Soccer: What ever happened to the A-League?

Remember the A-League? It used to look something like this.

Hello, is there anybody in there? The sign over the door says A-League, but there’s no answer. Knock, knock. Nothing.

Australian sport is starting to get back on its feet. The NRL has arrived, AFL starts on Thursday, Super Rugby might be battling massive financial problems but it’s still making moves to get back on the park next month. Even cricketers are back at training and planning for some action once the weather warms up.

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But the A-League has gone missing. Germany’s Bundesliga has been back in action for three weeks, English Premier League teams are back in training ahead of a resumption on June 18. No indication, however, of when the A-League will return, other than a vague suggestion from FFA chief executive James Johnson that the season will be concluded in a tournament-style hub from mid-July to mid-August.

Dates and a location remain unconfirmed. Apparently it’s all down to negotiations between A-League executives and Fox Sports, but no one is giving fans any information or anything to hope for.

Meanwhile, the talent is getting restless. The most recent post on the A-League website was on April 29 – more than a month ago. It’s an article indicating that Adelaide United has mutually parted ways with coach Gertjan Verbeek. He’s requested a release from his contract and is heading back to The Netherlands. And Melbourne Victory are on the hunt for their third coach this season after Carlos Salvachua confirmed last month he was heading back to Spain.

The lack of information about the future of the competition has A-League players desperate for some certainty. More than 100 of them are out of contract after their deals expired on May 31 and short-term extensions until the 2019-20 season can be completed have not yet been approved.

Delegates to the Professional Footballers Association, the players’ union, met last week and discussed – among other things – the need for clarity over contracts.

“We are concerned with current delays as players, particularly those whose contracts were up on May 31, need to know their futures so that they can make decisions around their lives, let alone their football careers,” PFA chief executive John Didulica said.

Meanwhile, soccer fans gaze enviously at other codes, where the action is resuming even if it is without spectators, and wonder when they will get a chance to barrack for their team again.

The Australian sporting landscape is a crowded place. We are the only nation in the world that gives mainstream support to four football codes. As the other codes return to action, unless soccer wakes up soon and stakes its claim to a corner of the market, it could easily slip through the cracks.

Knock, knock.