@sportsindustry

With 5 rounds of the 2019-20 Aleague season now complete.... Foxtel ratings are averaging approx. 38k - down around 23.9% on the first 5 rounds of last season. ABC Metro TV ratings are currently averaging 52,500 per game

fark. didn't think it was that bad. i thought it was about on par. 

The A League is entering an existential support crisis, there's no doubt about that.

It has to be said that it isn't a surprise - it's been trending this way for a long time now.  I think what we all hoped was that support levels at games and on tv would recover slowly, and they aren't. 

There will be no tv deal after this one, so the question we should begin to look at is what next?  What happens when there is no tv deal?   No tv deal = no professional A League.  Can it be run semi pro?  What are the options?

Because short of Optus suddenly rescuing the A League, an outcome that is very unlikely, that is the scenario we are facing.

ABC ratings are pretty good I think.
Fox ratings are actually worse than what he is saying because if he doesn't have the rating (because it's so low, no one has reported it), he doesn't include it.

We just have to hope that Optus (or another streaming service) makes an offer large enough to allow the A-League to continue operating.

Where are all the people that were waxing lyrical about us being on ABC? 

I dont think its too difficult to be honest

All we need is 10 team second tier the same cost as the old youth league. Then you promote 2 teams

Essentially you have 2 "youth league" teams playing in the A League as teams 13 and 14. No salary cap. And instead of 12 teams getting $4m, you have top 3 $5m, 4&5 $4m, 6-12 $3m, and $2m for teams 13 and 14

It wouldnt be a disaster having 2 "youth league" teams in the A League as it wouldnt be too much different to NQF or GCU in their worst year. Its also inevitable the more teams we have, the more we end up with teams that are predominately youth and state league players

Then after 3 years you have a simple one in, one out P/R (No finals for a second tier and no play offs). For this to be an A League team it would mean they have been outperformed by 2 teams getting $2m which makes it hard to justify paying them $3m to stay in the league permanently

And this is where we truly deviate from the AFL / NRL model of "regions". As things currently are strategic regions are chosen, paid for, and balance is introduced to keep the game interesting. Look at what the AFL have had to do to artificially prop up West Sydney, and what the NRL have done for Melbourne

In my proposed model the regions that put the most into the game are at the top, and those at the bottom simple use central funding to develop youth and play in the A League every other year. If we have a season without Perth or Adelaide, so be it

What about WP? IHAL would lose Sky Sports money if they went down and it would kill the game off in NZ.

BB

As much as I would like to think you are right, IMO we need to grow the market more before we move to a full FIFA model...

Hang with me a bit if SBS don't publish I will put up for discussion a workable model IMO to a full FIFA model and it starts from the beginning of the second division. 

There's the rub:  at $40 million per year the clubs are losing money.  We won't get anywhere near that figure, even if Optus rides in as an unlikely white knight.

So the discussion remains... how is this going to work.    What have we got?  3 seasons after this?  

DANZ could come in and buy it to establish themselves in Aus but that's a dream. I really cant see Optus wanting anything to do with the HAL unless its underpaying.

Get rid of the salary cap so clubs that can afford to can bring in interest and quality, get rid of the floor so the clubs that cant afford it can focus on developing and selling talent.

I dont think we will see a growth in TV revenue, unless the cap goes and clubs spend, but we will definitely get a decent price.

Look forward to seeing it. But trying to grow the market before implementing a sensible model is the same cart before the horse approach that hasnt worked for the FFA

Wait to you see what it is ... its P & R from the start of the second division ... but a modified P & R for the first 6 years... 

100% agree. Seriously I am not trying to be smart, but fundamental problem at the moment is HAL is an entertainment franchise business and so the decision making is based on this premise. This means looking for sugar hits and gimmicks that will provide "entertainment" and increase interest short term. When you look at the decision making from this perspective many of the "anti-football" decisions actually make sense.

Without stating the obvious, football is a tribal / primal sport and its this connection that makes people passionate and support their team through good and bad. If you dont fix the model (ie make it a traditional football competition with clubs operating in traditional ways) then the novelty of the entertainment gimmicks wears off and people loose interest, which is where I and many of the football people I know are at.

