FFA not doing enough to promote the game at a crucial time for Australian football, writes Robbie Slater

IT seems whenever FFA are criticised, they batten down the hatches thinking it will all blow away. Well, it’s not going to work going to this time, writes ROBBIE SLATER.

The Socceroos are still coachless months out from the World Cup. (AAP Image/David Moir)

IT seems whenever FFA are criticised, they batten down the hatches thinking it will all blow away. Well, I don’t think it’s going to this time.

Speaking on Just For Kicks during the week I criticised FFA’s farcical search for a new national coach, as well as the lack of promotion for the A-League’s ‘Summer of Football Festival’.

The reaction to my comments has been overwhelming, from supporters of the game, to coaches and players, but the silence from FFA has been deafening.

People have had enough.

There’s been very little promotion of the A-League from day one of the competition, but what shocked me was that people didn’t even know there was midweek football on during the school holiday period.

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FFA CEO David Gallop and chairman Steven Lowy. AFP Photo / Peter Parks

It was a great concept, kids go free during the holidays, but no one knows about it because it hasn’t been promoted.

That’s FFA’s job; it can’t all be left to Fox Sports.

Then there’s this farcical — and I’m sticking to that description — pursuit of a national coach.

We’re apparently paying consultants to find candidates for the job, which I find ridiculous because it’s really a very simple process.

We have a technical director in Eric Abrams whose job it is, along with Luke Casserly, to appoint a national coach. If he’s not doing that, then what is he doing here?

Why do we have Gerard Houllier and Andy Roxburgh involved in the process? I can’t imagine what they could possibly bring to the table that people in this country can’t.

The Socceroos are still coachless months out from the World Cup. (AAP Image/David Moir)

I think everyone would like an explanation because time is running out. We’ve got games in March, but not even the Socceroos assistant coach Ante Milicic can check on the players because he’s currently with the U23’s in China for a month-long tournament.

I’ve heard a shortlist of six candidates will be announced next week, but I don’t know how it could have taken this long to come up with six names.
Just pick a coach — the World Cup is upon us.

There are so many other issues going on as well, like the issue of expansion which, I feel, is crucial to the future of our game. But no one from FFA is addressing it.

There’s also silence with regards to the salary cap, which many feel should be scrapped, as well as the lack of big name marquees. FFA is still resting on its laurels since Alessandro Del Piero, but that was a long time ago now.

Another issue is the need to lower the price for kids to play football at grassroots level. If your kid has some talent, you’re paying thousands of dollars to play and one of the reasons that gets on my nerves is because of the money that’s wasted by FFA.

We need to talk about these things, but it seems like everyone has fallen into a hole since the ugly clubs versus FFA dispute began.

It’s unfortunate these are the issues that consume our game at the moment because what we should be talking about is Sydney FC, one of the greatest A-League teams we’ve ever seen, or the incredible revival of the Newcastle Jets under Ernie Merrick.

But we’re not.

Originally published as FFA not doing enough to promote the game at a crucial time for Australian football, writes Robbie Slater