It is really difficult to hear such criticism along these lines on this site given the support for such changes a few years back. The A-League should be controlled by the federation, as the top professional competition in the country, and its governance ultimately elected by the games participants and club members. This does not, and has not, precluded private ownership of clubs. It just means the ultimate competition is administer by those answerable to all participants and members in the game (and not a select few stakeholders).

The other aspects I query in all of this is:
1. Why destinations NSW would pay $12 million for it. I really struggle to see how the state would get a return on that sort of money. You would probably need MV to make it each of the three years as the 'host' team. A benefit only arises to the state when the 'host team' is not from NSW, which is only just over half the time anyway (as there are 5 NSW teams). So, based on averages, at least one of those years (probably more) will provide no incremental benefit at all as it would otherwise have been held in NSW anyway.
2. Why Destinations NSW would limit it to Sydney as piss off Newcastle and Central Coast fans (who are also part of NSW....). If the Jets are the 'hosts', are they really going to move it from 32k capacity in Newcastle to say 30k capacity in Parramatta or 38k capacity at the SFS (when deducting stadiums members who get in free)?
3. Why the administrators did not even seek to contact other governments as to whether another offer would be considered; and
4.  Why everyone keeps referring to the amount as an "investment" in the game. This is not an investment. It will literally be distributed amongst the owners of the A-League clubs only. Investment is building facilities. Investment is reducing the costs of ground hire so it is more affordable for participants to play. Investment is actually distributing the taxpayer dollars back to the community in a meaningful way. 

Yeah I was on a month to month so I understand where you're coming from. I'm not asking anyone to do what I'm doing. I live regionally so going to matches was out of the question in any case and my little fuck you won't change a thing.

I've been telling everyone to stop whinging about Paramount and just get it because the more subscribers the better it would be for the A-League when renegotiation comes around.  But I just can't anymore.

It's just so disappointing. There's no movement on the NSD, I'll never see pro / rel in my lifetime and football in Australia is determined to go down the NRL/AFL/MLS pathway.

So much promise, so little result.


And to top the whole rotten thing off my dog is dying. Fucking dogs don't live long enough. 

Again I think all of you have now understood the problem with the A-League Model.
One that many here have presented, and maybe wasn't articulated well enough,

The elephant in the room for the ALM/APL was and is the cost level of the ALM. It's way to high against the revenue's.
Privately funded Clubs beholding to their shareholders [Not the game] must look to retrieve those losses.
The FFA was blamed for running it badly, no one considered that maybe that the ALM is unviable in it's current structure with requirements.
Now the private owners have losses to recover, something that Member based clubs don't have to do, so we see decisions made on that basis and everyone is surprised and awakened to the reality of our predicament.

We've had the NSL Taskforce, the Crawford report, the FFA Board wars and voting restructure. 
Recommendations a plenty. I gather several recommendations that the National First Tier should be governed by a separate "INDEPENDENT" Board.

So we are where we are.
Somewhere we just need some commonsense based on Global Standards, and commonsense on what we can and can not afford.

They did it because DNSW did their sums and thought even if the stadiums were half full they'd probably break even.

The APL did it because this is the beginning not the end point. They said we want other cities to outbid Sydney and take it away in the future.

And for those truly invested in you ALM side, even if run by dickheads, I would say keep supporting them.

Feel free to protest the ownership, remember Newcastle Utd had a hated owner in Ashby for years, but the fans attended but they protested too.

I'm in a similar situation at MV. Paid up annually. 
If I choose to renew next season (let's see how this plays out), I will be asking for a discount as the 'Member Benefit' of 'Priority ticket access to A-League 22/23 Finals Series tickets' has less value now. 

I've done no work today.

https://theathletic.com/3997895/2022/12/14/australia-grand-final-football/

Australia won hearts and minds with their performances at the 2022 World Cup.

Back home, however, and with the afterglow somehow already gone, its football community finds itself in a state of civil war.

On December 12, the Australian Professional Leagues (APL), the organisation that governs the men’s and women’s A-League divisions, announced that the next three editions of the two competitions’ Grand Finals will be staged in Sydney — regardless of which clubs end up qualifying for those six fixtures.

Why Australian football is in a state of civil war after success of the World Cup

It’s the result of an agreement between the APL and Destination NSW, the tourism arm of the New South Wales state government, and it represents a major and provocative break with a tradition.

Previously, whichever of the two finalists finished highest in the regular-season table got to host the game. This has meant the men’s Grand Final has been played in four different cities in the last five years, and six over the past decade.

Fans are furious at the change. So are clubs, stakeholders, and even players. A supporter walkout has been promised in the middle of the Melbourne derby this weekend. At least one APL board member has tended their resignation and Adelaide United forward Craig Goodwin, only just back from being part of the Australia squad in Qatar, has announced his opposition to the plan on social media.

This was not what was supposed to happen next.

