but a sports fan, and soccer gives me something to do between AFL and Cricket, so I want it to succeed.

      Wondering why the crowds are low for the Heart? Look at the times we’ve been given games at home. Our opening game was on a Thursday Night, a slot even AFL doesn’t want. A Sunday 5pm game, which while acceptable, is probably the worst of the regular timeslots. And finally our first Saturday Arvo/Night game was put against Collingwood at the MCG. What are the FFA thinking?

      Reply

    • Patm says:

      11:20am | 07/09/10

      They were probably thinking the half price ticket giveaway to Collingwood and Bulldogs supporters would gain them significant spillover. I think the idea was that AFL supporters would go to the soccer first and to the AFL match afterwards.

    • Jason CR says:

      10:03am | 07/09/10

      Australian sports fans want will only support the highest standard of sport.  I remember being told in the 80’s that basketball will take over AFL and rugby due to its popularity.  What went wrong? The poor standard…
      Football was then going to take over after the success of the Socceroos in Germany in 06.  The A-League kicked off to healthy crowds etc.  What went wrong?  The poor standard compared to what we get dished up in the EPL on Foxtel.
      The league expanded too quickly before the competition was allowed to consolidate.  More clubs =less money, sponsors and talent to go around.  It’s not rocket science.
      We will always support the best standard of sport ie. Australian Open tennis, Masters with Tiger Woods (sellout) without Tiger (poor crowds).
      The FFA need to have an 8 team comp at best.  2 in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Central Coast and one in Qld.
      Only my opinion.

      Reply

    • Rev says:

      11:46pm | 07/09/10

      An 8 team comp is going to magically fix anything.  As mentioned in the article, the standard of play this year is above and beyond last year.  If your argument is based around the standard of sport, then why bother continuing?  The A-League will never be at the standard of the European leagues, but its improvement is central to increasing our player base.  Naturally, the cream of the crop will always head o/s.

      What the FFA really needs to do is focus on why Sydney and Brisbane aren’t getting 20k to games.  In Townsville, Wellington, Newcastle and Gosford, 6-7k will turn up, so why can’t the capitals of QLD and NSW, with a combined population of ~6m, do much better? 

      I feel the Heart’s issues also relate to the identity of the team.  It feels as though they are just another Melbourne team, when perhaps a better divide was in order.  A bit hard when the two teams share the same ground.  For example, when Sydney Rovers enter the comp next year, they will be representing Western Sydney, playing at Parra Stadium.

      People bleat on about the crowd numbers, but what I really want to see are the tv ratings.  If they’re off as well, then I agree the league is in trouble, but if they are up, bring on the 2013 negotiations!

    • neil says:

      10:19am | 07/09/10

      Soccer will never be a major code in Australia while it continues to promote behaviour that goes against the grain of Australian culture. Many Soccer nations place winning above fairness, taking a fall or a handball when the umpire can’t see are not only encouraged, the players are trained in the skills. As we have seen in successive world cups international umpires are biased to the teams that generate the big money and outsider countries are considered unworthy even if they are more skilful.

      Reply

    • A Dose of Reality says:

      10:24am | 07/09/10

      Soccer suffers from a malaise that it will find difficult to cure.  The simple fact is that the people who are always (ignorantly) going on about “real football” and voicing other nonesense are the problem in themselves - they do not support the game, nor do the broadcasters! 

      Find any fan of the game and ask what was the last game they saw - overwhelmingly they’ll point to the English soccer league, or some other European competition.

      SBS can pay next-to-nothing and show overseas games or pay real money to broadcast the local game - they choose to ignore the local game and drone on endlessly about overseas competitions and players.  This is of no benefit to the A league.  The fans stay at home and watch games from overseas - of no benefit to the A-league.

      The above situation means no sponsorship as no-one is at the games, there is no TV coverage (any crowd less than 20 thousand for a national competition may as well be zero) and memberships are negligible (the sponsors might be interested if there were memberships of 30.000 or more - even with the tiny crowds).  No sponsorship means the players move overseas far earlier, and overseas experienced players come over here much later, affecting the standard of the local competition.

      And all of this while Aussie rules is by far the dominant sport in 4 Australian states and the Rugby codes are in the other 2.  Why would the sponsors take a risk with soccer when there are such viable alternatives for their dollars?

      The answer is simple - soccer fans need to become supporters, rather than poseurs constantly raving about how popular a sport is in other, irrelevant, countries.  insulting the rest of the population and relying on overseas or even world competitions does nothing.

