THE FIRST phase of A-League development is fast coming to a close.

The future is here right now, and the old eight-team competition already feels like an object of nostalgia. That's a good thing.

To survive and prosper over the next five years, clubs will need to fully exploit all the possibilities afforded by evolving FFA rules regarding salary caps, marquee players, and even those dreaded additional services agreements (ASAs).

The imminent changes might strike terror into the hearts of a few club CEOs, but they are good news for Australia's avid football fans. A few recent stories illustrate the point.

First up, a little story you might have missed - but you can bet that FFA supremo Frank Lowy saw it. As the global financial crisis continues to rumble across the globe, the title of "Australia's richest man" (which Lowy held for the past year) has quietly passed - - to Gold Coast United owner Clive Palmer.

In the same week, Lowy began the process of divesting control of Sydney FC to a billionaire Russian banker, David Traktovenko, and his business partner, Paul Ramsay. The owner of Australia's largest private hospital company, Ramsay also just happens to be the biggest stakeholder in Prime Television. That sound you can hear is FOX Sports owner Rupert Murdoch choking on a pretzel.

Meanwhile, after steadfastly refusing to negotiate ASAs with his Championship-winning players (now walking out the door), Newcastle Jets owner Con Constantine is begging fans to keep the faith while pledging new stars ASAP. But Con has just missed the transfer window and the Jets' season looks effectively stuffed.

What do all these stories have in common? They all signal that HAL teams courting success in the next five years will need to spend big, fill stadiums, and reward players for success. For fans, that means a bigger and better league, better players and more excitement.

As a Gold Coast fan, I always hear two kinds of complaint. If we talk about big name players, critics scoff that we won't fit them all into the salary cap. But if we announce lesser known players, the same critics say we won't be competitive. The truth is we are already setting the pace for 2009 and beyond, and squad signings in the next few months will confirm that.

The only ones with anything to fear from these HAL 2.0 changes are the CEOs of other sporting codes in Australia, plus rich A-League club owners who are not serious about their commitment to football. Fans should demand that all clubs lift their game to meet the new reality.