“Bigger prize money, a new premiers trophy and revamped finals series have also been recommended to add new excitement to an Independent A-League, News Corp reports. These proposed changes are among a number of proposals put forward during a two day summit of A-League club owners in Sydney earlier this week. Their is an urgency among club bosses to breath new life into the competition and a raft of dramatic changes is believed to be the best immediate fix with the league determined to take full advantage of the expansion to 11 teams in 2019 and 12 sides in 2020. A Cup Winners' Cup fixture between reining A-League premiers and champions, similar to the FA Community Shield, has been touted as one way to add new intrigue for fans. A redesigned finals series was also on the agenda. It has been suggested the finals series be extended and played under a new format, including the possibility playing matches over two legs, in order to get the most out of increased attendance and viewership during the playoffs. The existing Premiers' Plate could be scrapped as part of these changes to be replaced by a new trophy in a move to increase the prestige of winning the regular season. The finals series has been derided by players in recent campaigns with championship winner Alex Brosque even calling for the finals series to be scrapped. Referees were not immune to the wide array of suggested changes with club bosses keen to investigate broadcasting audio from match officials microphones. Such a change would require approval from FIFA but the belief is the move could help drive engagement and boost ratings.”
https://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/stagnant-a-league-set-for-major-shake-up-as-owners-seek-to-revive-competition

At least it's somewhat more transparent - we want team in X region and will only accept the highest bidder.

I changed that post, it changed articles when I changed format on phone

The question of dumping the dunny seat deserves it's own thread.

They need a trophy with a picture of the trophy on it that has a picture of the trophy on it.

No way should it be dumped.  One of the great sights of GF day is of the punters hoisting aloft plastic dunny seats in the crowd.

Took one along myself to the Brisbane Perth final at Suncorp.  One of about a dozen that day.

The dunny seat is great. Iconic sporting trophy in Australia. 

Sounds great get rid of the cap/floor ASAP and add in  a bunch of new sides every season but the next 10 years a new team should be entering - create 2 division maybe even 3 and MAKE FOOTBALL GREAT AGAIN!! 

Keep the dunny seat. Change the premiers plate to a bowl. Change the FFA cup to a cistern. When a club wins the triple we call it a flush.

Just reading that one excerpt from TWG above shows how difficult it is.  Dozens of ideas floated, half of them contradict the other half.

Which they will do by following the current model

Now what was that Einstein quote....

Sadly I haven't read the whole thread of replies to this but just want to throw my 2c at the concepts being put forward about the independent A League.

Yes it is entirely necessary that the A League is an independent entity from the FFA in order to drive market success, the people carrying the risk will invest to help it be successful.

Keeping it a closed shop with a salary cap will continue the existing downward spiral of interest in the competition, we don't have a big enough market in Australia for football to rely on a product that is run in a similar way to the MLS. They can get away with a small market share because it still equals millions of people, ours is 10,000s.

Expansion to 16 teams as soon as possible is fantastic, but not if there is no connection to the existing pyramid within Australia. Pro rel is the best way to create an expanded league and create investment.

+1,000

Thought that “16 team expansion” meant 16 new teams for a second 

16 team, home and away format: yes
transfer/loan system: yes
2 legged finals matches: yes

Community shield consisting of only aleague teams: no
Wanting to create a sinking fund, whilst mentioning zero on second division and eventual pro-rel: Big NO
No mention of season start being earlier: No 

Overall I have mixed feelings about this, but this what happens when the FFA and the aleague owners aren’t aligned together for the benefit of the game’s overall development.

I think Foxtel will be the biggest problem for the aleague independent era, where the teams come from, the amount of games and even the start should be Foxtel concerns.

But this is what happens when you put all of your financial basket on Foxtel and dictating where they want things to happen.

Yep a slap on a place on that new dawn...

Lets see if I got this right, please amend, add anything I missed or overly determined. Gets my overall vote of approval and we are in a slump so we need to do some things. The missing link is P & R but its not as easy to solve as many assume.

