Things we would like to see in season 25/26

[Lupi]

Relevant to the above conversation
An analysis I'm doing - unlike the introduction of a u20 team, academies, investment in national youth teams and introducing national second tiers, I couldn't find any advantage to professionalization

View attachment 2019

I'll posit why

the A-league has made players lazy and it hampers development

back in the NSL era if a player wanted to make it they'd have to work hard and hope to get noticed by a European club at a young age

nowadays they can cruise along and play in the A-league, get paid a living wage at a low level of football and by the time they get a transfer they're already too old and have bad habits learned in the A-league bedded in

 

[grazorblade]

I'll posit why

the A-league has made players lazy and it hampers development

back in the NSL era if a player wanted to make it they'd have to work hard and hope to get noticed by a European club at a young age

nowadays they can cruise along and play in the A-league, get paid a living wage at a low level of football and by the time they get a transfer they're already too old and have bad habits learned in the A-league bedded in

I looked at 28 countries that professionalized, so it wouldn't be an a league only effect. Professionalization doesn't appear to make the national team worse, but it doesn't make it better either.

 

[Lupi]

I looked at 28 countries that professionalized, so it wouldn't be an a league only effect. Professionalization doesn't appear to make the national team worse, but it doesn't make it better either.

there are other factors other than simply professionalism

Australia's national league isn't fully professional other than wages, its still not a full time league, there's no consequences for finishing last in the league, its played in summer in a country with a hot climate and arguably its not sustainable financially so there are corners cut all over the place. Australia has gotten a lot wrong in the last 20 years and not a lot right. All this has occurred during a significant increase in population percentagewise. I don't know what factors were at play in the other 27 countries. There's no question the Australian national team has gotten worse even if the recent world cup result masks that reality.

 

[NoMates]

I looked at 28 countries that professionalized, so it wouldn't be an a league only effect. Professionalization doesn't appear to make the national team worse, but it doesn't make it better either.

Your national team is only as good as your national league FACT.

 

[Lupi]

Your national team is only as good as your national league FACT.

so Croatia...

 

[grazorblade]

there are other factors other than simply professionalism

Australia's national league isn't fully professional other than wages, its still not a full time league, there's no consequences for finishing last in the league, its played in summer in a country with a hot climate and arguably its not sustainable financially so there are corners cut all over the place. Australia has gotten a lot wrong in the last 20 years and not a lot right. All this has occurred during a significant increase in population percentagewise. I don't know what factors were at play in the other 27 countries. There's no question the Australian national team has gotten worse even if the recent world cup result masks that reality.

Agree that there are other factors apart from professionalisation. I looked at the effect of a youth league, introducing a 2nd division as well as some other factors. I agree p and r is important but that is harder to show with this method since there arent enough countries that lack p and r only to introduce it later

 

[Muz]

How would you know about the Sunshine coast? Professional football has never been exposed to this part of the country.

They are also about to have a perfect A-league stadium built there.

Lived in South East Queensland for 12 years. Brother lived there. Have relatives there.

Maybe they'd support their own team. They're not turning up to watch MacArthur play CCM in a 'unite' round spread over 400km. (Assuming GC to Bundaberg as someone suggested.)

 

[grazorblade]

Your national team is only as good as your national league FACT.

There would definitely be a correlation. But that doesnt mean investing money in a league helps the national team.

 

[Sutherlandbear]

Did they actually lose though? No. Now imagine after 2 draws against Iran you could play Bahrain, Vietnam, Indonesia etc.

Different times.

 

[Sutherlandbear]

Did they actually lose though? No. Now imagine after 2 draws against Iran you could play Bahrain, Vietnam, Indonesia etc.

Did they actually qualify ? No !

 

[Sutherlandbear]

The golden generation was probably the teams from 93 through to the one that went to Germany.

The point remains we didnt have a league phase qualifying path, you played cuthroat 2 leg ties and if you fucked up you were gone, none of this get 6 points in 6 games like we did in this campaign and still make it easily.

In 93 for eg we almost knocked off Argentina, but in the previous round we needed penalties to beat Canada...but we couldnt accumulate points. The qualifying path was like playing tournament football already, you couldnt play a heap of games for points and get continuity within the team.

Wrong !

1994 FIFA World Cup qualification (OFC) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[southmelb]

Wrong !

1994 FIFA World Cup qualification (OFC) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Not wrong, do you think we were bringing the likes of Robbie Slater, Graham Arnold, Aurelio Vidmar, Ned Zelic etc back from Europe to play the soloman islands?

We would use the nsl players to get by the early rounds, we only ever played our absolute best teams in those final playoffs.

After the island nations it was x2 legs v NZ, x2 legs v Canada, x2 legs v Argentina. Our current team is not going to next years WC with that qualifying path.

We are perfectly suited where we are now where we can get beaten by teams like Bahrain at home, draw to Indonesia and still qualify with ease.

 

[southmelb]

Did they actually qualify ? No !

