Seems a perfect choice for scum captain, especially with his vast international experience.Originally Posted by Thomas477
Seems a perfect choice for scum captain, especially with his vast international experience.
With 9.9k members already I'm starting to think we might actually make the 11k members, with a solid boost either because of Heskey, good for the signing, or even just because the season is about to start which is fantastic either way.Signing of Emile Heskey a huge boost for Newcastle Jets after turmoil earlier in year
Jamie Pandaram
The Daily Telegraph
September 29, 2012 12:00AM
Emile Heskey meets teammates at Jets training yesterday. Picture: Craig Greenhill Source: The Daily Telegraph
ON April 10, Newcastle Jets players were called to a team room above the dressing sheds at their training facility.
The club's chairman, Ray Baartz, chief executive Robbie Middleby, and Troy Palmer, head of the company that owns the Jets, stood in front of the anxious group.
"We are handing back the team's licence, you guys are better off looking for other clubs," Palmer said.
Baartz solemnly added: "This is it, we're finished".
It was the first day after Easter, and the end of the Jets.
Today, those players will sit in that same room alongside new teammate and global star Emile Heskey, about to embark on the most exciting period in the club's history.
How this resurrection has occurred in just six months stems from one meeting between the Jets' multimillionaire owner Nathan Tinkler and FFA boss Frank Lowy, along with astonishing faith in Tinkler from the club's playing group.
Soon after the meeting in the team room, Tinkler's Hunter Sports Group sent out a strongly-worded press release confirming they were handing back the Jets' operating licence to the FFA.
Former Newcastle skipper Andy Roberts, a legend in the area, led a public rally to save the team and 2000 locals joined him.
"It would have been an absolute travesty not to have representation from Newcastle in a national competition," Roberts said.
"Look at the history, so many internationals have come from this area."
The rally reinforced to the FFA and wider football community the passion within Newcastle for the Jets, but the financial disputes between club and competition owners seemed insurmountable.
Then two important things happened. First, salaries arrived in players' accounts.
Striker Michael Bridges and skipper Jobe Wheelhouse held a meeting with the team.
"As long as we're getting paid boys, we've got to stick tight," Bridges told them.
Bridges now says: "We were never once out of pocket or didn't get paid. That's how we knew there was a light at the end of the tunnel.
"It was really difficult because some of the boys had been told to look elsewhere if they wanted. I had Jobe's support, and we decided to stick tight."Second, Lowy met with Tinkler. History will judge this to be one of the most important meetings in the Jets' existence.
Details of the discussion remain confidential, but it nevertheless achieved a favourable outcome for the Jets and the game. Newcastle was to field a team in 2012-13.
"Ever since then, everything has been so positive," Baartz said. "We have laid the foundation of the best youth development academy of any A-League club. Nathan laid that pathway with a fair injection of cash.
"The only way to sustain the long-term financial stability of this club was to maintain a relationship with the Hunter Sports Group."
Middleby added: "It was difficult to see the hurt in the players' eyes that there might not be a club there.
"The players that were there all saw the potential we had under Nathan Tinkler, the facilities, the culture that was being built. I look back now and think, that has all made us stronger, and want to work harder."
The Jets now have 10,000 members - second only to Melbourne Victory. Middleby, Baartz and Bridges all speak of a bright future, predicting several champions will pop out of their Emerging Jets program.
Heskey said: "They spoke to me about it, the new owner (Tinkler) came in and apparently they are doing well with it. It's nice that he has come in and taken over and is taking it to that next level."
Now it is Heskey's turn.
Interesting to see the FFA now kicking in funds for Heskey, probably linked to some sort of promotion for the league deal similar to Emerton and the one Kewell knocked back, hardly seems like it needs to be publicised though, its the FFA's business who they pick to pay to use in league promotions, same as foxsports promo's.FFA needs to be an open book
September 29, 2012
MIchael Lynch
FOOTBALL Federation Australia bosses are feeling pretty optimistic about the new A-League season, due to kick off in six days' time with a blockbuster clash in Melbourne between the city's two clubs, Heart and Victory, which will surely pull a crowd of over 35,000 to Etihad Stadium.
The Del Piero effect, the Heskey signing, the move to Sydney of major Japanese star Shinji Ono and the rumours about the pursuit of former Germany captain Michael Ballack are all stories that have put a smile on the face of executives who have, all too often, been used to putting out fires.
