Aleague claim equal $$$

[Cheezel]

As I said the A-League has done great thus far. But all this chest beating takes me back to Basketball in Australia.....the next big thing :lol: Look at it now....It will be lucky to last another couple of seasons.

I hope the A-League don't get ahead of themselves. Australia has got to be one of the most competitive sporting markets in the world. The A-League should focus on making sure the current clubs turn a profit before letting more in. If one goes under it will be pretty bad publicity and might start a domino effect like in the Basketball League

 

[dallymessenger]

excellent example re basketball.

RU too in 2003.

soccer is going about it smarter than those 2.

i hope soccer does well cause they are killing off union and helping get our grounds get upgraded.

 

[fish eel]

is the newcastle salary cap flexible according to their league position.

they are close to breaking even after winning the thing, when they come at the lower end of the table, do you mean their SC goes down as well?

Umm, no, I took your statement to imply they would dominate the league. The salary cap will ensure they cant

sydney FC had $10 million or so in the bank when it was set up, apparently half is gone.

you cant keep losing $1 or $2 million a year for a long time.

they wont.

parramatta LC lost $10 million on soccer.

the perth glory have failed before and they had big crowds.

Completely irrelevant, that money was lost under the old soccer regimes when there was no TV at all for the NSL and the national side played once every four years. Different era. The game had no income, and both those clubs pumped millions into professional teams without any hope of getting any of it back.

with the bandwagon going now and clubs still losing lots of money, what happens when the sport struggles a bit

There will always be a world cup just around the corner, and the bandwagon isnt going anywhere. The game has found it's niche, is well run, and being in summer compliments the winter codes IMO.

excellent example re basketball.

big difference is that the governing body can link the tv deal for the a-league to the deal for the national team, thereby getting a bigger deal to fund the league, which is what they did.

 

[dallymessenger]

NBL?

guess what the N stands for.

soccer is well run, but lets see after 5 years.

its failed a number of times before. if it manages itself well it can become a sustainable sport. its miles off that now and could easily fail

 

[fish eel]

NBL?

guess what the N stands for.

soccer is well run, but lets see after 5 years.

its failed a number of times before. if it manages itself well it can become a sustainable sport. its miles off that now and could easily fail

It has failed before, yes. But unlike previous regimes, we are in Asia. I honestly think people who don't follow the sport understand just how important that factor is.

 

[j0nesy]

Australian soccer is administered by a highly successful business man, Australian rugby league is controlled by a News Limited solicitor. Wake up rugby league, I hate watching the sport that I grew up with, love and adore commit Hari Kari.

 

[Day of Rockening]

Yes, and they budgeted for that given high start up costs



It has a healthy, big dollar TV deal. Free to air is the missing part, but that will come



It's ahead of Union.....



Dominated in each state by every code? How does that work, when 1. it is played in a different season to the other codes and 2. not every code has a presence in every state, unlike the A-League?



Who said it will or needs to? Nobody with a clue.

Thankyou for your level headed post.

It makes me laugh that on forums such as this we DONT KNOW at all who the hell is posting.

For instance, the guy you posted your reply to, sounds like he really needs to adjust what his definition of success and failure is.

What other hangups does he have in his life, and what do they force him to do?

Unlike you, my friend, who sounds level headed and a breath of fresh air.

Just who says that rugby league is failing/dying?

Why are they saying it?

I think personally league is going ok, not great but ok. And its popular and people like it generally, and yes, it could be better, but lets just enjoy it when we watch it.

As for the A league, same to them, but they are no where near rl levels yet....this was just a boast from the paper, and a likely one, because they write that league is taking a beating, and want people to believe that the A League is on par with a on-its-knees rugby league.

Now you guys who are success-fearful, and failure-scared, relax.

Stop comparing d.ik sizes, and enjoy the games. Here there is no need to vent, this type of sh!t does not matter.

Sounds like a contra thing here, and because they part own league, they can get away with this. But apart from taking hit from "dad", and made to look bad for all of a few seconds, this is nothing to worry about in reality and on face value either.

