Smoke and Mirrors
The emotional subject of A-League expansion is a delicate topic for all involved in Australian football, and one that will bring anticipation, jubilation and disappointment.
Most regions in Australia have now submitted interest to be involved in Australia’s premier domestic competition but with established clubs helping decide how many clubs will be accepted into the A-League I can see this number only remaining at two in the near future. Fourteen and sixteen team competitions remain a possibility in the future but current clubs will be very mindful of the existing market and the shrinking television money pool with the addition of more teams.
Seeing the interest from areas such as Canberra and Tasmania creates great intrigue and whilst their bids have been conducted via the right channels and made all the right noises neither will come to fruition any time soon. The A-League must carefully consider their next move when it comes to expansion and unfortunately areas such as Canberra or Tasmania provide a risk far too great for David Gallop and his merry men.
The game is still establishing itself on the Australian sporting stage, and financially cannot repeat historical mistakes. Creating a sporting market in either region has the potential to be rewarded handsomely but in the current climate the risk would be far too great for this administration. The game is growing in many facets but the A-League still has one hand tied behind it’s back financially, still struggling to attract sufficient support to justify such a risk.
Individual bids have been impressive in their own right but it’s all smoke and mirrors as far as the FFA is concerned because their minds have already been made up before the bidding process started.
South Sydney (much to the bemusement of Sydney FC) and a second Brisbane team appear to be clear front runners and tick most boxes required by the current establishment. Both would be safe bets in established football markets and comply with the needs of any new media rights contract. Organisations like the AFL established a war chest via funds received via an overly generous television deal and then had the ability to throw money into an untried market such as Greater Western Sydney (GWS) and will continue to do so. Success on the field (and millions of dollars) will be handed to GWS in the AFL’s bid to establish a want for their game in the region.
The FFA don’t need to create a fabricated want for the game in areas such as Tasmania, Wollongong and Canberra but it’s the millions of dollars they cannot afford in the present environment that will ultimately cost them the ability to take any type of risk when establishing new A-League markets.
Existing club South Melbourne will only be considered when it’s been decided that current club Melbourne City have a big enough foothold in Australia’s most competitive market.
There are many decisions facing the FFA over the next month but these needs to be carefully considered. The television deal still dictates the future of the league and remains the most vital, needing to strike a deal that will both address free to air and financial considerations. Club expansion closely follows with the current ten team format becoming stagnant.
The FFA need to make any expansion announcements tactfully, and not banish any section of the Australian football community. If the game is to grow, they must make timely decisions whilst remaining confident and not looking transparent. Announcing decisions we already know could have grave consequences to potential future markets, but then again can we afford to take any huge risks with this round of expansion.
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