The soon-to-be announced television rights deal - a partnership with Fox Sports and SBS, which will, for the first time in A-League history, bring the game to a free-to-air network - is something else to celebrate as the money on offer, reported to be between $35 million and $40 million a year, will at least allow the game's governing body to pay each club enough to cover the salary cap.
That will take care of one of the more onerous fixed costs and at least create the semblance of a level playing field. After that it is up to each individual club to generate revenues from sponsorship and corporate backing, or from attendances, which will provide the extra finance to make a difference.
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That's how it should be. A welfare state should provide sustenance and a sporting subsistence level for all, with progress and achievement then based on how each individual club adds value.
But sometimes, as George Orwell pointed out in his satire of communism, Animal Farm, while all animals are equal, some are more equal than others. Especially when it comes to marquee signings and top-up payments to entice big names to sign on the dotted line.
There is probably nothing terribly wrong with FFA underwriting star names into the sport if they are a) of sufficient star quality to make a genuine difference and b) the opportunity is open to all to avail themselves of a top-up fund.
Personally, I'm not a great fan of the process. I believe that a sporting competition is just that, not a beauty contest, and the best marquee player of all is in fact not one individual but a marquee team that wins matches, even if that team is made up of relative no-names.
But I am also au fait with the contemporary view that marketing and image trumps almost all, so can at least pay lip service to the idea that bankrolling big names, to a degree, is defensible.
But please, FFA, can we have a little more transparency and explanation.
Apparently Sydney FC is receiving around $250,000 to help pay for Alessandro Del Piero, while Newcastle is said to be getting some assistance to pay for Emile Heskey.
Sydney also received a cash injection to assist with wages for Brett Emerton last year, it is understood, and perhaps also this year.
Of course, the FFA controlled and financed West Sydney is being given extra capacity to bring in foreign players over and above the five-man maximum that clubs must abide by.
I would have no problem with that. As a developing franchise it is entitled to some extra assistance, although I don't remember the same privilege being extended to Melbourne Heart, Gold Coast United or North Queensland Fury.
What I do have problems with is the way FFA has not advertised its exceptions.
At worst it makes the game's governing body look like it is picking and playing favourites, at best as if it is making policy on the hoof.
Now I am reliably informed that the extra provision for West Sydney was revealed to the joint A-League steering committee members some weeks ago. Good. But why wasn't it made public. Can you imagine the AFL granting extra concessions to Gold Coast or GWS and not thoroughly explaining the rationale behind it to the game's supporters?
Ditto for the extra payments made - out of the game's economy - to already well-paid players.
Fine if it is a strategic initiative. Do it.
But make it public, make it open to all, and let the world know you are doing it.
In today's saturated media environment we are all going to find out anyway. Better to be upfront.
http://www.theage.com.au/sport/socce...928-26qwc.html
But not if they only do it for some clubs nd not for others.
People have been complaining about Sydneyfc apparent benefits from FFA decisions since the league started, we can't then expect questions not to be asked when our marquee is getting money from the governing body.
It's the same for Wanderers, Ono is reportedly on 500,000 for the season... Yet the FFA would help save nth qld. And Rego fees are still high.
I'm to questioning the decisions, in fact I support most of hats happened at ff in he past 6-9 months, but transparency is key.
The problem is that clubs don't use the marquee rule to get genuine stars, they instead use it as a salary cap dodge, you cant expect to have the FFA forced to cough up the same amount in promo fees for a del peiro and a heskey for a Jade North or a 4 year older fred.
As for the usual claims of rego's its been shown that the average junior is only contributing $10ish from their rego, granted I would expect that to be completely removed with the new TV deal before any additional grants to either the socceroo's, after all they continue to get greater slices of the pie, or the HAL clubs. Really though who's to say that money is not going to the junior national teams or socceroo's wages.
Its one of the reasons i still believe an independent HAL under license from the FFA is the way the league should be run it splits the revenues and losses, the FFA could still cross subsidise but then they could ensure they get something out of it and keep it nice and transparent, why frank continues to say no when its what he wanted all those years ago I still don't understand.
Fair points.
Perhaps the fairer way to do it then is to be stricter in their definition of marquee.
tbh, this shit has been going on since the league started. SFC having Lowy as their chairman, the Mariners funding and Gorman's conflict of interest, FFA choosing only certain clubs to host marquee matches (Beckham games), funding of WSW over GCU, and so on.