Of course it is fixable, but I fear that the iHAL owners have invested so much already that they will not do what is required because there is a risk they could loose their business, only for it to collapse anyway as the current model is broken and cant be fixed with more gimmicks (like wiring up refs). It's a shame because 5 years ago I thought we were about to really take off.

^ yep, stacks invested, can't really see the owners doing anything different

Define "decent price". 

Then tell us who is going to pause it

With all the due respect, this is a meaningless statement. 

*pay it

Agreed. Long rant, but...

When Ballarat play Geelong people expect Geelong to win because they have more resources and presumably better talent. But Ballarat can win sometimes and it is meaningful when they do. Similarly when Geelong play Melbourne. Or Australia play Brazil. When people from other codes say the world cup isnt worth watching because Australia can't win, its a level of stupidity that doesnt warrant an answer

Regions know their place in sport. But they all want to punch above their weight and win "sometimes". Just get that bit better each year

The AFL / NRL model cheapens this. Brisbane and Sydney have won AFL premierships and Melbourne have won NRL premierships

Western United, a team made up on the spot last year, is currently second with a single loss in a 15 year old competition because the FFA wanted them there

Perth and Adelaide may have performed well in the NSL, but they earnt it. Which is why interest from their region was high when they did. In the A League on the other hand with have seen that little bit less interest from fans with each title win

There is definitely room in the A League for small teams and I dont think we'll see crowds of zero just because they can't all win the title. A lot of people like still like football and its a day out with mates and family. And even more exciting if there is a big name touring team as we see in the EPL. But fans of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane with large bases of population, resources and talent expect to be top every year and in the ACL every year with good reason. And when they arent coaches lose jobs as do players

The AFL / NRL had decades to make community connections before they rigged it. People still consider Collingwood to be the team to beat even though they havent done well in the professional era. The A League has failed to make connections because its a case of "here's your team, your budget, your players, and when you'll win titles", and from day 1. Even the FFA cup has been cheapened by guaranteeing the state league team a semi final spot

We saw in the W League how it used to be dominated by Brisbane, Sydney and Canberra until other regions invested and picked up their game. It was a long time before Adelaide even won a game. Sadly, the more the W League looks to be professional, the more it will use the same template as the AFL / NRL so regions can win titles without trying

Football will not be communal or tribal until it is authentic

so are you pro getting rid of the salary cap or what's your thought on improving it? 

If it were me the announcement of the salary cap removal would be now

Before the new Sydney team starts getting serious about signing players and before the January transfer window

Obviously the salary cap applies for the duration of the season and there needs to be a mechanism in place to stop clubs from signing good players on cheap 6 month deals knowing they can pay them a better wage after the season finishes

We have the foreigner rule to stop teams from buying the league

It is understandable that under 12s wouldnt want 14 year olds playing. And rural leagues might not want metro teams playing. Grading systems are common. But the A League is the highest level of football this country has to offer. There should be nothing stopping the best 11 from playing together. If there is an A League team that wont be viable unless they can be guaranteed success, they shouldnt be in the league

243k Matildas vs Chile last night on ABC
Fox number under 27k

It seems pretty safe to assume a huge chunk of football fans have abandoned foxtel now.

Optus has Champions League, internationals and Premier League. I mean, that's huge. That covers almost any general football fans needs.

The only people that still have foxtel and watch football have it because their family unit has always had it and they can't live without bargain hunt and homes under the hammer.

Its pretty compelling evidence, isn't it? 9 times more viewers on the ABC is a massive difference. 

that's with no advertising from the abc 

So why dont we get 9x as much for the A League?

its not, but its getting double or triple. 

True, 9x is an absolutely massive difference, I've never seen such a difference before.
I'm only guessing here, but one explanation is that the Matildas are currently attracting a much broader audience than what you'd find watching Fox Sports.
They've had a lot of positive media lately, and they are currently the team to watch.

Don't be coy
Its a national team which has more general interest.
Im not giving a reason for bad a league ratings - we are in a huge hole in that regards.

I think there is a case to be made a lot of general football fans have abandoned foxtel.
means they are no longer watching the aleague full stop.
Out of sight out of mind.

Stop being into anything for a year or two and you will find it doesnt affect your life that much anymore.

I think you can also add that ABC has been the home of women football for a while now so its the natural place for many fans to go.