Not in a million years.
Noone aspires to play in the A-league. Until we get a league that gives the European leagues a run for the money this statement isn’t really true.
We can’t even beat the Chinese or Saudis in getting almost retired players over because we can’t match them. And also without youth development academies it’s just not going to work. Ask China and soon to be Saudi Arabia how splashing a wad of cash is going to work without spending money on grass roots development.
We just don’t have the local talent to be able to create a competitive league, the majority of us can’t play at a high standard and the very few that do understand that they need to ply their trade overseas to be successful.
Without a successful league the rest is moot, popularity is based on club games not an once every 4 years event.
Noone aspires to play in the A-league.
Noone aspired to play in the A-League. He succeeded, too!
We can’t even beat the Chinese or Saudis in getting almost retired players over because we can’t match them.
In terms of money, yes. Most nations around the world cannot match the spending of Saudi Arabia at the moment, which is why players like Ronaldo, Messi and Neymar are playing there. Chinese domestic football has collapsed financially and is no longer relevant internationally.
We just don’t have the local talent to be able to create a competitive league, the majority of us can’t play at a high standard and the very few that do understand that they need to ply their trade overseas to be successful.
This is the case for most domestic leagues around the world. The best players move to the top European leagues and everyone else stays at home. It’s not unique to Australia and it’s certainly not evidence of whether or not Australians enjoy football more than any other sport, which is the point of the article.
Funny you mention him, but it was probably the best he could do. He had only one year in the premier league in his entire career. Until we see players that have the middle of their careers in a league it’s all moot.
Domestic leagues are important due to accessibility. You’re not going to have as much of a following if you can only watch it on tele at stupid o’clock.
That’s half the reason why the NRL and AFL are popular, you can go to a game after work. We are the best in Aussie rules because we’re practically the only country that plays it and similar to rugby league with the super league at a lower level to the NRL. We are the best of the best in those games.
Football? I would rate A league on the level of EFL league 2. Certainly not one of the top leagues in the world. People want to watch the best and their support is reduced by not being one of the best.
I see more people with EPL/La Liga etc shirts than local teams around town. That alone says something.
People want to watch the best
Sure, if they’re casual bandwagoners. Sport is filled with examples of people supporting teams and players who are objectively not the best. Football in particular, where supporting your local club is essentially a cultural tradition.
and their support is reduced by not being one of the best.
Apparently not, considering the entire reason we are talking about this is due to the insane level of support shown for the national women’s football team, which is neither the best within the women’s game nor the overall sport.
I see more people with EPL/La Liga etc shirts than local teams around town. That alone says something.
It says that the A-League is a young and struggling competition with a long way to go before it becomes relevant in mainstream Australian society. That is not an indication of a lack of interest in football, though. You’ve acknowledged there that Australians are big fans of European football and we know the participation rates are the highest of any ball sport.
