Whilst many football fans in Australia look locally to Japan and Korea for inspiration as to how the A-League should progress in future years I for one think the MLS is a more relevant competition, particularly in terms of competition from entrenched and powerful sports. With that in mind my chat with Peter Wilt, turned to comparisons between the two leagues and what they can learn from each other.

Many of the organisations Wilt has launched and led, including Major League Soccer's Chicago Fire, have experienced record business growth and won championships so one would naturally assume that he know a thing or two about running a football club. With that in mind and those aforementioned similarities I see between the two leagues it would be have been remiss of me not to ask one of the key figures in United States football what he thought the A-League could learn from their experiences. In response Wilt came up with these six key areas:

  1. Importance of authenticity. Marketing and promotion should focus on the game.
  2. Market primarily to those already economically and emotionally connected to the game.
  3. Continuously work to improve product (quality of play, officiating, broadcast, in game environment).
  4. Proper sized stadia and control of stadium revenue streams.
  5. Control World Cup and WC Qualifying broadcast rights and package with HAL rights.
  6. Staff teams with those connected to the game.

When it comes to comparing the style of play Wilt sees a lot of similarities between the two leagues noting that most teams in both leagues relying on physical and athletic play with international players and a few domestic national team players thrown in to add some flair. Overall he thinks the MLS is probably more advanced but not by a huge margin.

Wilt is also of the opinion that the MLS and the A-League should look to forge closer links. “Sharing experiences and knowledge between the two leagues would be very helpful and that there could also be effective player development opportunities,” he says, “The two leagues have a lot to learn from each other due to their similar challenges and backgrounds.” I for one have to agree with him there; whilst the market size is vastly different the competition from other well-entrenched sports is extremely relevant.

As a CEO, Peter Wilt was known for his brilliant relationship with the fans, with Pitch Invasion’s Tom Dunmore, saying: “He realised the value of supporter culture - passionate fans and the noise, colour and excitement they bring - and how they could be embedded into the fabric of a club. He helped give Fire an identity fans and players from that era will cherish forever.”

With that in mind I asked Wilt what his impressions of the Victory fans were and how they compared to those in the MLS. Wilt responded by saying: “There is no homogeneous description of MLS fans and I imagine that is true for Victory fans as well. MLS fans are suburban families, urban ethnics and young adults. The percentage of each of those three demographics varies from market to market, but importantly the number of young adults has increased tremendously in recent years.” He also senses some encouraging signs for our competition by noting that the increased attendance throughout the A-League in the early going this season is encouraging.

My final question for Wilt was whether or not he would ever consider a role with an A-League club? His response: “In the right circumstances yes. To be successful, I would certainly need to be surrounded by good people who complemented my skills and abilities with their knowledge of the A-League, Australia and its unique circumstances.” And I for one believe those criteria should apply to any applicant that applies for any job with any club within the A-League or the FFA for that matter.

Peter Wilt can be followed on twitter at @PeterWilt1.