No, without losing. So imagine our current team was knocked out because they lost to Bahrain in the first qualifier. Now we can drop bundles of points and still make it easily. Back then you couldnt even draw!

 

[SpiritOf06]

which is why my plan would work best

lets face it, this country produced better footballers during the period when the national league was semi-professional (not that the current national league is anything like a full time league, but the wages are)

That’s nostalgia talking.

I want P&R as I’ve seen how one owner in a franchise model can bottleneck an entire state, but you can’t honestly say the world is the same as it was back then, domestically or internationally.

 

[Sutherlandbear]

Not wrong, do you think we were bringing the likes of Robbie Slater, Graham Arnold, Aurelio Vidmar, Ned Zelic etc back from Europe to play the soloman islands?

We would use the nsl players to get by the early rounds, we only ever played our absolute best teams in those final playoffs.

After the island nations it was x2 legs v NZ, x2 legs v Canada, x2 legs v Argentina. Our current team is not going to next years WC with that qualifying path.

We are perfectly suited where we are now where we can get beaten by teams like Bahrain at home, draw to Indonesia and still qualify with ease.

You said there was NO groups, there was. As for bringing these bang average players back from Europe, what does that have to do with the point you are trying make about group games ?

More groups

1982 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC and OFC) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[RIMB]

Saving the world, starting this coming season:

To me Promotion at this stage is the key thing missing - not relegation.

We do not have enough teams yet in the aleague and we still have all the clubs who paid big money to get in and stay in. Coming last out of 13 is bad, but it is still nowhere near coming last out of 18, 19, 20 or whatever.

I would like to see merit based expansion (highest non-aleague Australia Cup team with play off if equal level for the next few years) on top of invitation to bring in those states and territories (countries?) who are not represented yet.

By making it Australia Cup based promotion we are excluding any more NZ teams from entering by Promotion. I don't have a problem with that but some will. Seems appropriate to me that our national competition is populated/refreshed by our national winners.

Forget crowd numbers!

Reimbursing a decent part of legacy licence fees and dropping the cost of new licence fees significantly (with an enforceable commitment to spend a minimum on club upgrades/facilities/support staff) will allow smaller teams to get in if they have won the right or are invited representatives.

Run that way for 3 years at least and we can be sitting on 20 teams.

Keep that for 2 more years so the newest teams have a chance at establishing themselves then bring in relegation. Lowest team or two get relegated, with the best of the Australia Cup teams promoted. Reward and Punishment all tied up. 5 year plan. Done.

Existing clubs have 5 years to plan for relegation and potential loss of their aleague notice. Newer ones come in knowing that is the future.

Stage 1 - this season plan and announce the 5 year plan with a start date (to keep it in line with the thread title).

 

[Hellenic_blue&white]

Saving the world, starting this coming season:

To me Promotion at this stage is the key thing missing - not relegation.

Spot on!

We do not have enough teams yet in the aleague and we still have all the clubs who paid big money to get in and stay in. Coming last out of 13 is bad, but it is still nowhere near coming last out of 18, 19, 20 or whatever.

Highly agree

I would like to see merit based expansion (highest non-aleague Australia Cup team with play off if equal level for the next few years) on top of invitation to bring in those states and territories (countries?) who are not represented yet.

Yes but not via AU Cup!

By making it Australia Cup based promotion we are excluding any more NZ teams from entering by Promotion. I don't have a problem with that but some will. Seems appropriate to me that our national competition is populated/refreshed by our national winners.

IMO nn NPL/NST centred system would also do that with more integrity and based more on long term performance and not fluke runs!

Forget crowd numbers!

Absolutely

Reimbursing a decent part of legacy licence fees and dropping the cost of new licence fees significantly (with an enforceable commitment to spend a minimum on club upgrades/facilities/support staff) will allow smaller teams to get in if they have won the right or are invited representatives.

Absolutely.

Run that way for 3 years at least and we can be sitting on 20 teams.

Keep that for 2 more years so the newest teams have a chance at establishing themselves then bring in relegation. Lowest team or two get relegated, with the best of the Australia Cup teams promoted. Reward and Punishment all tied up. 5 year plan. Done.

Existing clubs have 5 years to plan for relegation and potential loss of their aleague notice. Newer ones come in knowing that is the future.

Stage 1 - this season plan and announce the 5 year plan with a start date (to keep it in line with the thread title).

NST lays the best foundations to cover both those that will drop and those that arent sure if they can manage the next step, this allows for better long term viability without the backlash from a league clubs about money soent and all that bs.. also makes sure aspirant clubs have the system, money willpower merrit etc to go up!

5 years is a good timeframe for all. This would then bundle into a massive tv deal thats suits everyone!

 

[southmelb]

You said there was NO groups

A group of 3 teams? Lol.

Your fate was decided by 2 leg matches.

 

[erogenouszone]

No Lupi next season would be desirable.

He's a diversity hire.

 

[Frankly Speaking]

I looked at 28 countries that professionalized, so it wouldn't be an a league only effect. Professionalization doesn't appear to make the national team worse, but it doesn't make it better either.

A very interesting observation.