The next two decades of Australia’s football landscape were outlined on Tuesday in the FFA’s ‘Whole of Football’ report.
Building a 35 million strong footballing community, developing the next generation of Socceroos superstars and hosting a FIFA Women’s World Cup are among the goals that will redefine the status of the world game in our nation’s culture by 2035.
In the 10 years of the A-League, unexpected steps have been made that have seen this code ingrain itself into our daily lives, but there is another developing home of football in the our global region that may be further along the path. Long before the first ball was kicked in the modern Australian competition, football in the Asia Pacific was revolutionised by Japan, and the nation’s 100 year plan which brought the Rising Sun to the forefront of the sport.
Outside90 Senior Editor Hugh Schuitemaker takes a look at the key areas which have led to the drastic evolution in the Japanese game, and whether or not the FFA’s ‘Whole of Football’ strategy will be enough to bring the A-League up to the same standard.
The pressure of multiple divisions
Similarly to the Australian competition, in its early years the J-League faced a tough task in attracting new audiences, competing with another sport that had a far greater financial and historical advantage – this being baseball.
With media, merchandising and overall cultural market share, it was clear that a different approach must be taken to gain any ground in the minds of the public. Japanese baseball had become dominated by corporate interests which preferred stagnancy at the top, the team which wins the most becoming the most popular, and in turn making the largest profit.
Under the 100 year plan, the J-League shunned this notion and encouraged independent growth, with the only income a club can accept from a private company coming from advertising, rather than full ownership. Since 1993, the benefits of this move are already astonishing, with the J-League now encompassing three divisions and 50+ teams, each ultimately battling for a spot in the top flight.
One of the biggest logistical criticisms that can be made about our A-League is that mediocrity is somewhat rewarded by having 60% of teams compete in the finals series, while there is also little consequence for a sub-par campaign. The FFA Cup has been a step in the right direction to bringing some of the country’s amateur sides into the spotlight, however, the success of the inaugural tournament is just an initial indication of the potential depth that without a doubt must be brought to fruition in the future.
For the growth of the game and the on-field competitiveness that was seen this season to continue, as seen in Japan, it will become necessary for the A-League to add further divisions, keeping under-performers on their toes with the threat of relegation and allowing new teams the chance at unforgettable moments. However, this may not be seen for some time.
Youth development
Intentions were made clear by FFA that over the next 20 years, a system will be developed which will see the next group of Australian football talent completely cultivated on our turf and within our league. Ange Postecoglou’s choice of personnel for the Asian Cup certainly strengthened this case, yet it is something that has contributed to both the J-League’s and the Blue Samurai’s ascendancy.
There are already examples of young standouts that have become casualties due to moves overseas – imagine if Tom Rogic had stayed as a devastating hitman at Central Coast instead of leaving to see minimal game time with Celtic?
Each Japanese club is required to directly invest in under-18 and under-15 youth programs, all recruiting young players from their local cities. This not only grows the sport by increasing new participation among the existing sides, but the sense of community has also led to the demand of J-League teams in new markets, the opposite of FFA’s approach which has seen newly introduced teams find stable support only in pre-determined hotspots.
The Japanese have taken great leaps as a developing football nation since the turn of the millennium and, arguably, had it not been for the Socceroos’ Asian Cup triumph, they would still be considered the powerhouse of the region. The ‘Whole of Football’ strategy shows that there is finally some serious planning going on behind the game in Australia, yet there are lessons we can take from our close neighbours that can only help the cause of growing the A-League into a weekly household staple.
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