Aussie soccer is a bit ropey !!!

[Ian***]

I haven't seen much Aussie soccer but thanks to Sky Sports(God Bless Rupert Murdoch we owe so much to him for the excellent sports coverage in England),I have been able to see some.The standard doesn't appear to be any higher than the English Conference but I'm sure it will improve.For some reason probably the low standard Sky have dropped the coverage of Aussie Soccer in England are you having similar problems with tv coverage in Australia ?
http://soccer.5er.com

[psh03]

At the moment seven owns the right to Australian soccer in Australia. When they lost the AFL right they disbanded their pay tv arm which was the only real place to watch australian soccer. Last season on free to air tv they showed one game per week at around midnight. Seven has no interest in broadcasting soccer in Australia unless Harry Kewell or Mark Viduka are involved.

As for the quality of the games you are probably right. There is no money in the Australian league which forces most of the better australian players overseas to try their luck in Europe. It is a shame when english division three football is more appealing than our local league. There are some very good players here though and living in Wollongong for the past few seasons (maybe not so much last season though) we have seen some excellent football.

[psh03]

Just read in the paper Greg Sharland has just signed for Charlton Athletic. This is the reason the NSL is strugling. Sharland is only 19 and was hardly a standout performer for the wolves last season and was not a regular starter. But instead of staying in Australia and playing football regularly, young players are going overseas too early. Jay Lucas left when he was 16 and had only played a handful of games. Following Brett Emerton and Lindsay Wilsons example of making a name for themselves in Australia first before heading to Europe is a better option for all concerned. The european clubs get a more polished player if they wait an extra couple of years and the players will benefit from regular first team experience and less pressure to become the "next Harry Kewell". Australian clubs get screwed by these deals. I thought FIFA was going to put a stop to international transfers of young players?

[Looney]

If you don't have pay TV in Australia, the league is reduced to an hour highlights at midnight friday nights, so you can guess what football's like here.

FIFA's new rules would only really come into effect a few years after implementation when the contracts signed after the changeover deadline starts expiring, so they can poach any players they want now. Australian clubs aren't very long-term looking, they want money now and forgo all the potential for championships and world club cup appearances (if it comes back). That has to change, clubs rarely build for the future here.

[Ian***]

Although it doesn't help the standard of the home competition at the present time. One advantage of your better players earning their living overseas is that they both train and play at a higher standard.This should improve the quality of the National side which ought to encourage more youngsters to take an interest in soccer.
Soccer in Australia clearer suffers the problems that others sports suffer elsewhere that are overshadowed by soccer.For example Rugby League can make little headway in London because of the dominance of the National game,soccer,in the Capital.
I'm sure soccer will strengthen in Australia in time just as it will in the USA.
http://soccer.5er.com
http://rugby13.5er.com

[psh03]

There is no doubt having our best players playing in Europes best leagues is important. Interest in the Premier League in Australia has skyrocketted thanks to Harry Kewell and Mark Viduka's success and this has boosted interest in soccer in general in Australia. What I don't like though is that players are leaving Australia to play English third division and the like. If playing in that level of competition is seen as more professional and prestigious than our own NSL than it is a sad reflection on our league.

[Ian***]

Some Countries have players playing lower that the third division.Check out the Ryman Premier Division.
http://get-me.to/Harrowboroughfc

[Looney]

Players just don't see any future playing in NSL, they see the 3rd Division as a springboard to the Premiership (they're sportsppl, they're not very bright...) The World Club Championship would've been good for the NSL, players can shine there and it's more likely to make it there with a NSL club than an english 3rd division side.

[psh03]

I agree totally. The WCC was the best thing that happened to soccer's developing nations in years

[Looney]

Too bad it's been postponed and all. I remember the WCC, South Melbourne didn't do too bad, fact that they lost to Man U only 2-0 shows that Australian clubs aren't that bad, even if Man U's commitment in the match was questionable.

[psh03]

Yeah I was so disappointed when it was cancelled because my wolves were the ones that missed out. They could on their day have given any team a run for it's money.

