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Will the A-League survive the Coronavirus?

jacobsfl

Well-Known Member
I brought this up with my father today. I won't make a poll, as that received some backlash last time but I did want to know thoughts from people who know more about it than me.

What are the logistics involved for HAL should they postpone the season? And more likely, how will it affect the various clubs and plans for the future (plans to become independent, second division)? The A-League has never struck me as a league with lots of financial backing as a whole, especially in comparison to the NRL and the AFL. Given crowd figures for the majority of clubs are really low, how much would Fox be willing to pay for the license? What other sources of income can the league fall back on in this time period?

If this is a really dumb thread I'll remove it.
 

turbo

Well-Known Member
Realistically no one can say. If it allows fox to walk and they choose to it could kill the league or at least force them to skip a season until some stability returns to the world and they can negotiate a new rights deal. That’s not a CCM problem that’s an everyone problem if 3m per club goes away.
 

Scotty

Well-Known Member
I'm trying to find a silver lining in all of this. The AFL and more so the NRL are going to find it hard financially to get going again next winter.

Given that the A-league has almost finished its season, we may be in a better position to start next year's season in winter and get a foothold over the other codes.

There's a lot of water to pass under the bridge before that, but it may be a positive for the league and football in Australia. Whether the Mariners are part of that, who knows.

Having said all that, I fully suspect that if there are hand outs from the PM next year, the NRL will get it all.
 

pjennings

Well-Known Member
A-League is dead. It was great in the first few seasons, but lost its appeal to the punters

It will certainly be a different beast. The opportunity is there to have a clean slate a re-launch it properly and address why it has lost its appeal,

It almost certainly won't be on Fox. Will it be on Optus? Streamed? Will there be lower entry criteria? Will there be a cap?

What about connecting lower divisions? Les Hornery has shown how lower division clubs can produce content cheaply. Many Vic NPL clubs provide their own content. Why not bundle a few divisions?
 
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sydmariner

Well-Known Member
Football Federation Australia (FFA) today announced that it has postponed the final rounds of the Hyundai A-League 2019/20 Season. This postponement is effective immediately.

The decision is the latest in a series of measures introduced by FFA in response to the ongoing spread of COVID-19 and comes with the unanimous support of all Hyundai A-League clubs. FFA will review the situation over the coming weeks with a further formal status assessment now scheduled for April 22nd.

The goal at this stage is to reschedule games as soon as it is reasonably possible to do so in order to complete the season. The clubs and players have indicated to FFA that they will be ready to continue should the competition be able to resume.

The decision reflects the stringent social distancing measures that have now been introduced by Government and the introduction of State border restrictions within Australia and the implementation of the highest levels of border restrictions for New Zealand. The accumulative effect making the continuation of the competition impossible at the present time.

FFA CEO James Johnson said: “Our priority is to ensure the safety of both the football community and the community at large. As each passing day raises additional concerns for the safety of both, it is imperative that we follow the lead of Governments at National and State level and take the necessary precautionary and proactive measures and in doing so play our part in preventing the spread and impact of COVID-19.”

“To get so close to completing the competition, only to pull up a few weeks short, has been heartbreaking for the players, clubs and fans. That said, the health and safety of our fans, players, volunteers and staff has always been the overriding consideration for us. That is fundamentally what led – with the unanimous support of the State and Territory Member Federations – to the suspension of grassroots football until 14 April 2020. Today’s decision was equally difficult to make but it is borne form the same rationale.

“As the largest club-based participation sport with nearly two million participants, we have a clear and obvious duty to play our part in doing whatever we can to support the efforts to slow down the spread of COVID-19.

“On behalf of FFA Board and each Hyundai A-League Club, we thank the players for their assistance during these extraordinary times. We have done everything in our power to ensure the physical and mental welfare of the players and club staff and this decision means that, like the majority of Australians, they can now return home to be with their families during this difficult time.”

“We’d like to thank our members, sponsors, volunteers and fans for their continued support during this unprecedented time.”

FFA asks that all football fans, players, coaches, and officials continue to abide by the measures put in place by the Federal and State Governments and follow all precautionary protocols.

FFA will continue to monitor the situation in consultation with the National COVID-19 Working Committee and provide updates as they become available.
 

pjennings

Well-Known Member
It will certainly be a different beast. The opportunity is there to have a clean slate a re-launch it properly and address why it has lost its appeal,

It almost certainly won't be on Fox. Will it be on Optus? Streamed? Will there be lower entry criteria? Will there be a cap?

What about connecting lower divisions? Les Hornery has shown how lower division clubs can produce content cheaply. Many Vic NPL clubs provide their own content. Why not bundle a few divisions?

Funnily enough - I was more pessimistic with David Gallop and no Corona virus than I am with James Johnson and the Corona virus
 

Insertnamehere

Well-Known Member
So Foxtel ain’t gonna pay up they say ...bit fkn rude BUT if they rip up the deal, maybe just maybe that f**king arsehat Mark Bosnich will be out of a job ....yeah I don’t like him , and?
They are paying for a product. I've already cancelled kayo and my mates with fox have done the phone call chasing discounts.

This may kill off Fox as we know it
 

pjennings

Well-Known Member
This from another forum.

It is going to be interesting times in the pro sports world in this country when the Covid-19 business has run its course and the TV networks and the difference codes look to pick up the pieces. The underlying context is that Foxtel is worse shape than any of the sports codes and none of the FTA networks are doing well, with the future for them in the streaming age looking bleak.

As such, I would be surprised if they collectively don't take this opportunity to walk back the ludicrous deals they signed with the AFL, NRL and Cricket Australia. I don't believe there will be any kind of deal for Super Rugby or the A League. Both will have to hope that Optus sees value in adding them to the streaming sports table.

Personally I think Optus will look to acquire the A League, but without competition the offer will be as low as they can push it. There are limits, however: push the value of the deal too hard and they won't be accessing a professional sports product, so there has to be a balance. As low as they can push, but not so low as to destroy the integrity of the competition. As to what that figure is, who knows. Given current losses by owners, the League may be below it already.

One thing is certain: if Optus does pick up the A League, the clubs will need to provide (produce) the content by subcontracting to a OB production company.


Personally I think Optus will put together a decent offer because they want to obtain more market share of the NBN market.
 

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