      If you want soccer to become a strong and healthy sport in this country then you’ll need to do what the other football codes have done.

      Reply

    • Huey says:

      12:43pm | 08/09/10

      Barcelona or Man Utd over Sydney or QLD Roar any day.

      My point is, SBS needs to keep its viewers and although a “shout-out” to the A-League will still confirm its existence, until the A-League becomes a better brand of football, it will always be deemed irrelevant by a network like SBS who is so passionate about football.

    • Eggball is best says:

      10:42am | 07/09/10

      Kick the ball game fans should just give up. For the viewer it is far more entertaining watching the meat heads in the NRL hurt each other and for genuine entertainment AFL is much better to watch and play.
      Parents, dont let your kids waste their time playing kick the ball game, it is not aggressive enough as a sport to allow your children to compete as adults, throw the ball games teach strength and how to endure and inflict pain and this is a great advantage in life.

      Reply

    • Muz says:

      11:34am | 07/09/10

      The A-League has got its strategy wrong. It is trying to compete with 3 major football codes and wants to introduce a second team into the most saturated sporting market in the world (i.e. Sydney). The crowds are low because ticket prices are ridiculous for the product and scheduling is not great. It is after all the last option for many who want to attend live sport (mind you, i’d still watch the soccer over an AFL game).

      I spend my weekends watching or atending NRL and rugby matches. If the A-League pursued a strategy of playing mid-week (say 7.00pm) kick offs so that people could go after work (as is the case with Monday night NRL games), i think more people would go. Summer scheduling is great because the cricket is not in the one city every weekend and the NBL is only tring to re-establish itself..

      Once there is an A-League team in Canberra, I may actually attend a game and support a team.For the moment though, it is still a second tier sport.

      Reply

    • Barry says:

      12:03pm | 07/09/10

      Im a A- League fan and have always been a fan of the round ball game.  But I think the A- League need time to grow it needs have some tough times and some golden eras. Its needs to grow into a culture. I think a generation of children watching football to actually follow the code seriously. Most kids of my sons school play football in fact 90% do but they follow the Broncos.  The media exposure in Brisbane is dominated by league and the Broncos have a good following of kids watching them. I think for a team like the Roar it will be one small step at a time. The following of the A- League will have to come from grass roots level. If the soccer can convert the 50% of boys 6-16 who play soccer in Brisbane to followers of soccer there is no reason why the A- League cant be a success.  Its all about finding the right formula.

      One thing soccer has over league is that the U16 ,U18 U21 are not dominated by a one race. League youth are typically polynesian, maroi in face 70% of Parramatta youth sides are 60% of the NSW development squad.  In fact by 2020 the NRL will be 70% of polynesians / marois.  Mainly because the body and sheer size they adapt well to league.

      Reply

    • Paul says:

      12:22pm | 07/09/10

      I think this is a big thing for the A-League. The current TV deal with Fox runs out in 2013 and it’s imperative the comp gets some free-to-air coverage.

      The fixtures are so badly placed because the schedulers are stuck having to please their TV commitments rather than making it easier for the fans.

      The stronger deal the A-League can strike, the better it will be for fans and the more freedom the league will get to expand.

    • Obelix in the Ruck says:

      01:47pm | 07/09/10

      Soccer is Like Rome and the Australian Codes are like the little Gaul Village Asterix comes from. Rome just can’t ever hope to win over that village. It simply can’t compete with AFL’s Magic Potion.

      Reply

    • DMR says:

      03:16pm | 07/09/10

      FFA need to instigate the much-mooted ‘FFA Cup’ (like the English FA Cup) ASAP and before any further A-League expansion (after Sydney Rovers).  This would hopefully bridge some of the gap between the A-League, ‘old soccer’ and grass-roots clubs.  It is also something that the other codes can’t do as the gap between AFL/NRL and the next level down is so vast there would never be a competitive contest.  They might even be able to sell it to free-to-air as it would be a separate competition to the A-League.

      The other priority is to convert all of the soccer snobs who’d stay up all night to watch the World Cup or EPL but wouldn’t walk 5 minutes down the road to support their local A-League team.  I don’t really know the answer to that problem though.

      Reply

    • Steve says:

      04:01pm | 07/09/10

      Yes it is a crisis, David.

      The A-League is starting to look more and more like a bad re-run of the 1970s North American Soccer League with each new season. .

