Yes I do. An energy drink company. I don't know how but if people can support an energy drink as a team then I'm sure they'll support one that represents a demographic.
I stand corrected about Leichhardt Oval. Misleading name. Anyway, like I said. The HAL club licences won't expire until 2034 (when I'm 41 years old, scary thought) so there's not really any point to talk about it now since it absolutely won't happen anytime soon. The main objective HAL has right now is to expand the league and develop the sport, while NPL should take a leaf out of South Melbourne's book and try to become a fully professional club. Maybe they'll join the HAL, maybe not.
They are the most hated club in Germany... Stand against pretty much everything the system stands for and are openly flaunting the Bundesliga's rules that on 50+1 and corporate ownership.. However, they are the only club in East Germany in the Bundesliga, so they have a fairly large area to draw from.
If that's the root that the FFA want to take for the mean time.. I don't necessarily agree but they should at least allow clubs that meet all the criteria to join the A-league. E.g. South Melbourne.
I'm well aware of their situation. But there are plenty of other clubs in the East. Where have these fans come from? All I'm saying is, if fans can jump on the bandwagon that much in Germany, it can happen in Australia. Give a successful club from the current NPL a chance in the A-league and people will come. Even the A-league franchises that started from nothing - people jumped onto the bandwagon. Sydney FC, WSW, MV, MC, CCM, BR, etc.
Do they meet them? Criteria have yet to be published for this expansion but when the A League was set up they didn't meet the criteria at the time.
My criteria - are they better than some of a clubs in the A-league? Yes. How could they not meet the criteria if there has been no criteria? The only thing keeping them out is the FFA's reluctance to appreciate anything ethnic. Is anyone here really sure that a club like Wellington or Central Coast is better than South Melbourne?
How can this be, when no NPL team has won an FFA Cup? This criteria is coming out in February. They don't want another Gold Coast United or NQ Fury situation so they're being very careful about it and not expanding for the sake of expansion. If FFA feels that South Melbourne satisfies the criteria and is fit to join the HAL, then so be it. If not, better luck next time. I will admit they've worked hard to become a neutral club who happens to have an ethnic origin, but clearly there are people who still see them as merely an ex-NSL Greek-backed club. If we're talking ex-NSL clubs, then I'm all for bringing in Wollongong Wolves and Brisbane Strikers.
I'm talking from an organizational point of view. You wouldn't expect many clubs in the second tier to be better than clubs in the top tier on the pitch anywhere in the world. However, did we not see a few NPL clubs beat A-league clubs in these seasons FFA Cup? It's well known that the FFA was a major reason why the Gold Coast and North Qld clubs failed. They rushed in order to support their bid for World Cup. Is it the fault of the people of the Gold Coast that the FFA gave the license to a maniac? Who cares what background formed South Melbourne.. there are plenty of examples of clubs all over the world that were formed by migrants. Plenty of teams all over Europe that were formed by the English.
They're proof that money is the most important thing. They've got more than just about anyone other than middle eastern oil moguls at this point and they're putting successful teams on the field in multiple countries. Leipzig is bringing in more fans because they've been dumping money into the process from day 1. They've climbed 5 levels in 7 years due to being able to outspend everyone on their way to the top. The financial backing is at least as important as the league being played in for them.
Money. They've come from owners who could outspend people while flying up the league rungs. They're the only team other than Berlin in the East.
Money means nothing if not used wisely. They are successful.. that's why people attend games. If NPL clubs were given the same opportunities, crowds would increase for them as well. That's my whole point.
Leipzig had a Bundesliga level player when they were down at the 5th rung. They had that player because they've had more money to spend from day 1. They dominated at every level, they're the only big club in East Germany other than Hertha Berlin, and they attracted a sizable bandwagon because of it. The bought the naming rights to, and played in, a stadium with a capacity of 42,959 almost from day 1 (they didn't play there until year 2). They might literally be the exact opposite of what you're advocating for.
It would have all meant nothing if there was no promotion and relegation in Germany. RB wouldn't have invested. Similarities with Australia - there are plenty of regions that don't have teams such as Tasmania, Canberra, Wollongong, North Qld. Why would clubs in these areas spend when they can't get promoted? If they are allowed into the A-league, people will attend, especially if they are organized properly. Money will flow in from sponsors. They didn't exist 5-6 years ago.. so had zero fans. So if a team can go from zero to 40,000 in that amount of time, is it not possible for a similar scenario to happen in Australia? Every club in Australia's top flight, past and present, has proven that it is possible.
Yawn. How well is this type of mentality going for the aleague with 9 out of 10 (90%) of clubs losing money and 4 of them going bust. Sent from my LG-H850 using Tapatalk
Yes, and none went on to the grand final. The FFA Cup, though, is proof that there is plenty of talented players in the NPL who are fit to play in the HAL (Danny Choi springs to mind) but there isn't enough room for everyone. Expansion of the HAL will be sure to bring in more NPL players into the HAL. Increase of the salary cap will also entice those whose day jobs are currently paying more than the HAL minimum wage. Actually, I'm pretty sure they failed because the main financial backers (Clive Palmer for GCU) pulled out and so the teams no longer had the funds to keep going. Again, can't really compare to Europe. Which other league has most of the teams backed by people of different backgrounds and were mainly supported by people of those particular backgrounds?
The question is how could they meet the criteria if there is no criteria. When you were making definite statements I thought that maybe you may have some inside knowledge of what the criteria will be, but I guess you were just voicing a couple of opinions. I think the clubs ethnic base will still be a hurdle for them to overcome. My own view is that we shouldn't have ethnic clubs in the A League. Its too narrow a supporter base and doesn't give much scope for the future.
Ofcourse none of gone to the final. The best players play in the A-league, not NPL. Not sure what point you are trying to prove? Most cup finals in the world only feature clubs from the top flights. Very rare that a team outside the top flight actually wins the cup. Who gave Clive Palmer the license? FFA made a massive error in judgment which is not uncommon for them. The MLS has clubs backed mostly by Latinos. Chivas USA?
I thought the same thing for a long time but I've realised that football should be about survival of the fittest and if an 'ethnic' team is better than some of our current A-league clubs, then so be it. It will only be better for our league and national team if we have the best possible teams in the top flight. Introducing promotion/ relegation and removing the salary cap will result in our drastic improve in our development as a football nation in Asia and the world.
Have you seen the local clubs. South melbourne as an example is full of Africans lol. Same with Heidelberg. Sent from my LG-H850 using Tapatalk
How can this be, when there are NPL clubs better than some of the HAL clubs as you claim? Chivas USA was the only ethnic club in MLS, and where is that team now? Gone. They thought they could attract the Guadalajara-supporting Mexican-American community of LA (which as you know, is yuge) and it would be enough, but by doing so they excluded everybody else. They learnt their lesson and are introducing a brand new LA team (LAFC) in 2018.
I didn't realise the Chivas were gone. In terms of NPL clubs, some are better organized but they won't attract the best players cause it's the second tier. Logical. I think South Melbourne would do a better job in the A-league than the Central Coast.