A-League to ACL: Australian football needs Asia

The Asian Champions League (ACL) needs to be more respected by the Australian football landscape. It is as simple as that.

The future of the A-League and the overall success of Australian football is dependent on the ACL being seen as one of the ultimate goals of an Australian club.

Since the league has become the premier competition in Australia only one club, let’s be honest with ourselves, has respected the competition. Only one club has seen the value in growing their history beyond Australia’s borders. This one club is Adelaide.

Adelaide has seen the value in being defined as successful outside of Australia’s borders. And what does this mean? What does success in the ACL equal in the long-term? The answer is simple – it is what is commonly referred to as a point of differentiation. In this great southern land of ours one of the many facts we accept (besides CityRail being hopeless, parking inspectors being soulless, the Australian Open being in January – these truths we hold to be CLEARLY self evident) is that we as a country love sport and love to be defined by it. Now football as a sport needs to have a point of differentiation that brings excitement and an undeniable uniqueness.

What other way is there to satiate the appetite of Australia at large? As can be seen from the National Soccer League (NSL), in a now seemingly bygone era, complete rejection of an ideology and an old way of doing things is not always the complete answer. The power of inclusion is a strong tool and not to be ignored; and inclusion is what has made the A-League’s recent boom possible. The Western Sydney Wanderers (WSW) has built a core base around the ethnic ties that are still heavily linked to ‘old football’. It is only now that the A-League and its clubs are not ignoring the past and honouring it that the league is beginning to thrive.

Football, we all know, is the true global sport and the ability to challenge the rest of our neighbours in the Asian region is a blessing. Australia needs to contribute to the growth of the ACL. If we have all learnt one thing from the past it is that we all have to be accepting and not afraid to jump into the thick fog of the unknown.

As a leading nation on the international stage, Australia has sadly not shown its best foot in the club realm (at least not on a consistent basis), besides a few fleeting moments of brilliance.  Our Adelaide friends have brought us the few accolades that have been achieved.

Follow Srdjan on twitter @DrSerj

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