Nick Bendel
Australian Premier League?
November 25th 2008 05:08
Will the English Premier League be coming to Australian shores?
It’s been a busy month for Asian Football Confederation president Mohamed Bin Hammam. Not long after declaring that the Wellington Phoenix should be expelled from the A-League, he has thrown his support behind the English Premier League’s controversial ‘39th round’ proposal.
The plan was first mooted in February, when Richard Scudamore, the EPL chief executive, proclaimed that the “time had come” for the Premier League to add an international round to its 38 game season. Describing it as “an exciting prospect”, he insisted that it would financially “benefit” all clubs in the top division, while also helping those below “in terms of redistribution.” In short, it would be “a very positive thing” for the English game.
While Scudamore was probably right, those who represented non-English constituencies were not so keen on the idea. Much of this opposition came from Asia, which is where, for economic reasons, most of the foreign fixtures would be played. Asian governing bodies- including the FFA- were worried that any publicity and commercial opportunities generated by the EPL would come at the expense of their own competitions. For instance, if Manchester United and Chelsea were to clash in Sydney or Melbourne, how much interest would there be in that weekend’s A-League games? That is why Bin Hammam had said that his “recommendation to the AFC Executive Committee would be to reject any initiatives of this nature.”
In recent days, though, he has been singing a different tune. “I’m convinced that if they want to go ahead with their plan…they are welcome in Asia”. The reason for the president’s about-face is that, having discussed the matter further with Scudamore, he has apparently become convinced of the Englishman’s altruistic motives. “I think the EPL are mature enough to understand that it is not all about money, but it is about what legacy they can leave behind them in Asia and how they can support other clubs and leagues in Asia to come up with their football…This is what is now on the agenda of the Premier League.”
It is difficult to know why Bin Hammam has decided to praise the EPL’s philanthropic spirit- because surely he can’t believe in it. The 39th round was devised solely for the promotion and enrichment of the Premier League; not for a moment was it intended to boost Asian football. The wily Qatari must understand this, but for some reason he has decided to play along with Scudamore. One can only assume that there is method to his madness.
For its part, the FFA has revealed that it is keeping an open mind about whether or not to allow English matches to be played on Australian soil. “It’s very important any domestic league is allowed to develop in its own right, it all depends on the timing of it,” a spokesperson explained. “We’d have to look at what the rationale is for the change in view from the president of the AFC. Our focus is on the growth and development of the A-League.”
The FFA’s measured response is appropriate. For depending on how it is implemented, the 39th round has the potential to both damage and assist the local game. Given how difficult it is for football to garner attention in a sporting marketplace as competitive as Australia’s, the FFA would be negligent not to examine any idea that promises to provide it with front and back page coverage. A mere press conference to announce that certain EPL teams would be playing in a certain Australian city on a certain date would send the media crazy. This interest would only heighten when, in the days before kick-off, the players touched down. One need only recall the extraordinary hoopla surrounding last year’s visit by the Los Angeles Galaxy. If an exhibition match featuring an ordinary team and a solitary star could produce such excitement, the level of interest surrounding a competitive fixture involving two notable teams and several famous players would be astronomical. Football would dominate the headlines.
Yet as the FFA seems to understand, that could be less a blessing that a curse. While football would be dominating the headlines, it would be the Premier League that would be receiving all the attention. The people that the FFA would be trying to impress with all this coverage would be the casual observers- that is, those who have a passing interest in the sport, but who would just as soon watch a bit of cricket or a rerun of Happy Days as drag themselves to an A-League game. And should the result of an Australian EPL fixture be that these casual observers make a comparison between Manchester United and Sydney FC, or Cristiano Ronaldo and Steve Corica, it would not be to the A-League’s advantage. They might very well decide that when the time comes for them to get their irregular football fix, it would be best served by staying at home and catching the Premier League on television.
That is why the FFA is proceeding with caution. It is doubtless investigating ways in which interest in the EPL can be converted into interest in the A-League, and will not, one fervently hopes, sanction an Australian 39th round unless the local game can benefit. One possibility would be to schedule double-headers; if, for instance, a Premier League encounter was to be staged at the MCG, the Melbourne Victory could play beforehand, meaning that they could conceivably be watched by over 90,000 fans. Another option would be to fiddle with the ticketing; nobody could attend an English match unless they simultaneously bought a ticket to an A-League game. The visiting stars could also be made to partake in local promotions- for example, Cesc Fabregas and chums could shoot a commercial, in which they implore youngsters to go and watch their local teams. Doubtless, there are many other logical schemes worth consideration.
The important thing to remember is that the Premier League does not need charity from the A-League; it is already big enough and wealthy enough to stand on its own. The A-League, however, just like the rest of Asia’s domestic competitions, could definitely do with a leg-up from the Premier League. Although a 39th round would almost certainly benefit the EPL, there is a chance, if the situation is managed properly, for Asia to emerge as a winner as well. Presumably, that is the realisation that Mohamed Bin Hammam has lately come to, which would explain why he has decided to join hands with Richard Scudamore. Although Bin Hammam was wrong about the Wellington Phoenix, he might just have made the right call on the 39th round.
| 54 |
| Vote |
