God help us all if this is even close to the truth ... you probably miss the days of rotary phones and listening to the wireless..

Unfortunately it was clubs like SMFC and Melbourne Knights that killed any chances of the original national competition to grow and prosper into a real league ... hence the introduction of the HAL.. Listening to a 200 strong crowd chanting "zito ellas" simply made the majority of football followers turn away from the game

Edited by one_toouch: 1/4/2011 02:11:56 AM

A-League model looks like a licence for financial failure

Michael Lynch
April 2, 2011

NO DOUBT about it. The A-League this year was played at a higher standard than any other season. Champion Brisbane Roar is almost certainly the best side to have graced the six-year-old competition.

But off field the game plummeted to its lowest ebb. The Roar had to be taken over by Football Federation Australia even at the moment of its greatest triumph. North Queensland Fury drowned in a sea of red ink.

No club is making money. Only Melbourne Victory is breaking even. There is disquiet about the game's revenue streams and its commercial deals and a desperate hope that the next television contract might yield the wherewithal to project clubs into the black.

But did it have to be this way? Did the FFA, under then CEO John O'Neill, back the wrong horse in 2004-05 when it gave licences to eight clubs on a one-city, one-team model, with the original licensees all guaranteed a five-year moratorium on opposition in their own marketplace.

There was another alternative. Back in the dim and distant days of the early Noughties there was the Crawford Report, a damning indictment of the structure, management and governance of the Australian game. This was the federal government document that paved the way for the Frank Lowy-led revolution which blew up the NSL.

After that a taskforce was created to determine the shape of a new competition.

Chief among the material it considered was a document produced by the players' union, the PFA, which advocated the creation of an eight- to 10-team league.

It even had a catchy name, the Australian Premier League.

The APL was designed to encourage grassroots engagement and community involvement. It was strongly in favour of clubs operating out of boutique stadia that created partisan environments at home games, all of which added to the buzz of going to matches.

The union believed that a market which contained 250,000 soccer fans would be sufficient to generate enough supporters to produce crowds of 10,000 to 15,000 for each club.

PFA studies showed that interest in football was comparable to that in cricket, Australian rules, rugby league and rugby union; the difficulty was converting that interest and turning those families and young men who played and watched the sport (usually telecasts of overseas leagues) into consumers of the local product.

The APL envisaged single teams in markets like Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane and Newcastle (which is what the FFA adopted through its own criteria).

But, unlike FFA, the union believed that the key to driving growth in the sport and its visibility with media and commercial sponsors was to broaden its reach in the major cities of Sydney and Melbourne.

Thus the APL called for two clubs in Melbourne from the outset, and three in Sydney, with the split to be geographical.

In Melbourne that was simpler: with public transport geared for easy access to the city centre, the PFA wanted Melbourne to be split on a north west/south east axis, with both clubs groundsharing for home matches in a central location, either at an upgraded Olympic Park or refurbished Bob Jane Stadium.

Branding would be all, with one club marketed as elitist, European style and sophisticated, the other as the battler from Struggle Street: fans would empathise with the one whose values they liked best. After all, well-heeled Collingwood fans have no problem living in Brighton or Toorak.

In Sydney the division was in thirds: one club to be based in the western suburbs, another in the south-west (heading out towards Canberra) and the third to be north-central.

The latter was always believed by the PFA to be the most problematic market, largely because of demographics and the problem of getting around that part of the city.

When the FFA handed out the licence it was, however, the north-central option that became Sydney FC. Even though AFL has moved into what is regarded as Australian soccer's heartland, Sydney's western suburbs, there is still no A-League club there.

The union was very strong on the idea of playing in right-sized grounds because crowd involvement and atmosphere was a key to making the new league work. It suggested the FFA looked at upgrading Sydney venues like Leichardt Oval, Paramatta Stadium or St George, as well as Olympic Park in Melbourne before the new AAMI Park was given the go-ahead.

It also advocated a separation of the league and the governing body.

''League think'' was its mantra, with investors and clubs owning and managing the competition, thus having a vested interest in promoting it, driving deals and increasing revenue streams, with dividends going straight back to the clubs.

The FFA opted for the opposite, with a centralised model of control. Would the game be in the financial mess it is now if the APL had been adopted. Who knows?

But there is plenty to like about the notion of the league being managed as a separate entity and clubs playing in ''right-sized'' stadia with a good atmosphere, lower overheads and real community engagement with strong local rivalries.

It's how football is around the rest of the world.

http://www.theage.com.au/sport/a-league/aleague-model-looks-like-a-licence-for-financial-failure-20110401-1crqp.html

To be truthfull and what makes matters even worse are the owners of all the clubs is actually the FFA not those that finance them
All of the clubs intellectual property - everything - even all the players in the HAL are the property of the FFA
This is disrespectful to the clubs And those that finance and run them. I am sure these clubs have capability, but all they face are restrictions

Each club should choose how to best run it's own operation within a framework

God help us all if this is even close to the truth ... you probably miss the days of rotary phones and listening to the wireless..

Unfortunately it was clubs like SMFC and Melbourne Knights that killed any chances of the original national competition to grow and prosper into a real league ... hence the introduction of the HAL.. Listening to a 200 strong crowd chanting "zito ellas" simply made the majority of football followers turn away from the game

Edited by one_toouch: 1/4/2011 02:11:56 AM

God help us all if this is even close to the truth ... you probably miss the days of rotary phones and listening to the wireless..