The league has never had a claim to absolute transparency or equality. It will continue this way until the league becomes self-sustainable (or close to it), which is a long way off. I see good reason for the FFA to act in this way in the meantime. The reality is that we would not be able to attract Del Piero or Heskey without this inequality. I personally don't have much of a problem with it as long as the owners are happy, which I think they are at the moment.
a football reporter busting out george orwell references. wonders will never cease...
militia, didn't the beckham games relate to how much each team could pay? the jets hosted one after all.
FFA seem to have unlimited funds...RIP Gold Coast.....FFS
I hope he likes prison food.......and penis
As I understand it the problem for overseas leagues coverage in Australia was the price they wanted for it, take the la liga, espn has had the coverage years gone by but then they wanted to jack the price up and espn didn't want any of it. The OS leagues need to be realistic with their pricing.A-League rings true in Italy but not Oz TV
Val Migliaccio
The Advertiser
October 02, 2012 12:00AM
Sydney FC games featuring Alessandro Del Piero could be broadcast into Italy in another boost for the A-League. Picture: Gregg Porteous Source: The Daily Telegraph
LESSANDRO Del Piero has helped shatter a myth that the A-League can't be sold to cultured Italian markets.
His Sydney FC presence has presented new opportunities in Italy, but Del Piero must contend with a Serie A blackout as the competition is shunned by Australian TV.
Headlining today's A-League season two-city launch at Parramatta Stadium, while Melbourne also hosts the new soccer festival simultaneously at AAMI Park, Del Piero has sparked an Italian media frenzy that will earn more cash for Football Federation Australia.
FFA officials yesterday confirmed talks were ongoing with Italy's MediaSet to secure TV rights for Sydney FC matches.
The Juventus legend has been in demand for an Italian pay-TV audience that has never shown interest in A-League soccer until Del Piero walked into a two-year Sky Blues contract.
But Del Piero can't watch Juve matches this season unless he bypasses Australian TV for Italy's government-owned Rai International TV.
Andrea Radrizzani - chief executive of MP and Silva, the company selling the rights to Serie A in Asia - said it's a pity Del Piero fans can't watch the Italian league.
"It would be fantastic for the Australian audience to watch the Italian Serie A live especially with Del Piero playing for Sydney FC," Radrizzani said from Milan.
"Alessandro is one of the best representatives of Italian football, and Australia could see how important the Serie A is for his career with Juventus and Italy."
For about $30 a month, Italian subscribers can watch Del Piero, although his A-League debut against Wellington on Saturday is still not listed on MediaSet's Calcio channel website.
MediaSet - a company with 41 per cent ownership by former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi - will pay FFA royalties for broadcasting Sydney matches.
FFA is also expected to earn more royalties as ex-England international Emile Heskey and Japan mega star Shinjo Ono are also paraded alongside Del Piero at Parramatta.
In an unprecedented first for Australian sport Ono has also become a key component in selling the A-League to Japan, while England already has packages of A-League football broadcast on their networks.
Cockerill now drinking the kool aid. No great surprise to see that Ono and ADP are superstars, whilst heskey is decent.Stars align for football in Sydney
Sydney is where it's at. Again. It's taken seven seasons, much angst, and at least a couple of false starts, but in the countdown to the new Hyundai A-League season, Australia's largest city is finally poised to re-emerge as the nation's most important football city.
The other state capitals may wish it otherwise, but at last the stars have aligned for Sydney to steer the agenda and define the narrative. Only the most parochial supporter would have a problem with that.
Alessandro Del Piero, of course, is the man who has changed everything. Like those wonderful slide-rule passes, or those off-the-ball movements that create space when there seems to be none, the timing of his move to Australia has been impeccable.
Arriving off the back off a championship-winning season with his beloved Juventus, when his currency remains high, into a competition which, right at this moment, needs exactly the sort of spark only someone of his stature can provide, proves Del Piero is just as smart off the field as on it.
Choosing Sydney FC, a club that needs “bling” even if it pretends it can do without it, simply underlines il Pinturrichio's uncanny sixth-sense.
