A-League Expansion

[dibo]

i think the a-league owns every player's contract too, but the fact remains that they're clearly not planning on being anywhere else, and bertos wouldn't be signing up for three years to become a free agent in march.

 

[Forum Phoenix]

I don't get the anti Welly sentiments?
You want another Australian team and there's one hot to trot with all the right ingredients... they can just grant another license.
I don't see what the conflict is?
???

 

[Redshirt]

On a completely unrelated subject... with the whole "one team one region" thingy, shouldn't the second Sydney team be called West Sydney Rovers instead of having exactly the same region being represented.. if anyone knows what I mean..

On the Nix, it's good to see a team like them represented seeing as the best football fans in NZ have to follow is Waitakere United.. gives our little cousins something to cheer for at least

 

[midfielder]

Link below is from a luncheon speech from Frank Lowy .....I am prepared to back Frank .... the man has balls and admits there is a risk ....I liked the way he admitted they got the start date wrong this year..

My reading of the tea leafs is for the next media deal & the WC bid we need the things Frank is pushing for..

http://au.fourfourtwo.com/news/115160,a2league-vital-says-lowy.aspx

A2-League 'Vital', Says Lowy

Oct 21 2009 17:46

FFA CHAIRMAN Frank Lowy has flagged an A-League second division in the future, saying promotion and relegation is a vital part of any competitive league.

Addressing a Melbourne Victory business luncheon, Lowy said that while FFA was mindful of the precarious state of some of the current A-League clubs, it would continue its expansion push and, in the medium-term future, wanted to introduce a second division in order to ensure a truly national competition.

"We need to support teams by developing a second division which can allow for promotion and relegation, which is the lifeblood of national football competitions around the world," he said.

"Some people might have suggested that this might be growing the league too quickly. I accept that there is a risk, and I know better than anyone else how fragile some of our existing A-League clubs are.

"But we could not continue forever with an eight-team competition and be taken seriously in world football.

"The larger competition will generate greater interest around the country, not just in isolated pockets of Australia, but a truly national game."

Lowy said the addition of second teams in Melbourne and Sydney over the next two years would create the first true A-League derbies, which he said was an essential component of any major league.

"Derbies hold a special place in football culture around the world,: said Lowy. "The rivalry that will build between the two teams from Melbourne and the two teams from Sydney will be very exciting events.

"The rivalry now between Sydney and Melbourne is exciting enough."

Lowy was questioned by attendees at the corporate event about the possible divisive nature of the establishment of a second Melbourne team from next season. He said that he believes the Heart franchise will challenge Victory to grow as a club and that can only be a good thing.

He added: "Had I been concerned about divisiveness, we would not have suggested two teams.

"I think Melbourne has proven itself that it can support two teams. It can create a rivalry and I would hope and expect that the spectators will grow as a result of that.

"A little bit of competition is not a bad thing. I believe and I hope we have not been wrong to do that and that game will be more popular as a result."

Lowy outlined his vision beyond the 12th A-League team, saying the competition would not be considered truly national until it could move into areas currently not aligned with an A-League team. That appeared an endorsement to the aspiring bids of the likes of Canberra and Tasmania.

"It's a vision that I have," he said. "We are a long way from the 13th and 14th team, but I hope that we will be able to put these two teams to the parts of the country where we will have no football.

"Football is an international game, played around the world and I want to see all of Australia covered with our game."

Meanwhile, Lowy admitted that the scheduling of the start of the A-League season in early August this year was a mistake and that FFA was looking at options of pushing the season start back so it didn't clash with the AFL and NRL.

He conceded: "I think there is a certain amount of trial an error (in fixturing). I think we now recognise that we need to start the league somewhat later than what we have before."

 

[midfielder]

Frank also talked about the next media deal ... from SBS .. but they got it partly wrong I think we are in the 4th year of the 7 year Fox deal not the 5th year..

Lowy calls for free-to-air deal


Australian football chief Frank Lowy says the game's next broadcast deal needs to include free-to-air television to get the sport "to the people".


Pay TV provider Foxtel is in the fifth year of a seven-year deal worth $120 million covering all Socceroos matches except the World Cup, as well as the A-League and Asian Champions League.

But FFA chairman Lowy said in the next deal, they would aim to reach a bigger audience while reaping more money.

