No#2 Sportsground would be perfect.Originally Posted by londonboy
But that would probably require some sort of relationship between local football clubs, NCC and Newcastle Rugby and well, good luck with all that.
Been saying forever that NNSW should push for a similar stadium next door to Number 2 and force its NPL teams to play out of there in a ground share deal. It could work pretty easily if everyone actually tried.
15yrs is a stretch. These gooses at FFA have run the game into the ground that badly and put them selves and there pay packets before the best interests of the game it won't take that long. On just about every KPI the game has gone backwards and made it less attractive than at any stage for corporate interest. Less interest = less $$$$$ means dying League.
In no other walk of professional life would the likes of Gallop and Wilson kept there gig delivering season after season of declining rubbish. Every new season soon turns into groundhog day with mismanagement and game outcomes determined by incompetent and even worse unaccountable numpties.
i disagree.
The Double Eff Aye invented Derbies.
They also gave the world not one, but TWO chances to laugh at Gypo Arnold on the world stage.
Trump gonna give Gallop the Medal of Freedom before his time is up.
Well, the Maggots won't come to the party...
https://www.theherald.com.au/story/6...o-own/?cs=7580
Any national teams except..
He also said Wests would not invest in a rival football code, such as soccer.
to be fair, why would they?
Wests are about making that straight cash. Plus, even if old man Gardiner was keen he'd need the members to sign off on it and can you imagine many of the Jets demo being amongst that group of the walking dead?
plus, this whole thing is about drumming up interest in getting that Broadmeadow precinct built. Mayor Nelmes sees it as her legacy before she shuffles off to State Parliament. She seems hell bent on getting it done and some of the trade offs will be interesting in order to secure State Funding for it.
Shes just rounding up her usual crew to get out there and talk it up in order to gin up public support.
Not saying its a bad thing, and if it means it compliments the next stage of the light rail then thats dope.
but yeah, no one in this whole thing gives a shit about Netball, Basketball or Soccer (or the ratepayers). thats for sure.
plague trying out some of his latest material for the comedy club
https://www.courthousenews.com/socce...gation-on-mls/
MLS trying to lock their league down to keep current owners safe from losing money. We don't have teams on the same level as these guys making the complaint, but it sucks that FIFA basically admit that Australia and US won't have a second division.
From the Herald:
The beginning of the end?In a further fall out from pandemic, Perth Glory owner Tony Sage has stood down the squad without pay.
Players union, Professional Footballers Australia slammed the move and will take legal action if Sage proceeds and served a letter of demand seeking the players' immediate reinstatement.
In the event the players are not reinstated, the PFA will initiate legal proceedings against Tony Sage seeking their reinstatement and the imposition of significant fines in excess of $600,000, pursuant to the Fair Work Act.
With the A-League suspended, clubs are concerned that Foxtel will not pay the next installment of their annual grant which is due on April 15 and covers the players' wages.
Last edited by mic22; 28-03-2020 at 11:23 PM.
Fingers crossed the pond gets drained
there's been a number of reports in the Canberra Times about expansion. Latest report is that two new teams will enter the comp in 2024-25 with canberra one of the favourites (i feel like i've heard that before though). Support from FA, APL and ACT government with the owners to be the same group that tried in 2018.
I feel like expansion is pretty much the last roll of the dice for the a-league.
I'm all for expansion and pro/rel but if the current number of clubs isn't sustainable how will adding more clubs make it any easier?
I guess if they get the proposed number of supporters that might raise the average crowd numbers a bit
Would be good to see the league expanded to 14 teams. That can lead to a 26 game home and away season so we aren't playing the same teams so often. It's hugely important to get the locations right though. Canberra is a logical choice given they already got a W-league team or whatever confusing name we've given that now.
I'd be interested to know whether these new franchises pay massive money to join the A-League? How will the clubs ever let pro/rel exist if an NPL team can get promoted over some made up franchise who paid massive money for an A-League licence?
I think there should be a second division set up for X amount of years. Then expansion clubs for the A-League come from the champions of the second division. So you're naturally promoting the most competitive clubs and after a few years of only promotion, introduce relegation. Even if it is weighted towards A-League clubs staying up via playoffs etc for a while. If pro/rel is a serious chance then I'm not sure how you can justify granting teams entry to the A-League based on granting a licence and paying a fee, rather than actual performance.
Nobody gives a crap about sustainability. Silver Lake/owners/executives just want enough growth that they can flog their share off to some other schmuk before it all goes bust.
I have two theories about pro/rel.
1) it's absolutely never going to happen because of what you've said above, and they are just offering lip service to fans and will simply put it off until everyone gives up.
2) the bar set for pro/rel to happen is for either external or internal funding to be secured which pays the current A League clubs back for their investment and then they will be happy allow it.