 

[fish eel]

Thankyou for your level headed post.

It makes me laugh that on forums such as this we DONT KNOW at all who the hell is posting.

For instance, the guy you posted your reply to, sounds like he really needs to adjust what his definition of success and failure is.

What other hangups does he have in his life, and what do they force him to do?

Unlike you, my friend, who sounds level headed and a breath of fresh air.

You mustn't read the eels section then :lol:

Just who says that rugby league is failing/dying?

Why are they saying it?

I think personally league is going ok, not great but ok. And its popular and people like it generally, and yes, it could be better, but lets just enjoy it when we watch it.

All the negative talk becomes a self fullfilling prophecy IMO. And my club's CEO is one of the main culprits.

 

[Day of Rockening]

You mustn't read the eels section then :lol:




All the negative talk becomes a self fullfilling prophecy IMO. And my club's CEO is one of the main culprits.

hmmm, thinking positively is not enough usually, though it does help a LOT.

it ends up getting to the point where if rl does not have a team in perth or on the central coast right now!! or better yet, yesterday!, then people get upset and enjoy league less.

People have got to enjoy the games...

and in saying that, it is a major concern that news ltd allowed a league to say such a thing. people get very suspicious of that company. and i find myself having less and less time for them - due to stories like this. they seem to care little for disguising their conflicts of interest.

i wish talk would go back to rule changes, etc, reforms, to make league a better and more exciting game.

 

[fish eel]

Thinking positive is one thing - talking the game down another.

If you say something is broke enough, pretty soon people will believe you.

 

[Day of Rockening]

Thinking positive is one thing - talking the game down another.

If you say something is broke enough, pretty soon people will believe you.

oh yes i agree you.

especially when it comes from a 'reputable' source.

i much prefer the fairfax style of reporting.

 

[VictoryFC]

Yep great news for the A-League, bright future ahead

 

[vlad]

http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,23545880-23215,00.html

Football 'worth more than league'

By David Davutovic
April 16, 2008 THE battle of Australia's football codes is not consigned to western Sydney, with football's TV rights tipped to rival that of the AFL when a new deal is nutted out in 2013.

Leading media buyer and analyst Harold Mitchell claims that football's deal may surpass the NRL's $500 million deal and rub shoulders with the AFL.
Mitchell, the man who advised the AFL when it signed the unprecedented $780 million TV deal, predicted that Football Federation Australia's bargaining power would top the $100 million-a-year mark by the time the rights are up for renewal.

"The soccer rights should be a $100 million-a-year sport by 2013," Mitchell said. "It could be equal to the AFL by then if it is properly presented.
"No doubt it could surpass the NRL. The reason is it can grow into all the states, southern and western. Where the NRL is very strong in New South Wales and Queensland, soccer can grow into new areas more easily and readily. Also what's developing is that mums want their kids to play soccer.

"They don't like thuggery so it's perfectly positioned as a family sport. It's minimal contact. It's of high appeal and it is a fast-moving game for TV. Plus it's short."

His argument is supported by the Professional Footballers Association, whose research indicates that football's TV rights - the A-League and Australia matches packaged together - will eventually surpass those of the NRL.

PFA chief executive Brendan Schwab, a former vice-president of AFL club Richmond, believes the TV rights will be lucrative if A-League teams are introduced in western Sydney, Melbourne and the Gold Coast before the next deal.

"The question is when, not if," Schwab said in reference to surpassing the NRL's TV rights.

"We may not be No1, but the key is being the No.2 sport in every Australian market.

"The Socceroos can be the No.1 national team in Australia, with a regular audience of one million and up to 3.5 million for big games.

"Packaged together, these media rights can provide a commercial platform that will sit only behind the AFL in the medium to long term."

Football's current seven-year, $130 million deal with Fox Sports was lucrative at the time it was signed - after just one A-League season.

But it was also signed on the eve of the 2006 World Cup, and Mitchell said the rights even now would be worth considerably more.