Unfortunately it was clubs like SMFC and Melbourne Knights that killed any chances of the original national competition to grow and prosper into a real league ... hence the introduction of the HAL.. Listening to a 200 strong crowd chanting "zito ellas" simply made the majority of football followers turn away from the game

Edited by one_toouch: 1/4/2011 02:11:56 AM

DS

You made 1 extreme comment about the club being a little small premiere league club and I responded quite rightly that smfc are the biggest premiere league club in the country - I admit I am willing to accept one of the biggest - but I am interested how and why you responded with the following......"It's this attitude that South Melbourne is some prima-donna god-given club that is owed by big time by all is what makes this type of comment annoying"

Diego, smfc is the best alternative we have to the franchise model in this country - if the franchise model with its trademark compliance and cetraly executed model from FFA HQ does not meet expectations - then smfc status will multiply - smfc I believe will feature agaon based purly on performance on and off the pitch - not by a and as you put it a pre madonna ideal

Happy to discuss further

Edited by chris: 30/3/2011 02:11:24 PM

It's this attitude that South Melbourne is some prima-donna god-given club that is owed by big time by all is what makes this type of comment annoying.

Ambition is great, just keep it on the quiet and when things happen, talk.

As stated the other day, the Vic Govt has paid for two major renovations for South's stadium (1993 to build it and 2011 for the athletics). You're lucky to have been spent so much money on by Vic Taxpayers.

wonder why he hasnt called Notorganic???

As stated the other day, the Vic Govt has paid for two major renovations for South's stadium (1993 to build it and 2011 for the athletics). You're lucky to have been spent so much money on by Vic Taxpayers.

It's this attitude that South Melbourne is some prima-donna god-given club that is owed by big time by all is what makes this type of comment annoying.

Ambition is great, just keep it on the quiet and when things happen, talk.

As stated the other day, the Vic Govt has paid for two major renovations for South's stadium (1993 to build it and 2011 for the athletics). You're lucky to have been spent so much money on by Vic Taxpayers.

Jesse's work rate is unbelievable
He battles for everything good luck to the kid
BTW HELLAS are not a small premiere league club, but the biggest premiere league club in this country

Full marks to the melb knights fans, they were fantastic

Come say hi in St Albans?!!

Buy you a beer mate!

Whats your obsession with me?! Surely you actually have a life outside of the Internet?!!!!

Probably not....

Be Happy Mate!

The world loves you too!!!

Ljubo

I'm just a normal guy, mate. I am a happy guy!

I don't have any obsession with you, and I do indeed have a life outside the internet. This is how I witnessed you carrying on like a petulant 3 year old at Northcote City on Sunday.

I respect your right to have an opinion (and you do indeed have opinions on many things that you probably shouldn't), but don't think that everyone should have to tolerate your bullshit just because you're a 'character'.

I'm just a guy that thinks that your behaviour on these forums and in the media doesn't befit the honourable gift that you have been given of being able to play football professional. I'm a guy that gets annoyed when people fly off the chain with irrational, inconsistent and borderline racist rants - and I'm not just talking about your non-Anglo BBQ.

The thing that annoys me the most is that you have the talent to be a world beater, but your personality has ruined that for you. What did you get out of letting Knights fans see their efforts to rile you up as a complete success? Did you feel like a big man.

The bigger man would have shrugged it off and walked away, and I'm sure you would have gained a lot more respect throughout your career if you remembered that.

I won't be in St Albans, although I'm happy to catch up for a beer at any time mate, but I can buy my own. I know you like to think that we're all kids that live in our parents basements, but I'm not.

Peace!

Yep...

Proved my point...

Your scared....

A little man....

Reveal yourself my friend?!!!

Ohhhhh........


Worried that Ill confront you?!!!
Cmon mate, phone number please?!!!


Doubt you will pass it on, your simply a Bitch..... Keep whining dude!

Love the fact that I give you a reason to come to the soccer and post on here!
:-({|=

:lol:

Cmon man, are you trying to goad me into cracking the shits at you or something?

Give me a call if you like, 040xxxxxxx.

I don't hide anything. My name is Matt Morris and I write a fairly sporadic blog on 442 on the A-League & supporter culture. I'm also a big part of the FSFA which advocates supporters interests to the FFA.

I have to ask - why do you care what I think of you? What makes you need to justify yourself to me? To "confront" me and call me a "bitch"?

Act your age and your station. You're a wonderful role model :roll:

Awesome Man!

Your a real fan...

When did you start following Soccer?! Football?! Basically welcome, is what I should say!

Doubt you have ever understood the game, would be hard crossing over codes at all times of the year!

Glad to have people like you advising the FFA, sure they listen, pat yourself on the back! YOU MAKE A DIFFERENCE! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAA OH GEEZ YOUR WONDERFUL YOU KNOW THAT!!!!!
=d>

Why didn't you call me to tell me that?

You didn't answer any of my questions dude. What do you get out of letting me rile you up?

I asked him the same thing.

He called me a "bitch" and asked for my phone number.

Why does Ljubo bother coming on here just to troll?
He's a professional footballer, living the dream of pretty much everyone who comes on this site, so I just don't get what he could gain from this.

Playing rather average, you'll be pleased to know he's still in black and yellow stripes at Heidelberg.

Do you actually believe thats him? doesnt sound realistic:lol:

I'm considering blogging about it, but he's not really relevant to the A-League anymore so I probably shouldn't.

Above all else, he's actually not all that intelligent so it doesn't make for very entertaining reading.

Edited by notorganic: 29/3/2011 05:43:40 PM

If you think that's bad, you should see the PM's he has been sending me all day.

Shouldn't you be on the training ground instead of getting ready for Love Machine, popping pills and talking like a retard on the internet (and real life I guess).

When state league two players earn over that amount it is a consummate waste of money I would make all leagues below Premier League amateur with no more than 5 grand a season!!