As we are now more than a week into 2016, many people have statistically already failed their New Year’s resolutions. But have the FFA set any resolutions that they are aiming to stick to?
The FFA, in 2016, have their work cut out for them.
With many issues from 2015 carrying over into the New Year, new chairman Steven Lowy has a big year ahead of him, as both the FFA and the A-League look to take the next step forward. But what exactly should the FFA be looking at knocking off their list first in 2016? The obvious issue that needs to be resolved is the future of the Wellington Phoenix. With the club having its application for a 10-year license rejected in October, the Phoenix and the FFA are now at a reported standstill in negotiations, as the Phoenix have the choice of signing back on for another four years or dropping out at the end of this current season.
With a potential Sutherland/Wollongong side rumored to be replacing the Phoenix should the license expire, the FFA need to sort this issue out sooner rather than later, not only for the good of the league but for the good of both the Phoenix as a professional club and the potential Sutherland side. Ideally, a decision regarding the future of the Phoenix would be made by the end of this month, but the issues surrounding the Phoenix is one that needs to be solved sooner rather than later.
Another issue the FFA must resolve is finding the Newcastle Jets a new owner. After the club’s well publicised issues with former owner Nathan Tinkler over the course of 2014 and 2015, the FFA is now propping up the Jets themselves, and this move is not only hurting the league but also the Jets as a club. With limited resources going their way, Newcastle are not able to reach their full potential as a team and finding a new owner would go a long way in helping the Jets make it on the field.
But it would also be a good thing for the FFA as the money currently spent helping the Jets could be better used elsewhere in the system, be it for marketing or bringing higher profile players to the country. While there were rumors of Dundee United chairman Steven Thompson buying the club last year, it is back on the market and the FFA must do everything they can to get a buyer in 2016.
One resolution that carries significance is that of negotiating a new TV deal for the A-League. Rumors suggest that David Gallop is looking to negotiate a new deal for the league after the A-League wraps up in May 2016 and this new deal would come into effect from the start of the 2017-18 season. But this TV deal is important for more than financial reasons. Any new TV deal would represent a road map for the FFA as to what they plan to do with the league over the next three to four years.
Another deal which stays on Foxtel with 10 teams could spell a huge mistake for the FFA and, like many critics are suggesting, the league almost needs to make a well timed jump to free to air in order to compete as a top league in this country. While 10 teams could be enough for the short-term, the FFA also need to look at expanding the league to include more sides, lest fans become tired of seeing the same matches week in, week out. The TV deal negotiations are a potential milestone and any mishandling at the hands of the FFA elite could spell disaster for the league’s future.
But if there is one thing the FFA should resolve to do, it should be a simple one: give more back to the fans.
2015 saw much of mainstream media turn on A-League fans, and with incidents like the president of the NSW Police Association calling Western Sydney Wanderers fans “grubs” as well as Alan Jones comparing A-League fans to ‘terrorists’, many fans grew sick of the treatment they have received from the FFA and the fact that they would not support them in spite of all this growing disdain. While the FFA have attempted to make things right, not only with a promise to implement an appeals system for fans but also by introducing a ‘kids go free’ promotion in January, they still have quite a way to go in order to fix the relationship.
In a year when all eyes will be on the FFA, Steven Lowy and his men now need to prove that they know what they are doing, and with these few resolutions, they can go a long way to securing the long term future of the league and ensure that the league remains a league worth watching.
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