In football's favour is the fact that FFA chief executive Ben Buckley was the man who brokered the AFL's $780 million deal.


------------------

 

[Ant]

I firstly think league seems to live on negative publicity. Constantly we are going downhill, under threat, dying. We have been ever since super league, every year the dooms day types trot out their same speech.

Yet our tv ratings continue to be massive and have not waned. You have two weeks early in the year that average below the 2007 average and someone writes a story about falling nrl ratings.
The NRL is going strong in its key indicators. However there are other pressures on clubs like poker machine tax etc.

We all know the NRL TV deal is undervalued in comparison with the AFL deal. That is not going to change, but the a-league is in the same boat.

Some possible facts and figures to counter the negativity.
League crowds have never been and I doubt never will match afl crowds. But to put a slightly positive spin the afl do have a very good set up when it comes to getting great crowds. They play virtually all their matches in melbourne at 2 central easy to access venues. 63% of their total crowds this year have been at those 2 venues.

AFL crowds in the home an away have grown by about 2 million in the last 15 years. Much of this from the vast improvements in the northern markets where prior to the mid 90s sydney and brisbane had dismal crowds. But its not really true, its been afl heartland where the growth has occured, with nearly 80% of crowd growth happening in vic, sa and wa. And about 55% of that in victoria.
Sydney has shown no real crowd growth since 1997, the crowds average between 36000 and 25000 depending on the swans results. Thats despite taking big games to stadium australia. Brisbane similar crowds between averaging between 33000 and 27000 depending on their season's results since the year 20000.

Okay I am not saying afl crowds are anything but fantastic, but I am saying that as a threat to rugby league afl has made most of its ground in its own heartland not in sydney and brisbane after an initial thurst in the late 90s.

Now on the A-league, it is going well for soccer in australia. But quite simply there are no facts and figures that truley support it being anywhere near league. Their crowds have been good, but not a huge amount of growth from the major clubs in the last 2 years. Brisbane, sydney, adelaide, perth and Melbourne have not greatly increased their fan base, since initial good figures in either season 1 or 2.
The pay TV figures don't show a great picture either, certainly not one to get hearts racing. The a-league despite only being on pay and with no real direct tv sport in conflict for much of the year only the GF made the top 100 in a lowly position. The EPL often rated similar in the middle of the night to a-league games. Thats hardly the stuff that will attract free to air. And the a-league are stuck with a 17 million a year contract till the end of the 2012/13 season. It is also a problem that apart from the final couple of matches in world cup qualifiers all the socceroo matches are on pay.

I agree with soccer being the world game, I like it myself, but I have no pay tv and I have honestly watched maybe 3 games of a-league ever. I would have watched 20 - 30 european games live in that same period.

I think you will find many average sporting fans who love nrl or afl first, but don't mind a good soccer game but don't have pay tv would be in the same boat.

So why is a-league a threat, I don't think it is at all. I think it is a solid comp, doing well for itself that sold its soul to pay tv for 7 years and only 17 million. Even the super 14 deal is worth closer to 25 million a year.

I don't won't to bag any code too much, but why is rugby league always under threat when nothing crowd or tv ratings wise is going backwards.

 

[vlad]

Now on the A-league, it is going well for soccer in australia. But quite simply there are no facts and figures that truley support it being anywhere near league. Their crowds have been good, but not a huge amount of growth from the major clubs in the last 2 years. Brisbane, sydney, adelaide, perth and Melbourne have not greatly increased their fan base, since initial good figures in either season 1 or 2.

The pay TV figures don't show a great picture either, certainly not one to get hearts racing. The a-league despite only being on pay and with no real direct tv sport in conflict for much of the year only the GF made the top 100 in a lowly position. The EPL often rated similar in the middle of the night to a-league games. Thats hardly the stuff that will attract free to air. And the a-league are stuck with a 17 million a year contract till the end of the 2012/13 season. It is also a problem that apart from the final couple of matches in world cup qualifiers all the socceroo matches are on pay.