      The reality for some delusional “new dawn” domestic soccer fans is, the vast majority of Australians continue to have no interest in the game. The old-school supporters from the NSL days know this. This country has a population of only 20 odd million people spread over the size of the European continent. A number of traditionally popular sports rule the roost and it’s not going to change. There’s no point pretending otherwise.

      Full-time professionalism is just not viable in Australia. These so-called franchises lost a combined $25 million last season alone and it’s getting worse. The FFA (led by the “messiah” Frank Lowy) have bet the farm on securing the 2022 WC. If they fail, as seems likely, the A-League will need some massive structural changes if it is to survive. There’ll be no big pot of WC sponsorship money or an enhanced Foxsports deal to prop it up. Hopefully this occurs because the game in this country needs a massive reality check.

      Reply

    • Lee from Busso says:

      04:49pm | 07/09/10

      Until you can see A-League on free to air, it will always languish.

      Reply

    • S.L says:

      05:20pm | 07/09/10

      Lee from Busso you are sooooooooo right!!!!!!!! Until the free to air networks pull their heads out of their collective backsides and stop giving undying support to codes that have a geographical reach smaller than postage stamp soccer will struggle spectator wise. I have been involved with soccer both on and off the field since 1968 and for most of those years the only tv coverage was “match of the day” on the ABC and the only live game was the FA Cup final. Now I can’t afford pay tv and can’t always get to the club or pub to watch my Mariners so except for the net or paper I wait to see the 60 seconds so generously given on the 6 o’clock news.

      Reply

    • A Dose of Reality says:

      12:36am | 08/09/10

      Lee from Busso and S.L.

      You have it backwards, for as long as the crowds at games (and memberships of clubs)  are tiny - there will be no free-to-air TV.  Simple.  They are not going to put on air (read that as “spend money”) something that doesn’t draw crowds - they will stay with the cheaper imported TV from overseas.

      They have so much Aussie Rules on TV for simple reasons;  Memberships of all clubs are well in excess of 20,000 (Gold Coast already have more than 10,000 - and they are not in the AFL yet!), average attendance at games are over 35,000 (with eight games each week).  These facts are combined with the local state competitions in SA, WA, Vic, Tas as well as the leagues in the NT, where weekly attendance totals another 10,000 to 20,000 per week in each state (Smaller leagues are in NSW and Qld, but like soccer don’t draw the crowds to warrant TV coverage).

      These are numbers that sponsors will pitch too, that they are willing to spend on.  Whether you are dumb enough to call it a postage stamp or not - it is a reflection of the society in which you live

      For soccer to grow you will have to grow up and go to the games.  Bringing up irrelevant ramblings about what is or isn’t popular in irrelevant overseas countries does nothing but show ignorance of the society you are in.  The soccer fan needs to turn into a supporter.  Turn the o/s stuff off and get to the games.

      Reply

    • S.L says:

      05:25am | 08/09/10

      Your coments are true A Dose of Reality. No one can deny a sponsor looks to spectator numbers both at and away from the ground to see where their advertising dollar will go and AFL have crowds even European football would envy. Now here’s the BUT! Look at NRL crowds. The Roosters for example can’t attract a crowd that would fill a phone box but every game they play has saturation tv coverage with empty grandstands. It must be a nightmare for the tv directors to find camera angles where there are some spectators behind the action.
      Now for the extreme example good old Sheffield Shield Cricket! How can anyone justify supporting a game that has absolutely no support from the sporting public with literally no one attending games outside friends and family yet it enjoys full electronic and print media coverage and sponsors? I just don’t get it?
      As you also mention with the demographic of league changeing where will the white guys go? AFL or Soccer that’s where!

      Reply

    • Mick says:

      06:22pm | 08/09/10

      I know of people who used follow & go to 75% of Perth Glory home games in the nsl.

      Since the a-league started I have asked them what they reckon & the most common responses are I never see or hear about it & the start time of the season.

      They do not have Foxtel, fta tv can not show highlight programme & they are involved with ameteur competitions until the end of September.

      Come October PG & the competition has started poorly & always negative stories in the media as there is a lack of positives for the media to report.

      They can not view any highlights on fta tv so they are not even exposed to the a-league.

      I have issues with the way the match day at the ground is run as they try to suppress anybody who shows some emotion

      Reply

    • john miles says:

      01:59pm | 10/09/10

      Is it possible for this site to write a positive article about soccer? So AFL and NRL are the most popular sports and always will be…blah blah blah. Who cares? I love soccer, always will, I don’t care if it’s the most popular. Why don’t you AFL fans waddle overseas and state your case, you’ll be a laughing stock.

      Reply
 
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