From the SMH,
GOLD COAST United will go into next season's A-League effectively fielding a youth team because they are so concerned about the viability of the competition amid the financial turmoil that has gripped Football Federation Australia and several clubs.
In a vote of no-confidence in the administration of the FFA, Gold Coast owner Clive Palmer will not offer contracts of longer than a year, including coach Miron Bleiberg, who has accepted a rolling deal to retain his position.
As the fifth-richest man in Australia, Palmer has no problems bankrolling the club, but Bleiberg confirmed that the billionaire was restricting his investment until he was confident the A-League would be a long-term proposition.
It is understood Palmer was driven to take the action after recent meetings with other owners, who have privately expressed their own dissatisfaction at the bleak outlook for the A-League.
''The owners just don't believe in the current model of the A-League and many of them are not sure that the competition can survive,'' Bleiberg told the Herald. ''That's why Gold Coast only going to be offering one-year contracts for now. We're going to have a team next season of youth players and a few senior players, but not many.
''Clive is like any businessman, and he doesn't like throwing money away on something that isn't working. He's listened to what the other owners are saying, and it's simply responsible fiscal management in the current economic climate of the game in Australia.''
Palmer hopes to avoid a similar situation to that which occurred at the FFA, which, in its capacity as de facto club owners, will be forced to honour ongoing contracts with players such as David Williams [without a long-term club after the North Queensland Fury's demise] and coaches such as Phil Stubbins [sacked by Adelaide United's new owners].
''The future, at the moment, looks very bleak … Clive doesn't want to make any unfair promises to anyone,'' Bleiberg said. ''Gold Coast does not want to offer contracts to players who may not be playing if the competition goes broke. Of course, that makes my job harder obviously because I can't offer long-term contracts.''
However, Bleiberg said there was a solution: the FFA must immediately begin negotiating the next television rights deal, which kicks in from 2013 onwards, to show owners why they should remain committed.
''They have to bring the deal forward and get working on it now,'' he said. ''Without the television money, there is no league, and the FFA must prove they believe in the competition by getting a deal done this season. People don't like to invest in things that lose money.
''Any delay on the television deal will be viewed negatively by the owners. We also need to have one match, the match of the round, on free-to-air television … half of the clubs in the NRL and AFL would have gone broke if it wasn't for television money.''
http://www.smh.com.au/sport/a-league/gold-coast-bet-against-aleagues-survival-with-oneyear-deals-20110325-1c9wj.html
GOLD COAST United will go into next season's A-League effectively fielding a youth team because they are so concerned about the viability of the competition amid the financial turmoil that has gripped Football Federation Australia and several clubs.
In a vote of no-confidence in the administration of the FFA, Gold Coast owner Clive Palmer will not offer contracts of longer than a year, including coach Miron Bleiberg, who has accepted a rolling deal to retain his position.
As the fifth-richest man in Australia, Palmer has no problems bankrolling the club, but Bleiberg confirmed that the billionaire was restricting his investment until he was confident the A-League would be a long-term proposition.
It is understood Palmer was driven to take the action after recent meetings with other owners, who have privately expressed their own dissatisfaction at the bleak outlook for the A-League.
''The owners just don't believe in the current model of the A-League and many of them are not sure that the competition can survive,'' Bleiberg told the Herald. ''That's why Gold Coast only going to be offering one-year contracts for now. We're going to have a team next season of youth players and a few senior players, but not many.
''Clive is like any businessman, and he doesn't like throwing money away on something that isn't working. He's listened to what the other owners are saying, and it's simply responsible fiscal management in the current economic climate of the game in Australia.''
Palmer hopes to avoid a similar situation to that which occurred at the FFA, which, in its capacity as de facto club owners, will be forced to honour ongoing contracts with players such as David Williams [without a long-term club after the North Queensland Fury's demise] and coaches such as Phil Stubbins [sacked by Adelaide United's new owners].
''The future, at the moment, looks very bleak … Clive doesn't want to make any unfair promises to anyone,'' Bleiberg said. ''Gold Coast does not want to offer contracts to players who may not be playing if the competition goes broke. Of course, that makes my job harder obviously because I can't offer long-term contracts.''
However, Bleiberg said there was a solution: the FFA must immediately begin negotiating the next television rights deal, which kicks in from 2013 onwards, to show owners why they should remain committed.
''They have to bring the deal forward and get working on it now,'' he said. ''Without the television money, there is no league, and the FFA must prove they believe in the competition by getting a deal done this season. People don't like to invest in things that lose money.
''Any delay on the television deal will be viewed negatively by the owners. We also need to have one match, the match of the round, on free-to-air television … half of the clubs in the NRL and AFL would have gone broke if it wasn't for television money.''
http://www.smh.com.au/sport/a-league/gold-coast-bet-against-aleagues-survival-with-oneyear-deals-20110325-1c9wj.html
