FFA confirm A-League seasons will get shorter

14 teams for 26 rounds is a good strategic move.

However, the below FFA quote just proves how disingenuous they are because they are always looking over the shoulder to the AFL despite the AFL being completely irrelevant to us.

"That's the strategic place we want to land at. You see the AFL has 18 teams into 23 rounds so a lot of teams don't even play twice, let alone three times." 

Not playing each team like in the AFL is completely unfair and skews the results. Some teams can be hard done by by getting an easy draw while others get a hard draw.

But if we stick to the FIFA models, all teams play each other twice, once at home and once away. Nothing fairer than that.

Speaking in Canberra, O'Rourke reiterated his desire to see the A-League expand to 14 teams in the near future and stressed fewer games and not more are the answer to creating more interest in the competition. 

I less game is neither here or there but I would like to see more teams playing each other only twice and more games, not less.

Such as 16 teams and 30 rounds!

18 teams and 34 rounds is better.

After we have a second division of another 16 teams, then that can happen too down the track.

Div 1 - 16 teams
Div 2 - 16 teams

With promotion and relegation between them and between Div 2 and NPLs QLD, NSW, VIC, SA, WA, and Tasmania

Fixed.

He directly says the plan is 14 teams playing each other home and away. Obviously in the interim we can't cut the amount of games down anymore so some sort of unbalanced fixture is inevitable. Would rather have a few years on unbalanced fixture than no expansion.

If it is 26 rounds next season with 11 teams, it may be only 23 games per team (that is if there needs to be 3 byes each).

Yes of course. the more the merrier. All NPLs to have access. NNSW too.

Yes he did. Nothing wrong with 14 teams in Div 1 and 16 in Div 2

Whatever works.

Another slap in the face for the nuvo new dawners 

And a bigger slap in the face because old soccer is coming to get you. BOO!

What about when SWS cum in>? 23 rounds?.

Why didn’t Canberra come in this round instead of sws or west Melbourne so stupid 

Nope, it will be 26 rounds from next season up until we have 14 teams at which point it will be a simple home and away comp. The problem we will have until then is the 3 extra games. It should be decided by a random draw, but it won't. They will use marquee games to fill the spaces out. We can almost guarantee MV will play MC, SFC and WUFC three times each next season. This is less than fair for both those teams and the other teams. For those teams, they automatically get a tougher draw because those games are arguably tougher. Those games also statistically make more money than other games, so those teams get a greater opportunity to make more money. 

The reason the NRL/AFL/RU have less rounds isn't all about spectator interest. Those codes have a much greater physical toll on the body than football and so the players are unable to play more than 30 games a year. Similarly, they have smaller player bases to begin with so they can't simply allow for increased squad size to rotate players like we do (without teams getting smashed due to the diluted strength of their team). I would argue these two factors are more important for their short seasons than anything else.

As others have said, the only reason our season is boring is we are playing the same teams 3/4/5 times a season, on average 9 weeks apart. We need to increase the teams so that a home and away season isn't too short.

If anything, going shorter will simply hinder the competition as there will be less chances for youth to come through, less opportunities for players to improve, the overall standard will thus be lower and the Socceroos will also be worse as a result (which has some flow on effect to the national league). Add on top reduced income streams from ticket sales and sponsorship for each team and you can again guarantee a lower standard comp with all the above effects.

Does anyone know if it would be possible with FIFA and AFC next season to have a home and away season meaning only 20 rounds, however have all clubs enter the FFA Cup from the early rounds so each club plays over 30 games for the overall season?
Personally I'd rather it be like this, with 1 club added every single season until we're at our preferred 16 teams and 30 round season.
Entering the FFA Cup with 128 clubs remaining would add another 8 games for the finalist. The top 6 would add another 3 games, and offcourse the 20 games in the A-league all coming to a total of 31 games. Obviously those not making the 6, and also getting knocked out early in the FFA Cup could end up with a total of only 21 games. 
I know this won't be a popular opinion, however I wouldn't mind this knowing that every single season there will be a new club entering, and if they can add two then that makes it even better. 
Im just so fucking over this uneven competitions, after over 10 years we should have fucking been already at 16 clubs ffs.

As long as you have a finals series, this is always going to happen and in terms of sporting integrity, with a finals series, it doesn't really even matter that much.

The solution is to aim for more than 14 teams.

A 16 team 30 match home and away season would give every team more matches and be balanced and fair from a sporting integrity stance.

Yeh that would be perfect. 

Ideal goal imo. 50 year plan?

😂 well if it's taken over 15 years to get to 11, at that rate it probably will be a 50 year plan to get to 32 clubs between 2 divisions. 

No! It should have already happened.

We have the ability to do this and geography and travel isn't an issue anymore either.

People who say 2034, or 50 year plan = never happen so might as well give up.

This just highlights the FFA's ineptitude.

They want metrics, when the whole idea should be tossed out the window.

The whole system is to protect the corporates and their investment. The game is held hostage.

I don’t get the logic that seem seem to have that we can support 32 professional teams in the foreseeable future. 

There simply just isn't the money for it, so it is better to think a little bit more conservatively and then build from there. 

Even 14 A League and 8 2nd tier fully professional teams would be pushing it, given broadcaster and commercial interest is unlikely to support such a structure at this stage, 

Something has to change, but it’s going to be hard very work.

The teams are already there and are already semi-professional. There is enough interest for them to have a Division 2 as well.

They don't need to start as fully professional - perhaps only 6 to 10 players can be professional only until they grow which they will in a truly National Competition.

Just keep the metrics out and the market takes care of everything.

By not doing this, we will destroy our sport.

Mou,  FIFA and AFC set minimum criteria (metrics) for top tier clubs so whether you like it or not they will stay for the A-League.  AAFC were also planning for lesser criteria for the 2nd division.

Good idea. Crippling player development is key.

We need more games, not less. I don't get why we can't have a 30 round season + finals and then a 33 round season + finals when MSWS join.

Fox won't broadcast that many.