A-League: The right direction?

April 9th, 2006 | by: Matt | View Comments

While the A-League clubs start their pre-season training, a number of players from these clubs have moved to, or are on their way to, the bigger and more attractive football leagues of Europe.

The question may be asked, simply, why?

The first and most obvious answer to this, is money. Put simply, bigger leagues attract big name players, big name players attract crowds, and crowds mean dollars. This means, that players can be paid two, three, four times the amount they were previously earning in Australia. Being apart of a European league, also allows greater chances of scouting to even bigger clubs, and the prestigiousness which follows.

The second reason for why players are leaving, is due to the dates of the football season being played. If you look at Europe, their seasons start in August and end in the following May, due to it being winter.

However, with Australia being on the other side of the equator, our seasons are opposite. This isn’t the issue. The issue is, that with a newly formed football league in Australia having to compete with already establised AFL, NRL and Super 12 competitions, it was deemed as better to run it in the spring/summer months, where it’s only competition was cricket. This was a smart move, as fans could go along at 7pm on a 30 degree Saturday night, and leave at 9pm without it being pitch black and freezing cold.

Personally, I loved this idea, and it suited the league well, however, now that it is autumn, the league has been finished for 2 months, and the World Cup is 8 or so weeks off, we have seen a constantly growing list of players leaving clubs and contracts in order to ply their trade elsewhere.

I am aware that players leaving to be getting regular football for World Cup selection, is something that will only be experienced every 4 years, 2 if they are playing for European countries (Euro), but I fear that the league may become a transitional competition. Players drop by for a season or two, get noticed, head overseas. Or the other scenario is that the 35 and 40 year old has beens from overseas come to Australia as a ‘marquee’ players for their million dollar plus contracts.

Are we going to become a football retirement home?

I have heard numerous names being thrown around in the media, regarding who might be coming to the A-League for next season. Names to be mentioned include Teddy Sheringham, Gabriel Batistuta, Tony Vidmar. A few from the top of my head, and most recently, Stan Lazaridis. While I am not completely against such names playing here, as they will draw bigger crowds, it is the long term future and integrity of the league which causes concern. Will the league become the next Saudi Arabia, where already these type of players have gone for the big bucks.

Two big name players to play last season were Dwight Yorke and Brian Deane. While one thrived, the other flopped dismally, although there is already talk of Dwight heading to Japan to play next season.

Am I taking it all far too seriously? Time will tell. But I guess while the new crop of players from overseas get ready to come over to the land down under, and clubs are recruiting to make up for numbers lost, all we can do is wish those players who have taken that step over to Europe or wherever, the best of luck, and perhaps we will see them back in Oz one day, as that big name player who visits for the million dollar plus contract.