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actually reading the crawford report

grazorblade

grazorblade

Club Legend
G&G Podcast
Joined
Oct 17, 2024
Replies
4,825
The crawford report is much more dense and harder to trudge through than other big vision setting documents. Probably why it never got implemented despite being one of the few times there was outside pressure to reform the game.

After reading carefully the long and dense document i think the big picture it is aiming for is


1) have soccer australia/ffa/fa governed independently of the nsl/a league

2) make the nsl/a league governed by a board whos is elected by equal vote of all member clubs

3) have the number of votes in ffa/fa each state gets in soccer australia be determined by the number of participants in each state rather than the ad hoc voting numbers

4) severely reduce the number of votes from the nsl (a league) to a single vote

5) have voting rights for players referees the womans game futsal and beach soccer

6) reform state federations so that the system determining the number of votes is the same in each federation

7) have the fa and a league boards work together on tv deals and sponsorships to maximize revenue but otherwise be independent


8) have a charter of rules that forbid conflocts of interest for voting members

9) change the responsibilities of board so that it would focus less on day to day micromanagement and more on implementing long term vision

Wikipedia claims most recommendations were implemented but this just doesnt seem to be true, not even close. It could be numerically true though if you weight trivial changes (change the name of the head of soccer australia from chairman to president).

Anyway thought id summarize this famous document even though sadly little came of it
 
Last edited:
Great summary. I was hoping you could point out where, in the report, it mentions excluding existing teams from the top division? Just asking for the Lowy apologists on here.
 
Monoethnic Social Club said:
Great summary. I was hoping you could point out where, in the report, it mentions excluding existing teams from the top division? Just asking for the Lowy apologists on here.
Click to expand...
There is nothing on broad based clubs, ethnic identites, p and r vs closed shop or all the debates that animated the game at the time.

The only debate it touches on is the status of state feds and it advocates more power to them rather than abolishing them, albeit after reforming their voting structure
 
grazorblade said:
There is nothing on broad based clubs, ethnic identites, p and r vs closed shop or all the debates that animated the game at the time.

The only debate it touches on is the status of state feds and it advocates more power to them rather than abolishing them, albeit after reforming their voting structure
Click to expand...
.... is what I have been saying all along... yet, on this forum and the previous, you will get the assertion that Crawford report is the reason WHY we don't want "da effnikz" in the Aleague...
 
Monoethnic Social Club said:
.... is what I have been saying all along... yet, on this forum and the previous, you will get the assertion that Crawford report is the reason WHY we don't want "da effnikz" in the Aleague...
Click to expand...
the crawford report features on a couple of documentaries about the creation of the a league. You certainly get the impression that the crawford report was the ideological foundation of the league. A bit ironic since a primary concern of the crawford report is consolidation of power and the early ffa was a model where power was much more concentrated

Its unfortunate that arguably the most important document written in football history was written in such a dry and dense way that even an academic like me, who reads dry and dense stuff for a living, found it tough going. The result means no one read it and it never had a chance of being implemented.

Its a shame because if we did implement it, we probably have a lot better chance of solving problems in the game
 
grazorblade said:
the crawford report features on a couple of documentaries about the creation of the a league. You certainly get the impression that the crawford report was the ideological foundation of the league. A bit ironic since a primary concern of the crawford report is consolidation of power and the early ffa was a model where power was much more concentrated

Its unfortunate that arguably the most important document written in football history was written in such a dry and dense way that even an academic like me, who reads dry and dense stuff for a living, found it tough going. The result means no one read it and it never had a chance of being implemented.

Its a shame because if we did implement it, we probably have a lot better chance of solving problems in the game
Click to expand...

Incidentally this is one of sciences big problems and challenges. There is a lot of quality science out there but communicating it is often done poorly.
 
Amazing that you had the time to make the effort to read the Crawford Report, Graz, what with your high profile job.
You are probably the only person who has ever read it all.
I liked the suggestion to retain state federations- the current feeling is to abolish them.
 
ashtongate said:
Amazing that you had the time to make the effort to read the Crawford Report, Graz, what with your high profile job.
You are probably the only person who has ever read it all.
I liked the suggestion to retain state federations- the current feeling is to abolish them.
Click to expand...
Its been on my to do list for a while. Managed to get a few hours this weekend
 
Graz did you get the feeling the FFA and later FA have taken that report and interpreted it in a way that suited their narrative and agenda?
 
