Clubs should earn prize money according to where they finish on the A-League table
With no relegation on the near or mid-term horizons, too many A-League fixtures in recent weeks have lacked any competitive tension. Tom Smithies thinks he has the answer to the problem.
Football
Don't miss out on the headlines from Football. Followed categories will be added to My News.
They are the bane of the A-League, games that mean nothing between teams for whom the motivation levels are flatlining.
With no relegation on the near or mid-term horizons, too many fixtures in recent weeks have lacked any competitive tension.
Thank goodness we are into the finals after games that players and fans knew wouldn’t change the course of human history in any way.
Promotion and relegation is the ultimate answer, but one that lies many years’ hence. In the short term, we need other ways to give a contest real meaning.
Given that money famously makes the world go round, it could also make the A-League a more interesting place - specifically prize money.
Clubs have never received any financial reward for being successful in the A-League, and Football Federation Australia is in no position to start outlaying prize money now.
But over the next 14 months, an entirely new financial structure for the A-League will be sketched out, offering a unique opportunity to reconsider who gets what, and how.
First, the A-League clubs will take ownership of the competition and run it independently.
They are seeking a greater share of the annual broadcast revenue from Fox Sports, an extra 8 per cent, which equates to some $4.7m.
How much they get remains the subject of intense negotiation, but they will no doubt get some. Meanwhile, a brand new pay structure for the competition is due to be thrashed out by June 30, 2020, with everything including scrapping the salary cap up for discussion.
In that context we have a chance to share out some of the money on a performance basis, rather than simply an equal grant to each club.
Every position on the ladder would have a financial value just as it does in senior leagues overseas (in the EPL, for instance, each place up the table accrues an extra $3.53m).
The prize money could be split between clubs and players, and suddenly the difference in a couple of places on the ladder could be worth a small windfall to those in a squad. Clubs who invest and succeed get rewarded.
Performance bonuses are hardly a radical concept, and yet make up only a small amount of remuneration in the A-League - in large part because the clubs have a salary cap to maintain, and accrue no extra money from being successful.
“It’s a valid point, and anything that can incentivise competitive games should be looked at,” said players’ association CEO John Didulica.
“Without relegation, there will be games without a broader interest as we see teams fall away from finals contention. Money is a great incentive in football.”
The opposition to such an idea would most likely come from the clubs, who after years of losses are desperate to strengthen their bottom line with a guaranteed greater share of income.
But this is the challenge for the clubs, as they plot a remodelled and independent A-League. Is it a closed pool or a genuine sporting competition with appropriate rewards?
The answer to that might tell us something about how the clubs see the future of the competition.
Socceroos hope to emulate famous win
The feeling the Socceroos had after their famous win over Japan at the 2006 FIFA World Cup is something national coach Tony Popovic wants his players to also experience in Saitama on Tuesday night.
Wanderers weighing up use of Mata
Western Sydney Wanderers are taking a ‘one game at a time’ approach with their star import.