I agree with soccer being the world game, I like it myself, but I have no pay tv and I have honestly watched maybe 3 games of a-league ever. I would have watched 20 - 30 european games live in that same period.

So why is a-league a threat, I don't think it is at all. I think it is a solid comp, doing well for itself that sold its soul to pay tv for 7 years and only 17 million. Even the super 14 deal is worth closer to 25 million a year.

the point that a lot of people in this thread have missed is that the a-league didn't exist 4 years ago ... it's a start up comp with new teams that came with no fan base . And then they try to compare it to comps that have run for 100+ years .

* the crowds have increased 50% since season 1
* the pay tv ratings increased 23% last season
* there's a heap of private backers trying to buy a-league franchises across the country at a time when RL is struggling to find 1 .

why are they doing that ? because RL has sat on it's hands for the past 100 years and is barely played outside NSW & Qld .... whilst Football's links into Asia has opened doors that RL can only dream of .

The regular socceroos qualifiers either for World or Asian Cups mean that the FFA is no longer broke . Those coffers will overflow when the Asian Cup is held here in 2015.

RL won't die . It will always have it's place although people should stop deluding themselves about it being "the greatest game of all" .

In time the corporate dollar and the best athletes will go to a sport that offers more away trips than Auckland and more earning potential on a world stage .

 

[flamin]

In time the corporate dollar and the best athletes will go to a sport that offers more away trips than Auckland and more earning potential on a world stage .

Union has been saying that for a loooong time.

 

[Day of Rockening]

there isnt room in australia for 4 domestic footy codes.

soccer is now putting the big squeeze on union.
the soceroos have taken away lots of support for the wallabies.
will soccer be the 3rd sport ten years down the track?
its going very well now but even sydney FC are losing millions every year.
the other clubs have bad finances as well.
the TV ratings are pathetic, worse than unions.
what happens if australia dont make the WC, does the a league die off.
as a summer sport it has done well to date.

you gotta condense your writting. since when do you think you should take up a whole screen....like what you say is THAT profound.
i agree with you however, its not all home and hosed for A league is what you're really trying to say

 

[Day of Rockening]

the point that a lot of people in this thread have missed is that the a-league didn't exist 4 years ago ... it's a start up comp with new teams that came with no fan base . And then they try to compare it to comps that have run for 100+ years .

* the crowds have increased 50% since season 1
* the pay tv ratings increased 23% last season
* there's a heap of private backers trying to buy a-league franchises across the country at a time when RL is struggling to find 1 .

why are they doing that ? because RL has sat on it's hands for the past 100 years and is barely played outside NSW & Qld .... whilst Football's links into Asia has opened doors that RL can only dream of .

The regular socceroos qualifiers either for World or Asian Cups mean that the FFA is no longer broke . Those coffers will overflow when the Asian Cup is held here in 2015.

RL won't die . It will always have it's place although people should stop deluding themselves about it being "the greatest game of all" .

In time the corporate dollar and the best athletes will go to a sport that offers more away trips than Auckland and more earning potential on a world stage .

Bravo!

Finally some truth! Same with you ANT. Well done.

I can answer your questions about why league is bagged right now:

Its about pain. BIG PAIN. What are the greatest human motivators? Pleasure and Pain.

They want to inflict a huge dose of pain onto the rl populace. This will get people moving. (and you know in spite of all the negativity, few fans have left never to be tempted back)

Why not use pleasure? It doesnt sell newspapers. Plus, its not as strong a motivator.

So here we have the A League contract in another kick in your guts league story.

Anyone feeling REALLY motivated right now to put the wind up your nearest RL administrator?

Sure not much in the article is based off facts, but who cares!

This kind of thing is going to drive RL upwards. So when it comes time to change, we dont change a little and be a little bit better, we change a lot, and be a lot better.

And as rl history shows, the game doesnt know head nor tail off the feild a lot of the time - especially now. So a big kick in the *ss will get yers moving!