Quicky said:
Graz did you get the feeling the FFA and later FA have taken that report and interpreted it in a way that suited their narrative and agenda?
Click to expand...
Probably worse than that. They implemented the trivial stuff and did the opposite of what it asked on the big picture.

The only part which is implemented is the part where the ffa does less micromanaging and casts big visions

That of course is the one part of the report consistent with a governing model that has more centralized power

As @ashtongate alluded to, pushing for the abolishment of state feds is also a step towards centralized power
 
I did some surfing for the heck being you brought up the Crawford report Graz.
Amazing what you find and read many different POV's.
What a read this one is

Then a Roar one came up many years later by my assumption its by our good resident Middy :)

Another, Football starts from page 91 - Frank quoted this :
FFA Chairman Frank Lowy said: “These regulations ensure that from now on football will
operate uniformly across Australia for the benefit of clubs, and most importantly, to ensure
that all participants in the game of football are treated equally and fairly and thereby provide
opportunity for all”. - yer right brother not.

This from the google Ai blurbs :
AI Overview
Learn more

The Crawford Report did not specifically exclude ethnic clubs, but it did address broader issues within Australian sport, including concerns about the structure and representation of various interest groups, which could be indirectly related to ethnic clubs. The report's recommendations focused on reforming the structure and programs of the elite sport system and increasing participation and physical activity. While not directly targeting ethnic clubs, the report's emphasis on equitable representation could be seen as relevant to the inclusion and representation of clubs with diverse cultural backgrounds.


Key points about the Crawford Report and its potential relation to ethnic clubs:
  • The Crawford Report:
    This report, published in 2009, focused on reforming the Australian sports system, with recommendations for elite sport and participation.

  • No explicit exclusion:
    The report did not specifically name or exclude ethnic clubs.



  • Equitable representation:
    One of the report's key suggestions was to ensure "equitable representation of members and interest groups". This could be interpreted as relevant to the inclusion of clubs with diverse cultural backgrounds.



  • Broader context:
    The report also addressed issues like football governance and victim culture, which may have indirectly influenced the perception and treatment of ethnic clubs.



  • Focus on elite sport:
    The report's primary focus was on reforming the elite sport system, potentially overshadowing the needs and concerns of community-based or ethnic clubs.



    I find the Crawford Report is all the over the shop TBH for it covered all sports if I'm reading some articles correct till the the X codes governace at the time present their case.


Alot of bull dozing moves above by Lowy just for the AL full stop period - everything else below casted OFF not even mentioned.
kunts.

Also look at the 03 Independant Soccer Review Committee members, no SUITS as MCG would say :
  • Mr David Crawford (chair)—retired National Chairman of KPMG and current director of several major companies including BHP Billiton, Foster’s Group, Lend Lease, National Foods and Westpac Banking Corporation.
  • Mr Johnny Warren — former captain of the Socceroos and highly regarded football analyst and commentator.
  • Mr Bruce Corlett — Chairman of Adsteam Marine Limited and Servcorp Limited, current non-executive director of several companies including Trust Company of Australia Limited and Stockland Trust Group, and past chairman of Australian Maritime Safety Authority.
  • Ms Kate Costello — lawyer and former academic, chairman of Bassett Consulting Engineers, chairman of SAAB ITS and director of SAAB Systems, member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors’ Education Committee and management consultant specialising in corporate governance.
  • Mr Mark Peters — Chief Executive Officer, Australian Sports Commission and experienced national and international sports administrator. He has considerable experience in reviewing the structures and management of sports and national leagues.
  • Secretariat services provided by Mr Stephen Fox and Mrs Jay Davenport.
 
LFC said:
I did some surfing for the heck being you brought up the Crawford report Graz.
Amazing what you find and read many different POV's.
What a read this one is

Then a Roar one came up many years later by my assumption its by our good resident Middy :)

Another, Football starts from page 91 - Frank quoted this :
FFA Chairman Frank Lowy said: “These regulations ensure that from now on football will
operate uniformly across Australia for the benefit of clubs, and most importantly, to ensure
that all participants in the game of football are treated equally and fairly and thereby provide
opportunity for all”. - yer right brother not.

