Former Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou tells FFA to make the most of A-League’s unique character

With the outcome of the expansion decision expected on Thursday, Former Socceroos boss Ange Postecoglou says FFA must show the vision to make the most of the A-League’s opportunities.

Postecoglou wants FFA to show some vision. (AFP Photo / Saeed Khan)

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Former Socceroos boss Ange Postecoglou has urged Football Federation Australia’s new leadership to rewrite the narrative around the game, and push it forward based on the code’s “uniqueness, it’s differences”.

As the FFA’s new board met late on Wednesday to decide whether to expand the A-League and when, Postecoglou — now coaching Yokahama F Marinos in Japan — said the game should look to Asia for “fantastic opportunities” to grow itself.

The six bidders aiming to join the A-League as soon as next season are expected to be in informed of the outcome of the board’s decision on Thursday morning, with a formal announcement due soon after.

Postecoglou wants FFA to show some vision. (AFP Photo / Saeed Khan)

It promises to be a crucial decision for the future of the game, but Postecoglou — for years a passionate advocate of football taking risks to promote itself — said the arrival of new blood at board level was the chance to step away from a “prevailing wind” of conservatism.

“There are challenges but there are also opportunities for the game, and I’ve always argued we should embrace the opportunities,” Postecoglou said at the launch of a new book charting Australian football’s relationship with Asia.

“There’s a prevailing wind at times that wants us to remain conservative, but this seems to me to be an opportunity to take the game forward.

“There’s a uniqueness, a difference, to our code compared with the others. We’ve really failed to take advantage of those.

“One of them is the size of the international game — and another is this huge football audience on our doorstep that we just haven’t engaged with.

“The more we can go into that sphere, and show people in Australia the differences in our game, these are things the other codes can’t compete with.

“It’s one of those things where sometimes we’re a bit fearful or sceptical, and we instinctively look to Europe as a market we’re familiar with when in Asia there’s fantastic opportunities to grow our game.”

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