midfielder
Well-Known Member
Me thinks the next 10 years and next five in particular are going to be very hard .. to create the youth league, womens league, 12 team A-League, have in place more than likely if not finished close to it a B-League of between 8 to 12 teams P & R set up ready to go, run 10 international sides including the new U 14 level, qualify for world cups at both junior and senior levels in both mens and womens, quality for Olympics, this takes heaps of money,. money that even today can only be dreamed about. FFA has to find the money.
Further but equally is to bring about a fundamental shift in junior football from competitive games to essentially training sessions, from U 5 to U 10 and maybe to U 12. This will require park teams to find more volunteers at a time when it is hard to get people in there busy lives to help.
There are battles ahead . perhaps the biggest will be for the elite sportsman, and with big money on offer the AFL are in a strong but not dominate position. For mine the battle stretches between Wollongong and the Sunshine Coast whoever wins here will be the winner, dont disregard football in this market it is strong on the ground .. poor at converting those ground numbers into A-League supporters .. they already are Socceroo supporters but not football supporters. Another battle will be in time to get the EPL & Champions League watches to the A-League.
Converting those who play the game for fun, and watch the Socceroos into football people, this is where the A-League clubs need to answer the call, and SFC should hang its head in shame at its woeful ability to connect to the football family to date, however if a Gong and WS team come in then the Sydney associations can be looked after with the Mariners to the north, Gong southern, WS the west and SFC the inner city and east.
If FFA get through the next five years and have all the above in place, then the next five year stage will come and that will be an FA cup style competition between A-League. B-League and state teams, also the adding of the Pacific Island Team and even have an A-League team playing out of Singapore. This would open the A-League to a population base of over 40 million. Products on offer after 10 years,. 14 / 16 team A-League . 14 team B league. Womens league Youth League Socceroos having made 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018 WC, Womens team similar, both make Asian Cup, Australia win Asian cup, Mid Week FA cup, P & R in place, Make 2008, 2012, 2016 Olympics both mens and womens, Four Asian Champions league spots and matches, 40 million potential viewers.
The media after the ten years then would be IMO worth more than AFL & NRL combined.
But to get there boy what hazardous and lie ahead.. hard work / patience / trust / support . all this an more will get football through MAYBE . We have to last next year, then the next year.
IMO each year until the next media deal is made will be harder than the one before little funds thus small budgets . expect to be attacked by vested media interest. However footballs media is slowly growing and in print there are a number of clever jurnos especially in the local papers waiting for there turn in the mainstream press.
Me I just hope that Obi One (Frank Lowy) can make the next 7 years at least, and I am glad we have BB on board as he brings AFL thinking and thus hopefully will be able to anticipate AFL moves.
Me I will keep going to Mariners games and get as many as I can to do likewise.
TBH despite our poor history, and small budgets and all the problems that lie ahead .. maybe I am foolish .. I used to be blonde before I went grey .. but I think we will get there.
Well these are my throughts as we head into Hal 4.
Further but equally is to bring about a fundamental shift in junior football from competitive games to essentially training sessions, from U 5 to U 10 and maybe to U 12. This will require park teams to find more volunteers at a time when it is hard to get people in there busy lives to help.
There are battles ahead . perhaps the biggest will be for the elite sportsman, and with big money on offer the AFL are in a strong but not dominate position. For mine the battle stretches between Wollongong and the Sunshine Coast whoever wins here will be the winner, dont disregard football in this market it is strong on the ground .. poor at converting those ground numbers into A-League supporters .. they already are Socceroo supporters but not football supporters. Another battle will be in time to get the EPL & Champions League watches to the A-League.
Converting those who play the game for fun, and watch the Socceroos into football people, this is where the A-League clubs need to answer the call, and SFC should hang its head in shame at its woeful ability to connect to the football family to date, however if a Gong and WS team come in then the Sydney associations can be looked after with the Mariners to the north, Gong southern, WS the west and SFC the inner city and east.
If FFA get through the next five years and have all the above in place, then the next five year stage will come and that will be an FA cup style competition between A-League. B-League and state teams, also the adding of the Pacific Island Team and even have an A-League team playing out of Singapore. This would open the A-League to a population base of over 40 million. Products on offer after 10 years,. 14 / 16 team A-League . 14 team B league. Womens league Youth League Socceroos having made 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018 WC, Womens team similar, both make Asian Cup, Australia win Asian cup, Mid Week FA cup, P & R in place, Make 2008, 2012, 2016 Olympics both mens and womens, Four Asian Champions league spots and matches, 40 million potential viewers.
The media after the ten years then would be IMO worth more than AFL & NRL combined.
But to get there boy what hazardous and lie ahead.. hard work / patience / trust / support . all this an more will get football through MAYBE . We have to last next year, then the next year.
IMO each year until the next media deal is made will be harder than the one before little funds thus small budgets . expect to be attacked by vested media interest. However footballs media is slowly growing and in print there are a number of clever jurnos especially in the local papers waiting for there turn in the mainstream press.
Me I just hope that Obi One (Frank Lowy) can make the next 7 years at least, and I am glad we have BB on board as he brings AFL thinking and thus hopefully will be able to anticipate AFL moves.
Me I will keep going to Mariners games and get as many as I can to do likewise.
TBH despite our poor history, and small budgets and all the problems that lie ahead .. maybe I am foolish .. I used to be blonde before I went grey .. but I think we will get there.
Well these are my throughts as we head into Hal 4.