The astounding response to the deal - both home and abroad - has made this the most-eagerly awaited season in the competition's short history. Yes, even more exciting than the inaugural campaign, in 2005 when Dwight Yorke was in Del Piero's shoes as Sydney FC's marquee star, and assumed the mantle of pin-up boy of the league. No disrespect to Yorke, but “ADP” is on another register as a player, and an ambassador. He gets it - all of it - in a way Yorke never did.
With Del Piero front and centre, the Sky Blues are set to be transformed. Word is, he returned $330,000 to the club on the first day of his employment. Almost single-handedly, he's ignited Sydney's notoriously-fickle football community - especially those of an Italian persuasion.
Tickets have flown out the door, corporates have jostled for boxes at Allianz Stadium, replica shirts have been are sold by the thousands, and newspapers have devoted acres of prime real estate to the A-League during the midst of the NRL and AFL finals series. But I say almost single-handedly - for there's another show in town.
Western Sydney Wanderers are the Hyundai A-League new boys and as fate would have it their entry has coincided with ADP mania. Their reaction shows they understand the dynamics of football, and how they, too, need to adjust. And that gives us even more reason to hope that, for the next eight months at least, Sydney is going to be a genuine football town.
On the same day Del Piero signed for Sydney FC in a five-star media event above the skyline of Turin, the Wanderers signed journeyman Iacopo la Rocca in an office at Blacktown Sportspark, without a camera, or a reporter, in sight.
The tale of two Italians, seemingly, was a reflection of two vastly differing philosophies. Sydney FC - big and brash - and Western Sydney Wanderers - careful and unassuming. Wanderers boss Lyall Gorman kept assuring us that big-name, big-earning, marquee were not really what the new club was about.
Fair enough and worthy enough. And even as Del Piero arrived to cast a shadow that stretched all the way to the Blue Mountains, the Wanderers steadfastly maintained their stance. Publicly, at least.
Privately, however, the club knew it might be swamped in terms of publicity - and relevance - if it didn't re-consider the options. And then the news broke that those options included Michael Ballack and Shinji Ono. All of a sudden, the Wanderers were being viewed in a different, more respectful, light.
The subsequent signing of Ono, who has the ability to draw in Sydney's substantial Japanese community, gives the Wanderers some crucial bargaining power as they steel themselves for the Hyundai's A-League's newest - and perhaps most significant - rivalry.
So now we'll have two superstars in Sydney (and a decent foil in Emile Heskey at Newcastle Jets) to drive the competition's profile and key metrics at a speed which would otherwise have been impossible.
That's what the right marquee players do. It's why they're so important at this stage of the competition's evolution. It's why Western Sydney have had to re-evaluate their priorities. The purists may not like it, but football is part showbiz. And in Sydney, where there are now 20 sporting franchises, the competition for the entertainment dollar has never been more intense.
At the end of last season, with aggregate losses of around $25 million, the owners were only talking about tightening their belts. Instead, David Traktovenko and Nathan Tinkler - and perhaps the FFA - have somehow found the money to hopefully give us the most impressive collection of marquee stars we've ever had. It's been a stunning transformation.
What we want, what we need, is the right reaction. In the old NSL, Sydney was the dominant force on the field. More clubs (13) and more titles (12) than anywhere else. But success on the scoreboard rarely equated to something far more important: sustainability. That's what Sydney FC are hoping to see from their substantial investment in Del Piero, and Western Sydney Wanderers hope to achieve by signing Ono.
It's not up to them, however. It's up to Sydney's 240,000 registered players and all those around them to reward the clubs that represent them by being interested and engaged.
In the NSL era, only Nothern Spirit - briefly - threatened to truly connect with the nation's biggest football community.
For seven seasons in the Hyundai A-League, it's been Melbourne Victory who have set the benchmark in that regard. If Sydney aspires to be a football city, there's never going to be a better time to prove it. Get out there are do your bit.
The views expressed in this article are purely those of the author and do not reflect those of FFA or the Hyundai A-League.
http://www.footballaustralia.com.au/...n-Sydney/49492
Would have been nice to see gold keeper kits this year, oh well, hopefully they at least burnt the yellow kit.Newcastle Jets buzzing with belief that Emile Heskey can propel them to playoffs
Jamie Pandaram
The Daily Telegraph
October 02, 2012 12:00AM
Former England international Emile Heskey with his Newcastle Jets teammates ahead of his A-League debut his weekend. Source: Getty Images
HAVING missed out on the finals by one win last season, the Newcastle Jets believe star signing Emile Heskey can lead the young squad into the playoffs this season.