My reading, of the Australian article has a few highlights,.

First the clubs will choose the best markets to put new teams.
I like the idea as it makes a lot of sense, and it would appear 3 possible expansion areas have been identified, first is a second Brisbane team and IMO a lock, second is Canberra and again a lock IMO, third Auckland and could happen.

16 Teams
Perfect 30 rounds add international breaks and a extended final series and you have close to a 40 week season.’

Football Specific stadiums or controlled stadiums seem to be wanted.

Can only agree.

Taken from the OZ, as it’s a paragraph “”””   It’s understood the competition’s best marketers have been plucked from several clubs to work with high-profile advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi on a campaign set to feature a season theme targeting kids.’”””
That’s sounds excellent and also taken from the OZ on the same theme is “”a catchy new season theme is at the heart of a digital-led drive to reignite awareness.’
They also want the 16 team competition in place in two years if possible maybe three years but to be ready when the existing Fox deal runs out which again I think is smart.

Other
Review salary cap and have transfer fees.

WHATS MISSING
The missing link is P & R.  Then again I can see what the clubs are saying we have sunk $$$ into establishing the league, why should we run the risk of losing that investment.
There is no easy solution if you want P & R, because today IMO the Football market in Australia is not engaged enough to support such a model at professional levels.
We need to accept how much money and effort some clubs have gone too and to expect them to run the risk of being regulated in say two or three years will simply never P & R get up.
We need in time to move to P & R, and this does not mean in 25 years.
Whats needed IMO is some kind of working group / committee to establish how and when we introduce P & R. I think most fans if they see how and when P & R will be introduced and its within say 7 years will give it support.

Whats equally needed so P & R can get off the ground is a strong second division, and that’s difficult if they have to wait 7 years before they get a chance at the big time.

I will only answer this post with regards to P & R.

No doubt the clubs are reluctant to have P & R, however as much as they like to think they own football they dont. Over the years plenty of clubs have sunk millions of dollars into football and they don't even get a chance to compete. In fact no one else does. What a cosie situation for the current clubs, they already know that this cartel cant continue. They not only have to convince the fans but they also have to convince NPL clubs and new investors plus FIFA on the merits of continuing the status quo. Pretty hard to do when the threat of a normalisation committee was already threatening over the football landscape over a different issue. Who is to say this wont happen again, especially since the fans and others I have mentioned are itching for P & R. In my honest opinion it would be better if the clubs to work towards that goal rather than fight it because it is not only in their long term interests to do so, it is in the best interests of football as a whole. What is lost on some posters and the A-league clubs is not the potential millions to lose but the potential millions to gain by having P &R. By opening up the tiers you are also opening up the opportunity for a sustainable model and one which will actually spur investment in football along all tiers of the pyramid. This will create a domino effect of investment as ALL clubs seek to outdo each other in order to work towards or remain in the top tier. We have already seen this situation come about In India recently and it wouldn't take much effort on behalf of all the clubs to enable this to occur if they decide to go that route. The A-league clubs need to be aware and I am sure they are that they are facing the inevitable.

”REVEALED - AFC and FIFA's complete blueprint for re-structuring ISL, I-League and Indian football......

.....Our view is that the existing ISL club participation fee (what some called “franchise fee”) terminates at the conclusion of the season at the end of which relegation commences. This is on the basis that the participation fee has guaranteed participation in the ISL/Tier 1 of the paying clubs for the period until the beginning of relegation. The clubs joining Tier 1 to take the total number of clubs to 16 will therefore pay a fee. There should be a different fee for promoted clubs from the I-League/Tier 2 as opposed to any entering through an open tender. Conversely, our view is that new entrant clubs are to be entitled to a reduced central payments share until relegation commences and new commercial/financial arrangements commence."

https://thefangarage.com/articles/14611-revealed--afc-and-fifas-complete-blueprint-for-re-structuring-isl-i-league-and-indian-football/1#post

To me you miss the obvious when it comes to pro/rel which is there isn’t a second division to relegate in to. The NPL is not a second division, it is an Amateur/Park competition with some former professional clubs mixed in. 