I think they'll have a hard time getting it going again. The top Euro clubs are already complaining about fixture overload and see the WCC as a second rate champions league. FIFA i doubt have the guts to go against them.

[Looney]

I would've loved to see Wolves against Boca or something like that. Now only is it good for exposure it's good for the NSL clubs to experience different styles and also have some competition, if some domestic players play against top opposition every year or two they'd be better prepared for WC qualifiers.

[psh03]

Definitely the competition both helped the players experience a different level of competition but also gave them something to work toward. If winning the NSL championship means at the end of the year you could be playing in the Maracana or San Siro against teams like Milan or Madrid then suddenly a career in the NSL becomes more appealing than Europes lower leagues.

Coming back to this same topic, we have to get involved in this Asian Champions League which is supposed to be starting up. If NSL and MLS teams played with J and K league sides it could be a good competition. There are African and South American club competitions. We are missing out!

[Looney]

But if we join the Asian Champs League do we still get the Oceania place in the WCC (should it return)?

[psh03]

I don't know but there is no real reason why we should not compete in both. I think the Asian champions League would be better because it is more than a one off tornament and a real test of how our league compares to those of other developing football nations such as Korea and Japan.

I haven't heard anything concrete about the Asian Champions League since they first started talking about it but with the success of Asian teams it should be easier to get off the ground.

[Looney]

It's now or never for the Asian confed to get the ACL off the ground and now or never for Australia/Oceania to get a place in it. The cash in these competitions may even spark some decent transfer activities in Australia......

[psh03]

Or at least keep teams solvent. Last season, the sharks paid 100,000 for Ante Milicic (i know it spelt wrong) and now the club is in financial crisis.

[Looney]

The reigning champions could go bankrupt, that's the state NSL is in. It's a disgrace.

[psh03]

I thought the Sharks would have been one of the more secure teams. They'd have made some money selling Wilson and Emerton to Dutch clubs. The move to Sutherland seemed like a good idea too. They are not the only team struggling though. Wolves won it the previous two years before the Sharks and now we only have a few of that original team left. The assistant manager was forced to quit because his contract would only be renewed if he took an 80% pay cut. What is it that Perth are doing to attract those crowds and what did Spirit do to lose them?

[Looney]

Has to be better TV deals and more money in the league or else we'll have reigning champions go bankrupt every year......

Spirit's a new club and the fans were probably newly converted and they left after the club didn't produce decent results despite getting a bunch of big names.

And Glory, it's Perth, what else have they got to do? Support the Eagles and Fremantle? :D

[psh03]

Newcastle was also starting to get some good crowds last season. I thought Parramatta would have drawn some good crowds but their figures are some of the worst in the league.

Which NSL team do you support?

[Looney]

I used to support Parramatta, but then I moved too far away from Parra to support them, plus I don't even get decent tv coverage of any team playing! Last match I went to at Parra Stadium the ground was nearly empty, I don't even remember who the Power was playing against, too busy trying to get the crowd up!

[psh03]

They should hopefully do well this season. Theo is a good coach who unearthed some good players for the Wolves when he was here. They still have the leagues club backing them don't they? so it is a pretty professional setup. Unfortunately the crowds have come which means they might loose their backing unless the league is relaunched next season. I met some Parra fans when they travelled down but they were the rare hardcore types who go to state league games and as many away games as they can physically make.

Parramatta is a good stadium but when it is empty you really feel it. At the grand final, which was farcically moved up there, most of the South Melbourne side of the ground was empty (understandably) and it really lacked the atmosphere you saw of the grand finals played in Perth on TV.

[Looney]

I don't really like Perth Glory's stadium to be honest, it's an oval and the crowd looks too far away on TV.

Parra stadium when filled is loud and cool. But when it's empty it looks and sounds ridiculous.

[psh03]

I agree oval stadiums are terrible to watch games in. That is why I hate going to Stadium Australia. If Perth maintains its crowd levels it would justify the development of a new purpose built stadium. Even a 30,000 seater would be enough for the regular season at least.