This from the google Ai blurbs :
AI Overview
Learn more

The Crawford Report did not specifically exclude ethnic clubs, but it did address broader issues within Australian sport, including concerns about the structure and representation of various interest groups, which could be indirectly related to ethnic clubs. The report's recommendations focused on reforming the structure and programs of the elite sport system and increasing participation and physical activity. While not directly targeting ethnic clubs, the report's emphasis on equitable representation could be seen as relevant to the inclusion and representation of clubs with diverse cultural backgrounds.


Key points about the Crawford Report and its potential relation to ethnic clubs:
  • The Crawford Report:
    This report, published in 2009, focused on reforming the Australian sports system, with recommendations for elite sport and participation.

  • No explicit exclusion:
    The report did not specifically name or exclude ethnic clubs.



  • Equitable representation:
    One of the report's key suggestions was to ensure "equitable representation of members and interest groups". This could be interpreted as relevant to the inclusion of clubs with diverse cultural backgrounds.



  • Broader context:
    The report also addressed issues like football governance and victim culture, which may have indirectly influenced the perception and treatment of ethnic clubs.



  • Focus on elite sport:
    The report's primary focus was on reforming the elite sport system, potentially overshadowing the needs and concerns of community-based or ethnic clubs.



    I find the Crawford Report is all the over the shop TBH for it covered all sports if I'm reading some articles correct till the the X codes governace at the time present their case.


Alot of bull dozing moves above by Lowy just for the AL full stop period - everything else below casted OFF not even mentioned.
kunts.

Also look at the 03 Independant Soccer Review Committee members, no SUITS as MCG would say :
  • Mr David Crawford (chair)—retired National Chairman of KPMG and current director of several major companies including BHP Billiton, Foster’s Group, Lend Lease, National Foods and Westpac Banking Corporation.
  • Mr Johnny Warren — former captain of the Socceroos and highly regarded football analyst and commentator.
  • Mr Bruce Corlett — Chairman of Adsteam Marine Limited and Servcorp Limited, current non-executive director of several companies including Trust Company of Australia Limited and Stockland Trust Group, and past chairman of Australian Maritime Safety Authority.
  • Ms Kate Costello — lawyer and former academic, chairman of Bassett Consulting Engineers, chairman of SAAB ITS and director of SAAB Systems, member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors’ Education Committee and management consultant specialising in corporate governance.
  • Mr Mark Peters — Chief Executive Officer, Australian Sports Commission and experienced national and international sports administrator. He has considerable experience in reviewing the structures and management of sports and national leagues.
  • Secretariat services provided by Mr Stephen Fox and Mrs Jay Davenport.
Click to expand...
I think after reading Johnny Warren's biography I'm pretty convinced he would have been bullish on the a league. He seems to really admire how the USA had managed to make football cut through over there and the A league is ideologically very similar to the MLS. I think from some of Johnny's writings he would have hated the club identity policy though

having said that, the symbolic weight of the crawford report essentially being his dying request and him being a big push to reform gave the crawford report massive emotional weight and if something can be tied to the crawford report, it was probably politically difficult to say no to. Unfortunately what happened had absolutely nothing to do with what was in the crawford report, but because the report is long and dense it was easy to tie unrelated reforms to the crawford report
 
yet he was a massive fan of the joga Bonito mantric I recall him saying many times.
That we should follow brazil's style of play.
I'm sure he wanted the game here to finally have far better direction/style and governance for the game move ahead.
 
LFC said:
yet he was a massive fan of the joga Bonito mantric I recall him saying many times.
That we should follow brazil's style of play.
I'm sure he wanted the game here to finally have far better direction/style and governance for the game move ahead.
Click to expand...
I thought it was a bit tedious the way he endlessly pushed "the Brazilian way".
Not a realistic option in the Australian context.
 
grazorblade said:
I think after reading Johnny Warren's biography I'm pretty convinced he would have been bullish on the a league. He seems to really admire how the USA had managed to make football cut through over there and the A league is ideologically very similar to the MLS. I think from some of Johnny's writings he would have hated the club identity policy though

having said that, the symbolic weight of the crawford report essentially being his dying request and him being a big push to reform gave the crawford report massive emotional weight and if something can be tied to the crawford report, it was probably politically difficult to say no to. Unfortunately what happened had absolutely nothing to do with what was in the crawford report, but because the report is long and dense it was easy to tie unrelated reforms to the crawford report
Click to expand...
There were ALOT of people cheering on Johnny's push for reform, the Crawford report was supposed to be a true new dawn, NOT the MLS lite, scorched earth abomination that followed....
 