Kind of clever from news. League in the next 30 years is going to explode. Not much momentum just now, but watch it take off after all the sorting out has gone on.

Pain. Pain in the minds of league fans (payback too?) and the great motivation to come from it. Motivation to change.

 

[Day of Rockening]

the point that a lot of people in this thread have missed is that the a-league didn't exist 4 years ago ... it's a start up comp with new teams that came with no fan base . And then they try to compare it to comps that have run for 100+ years .

* the crowds have increased 50% since season 1
* the pay tv ratings increased 23% last season
* there's a heap of private backers trying to buy a-league franchises across the country at a time when RL is struggling to find 1 .

why are they doing that ? because RL has sat on it's hands for the past 100 years and is barely played outside NSW & Qld .... whilst Football's links into Asia has opened doors that RL can only dream of .

The regular socceroos qualifiers either for World or Asian Cups mean that the FFA is no longer broke . Those coffers will overflow when the Asian Cup is held here in 2015.

RL won't die . It will always have it's place although people should stop deluding themselves about it being "the greatest game of all" .

In time the corporate dollar and the best athletes will go to a sport that offers more away trips than Auckland and more earning potential on a world stage .

Bravo!

Finally some truth! Same with you ANT. Well done.

I can answer your questions about why league is bagged right now:

Its about pain. BIG PAIN. What are the greatest human motivators? Pleasure and Pain.

They want to inflict a huge dose of pain onto the rl populace. This will get people moving. (and you know in spite of all the negativity, few fans have left never to be tempted back)

Why not use pleasure? It doesnt sell newspapers. Plus, its not as strong a motivator.

So here we have the A League contract in another kick in your guts league story.

Anyone feeling REALLY motivated right now to put the wind up your nearest RL administrator?

Sure not much in the article is based off facts, but who cares!

This kind of thing is going to drive RL upwards. So when it comes time to change, we dont change a little and be a little bit better, we change a lot, and be a lot better.

And as rl history shows, the game doesnt know head nor tail off the feild a lot of the time - especially now. So a big kick in the *ss will get yers moving!

Kind of clever from news. League in the next 30 years is going to explode. Not much momentum just now, but watch it take off after all the sorting out has gone on.

Pain. Pain in the minds of league fans (payback too?) and the great motivation to come from it. Motivation to change.

 

[Tom Ace]

the point that a lot of people in this thread have missed is that the a-league didn't exist 4 years ago ... it's a start up comp with new teams that came with no fan base . And then they try to compare it to comps that have run for 100+ years .

* the crowds have increased 50% since season 1
* the pay tv ratings increased 23% last season
* there's a heap of private backers trying to buy a-league franchises across the country at a time when RL is struggling to find 1 .

why are they doing that ? because RL has sat on it's hands for the past 100 years and is barely played outside NSW & Qld .... whilst Football's links into Asia has opened doors that RL can only dream of .

The regular socceroos qualifiers either for World or Asian Cups mean that the FFA is no longer broke . Those coffers will overflow when the Asian Cup is held here in 2015.

RL won't die . It will always have it's place although people should stop deluding themselves about it being "the greatest game of all" .

In time the corporate dollar and the best athletes will go to a sport that offers more away trips than Auckland and more earning potential on a world stage .

Exactly.

People trying to compare Football in Australia to League/AFL/Union are really not comparing them on a level playing field considering how long the A-League has been in existence. On the flip side, I also include football journalists in that criticism, who continue to try and antagonise rival sporting codes for some reason.

Admittedly football has been around in the country for probably as long but until now has never been administered professionally. Let's wait 5 or 10 years and then start comparing them. I dare say that football will be heading in an upward trajectory. Hopefully League is also heading in the same direction.

Not that I really think anything good really comes from comparing 2 sports that don't necessarily compete directly as sports, at the top level at least, considering they are played in different seasons.

Ideally they could be working together re: grounds/stadiums as I suspect cricket and AFL have over the last 100+ years.