OPINION | South Melbourne unlikely to play A-League
South Melbourne returns to the national stage on Wednesday night when they take on Palm Beach Sharks in the first televised match of the 2015 FFA Cup.
Already we are reading how the club wants to use this opportunity to show they belong at this level and aim to join the A-League when those at the FFA decide expansion is the right time. The club were dealt a blow at the draw when they were drawn away but as a consolation managed to grab a televised spot on Foxtel.
For many involved at National Premier League level or below the FFA Cup provides an opportunity for national exposure and for some clubs the dream of one day entering the A-League. Sadly the dream won’t becoming a reality for any of the 22 non A-League clubs competing in this year’s FFA Cup, at least not in the short term anyway.
You cannot blame South Melbourne wanting to be part of the A-League; it is after all the pinnacle of Australian domestic football. As a club you should always want to play at the highest level and give your fans the opportunity to see your club compete at its optimum. South Melbourne has tried to enter the league by purchasing Melbourne Heart and Central Coast Mariners licences in the past and now wants to use these few days of publicity to push their case. Last season a disappointing loss to Melbourne Knights cost South Melbourne their place in the inaugural FFA Cup so this season they are making up for lost time.
With the successful Asian Cup and football continuing to grow in Australia now would seem to be a great time to expand the A-League but then you look at the current financial plight of the Newcastle Jets and Brisbane Roar and begin to grow concerned about running a football club in Australia. The FFA would be very wary of adding new teams to the competition in the current climate.
If you look at whether Melbourne is ready for a third A-League team this also adds concern to the argument. The FFA would again be cautious of adding another Melbourne team to the league whilst Melbourne City is struggling to attract fans to AAMI Park despite the recent Manchester City takeover.
Personally I think over the next season or two would be the perfect time to add a team such as South Melbourne , not only would you be bringing thousands of fans into the A-League but you would also be bringing something the league is severely lacking; history. For far too long the current administration has ignored the history of Australian football and to its detriment still treats the NSL as an unwanted uncle at the Christmas table. Finally we should be embracing the different cultures of our game, not continually bring up file footage from the NSL days and punishing fans of these clubs many years after the fact for previous misdemeanours.
As much as I love the ideology of the FFA Cup it does fly in the face how the A-League is run. The cup attempts to celebrate the diverse culture of Australian football whilst meanwhile in the league we refuse to acknowledge history or celebrate diversity. Images of souvlakis and kebabs will be thrust upon us during the cup coverage then 10 weeks later we will grab our pie and chips as we watch the A-League.
The thinking of those who run our game have already stated their preferred locations of Sutherland and a second Brisbane team for the 11th and 12th A-League spots and to me this has already been decided. The current situation in Brisbane may have dented the second team in Brisbane option but David Gallop wants a derby in Brisbane.
Under the current thinking of the FFA, South Melbourne won’t be considered for an A-League place but for the purposes of publicity whilst South Melbourne are still in the FFA Cup we will hear about their A-League dream. The club can spruik social media stats, financial projections and club history all they want but sadly the reality is the FFA doesn’t want a third team in Melbourne, and when they do a former NSL team won’t be that team.
Sadly the FFA preferred manufactured start up clubs in the A-League and not those with a history, maybe they’re far easier to control.
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