Yes, the 10 teams we have are competitive and there is no superpower dominating the league a la the norm in Spain, England and Germany. Yes, the salary cap works and is necessary to ensure equality within the league.
But 10 teams are simply not enough to allow the domestic league be taken seriously as one of the top 20 leagues in the world, let alone Asia.
Simply put, we need more teams. Ideally, for a market like Australia 14-16 teams is the viable amount.
More importantly, we need to make sure that new teams added in are competitive and receive the same treatment and concessions provided to the Western Sydney Wanderers from this season. We need to assist the growth of the game by capturing the minds of new markets and demographics, so be it bandwagoners.
In addition, the administrative body must ensure that no more cases of North Queensland Fury and Gold Coast United are to happen again. That would only set the A-League back 10 steps from the 3 steps it has taken this season.
Expansion should only be conceptualized within the next 5 years if, and that's a big IF (capitalisation and everything), regular season crowd averages are hovering around the 13.5-15k region and the league progresses from the competitiveness that has been seen in the 2012/13 season.
If that is to occur, the most vital element to the success of an expansion club is meaningful community engagement, especially in areas if soccer is not the favoured football code. Meaningful community engagement includes school appearances, local soccer club apperances (especially with the youth), seeking sponsorship from local businesses and etc. This is what separates expansion clubs from being seen as a franchise a la NBA style or establishments seeking integrity and dignity.
A good example that the A-league can follow is the MLS. Similar to the A-league, in America the MLS is influenced by the sporting norms that dominate other American sports. Both A-league and MLS have a finals series popular in other sports. The MLS carefully assesses which markets are viable, looking into the participation levels of soccer within the region and viability for rivalries with other clubs and whether the area have rectangular fields. Two good examples of expansion teams in the MLS are the Portland Timbers and Seattle Sounders, two areas steeped in soccer traditions and with vociferous fanbases.
Without further ado, here are my recommendations for potential expansion.
- Canberra - it perplexes me how the nation's capital has not received a team considering the popularity of the W-league team and the pedigree of Australian soccer stars. The infrastructure is more than available.
- Tasmania - the continued neglect of the AFL to tap into Tassie can be taken advantage of by the FFA. Similar to the NRL's overlooking of Central Coast, the FFA can slowly penetrate Tasmania and provided the team achieved consistent success, Tasmania has the potential for success.
- South Coast/Wollongong - anyone who has followed the NSL prior to the establishment of the A-league can never forget the epic 2000 Grand Final. Down 3-0 at half time, clawing back the lead and eventually winning in one of the longest penalty shootouts I've witnessed. This is another region steeped in soccer history and with legends such as Scott Chipperfield, the South Coast has the potential to be a force.
- Auckland/Christchurch - the FFA could do no wrong by tapping into the North/South Island rivalry that exists. NZ soccer is currently experiencing a golden generation; future prospects such as Marco Rojas and seasoned veterans such as Winston Reid plying their trade in the premier league. The FFA must capitalize on this.
- Another Adelaide team - it is said that many reasons behind the lack of Adelaide United's support lies behind the grudge held by old Adelaide City fans after the demist of the NSL. Adelaide has a proud soccer history in Australia and an Adelaide derby would further fuel interest towards the game.
No comments:
Post a Comment