"There's no doubt that the game needs to be shown on free-to-air from time to time, or certain parts of the competition on free-to-air," Lowy said at a Melbourne Victory business lunch on Wednesday.

"Because that's where the people are and we need to go to the people.

"I think we have grown up by now, that both the commercial free-to-air and the pay TV (operators) will realise that we are a growing sport, a very popular sport, and we are going places, so we will not be penalised financially.

"I think in the next two or three years that will bear out and we hope that we are able to negotiate a good contract with both free-to-air and with pay TV to get more than what we have now and a lot more later on."

Lowy also said along with an aim to eventually expand to a 14-team A-League, there were plans to introduce a second division in the "not too distant future".

"(It) will allow for promotion and relegation, which is the lifeblood of national football competitions around the world," he said.

He said there had been suggestions the league was growing too quickly and acknowledged that some A-League clubs remained financially "fragile".

But Lowy said the FFA were working hard to make sure all teams became profitable within the next few years and the league needed to expand to be taken seriously around the world.

The FFA boss also indicated future A-League seasons would start later in the year.

With the current season starting in August, the early rounds struggled to compete for publicity against the business end of the AFL and NRL.

"I think you need a certain amount of trial and error and I think we now recognise that we need to start the league somewhat later than what we have done before," Lowy said.

 

[dibo]

you're right MF - it's the 4th year. they renegotiated it after the first season* for a new seven year deal.

so that makes 2006/7, 2007/8, 2008/9, 2009/10, 2010/11, 2011/12 and 2012/13.

So the final stages of WC qualifying for 2014 will be the last Socceroos games covered by the Fox deal, and we'll be on the anti-siphoning list thereafter (and that part of the FFA's content will presumably picked up by FTA).

If they package with a highlights package and perhaps a MoTD type thing (there will be plenty of matches to go around by then with a 12 or 14 team comp) we'll be looking good.

*thinking abck to that time, fox couldn't have had any incentive to do that other than that in the first season it was for a deadset pittance, and given the success of that first season perhaps the costs of breaking the contract would have been far less than could have been gained from re-offering it to the open market, so then fox comes in with a first offer to secure their property. it's worked for them, i would never have had fox but for wanting to watch a-league.

 

[midfielder]

Frank Lowey on Fox.. 14 team comp in time.

http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,26322628-5000940,00.html

FFA chairman Frank Lowy targetting 14-team A-League


A 14-team A-League plus a national second division competition remains on Frank Lowy's agenda, but even the ambitious FFA chairman admits it is time to take a "breather".

Having only this season expanded from eight to 10 teams with the inclusion of Gold Coast United and North Queensland Fury, the 2010-2011 A-League will further grow with a second Melbourne team ahead of the addition of a 12th franchise - based in Sydney's west - a season later.

Despite small crowds haunting both the Coast and the Fury, as well as Queensland's other team, Brisbane Roar, Lowy has no regrets about expansion, saying clubs need to exist "right across Australia".

However, he suggested the FFA would not rush into the jump from 12 to 14 teams, and that his preferred two-division, promotion-relegation model was a "long way off".

"Eventually we need it because we might be asked to have promotion and relegation by FIFA and the Asian confederation," Lowy told The Courier-Mail.

"We're going to 11 teams next season and 12 the one after, and after that we need to have a bit of a breather.

"We need to be a little patient. Eventually I'd like to have 14 teams so we can cover the whole of the country.

"In order to be a force to be reckoned with in Asia, we need more teams."

Concerned by low crowds at Skilled Park despite Gold Coast being among the competition's frontrunners all season, Lowy was at the Robina venue on Saturday night to see United's 1-0 win over Sydney FC.

Only 5364 fans watched the match but it was more than double the attendance at the same venue a week earlier when United's billionaire backer Clive Palmer implemented his controversial 5000-crowd cap plan.

Lowy met with Palmer on Saturday and is confident the Coast is now on the right track with the FFA running the club's marketing department.

"We are working with the club to make sure that we can get the best result for the Coast and the A-League," Lowy said.

"It's all been a little bit of trial and error for the Coast.

"Of course the economy comes into it, but it's more important to get the crowd in first and worry about the economy later."

He stressed that Palmer, Queensland's richest man, was "fully committed" to being United's long-term backer.

"It's not going to happen overnight for United and also the Fury. It's about patience," Lowy said.

He tipped good crowds to again become a fixture at Suncorp Stadium once the Roar started winning matches on a consistent basis.