Parra stadium is excellent when it's full as is WIN. It was a misguided move by SA to move the grand final to Parra because it created two sets of away fans. And even with the bandwagon effect of a grandfinal, soccer isn't popular enough in Aus to encourage people to travel over an hour to watch the games, grandfinals included. A bumper crowd at WIN in hindsight would have had higher attendences. It's ironic that now we have the capacity to hold the final, the team is almost completly broken up and struggling to stay afloat. This new team looks very promising though and some veterans like Young are still here.

[psh03]

Sharks signed Joel Porter. Weren't they almost bankrupt? That will help them defend their title.

[Looney]

I don't see what's so bad about hosting the grand final in Wollongong. It would've been good for publicity in that region and all. SA should try to get one region at a time and not the whole of Sydney in a year they couldn't have cared less.

[psh03]

They claimed the reason was that it had to be played in a capital city. They would have made an exception for sure in Newcastle but capacity was not high enough. In the end it backfired because they got less than 15 000. The thing that annoyed me was that the team earned it and were robbed of playing in front of a home crowd.

[Looney]

I know, if they wanted a neutral ground bring back the NSL cup can play it somewher but this is the grand final, one team earned its right to play at home over a season and they were denied because they weren't from a big city. How are all the regional fans going to think?

[psh03]

At least we still have a team. Canberra don't even have one. Nor does Hobart. At the moment they are planning or may have already begun the enquiry into Australian soccer. Hopefully some of these issues will be addressed so they won't be repeated in the future.

[Looney]

I bet SA wouldn't have allowed the grand final to be hosted in Canberra if they ever made it.......

[psh03]

I disagree because Canberra is fairly large by Australian standards and Bruce Stadium is one of the better stadiums in Australia.

[Looney]

Maybe, but the way SA seem to be going, they'd want all grand finals to be hosted in Perth or Newcastle or Parramatta.....

[psh03]

I think they are certainly hoping the glory win the minor premiership again. It will be pretty hard to bet against them. Sharks may do well though.... It is so difficult to predict though because the turnover for an NSL team is like three years. You never know who'll be playing and for whom until the season starts.

[Looney]

Perth is probably a disappointment for SA, runners-up and all. SA probably has this notion that Perth fans will tired of Perth's underacheivments and quit. I hope the Sydney teams finally do well, that would generate more support in NSW and all.

[psh03]

Are you predicting another Northern Spirit out west? I hope not.

Sydney teams are a disappiontment although the Sharks seem to be the exception. Did you see their Japanese winger last season? He was without a doubt the most fun player to watch in the league. Trained in Brazil and always looking to beat players one-on-one. I had a bit of a soft spot for Marconi last season. Costanzo is a brilliant defender, probably Australia's best. I hope Spirit do well aswell and draw out all those supporters who disappeared. Certainly for a city of Sydney's size and with 5 different clubs to support, attendances should be higher.

[Looney]

Mate I didn't get to watch squat last season 'cause of the lousy NSL screening times. The only match I saw fully was the grand final!

I hope Northern Spirit revives its fortunes, maybe a relocation to another part of Sydney?

[psh03]

I only saw him once on TV and once at a game. He didn't always start because he plays the same position as Lindsay Wilson.

Northern Spirit isn't the team I think needs to relocate. Sydney United and Marconi both play in the south west dont they? Parramatta isn't far from there either. One of those teams may benefit moving into the cith proper or maybe Cambeltown?

[Looney]

Well any team moving to the Hills area would be nice, closest team we have is Parramatta and the ppl don't like us ever since we got a bigger shopping centre IMO. too bad we don't have a big stadium to support a team, otherwise I'd support a team in this area anyday.

[psh03]

They are jealous of your shopping centre? How sad. How do they recognise your from the Hills area? The extra fingers?
Do you mean around Baulkam Hills, North Rocks etc? That's not too far from Parramatta is it?
You don't really need a big stadium to have a team (especially for an Australian soccer team) what you need is some soccer mad businessman with more dollars than sense to pay for it. What you need is an aussie Berlusconi.

