Nick Bendel
When something for nothing isn’t worth anything
January 4th 2009 12:28
And what do Paul Agostino, Archie Thompson, Mark Milligan, Craig Moore and John Aloisi have in common? All have represented Australia, all are valuable players, and all (with the recent exception of Aloisi) are popular with their supporters. But there’s one other thing they have in common: they are considered to be the A-League’s five marquee players.
Objectively speaking, no meaningful difference can be found between the first group and the second. In other words, no meaningful difference apparently exists between being a prominent footballer and one that the dictionary defines as “an athlete of exceptional skill and popularity”. To resort to the dictionary again, the FFA would have us believe that however impressive Dodd and company may be, they are not the “superlative” and “headlining” acts that Agostino and friends are.
Although the eight A-League teams contain a reasonable number of players who are skilful, nobody but the glibbest promoter could describe any of them as being exceptionally so. Furthermore, while supporters might regularly derive pleasure from their exploits, it is highly unlikely that those supporters are watching games specifically to see them perform. For proof, ask yourself this question: of the 23,447 spectators who went to the Telstra Dome on Friday to watch Melbourne play Queensland, how many of them were inspired to attend for the express purpose of seeing Archie Thompson and Craig Moore do battle? And of all the people who caught Wellington v Newcastle on television on Sunday, how many of them decided to spend the afternoon in the company of Fox Sports just to see Mark Milligan run around?
None of this would be of any concern, were it not for the fact that clubs get to exclude their marquees from the competition’s stringent salary cap requirements. Thus, when Sydney FC tried to work out how to fit all its players into this season’s salary cap of $1.9 million, John Aloisi, who is reportedly on a $1.4 million contract, was not included in the calculations. Unlike the salary cap, which performs the admirable job of keeping the playing field level, the marquee dispensation was introduced to encourage clubs to recruit high-profile players, as well as to give them an opportunity to spend any surplus cash that they might be able to generate. The only caveat was that all signings had to be approved by the FFA. That was expected to close the potential loophole of clubs designating the likes of Manny Muscat and Naum Sekulovski as their marquees purely for accounting purposes.
What this means is that nobody can be excluded from salary cap calculations without the FFA’s permission. The governing body therefore has a responsibility to ensure that only footballers possessing considerable talent and marketability are granted exemptions. Because if clubs know that they can get away with omitting valuable- yet relatively average- players such as Agostino, Thompson, Milligan, Moore and Aloisi from their caps, there is little incentive for them to chase authentic superstars. An authentic superstar, such as Dwight Yorke or Juninho, will have the profile and panache to put bums on seats. The aforementioned quintet will help you win games, but they won’t put bums on seats. Given how competitive Australia’s sporting marketplace is, and given how reluctant people are to spend money in these uncertain economic times, there are few things that the A-League needs more than genuine marquee players.
One man who has always seemed to understand money and marketing better than most is Clive Palmer, who is backing the competition’s newest franchise, Gold Coast United. Yet the billionaire has decided that the perfect candidate to headline his new act is none other than the Socceroos’ quiet achiever, Jason Culina. According to reports, the only thing that will stop Culina re-signing with PSV, or perhaps linking up with Dinamo Zagreb, is truckloads of Palmer cash.
If Palmer wants to sell United to the people of the Gold Coast, the best way would be to recruit a marquee player who oozes flair and charisma. Culina would certainly be a valuable addition to his team, but precious few of the locals would know who the hell he was, and in any case the yeoman’s work he performs in the heart of midfield is hardly going to be drawing them through the turnstiles. For all Sydney FC’s failings, the decision to recruit first Yorke and then Juninho was astute. Both were very talented, both could boast formidable records, and both were eminently marketable. Besides offering quality, the European Cup winner and the World Cup winner put bums on seats in a way that Culina could never hope to do.
Although it is always heart-warming to see Socceroos returning to Australia, the only current international who would ever be able to put bums on seats is Harry Kewell. Even if Kewell joins the A-League several years past his prime- and, realistically, that is the only time we could expect to see him here- the fame he enjoys, the skill he possesses and the manner in which he plays would be enough to garner attention. By contrast, while the likes of Mark Viduka, Vince Grella and Brett Emerton would be wonderful additions to the competition if and when they decided to join, they would be preaching to the converted. Their gifts would only be enjoyed by committed fans, because they do not have the profile to be able to stir the interest of casual observers in the way that Kewell would, or in the way that Yorke and Juninho did.
That is why the FFA needs to amend the rules on marquee players. Although the A-League can only benefit from the return of foreign Socceroos, some other way needs to be found to lure them to Australia. The governing body should not allow any footballer to be exempted from the salary cap, unless it is confident that he will be able to impress people who currently show no more than a scant interest in the game. To put it another way, an import who isn’t going to drag people away from the cricket or the beach or the AFL is unworthy of special treatment. It’s wonderful that World Cup stars like Craig Moore and John Aloisi have returned home, and it would be wonderful if Jason Culina did too, but none of them put bums on seats. That’s what a marquee player is paid to do.
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Comment by Adrian Demack
Fourth Substitute
So I see your point, I just think trying to, for the lack of a better word, trick, new people into coming to the games is not the answer. That kind of attitude turns the league into a sideshow, focusing on the quality builds for the future of the game. Long term over short term. Nice piece, thanks for the stimulus.
Comment by Nick Bendel
Sport: The Australian Disease
The A-League is full of workhorses, average players and good players. However, there are no special players. I do believe it is the responsibility of the FFA to try to grow the game (i.e. to win over those who currently show scant interest)- after all, if a governing body isn’t trying to grow its particular game, what is the point of having a governing body? And I further believe that one of the best ways to grow the game (i.e. to win over those who currently show scant interest) is to offer them something special. I think that a marquee player should be special- and if he’s not special, then he doesn’t deserve special treatment.
Anyway, I appreciated your comment. Thanks for the stimulus!