I can't see there ever being enough interest in the game to pay back the club's, so I don't think it's going to happen under the current model.
Personally I'm totally fine with the A League failing in the next few years and then the NPL just starts having end of year cup comps between divisions until there's enough interest in the game to start again. Basically the FFA cup becomes the pinnacle of football in Australia until a new football pyramid/first division can be sorted without any of the disgusting seppo style franchise fees involved. Earn your place and lose it based off your ability to win football games and nothing else.
That would be the sh*tiest thing to ever happen to Australian football.
Our system like the Yanks isnt set up for pro/rel. Investment must be in the top comp. No one wants to spend on a team in 2nd division.
We dont have anywhere near enough interest from enough people or enough business $$ to support a 2nd division. We probably never will. The other sports have too much history and stranglehold on our mentality tying up their support.
We only barely have enough investment $$$ to run one professional elite comp. The best thing we can do now is ensure we have teams in as many cities as possible in the top division. Maybe 16 max. Leave room for Canberra maybe Tassie or Wollongong. No more Syd or Melb. Then get the kids into following a team. Let the culture develop over the decades. Interest comes with historical events that happen like the Victory City event will build a following.
One last thing. Clubs need to build community so people belong. Thats what the NSL clubs did but that was usually exclusive to certain ethnicity which is why that model was doomed from day one.
I agree.
Having a second division for the sake of having pro/rel doesn’t make sense in Australia.
Who is investing into a team in the second division? We can’t even get people to invest in the top league. Sure, aim to develop enough interest and support and talent to justify a second division. But rushing it through for the sake of it won’t achieve anything.
Imo, and without seeing the details of previous bids, I think Canberra should’ve been in before Western and MacArthur. From what I recall, they had a pretty good proposal, good sized stadium, reasonable investment and support, ALW team. It wouldnt surprise me if It was the best bid they had, but opted for the potential of diluting Sydney and Melbourne support bases.
It’s a bit of a kick in the teeth for Canberra that now they are being considered, after being overlooked, because the league can probably do with a fresh club/location.
I’ve spent some time working in Western Sydney. When I started, a group supported Sydney FC and Bonnyrigg and travelled to games. When WSW came into the comp, they felt they should be supporting their “local” club and began supporting wanderers in their glory days. (The gov ripping down their stadium was a major major cause of unrest, because of the way the club handled relocating them and seating nightmares. Should’ve moved games to Penrith imo). Now they’ve introduced MacArthur and a few of them are from the MacArthur “catchment”, some converted, some remained WSW and some got sick of being pulled in multiple directions.
The derbies work because there’s 2 teams in a two geographical vicinity. A battle of the region. Their idea to add more derbies, to have derbies every week, weakens the concept. I’m absolutely sure MacArthur and Western United playing in their manufactured derbies is nowhere near as intense as the originals. Was all done for Fox to get more games for their $$$$.
The community element is also interesting.
I can definitely see just from lurking posts in the youth forums (venture at your own peril) there’s a bit of resentment towards the program/selections/operations and I’m wondering if some of that reputation is driving some younger fans and families away. They almost become the opposition instead of a community.
The current model is clearly a sinking ship, if teams like Victory are having to take out dubious loans to cover debts how is anyone else supposed to survive?
Anyone investing in the league now are either dumb, unlikely, or only doing so to make sure they are positioned correctly when the league ends and we have to start again.
We tried to Seppo method and it hasn't worked. Every new team since the Wanderers has had limited success at attracting new fans and diluting and already thin market isn't a great long term strategy. The world cup fans definitely aren't coming, the families are also leaving because of violent fans and rubbish kick off times in the heat. Paramount has been a step back and the number of viewers is way worse than predicted. The next league needs to be smaller and more locally based, play in divisions ans then put the best do the best together in a cup comp or mini-league. It will slowly build into a proper league that way. You can't build a competition around TV viewers, they are too fickle and don't care.
Anyone got anything positive to add because everything is trending down around the league from a statistical perspective other than shitty nicknames for players and the number of hit pieces in the media beating the dead horse.
i actually think the stadium in canberra is going to be a problem for a new Canberra team. If they go to Bruce (which would be the most likely), there is zero shade except when right up the top of the stands. The seating has a really shallow angle and the closest seats are going to be some distance at the ends (to fit the league/rugby in-goals). Atmosphere will be really hard to generate. It will be an absolute sweat box and any easterly breeze will be blocked by the stand on that side. It was pretty unpleasant at a few of the Asian Cup games. I can't see them being able to play any matches before 7:00pm at that stadium between November and March.
There is no other realistic option unless they let them use McKellar, which has had a number of noise complaints and light complaints from nearby residents (plus almost no parking, non-existent public transport options). Viking Park is owned by a rugby club and is a long way south (that is a big deal in Canberra).
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