Former Socceroo Zeljko Kalac says potential cancellation of NPL season would be ‘catastrophic’
Amid confusion over when the NSW Government will allow senior grassroots sports to go ahead, this year's NPL season is in danger of being abandoned, a step that has been labelled in some quarters as ‘catastrophic’.
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Former Socceroo Zeljko Kalac has warned that the likely cancellation of this year’s NPL season will be “catastrophic” for a generation of youth players, as the odds lengthen on any sort of a league competition going ahead.
With a number of the NPL clubs in NSW unwilling to play even a truncated season due to the lack of gate receipts and sponsorships, Kalac said the economics of the competition had to be challenged if it means players aged 18 to 21 missing a year of football.
But amid confusion over when the NSW Government will allow senior grassroots sports to go ahead, APIA Leichhardt chairman Jim Apostolovski said it made “no sense at all” to try to go ahead with trying to finish this season.
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The NPL1 season looks certain to be cancelled and Football NSW is in talks with the clubs about some form of cup competition once the government gives the green light.
That should be the bare minimum, said Kalac in his role as head coach of Sydney United.
“We’re at a stalemate, there are clubs like us who want to play and clubs who don’t,” he said.
“But in my view, for there not to be a competition this year would be suicidal.
“There has to be a solution otherwise it will be catastrophic for the kids around Australia. Those kids aged 18 to 21 need game time if they are to have the chance of pushing into the A-League.
“Otherwise our league is going to get canned this year because some clubs are paying players who are past their use-by date $1700 a week.
“I hope this gives the clubs a wake-up call about what they’re paying. Everyone wants to win the league but at what cost?”
Football NSW CEO Stuart Hodge said the situation was not helped by the lack of a timeline from government on senior sport resumption.
“There are a number of models that we have developed that are being canvassed with the (NPL) clubs,” he said.
“We welcome the positive news for over 200,000 junior football players that they can resume playing in 1 July, however we are concerned that there is a lack of clarity for over 80,000 senior men and women that play the game across the state including NPL.”
With a restart now unlikely before late August at the earliest, Apostolovski said the clubs simply could not afford to carry the economic cost.
“There’s so many obstacles,” he said.
“We won’t be able to use the dressing rooms, and with no crowds, how will we pay the referees?
“Will someone like Chris Payne, our striker, drive down from the Central Coast three times a week for training just for petrol money?
“These guys are semi-professionals and it’s their income. Of course we all want to play but as a club we estimate we’ve lost $250,000 in sponsorship already.
“For clubs it makes no sense to play this season, common sense has to come into it.”