But the benefits of his recruitment are already paying dividends for the club with memberships soaring and fan interest at an all-time high ahead of Sunday's season-opener against Adelaide United at Hunter Stadium.
With Heskey's signing confirmed last week, more than 1000 extra members joined the club, putting them second only to Melbourne Victory in membership numbers for A-League clubs.
Now Newcastle must deliver on the field.
The Jets have finished seventh in the past two seasons, but chief executive Robbie Middleby said such an outcome had to end.
"We want to make the top six," Middleby said. "We haven't made the top six in the last two seasons. We've got a lot of young players, so on the field it would be great to give these young players some game time and experience playing.
"We also want to play an exciting brand of football."
Heskey said earning silverware with his new club was his major aim. comhis his primary goal was to win the title with his new club.
"I just want to do well and hopefully win some trophies," the former England international said.
"I've managed to do that throughout my career, from the beginning until now, so hopefully we can keep that going."
Jets coach Gary van Egmond is confident that Heskey will thrill the supporters.
"I think all and sundry in regards to the club and the football community in Newcastle should be over the moon," Van Egmond said.
"It's not every day that you get a player of this ilk who arrives on our shores and plays for our club. The members and supporters are going to be able to see him in the flesh 12 or 13 games this year, so, from that point of view, the fans are very, very fortunate.
"The younger players will be able to draw from the experience Emile has and develop as well. Not only the younger players, but even the coaching staff and the whole club.
"From a holistic view, what Emile brings to the club is invaluable."
Agreed. Heskey has been playing in that footballing backwater of the English Premier League with those half-baked wannabe clubs like Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal. Whereas Ono has been playing in the dazzling heights of the J-League, playing alongside superstars like Alex Brosque and Jade North.
FFS, are we going to have to put up with more of his Sydney-bias now? Makes sense the FFA went for him, given that.
Don't think this has been posted yet, but wow! Classic Sydney Morning Herald journalism.Jets aim to bed down near-new squad
Date
September 30, 2012
Alex Rowe
AFTER acquiring 11 new players this season, Newcastle Jets coach Gary van Egmond is aware it is crucial his key players gel quickly if they are to make an impression on the A-League this season.
''We've concentrated on ensuring we have two formations that we can rely on and getting used to all the tactics we need for those two formations, he said.
While van Egmond is confident his back line has settled adequately, his forward line has not, with the signing of Emile Heskey confirmed only last week.
''Our front three is my major concern. With big pieces of the jigsaw like Heskey only joining recently and [James] Brown still not here, there is still a little bit of work to be done in that front third, but I'm sure they won't take too long to settle. We'll look to those two to combine, with Brownie feeding off Heskey.''
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Van Egmond's confidence in his other combinations is plain. ''The back three of Josh Mitchell, [Scott] Neville and [Dominik] Ritter have combined really well with Jobe Wheelhouse in front of them, they look solid which is exactly what we need from our back line.
Van Egmond will attempt to start the season as he finished the last, with possession football key.
''We are really looking to work on pressing up the field … Our possession game is the key to our play and once we instituted it last season, we saw the benefits, so it's a matter of everyone that has joined the club understanding our style of play and following it.
Newcastle Junior Greg Bird capped off an outstanding season to claim the Gold Country Origin player of the year for 2012. Bird received the award for his efforts as captain both on and off the field in Country's defeat at the hands of City in Mudgee in April.
Ignoring that last bit, I am very interested to see how this back 3 goes. As far as I can remember, I don't remember an aleague team being successful with three in defence. As well as that, I've never seen Neville as a CB, so he'll be good to watch.
Plus it seems like Tiago won't be starting now.
Neville would be RB, Mitchell CB, Ritter LB
Probably, but every formation with 3 in the back I've seen has the central 3 a lot more central than tradition LB and RB, given the large gap that would appear between them.
Either way its semantics and will be good to see how it goes against teams like Roarcelona with their front 3 and the coasties with their 2 strikers.
best way of having Ritter and Goodwin playing at the same time imo
Subscribe to The Jetstream Podcast http://www.newcastlefootball.net/podcast
I don't think it will be a weekly thing, maybe more of a system suited to playing against Adelaide. it was interesting to watch the train with that system today.
What has happened at NewsLimited?
They suddenly seem to have noticed this whole new code.
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