Expansion – The Future of the A-League
Expansion is always a delicate and passionate subject and Australian football is not immune from this. At present, ten teams from Australia and New Zealand are represented in the Hyundai A-League but this doesn’t benefit the future of the game or reflect the direction we are hoping to head down.
Long term ten teams isn’t a feasible prospect, similarity breeds contempt and playing opposition teams three times a year can grow old far too quickly. I see 14 teams as the optimum number, given our small population and limited financial situation. This would decrease the season by one round (to 26 rounds, playing each club in a home and away format), but given the inclusion of the FFA Cup professional teams would still be playing a similar amount of football.
Ideally a longer season would be great for the league, but we must take into account the commercial commitments and ground availability. The AFL and NRL are still the predominant codes in Australia and will be for the foreseeable future. A professional football league in Australia must acknowledge these parameters and work within the available months of summer and autumn.
The necessity of Fox Sports to the league creates restrictions on timeframes when speaking about the inclusion of new teams to the league. The FFA must be careful when considering the location and timings for the inclusions of the four teams. I would introduce two teams at the end of the current television deal in 2017/18 (to commence in 2018/19) and a further two teams three years after that. This would of course be revisited depending on how the new clubs would be received around the league, and the financial state of the current ten A-League clubs.
It wouldn’t be until 2021/22 where we would see a 14 team national competition but the league should be wary of introducing too many teams too quickly. One only has to look at the money the AFL are continuing pouring into the Greater Western Sydney franchise to see the affects of making poor choices when introducing a new team into the professional realm of sports in Australia.
So where would we put these teams is the next question.
Wollongong would have to consider themselves a frontrunner for the next A-League team, given the FFA has chosen to set the All Stars camp on their doorstep. The Young Socceroos v All Stars game received an impressive turnout and would be another tick for the region. A ready made stadium and some rich NSL history are both favourable points for the Wollongong Wolves to make a return to the national stage. Interest will be high for the FFA Cup clash between South Coast Wolves and Central Coast Mariners, and good crowd numbers may just put their application to the top of the pile.
The other team to join in 2018/19 would be a Queensland based team, but I’m unsure if Gold Coast or Far North Queensland is the better option. Both clubs have previous A-League history but both failed on their first attempt. Various studies would have to be undertaken by the FFA to see which would be a more viable alternative. I cannot see both regions having a team in my 14 team A-League so it would be very important for them to present their case well to the FFA for long term sustainability,
A 12 team competition would remain in place until the 2021/22 season, where we would see two new teams join the league if the game is run correctly in Australia. The staggered introduction would allow all stakeholders in the game to adjust to the new expanded league, and iron out any potential problems. This would also appease football clubs, both professional and semi professional not draining the talent pool of players too quickly around the nation.
South Melbourne would enter the competition in 2021/22 as the 13th team. The club has a rich history in Australian football and would be deserved candidates. South Melbourne has recently signed a 40 year lease at the Lakeside location and is financially secure. A third team in Melbourne would be a viable option in 2021/22 and give Melbourne City another few years to establish themselves in the league with a stable supporter base. This is partly the reason I wouldn’t allow South Melbourne to join any sooner, as Melbourne City has virtually starting again under their new moniker with the new ownership of City Financial Group. Some South Melbourne supporters would be frustrated by this perceived delay but I cannot see the FFA introducing a third club into Melbourne before this time.
The fourteenth club I would bring in would be our nation’s capital of Canberra. This would see Tasmania once again miss out on a sporting team but personally I don’t think it has the ability to sustain a professional football team at this stage. Circumstance could very much change given the timeline is still seven years away but I see Canberra as a better alternative to Tasmania.
I don’t see a market either in Adelaide, Brisbane or Perth and I think New Zealand would have to come across to the Asian confederation before the FFA consider a second team from across the Tasman.
For the next two years the league should give the FFA Cup competition time to grow and be willing to make slight adjustments to the current format. Expansion teams are no longer a pipedream as they were ten years ago when the A-League commenced, but a football reality if we are to grow the game both at a local and national level.
We must be willing to accept this will be a time consuming process, and there isn’t much room for mistakes to be repeated that have been made in the past. The A-League has now established itself in the sporting market; it’s time for the FFA to take the next step.
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