"Brisbane are a great club and they've had very good results in the past four or five years, but now that the club hasn't been doing so well the crowds haven't been coming," Lowy said.

"But they had a good win against Adelaide and I think they're back on the trail of attracting the Brisbane public.

"There are some very loyal supporters that come regardless of the results, but the majority would like to see the team win from time to time."

A successful A-League is not the only item on Lowy's agenda, with the 79-year-old admitting he's "nervous" as the clock ticks on Australia's bid to host the World Cup in 2018 or 2022.

"There's some good news one day and a little bit of a setback the next," he said.

"But I think Australia is a special case. The World Cup has never been here before, we are part of Asia, the biggest growth story in the world economically, and I think the same applies in football. We have a good case to put forward."

The decision on who hosts the 2018 and 2022 tournaments will be made in December next year.

There are eight bidders for 2018 - Australia, England, Russia, Japan, the US, Indonesia and joint Belgium-Netherlands and Portugal-Spain applications.

The eight, plus Qatar and South Korea, are also bidding to host the 2022 event.

 

[bjw]

who would fill the second tier??

NSW, WA, Victorian state teams would have a competition to fill it or what? how would that work?

 

[Blair]

i think we need a FA cup type compatition first

 

[Part_Timer]

dibo....

 

[dibo]

dibo....

huh?

 

[Sym]

I gets it : )

 

[marinermick]

I gets it : )

+1

 

[midfielder]

I gets it : )

+1

+2

 

[dibo]

er... 'compatition' doesn't have an 'a' in it? *shrugs*

 

[midfielder]

BB on the Rovers in WS..

http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,26327290-5000940,00.html

Sydney Rovers FC not worried by AFL's western Sydney push
By Ray Gatt
November 10, 2009 Football Federation Australia chief executive Ben Buckley has praised Kevin Sheedy's appointment as the inaugural coach of the western Sydney AFL franchise, but said it would have no impact on football's push into the region.

And, in a veiled dig at the high-profile appointment, Buckley stressed the sport was "not out to win popularity contests".

FFA will have first crack at the much sought-after market when Sydney Rovers FC makes its debut in a revamped A-League in 2011, 12 months ahead of the AFL's bid to win the hearts and minds of Sydney's west.

The National Rugby League did "not want to buy in" on the subject, preferring to enjoy the fact other codes are desperate to get some sort of traction where rugby league is already well entrenched.

Buckley, a former defender who played 74 games for North Melbourne in the VFL/AFL between 1986 and 1993, described Sheedy as a man with "outstanding credentials".

"Kevin is an experienced AFL coach and promoter of the game," Buckley said.

"But his appointment doesn't change our plans. We know it will be a competitive environment, but today's decision doesn't distract FFA or Sydney Rovers FC from our push into the west."

He is confident soccer can compete on level terms with the AFL, which is throwing around millions of dollars and big names to make Western Sydney a success.

"What many people are missing in the debate so far about the contest is that football has the biggest participation base," he said.

He said Sydney Rovers would not get involved in trying to trump the AFL with big-name signings of either coaches or players.

"Kevin's appointment doesn't change the view that the Rovers have and that's about the importance of getting the right people for the job," Buckley said. "This is not a popularity contest. It is about connecting with the community and building from the grass roots up. It's about having people at the club who understand how to promote the game at a community level.

"So obviously the choice of coach for Sydney Rovers has to take into account those things.

"In terms of high-profile players, you have to remember western Sydney has produced some of Australia's greatest players. Some are still playing today in various parts of the world. I know the club is targeting some of those players who come from the west."

While he might not be on the radar just yet, Socceroo Harry Kewell, who is playing in Turkey, would be an ideal target. He was raised in Smithfield in Sydney's southwestern suburbs.

 

[marinermick]

Bizarre quote.

We are most certainly out to win popularity contests or people wouldn't come through the gates.

BB on the Rovers in WS..

http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,26327290-5000940,00.html

And, in a veiled dig at the high-profile appointment, Buckley stressed the sport was "not out to win popularity contests".

 

[FFC Mariner]

GayFL's push into W Syd is more like NRL's planting of the Melb Storm.

10 years to get any traction whatsoever

 

[dibo]

GayFL

are you twelve? seriously...

 

[FFC Mariner]

Say it to a Victorian - wonderful response

or Tardball if you prefer........