There cant be pro/rel until a viable second division exists - viable in that it can sustain a relegated professional side without them imploding financially - that mechanism can include parachute payments if necessary but once that’s ceased, relegated clubs must have a reasonable chance of surviving. 

Whether this can can be achieved is debatable (I think it can) but until we get there any angst needs to be aimed at AAFC and their continual dragging out of their NSD project. 

Within a month of getting independence the HAL club owners have come up with more ideas ideas to invigorate the competition than the FFA did in 5 years. That’s what happens when you’re not distracted by “FFA things” 

the worry with NSD is that they’re getting in bed with the FFA and they’re inviting in the same intransigence that’s dogged the HAL for a decade. Pro/Rel needs that Div 2 and it is the main obstacle to achieving it - with the FFA involved in NSD they are likely to act like a sea anchor on the whole thing. 

In terms  of the current club owners don’t believe that they object to pro/rel. They know it will invigorate the lower end of the league, boost attendance, and crucially boost viewing which will increase the value of the tv rights. 

It’s just a matter of when they introduce it, which will only come after NSD proves itself viable. My guess is expansion to 16 comes first under the current model, then promotion from NSD with no relegation comes next to take it to 18 teams, then relegation is introduced. 

Pretty sure they were just talking about replacing the plate. 

Well we are in the process of establishing an NSD and I didn't mean relegation into the NPL. The NSD will include a number of current NPL clubs. If things are done correctly it should provide all clubs in Australia a pathway to the top tier if they so desire.

On this forum I have posted numerous times that the most pressing issue we have is forming a National second division. The best way to form that link and create interest is to have a period of promotion from this new NSD into the A-league. No new franchises should be allowed in the A-league, they should come from the NSD, a total of four teams.

So 2 weeks into this so-called 100-day "kickstart" plan, and I've seen and heard nothing...

You’re on a thread talking about it 😂

Well, that's sure to get the crowds flocking in...

The clubs have already said publicly that that's not the way they are going to do it.

They want to identify specific cities/regions and they then want interested parties to bid up the license fee.

:)

:D

Yes the have, rightly or wrongly. 

Their focus wilk will be the next tv deal in 2 years time. If the value of that plummets then there’s no discussion to be had (I don’t think it will tbh - and thankfully the FFAs inefficiency and greed has seen the clubs operating off less than $40m not the full $56m). 

The NSD should have been established 5 or 19 years ago and until it’s up and running it’s pure fiction

 Regarding P & R, you don’t need to convince me of its merits, anyone with half a brain can see it. Your point about other clubs have also invested is excellent and very true.
We disagree about timing principally and even that is a relatively small difference.

Roughly twelve months ago the then head and now Macarthur FC CEO said P & R was at least 5 years away as that was the time needed to establish the second division at a level where in his opinion P & R could operate. Given a year has passed so I guess  its 4 years now.

But deep down in my soul, I don’t believe as things are today that Australian Football fans are sufficiently engaged enough with Australian Football for P & R to work.

Whats needed is a behavioural shift in attitudes pertaining to Australian Football. Roughly four years ago I read a study that showed the percentage of screens watchers of the codes players, AFL, Rugby & League enjoyed about the same which was 86% of their players watched their games. In Football it was 16%.

Take an average team of say 16 players and 16%, and you have on average about two and a half players per side who will talk and engage others about Australian Football. Lift that percentage to around 30% and you now have on average 5 players in the team of 16.

Behavioural scientist will tell you once you reach the 5 in 16, group dynamics change and growth normally increases quickly.

Again this is my opinion but my deep down in my  soul my belief is increasing that viewing pattern is best achieved via the local park team committees and to get to these committees we need to engage with regional associations.

Once the engagement takes place and behavioural shifts take place, P & R will be the chief driving force and Football will expand very rapidly.  However as it stands today I don’t think enough people are sufficiently engaged with Australian Football to make P & R effective.