Graz imo having listened to Warren for years since a kid watching him play I don’t buy he was all in bout MLS, more so he agreed to move the game out from the dark.
As said he was way more into Brazilian ways never a mention of merica football. Socka.
He just bit the bullet.
I agree ashtongate - he was dreaming but that was his mindset which is cool but unrealistic for Oztralia.
 
LFC said:
Graz imo having listened to Warren for years since a kid watching him play I don’t buy he was all in bout MLS, more so he agreed to move the game out from the dark.
As said he was way more into Brazilian ways never a mention of merica football. Socka.
He just bit the bullet.
I agree ashtongate - he was dreaming but that was his mindset which is cool but unrealistic for Oztralia.
Click to expand...
Fair enough i only have his biography and a couple of news paper articles on south of the border to go off
 
Wikipedia claims most recommendations were implemented but this just doesnt seem to be true, not even close.
Click to expand...

1) have soccer australia/ffa/fa governed independently of the nsl/a league

Isn't it? I don't recall the top level ever having such broad input. The A League is over-represented but if you go back and read the old forums the loudest were screaming for it to have control. It doesn't seem to me that the League is running the FA or Vice Versa but rather somewhat grudingly working in concert. (Which is about the correct level).


2) make the nsl/a league governed by a board whos is elected by equal vote of all member clubs

Again. Isn't it?


3) have the number of votes in ffa/fa each state gets in soccer australia be determined by the number of participants in each state rather than the ad hoc voting numbers

Totally against this back then and still today. This was just a naked attempt to have Sydney control the game from the top down instead of the bottom up. The top level has always been a Federation of the State/Territory Associations and each of those a Federation of the Clubs.
This means that ultimately the Clubs have control and are successfully or otherwise represented by their own efforts. When you get a top down power system it becomes easy for ingrained prejudices and ignorance to crush the aspiration of individual States and Clubs.

4) severely reduce the number of votes from the nsl (a league) to a single vote

Probably seemed a good idea at the time. FIFA oversight and reform dictated a somewhat different outcome. Not really doing much harm that I can see.

6) reform state federations so that the system determining the number of votes is the same in each federation

That was implemented was it not? Certainly a lot of people never seem to stop whining about it being that way.

5) have voting rights for players referees the womans game futsal and beach soccer

Do we not have this? Standing committees that focus on these broader interpretations and interests? Championing their sector?
Again FIFA reconstruction.

7) have the fa and a league boards work together on tv deals and sponsorships to maximize revenue but otherwise be independent
That's how it was done. Then the League decided it wanted to take over and control all the money and tax juniors at $10 a head to feed their greed. After FIFA headed home we ended up with a reasonably funded FA and the League ponzi scheme working in different directions. There never was real agreement how money raised together should be accounted for and distributed. Better to keep the League out of the FA bank account. So the "otherwise be independent bit" seems solid.

8) have a charter of rules that forbid conflicts of interest for voting members

While that seems sensible and a very normal concept, you have to remember that it was alleged that individuals in decision making roles were doing things like booking national team transport through their own travel agency and such. I'm in no way going to stoke any talk about National Team Managers taking backhanders for helping sign players with teams in Europe or any of thos completely baseless rumours of how things were back in the good old days of SA and the NSL.
I don't know, but I find it difficult to believe that it hasn't been implemented just due to the lack of tabloid scandals lately.

9) change the responsibilities of board so that it would focus less on day to day micromanagement and more on implementing long term vision

Yeah well I reckon that has definitely happened. Whether you agree about vision or not, you have to understand that these things are never actually completed. They must be a moving document, with changing aspirations and moving goals. The game and world change relentlessly. The problem with having a detailed long term "vision" is that as soon as the brochures and power points are distributed it's out of date.

Probably better to have simple and open long term ideals:


My question is why the fuck are we still looking at this and moaning about it? Was it 35 years ago it was written? Are any of the authors still alive?
It is bottom level stupid to think that a document written before the Internet even existed has any role to play today.
It isn't a religious tome.

Time for somebody who wants to bury their agenda into the future of football in this country to construct a new one and power it to the top of the best seller list. Won't somebody out there think about ethnic victimisation or just maybe try and give a real voice to the million people who play every weekend during the winter living on the fruit shop sponsorship and a few chook raffles?

Get writing and promoting.
 
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