During the World Cup, Australia ground their way through their group, beating Tunisia and knocking out Euro 2020 semi-finalists Denmark, before succumbing to Lionel Messi and Argentina 2-1 in the round of 16. Back home, thousands of fans watched and celebrated every step the Socceroos took, and the pictures from Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney are — and remain — among the most compelling of those generated by the tournament.

It was also proof of life — of potential. Among team sports, football has the largest participation rate in Australia and, in the days after the Denmark win, Australian soccer was engendered with a level of optimism it hasn’t felt since the World Cup in 2006.

Less than a week later, the mood has deteriorated dramatically.

Samantha Lewis is a Sydney-based journalist who works for ABC and covered the Socceroos in Qatar. She was part of a generation of new fans awakened by the national side’s qualification for the 2006 World Cup via a famous play-off win over Uruguay. Given the great swell in public affection she witnessed, she was hoping for a similar effect in the years following 2022.

That now seems unlikely.

australia-football
Minister for Tourism Ben Franklin, Danny Townsend, CEO of the APL and Minister for Sport Alister Henskens at CommBank Stadium in Sydney
“It feels like the football community has whiplash,” Lewis says. “Everything the Socceroos did was so galvanising for the entire community across the country. We saw all the scenes at Federation Square (in Melbourne) and we saw how important that was for creating this sense of Australian football — not just football scattered around Australia, but Australian football. So, for this decision to happen — really the first major decision in the wake of the World Cup — it has the polar opposite effect. It’s as if it’s all about New South Wales, all about Sydney.”

The vast majority of A-League clubs are based in or near New South Wales (three are in adjacent Victoria). Only four — Brisbane Roar, Perth Glory, Adelaide United and New Zealand’s Wellington Phoenix — are from other regions. Context is important, though, because New South Wales comprises an area four times the size of the United Kingdom. Australia as a whole is 32 times as large as the UK.

The APL believes that fixing the location of finals in advance is beneficial. It says the decision will help supporters plan their travel and accommodation, and is also promising to work with businesses to create bespoke finals packages. The desire is to create a spectacle and an occasion more equivalent to other major sports in Australia, such as the Australian Football League (AFL; playing Australian rules football) and the National Rugby League (NRL).

However, the perception of Sydney-centric thinking is a problem for many, Lewis says.

“Sydney is where two of the richest clubs are. It’s where Football Australia has its headquarters. It’s where the APL now has its headquarters too. The annual awards happen here (in Sydney) as well. Basically, everything in Australian football happens in Sydney, and so this folds into that larger narrative that the people controlling the game are making their decisions on behalf of that vested interest. Danny Townsend used to be the CEO of Sydney FC and now he’s running the APL.”

But this is not just about Big City Bias. In the days since the announcement, supporters on social media have retaliated fiercely. Disenfranchisement is a common theme among them, so too are complaints about not having been consulted about the decision.


Beyond the fears over expensive flights and accommodation, there are also concerns about the type of atmosphere that will be cultivated by a fixed Sydney final — more specifically, whether the sense of occasion imagined by the APL will be true to the culture of the game, and if the crowd inside that stadium will be representative of those who have been the lifeblood of Australian domestic football to this point.

Many are also protective of the old style of awarding finals to clubs, both for what they brought to heartland communities and for the partisan atmospheres that they typically created. Among those fans in opposition, there’s a sense that something significant is being lost — or taken away.

The APL’s ambition, however, is to set a precedent.

In a television interview on Tuesday, Townsend expressed his hope that other states will bid to host the Grand Final once Sydney’s three-year deal elapses. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the agreement between the APL and Visit NSW is worth in the region of A$15million (£8.3m, $10.3m). That’s not insignificant revenue for a sport that has historically lacked investment, and the expectation will also be to attract further commercial partnerships around the event itself. But that too needs context.

In December 2021, the APL sold a 33.3 per cent stake to Silver Lake, a technology investor that also owns a piece of back-to-back Premier League champions Manchester City, which valued the league at A$425m. That agreement came with the promise of developing fan experience and growth, and also supporting A-League Women and redeveloping the A-League youth competition, which has been dormant since the pandemic.

With that in mind, the agreement with Destination NSW appears scant consolation for upsetting so many of the game’s stakeholders.

On Tuesday, the disenchantment metastasised throughout the day.

Melbourne-based A-League side Western United, who claim not to have been consulted about the change to finals hosting, expressed their opposition in a statement. Remy Siemsen, the Sydney FC and Matildas forward, seconded Goodwin’s opposition on Twitter. And, in maybe the most dramatic moment of the news cycle to this point, Anthony Pietro, chairman of Melbourne Victory, resigned his position on the APL board, urging them to reconsider their strategy.

A Melbourne Victory supporter group, who are leading calls for a walkout during their derby on Saturday against Melbourne City, also made a stern promise with their own statement:

“You can’t fight the fans. You will not win.”

