Only way is up for A-League

The newly independent A-League begins on Friday with big-style marquees placed on the backburner.

New Western United players Joshua Cavallo, Alessandro Diamanti and Panagiotis Kone at the A-League season launch. Picture: Getty Images

Last season was meant to be the A-League’s most important to date — at least then Usain Bolt and Sam Kerr made for a pleasant distraction.

Turns out this one might be even more critical.

This time there’s no Jamaican-sprint-king-turned-average-park-footballer nor global Matildas star to divert attention from rancid ratings and general malaise.

Despite everything, there was a collective sentiment at Tuesday’s official launch in Sydney that the only way was up.

The house wasn’t quite set on fire, as the soundtrack to the league’s slick new promotional ad suggested, but sparks did fly from the upper edges of a hologrammed tunnel, down which kitted-up players and mascot children strode.

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Greg O’Rourke, who now has control of the marketing budget three years after his tenure began, oversaw the A-League-players-cum-comic-book-heroes theme of the ad that’s started airing on Fox Sports. Better late than never.

With the view to specifically target younger fans, O’Rourke requested the opinions not of the club owners and officials, but those of their kids.

And if the beaming 10-year-old standing on stage in front of ex-Italy international Alessandro Diamanti was anything to go on, it’s worked — or it could have been his close proximity to new franchise Western United’s genuine golden oldie.

Both are effectively the right answer based on the clubs’ independent A-League blueprint that’s all about improving the product then promoting it properly.

Big-style marquees are on the backburner for now, and the coming weeks will indicate whether or not that is a mistake, or whether imports such as Panagiotis Kone, Alex Meier and Ola Toivonen can become cult heroes in their place.

Unquestionably good news is Western Sydney’s long-awaited move back to Parramatta this Saturday, when Bankwest Stadium will host a visit from Central Coast Mariners — and, hopefully, a heaving Red and Black Bloc.

As is the new two-year free-to-air deal with the ABC, which will broadcast on its primary channel 29 live Saturday matches in partnership with Fox Sports, along with the W-League.

Unlike last year, this launch did not run in conjunction with the W-League given it’s been pushed back until mid-November to better cater for the US NWSL season.

And there’s no guarantee a sought-after Kerr will return yet again to Perth Glory.

In A-League terms the 15th edition was supposed to be one of transition, the campaign to iron out the competition’s split from Football Federation Australia.

And as the coffee and croissants continued in earnest, in slipped a man some weren’t expecting to see.

Outgoing FFA chief executive David Gallop reportedly hadn’t initially planned to attend, reasoning his seven years running the competition has essentially already ended.

But he sidled in just in time for formal proceedings and was nowhere to be seen by the time they had finished.

Central Coast chief executive Shaun Mielekamp milled about with the relaxed demeanour of a man who, unlike last year, was not fielding incessant questions about Bolt’s A-League contract hopes and undoubtedly fathoming how to make the circus move on.

Instead he could delight in the signing of 18-year-old gem Sam Silvera, ahead of a season where, for the first time in three years, they may not finish last.

Practically everybody tipped poor Wellington for the wooden spoon except for Wellington.

“It’s the same as last year, to be fair — that was one of the first questions put to me,” said the Phoenix’s English import Steven Taylor. “It’ll all be told on the pitch.”

And off it, if the league is to thrive.

The Daily Telegraph