[Looney]

we're generally better dressed than them..... and they're usually stoned..... and yeah I mean like Baulkham Hills and stuff, it's 10 minutes from Parra but no one ventures down there much anymore.

It's not that we don't have a big stadium, it's that we don't have a stadium...... the nearest one is Parra stadium and all..... tho we could probably get John Howard to back us financially since his electorate is just next door.

[psh03]

Its a general rule of thumb that you don't get money spent on you unless you are a swinging seat. And 10 minutes is not really that far at all. When you consider most other countries are lucky to have more than one team in any city you guys are fairly lucky in Sydney. I hope the reforms they put in place don't turn the NSL into an elitist 6 team league like the rugby. I like that inter-city rivalry. All the best leagues have it.

[Looney]

it's 10 minutes drive...... but an hour's bus on match day! :(

I like Parramatta the place and the team, but the people aren't so nice anymore. Tho we can't really decide who the crosstown rivals are.......

[bro09]

1st of all i wanna say how great it is to finally find some more people who are talking bout soccer in australia. As great as it is having the viduka's and kewells in the epl. it is generating a huge interest in soccer. but mostly in the epl. ch 7 are trying to get rid of all the nsl season matches except the finals which will mean the only way people can see the nsl is if you get pay tv and thats if fox wants it. ch 7 won't even release highlites to the world game tv show on sbs who in my mind would do a great job with the nsl rights except for people seing them as a foreighn kinda channel.

[Looney]

7 wanted money from SBS to show highlights of matches 7 doesn't want to show. :mad:

[Aussie-Bosanac]

i'm gonna make a big call now, some people might get upset but hey it's my opinion.

I think that Sydney has way too many teams and therefore there isn't much interest in any of them. I think that Sydney United and Marconi should merge and create a team that is a western force to be reckoned with. Olympic Sharks did a great thing by moving to Cronulla, they just gotta promote the game a bit more to tap into that sport mad Sutherland youth. If they do things right they can get the Sharkies legion of fans on their side coz the NSL is played on the NRL off season. The same goes for my Parra, they need to stop creating that drift between the league and the soccer club and unite. I think Parra should at least have 7-8 thousand ppl at their matches regulary. Northern Spirit is a true dissapointment. We all saw the crowds they pulled in their first season (regulary over 10 000), where are those people gone? They lost interest becasue of their bad performances and lacklusture commitment by the club officials. They need to lift their game and give Perth a run for their money in attendance rankings.

come on SA, do something already!!!!!!!!!!!

[psh03]

In some ways I agree with you. It is hard to call it a national league when there are no teams in Canberra, Darwin or Hobart but 5 or 6 in Sydney. Having said that though, the Rugby League thrives with several teams based in Sydney as does the AFL with several Melbourne teams. I am unsure if cutting club numbers will see those supports all move to other clubs. Olympic's move was a great one which changed the clubs focus from a Greek club to a Sutherland Club which should hopefully ensure greater and more long lasting support. But an United-Marconi merger may not be popular with fans and maybe a move to the centre of Sydney or Cambeltown may spread them out better throughout the city.

Hopefully the new task force will address some of these issues.

[bro09]

perth promtes the game way more then most clubs do! they go out heaps and have training setions with the kids on off season and they even had a competition with malasion clubs. they get real good crowds and even the town is behind them. but the bad thing is. i fell the 1st time they dont make the finals they will lose their crowds unless they have been in them for 40 years and people see soccer as a way of life.

the sharks did a great job the 1st home game. they had fire works. a bbq. talk with players after the game. do anyone know the crowd number for that game? the 1 they won 3-0 i think.

[Looney]

In the end, there just isn't enough stars in the NSL. The 5 Sydney clubs don't have too many household names. Anyone who makes a name for themselves flies off to England to play for Yeovil or something.

[bro09]

thats why im glad to have porter stay a year more! people should look at emerton. you better off being sought out by clubs then running of at shitty pay and crap leagues like the 4th division!

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