Australian football should be basking in the afterglow of the World Cup. Instead, it’s in flames.

Lewis describes the reaction to these events as being as much to do with the familiar fractiousness created as the decision itself. The highs of Denmark and Tunisia and the performances of Aaron Mooy, Mat Leckie and Jackson Irvine and the rest now seem like a world away.

“During that period of three or four weeks, it felt like for the first time in a really long time Australian football was united. That sounds lame, but here it’s incredibly rare for this community to all be looking in the same direction and to want the same thing. The World Cup was the first time in a really long time that I felt like that could happen.

“A lot of people who work in this space find it jading. It’s exhausting. You do have moments when you wonder if you shouldn’t be doing something else, because nothing you say or write makes any different — it’s just the same people making the same dumb decisions around and around.”

In spite of the overwhelmingly negative response, the APL continues to stand by its decision.

Late on Tuesday, a statement from chair Paul Lederer reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to the Destination NSW partnership and promised to deliver “a festival of finals football worthy of our game”.

The irony for many Australian fans, of course, will be the confusion over whose game it really is.

(Top photo: Claudio Villa/Getty Images)

I think that explains the decision, but not how the decision was made and communicated

if you need to run the a league like a business that is one thing, but businesses are usually excellent at costumer interactions rather than speaking to them like an abusive spouse gaslighting their partner

Ah shit brother, sorry to hear that.

If the AL needs to reduce costs try looking at the game venues. Their too big for most games! Seeing Kerr playing in England they don’t play in EPL venues cos they know their too big and expensive for the crowd numbers. Instead they play in 3-5,000 seat grounds and they get filled up - creates a better atmosphere and is cheaper for league to hire/pay for.

just 1 idea that is better than current APL one imo

If the fan reaction is ignored, and if both 10 & DNSW are furious with APL and its still ignored then in the words of Talking Heads... Where on the Road to Nowhere...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQiOA7euaYA&ab_channel=TalkingHeads

exactly. This point has been lost in all of the hysteria… and proves beyond any doubt that this is a commercial decision and a commercial decision only.


Well actually, if Silver Lake own 30% of the APL, then they would be entitled to 30% of the money. And isn’t FA entitled to 10% of any new revenue created to by the APL? So that’s 40% gone before its even distributed to the clubs. The clubs are not receiving a 7 figure handout, i can guarantee you that

What ,  like   the  Roar   did ?

They' ve   gone   from  10, 000 - 15, 000   in   a  50k   stadium ,    to   4k   in   a   10k   stadium .

Way   to   grow   the    game . ..

Any shareholder is only entitled to a share of the profits. If there are no profits they get nothing. If this money goes towards paying off debts and operation costs, it's only what is left in the black that the shareholders are entitled to. If there is only $100 profit, Silverlake are only entitled to $30.

Yep my idea is much worse than just a couple thousand people at Allianz stadium grand final between neutral teams like M Shitty and Adelaide.
Apl say it’s all about money so reducing venue expenses is a start at least 

come on RC what’s YOUR alternative idea to ‘save’ the AL??

How does this work for the womens final? They are played well before the mens so well before the "festival of football", yet its also going to be in Sydney??? whats the point of that? 

Do people not understand how businesses work? pre selling these games to NSW government gives FA money now to invest in other aspects and put that money to use rather than getting it after each season is done. 

WE ARE NOT A RICH SPORT.... we need help with stuff like this so we can get more money into the game... and people wonder why the game doesn't grow... no one willing to sacrifice for it.

Only recently found out only 5 clubs are in the APL? what is the point then? abolish it and make one that all clubs will be part of.... just a huge  waste of money and resources.

Why the fuck are we selling APL to investors? isnt it just a board for running the leagues? wtf is this?

Bit of a fact check here.
The NSW is not giving the FA any money, they are giving money to the APL. Two separate entities all together. The money will be used for APL purposes only. (eg: ALM, ALW, ALY, EL)
All clubs are shareholders in the APL, however only 5 have a seat on the board. These 5 appointments would have been voted in by the 12 clubs.
That being said, I agree it's a bit odd that they don't all have a seat.

The   A- league   doesn' t   need   "saving " .   These   tight----  Billionaires   aren' t    going    to   give   up   on   their   investments    for    the   sake    of   a   little   of   their   pocket   change .   Especially    now    that    they   have   the   keys .

Cove are now boycotting.

So your ‘idea’ is to do NOTHING. Brilliant 👍

Your   question    was   predicated   on   the   basis    that    the   A- league   needs   "saving "   because   of   money.

I  said   I   did   not   believe    that    to   be   the  case , and   gave  my   reasons.

Cheers for the explanation mate been trying to figure it al out.

Were they? 

Brilliant 

This is a most sensible comment away from emotional outbursts expressed here.

There's 2 sides to every story.

On paper they probably were, but more than likely there was probably some backroom deals that decided where those seats went. 

Same as you Paul. Same as you.