Name five players from your local state league's premier division. Just five. But no Googling allowed!
Who managed it? Who could do it off the top of their head, and who just threw together a bunch of consonants, added an ‘ic' to the end, and hoped to god there was a vaguely similar name in the Balkanised ranks of their respective league?
It's a pretty simple test, but it does serve to highlight an interesting question. How many of us are aware of what's going on in our local football scene? And how many people take an active interest? Seems odd that in a country where football fans regularly complain about EPL followers ignoring the A-League, many people do the same to the state leagues without a second thought.
Personally, I think this is a pity. Myself, I'm discovering that I can enjoy football at just about any level. I watch(ed) state league matches, enjoyed National Youth League games, and this weekend I'm heading to Manchester to see City take on Aston Villa in my first ever EPL game. I love it all.
Furthermore though, I think there's more to the local leagues than just providing a bit more entertainment for you and I. They're a breeding ground for young footballing talent; and they're also producers of something A-League clubs could do with - a good dose of community spirit.
Another Great Divide
Currently, for various reasons, a gap exists between the A-League and the various state competitions. Part of this is down to the historical divides created by the launch of the new national league. Some clubs, ‘left behind' by the new governing body, have seen their fans and administrators retreat into their localised shells rather than try and regain their place on the national scene. Others have tried to find loopholes by investigating other competitions - or even other countries. The other part of the national-local divide comes from some A-League clubs seeing little benefit in the local game; perhaps apart from some extra bodies to call on for a scratchie.
Frankly all this is rather disappointing, because on both sides of the fence there are people who really love football. It seems silly that they be restricted to one or the other, yet for many reasons they often are - it might be cultivated attitudes about the other league, it might be a lack of knowledge about the realities of it, or it may be as innocent as a clash of fixtures. Who's going to attend an A-League game if they or their kids have to strap on the boots an hour prior to kickoff?
The real loser here is the sport of football itself. Potential benefits for both levels of the game include:
- Bigger crowds
- More revenue
- Player transfers
- The fostering of a truly national footballing identity
To get an idea of what I'm talking about with the last point, consider the following scenario.
Craig Jones has just moved from smoggy Newcastle in the UK to sunny Mandurah in Western Australia. He likes his football, so the first thing he does is set up his Pay TV with Foxtel so that he doesn't miss a second of the EPL action (after all, the Toon are back in the big time now!). He watches the odd A-League match too - especially if Mr Fowler is in action - but he doesn't take too much of an interest otherwise.
His ten year old son Nicky plays for the Mandurah City juniors. As a result, he's grown to know parents of some of the other lads in the team, and they catch up for drinks now and then. He also joins some of the other dads on weekends at Hyundai Stadium in Mandurah to watch the senior team run out in the Football West Premier League. While he knows Perth Glory exist, he has no connection to them and doesn't really have the interest needed to justify a trip to MES, or to fork over the fifty-odd dollars for tickets for his family. So, what can be done to entice Mr Jones and the like to an A-League game? (Apart from signing Robbie Fowler... Thanks Mr Sage!)
Play It Forward
Firstly, I'd like to see representatives from the Glory, the FFA, Football West, and the state league clubs sit down in a room for an hour or two and discuss scheduling and communication. This in itself would be a mighty achievement. What I'd hope to get out of that meeting is something similar to the scheming that goes on at the WAFC offices here in Perth between the AFL and the WAFL. Their arrangement ensures that WAFL fixtures don't conflict with AFL ones, and that Dockers and Eagles games don't have attendances affected by junior, social, or amateur games.
If the AFL can organise this, why can't football? (Perhaps a question best left unanswered in the corridors of Australia's footballing bureaucracy). The same would apply across the rest of Australia's state bodies.
Secondly, I'd like to see a lot more cross-promotion between grass roots and state league football and the A-League franchises. If I go to an Australian cricket match, or even a Warriors game, I get people coming up to me (or at the very least, manning a desk) talking about the possibly of joining my local cricket club. Why can't we do the same for football? Sure, the seasons don't coincide in the same way, but a reminder towards the end of the A-League season that football is something you can get involved in wouldn't go astray.
Furthermore, franchises' websites are normally as quiet as a mouse in the off-season; so why not post reports from the NSWPL / VPL / appropriate state league competition each weekend? The teams might appreciate a few more curious onlookers each weekend; and those onlookers might in turn appreciate a full strength brew and a nice curry and chips. They might even be surprised at the quality of some of the football played at a state league level.
The state league clubs could do their bit for the A-League, too. They are a family organisation - many clubs often boasting teams from the age of 8 up - and not all of these families will be going regularly to an A-League game. Perhaps they can't afford it, perhaps they're not really interested. But if belonging to a local club meant getting A-League tickets at a cheaper price, maybe they'd change their mind?
Perhaps if state league clubs also gave cheap, or perhaps even free, use of training and conference facilities that A-League franchises lack, there'd be friendlier relations between the administrators of both sides? Maybe the A-League teams could loan out some players in the off-season for a few rounds of ‘guest appearances' to get their fitness levels up? Other players could go down to the local clubs and act as referees for junior matches.
Imagine if Timmy turned up to play under 16s for Green Gully and his referee was Kevin Muscat? Or Jane rocked up to her girls game in Sydney only to find her linesman was Kofi Danning? An autograph here, a wave there, maybe some free tickets or discounts, and who'd begrudge the whole team and their families turning up to A-League games in future?
At the end of the day, most people involved in football in this country want it to grow and prosper at every level. So why must people bicker and play games in board rooms when we should be concentrating on the games on the field? The people who look towards their own selfish interests rather than the good of the game need to have a good, hard look at themselves - because short term gains to their own benefit could have consequences for the game as whole. Those who may think I'm just talking about old NSL-era cronies in New South Wales and Victoria can think again, as there are people associated with the A-League or state bodies still politicking in the same way - and they are just as much to blame.
Let's bring this game forward. Let's drop the politics, drop the bureaucracy, and get some communication going from the top level to the bottom. A-League franchises, let's get the state league teams involved. Sell discounted memberships through them. Loan some players to play, coach, ref, or just say hello. State and national bodies, let's actually think about our scheduling - is fixturing junior finals at the same time as an season-opening Melbourne A-League derby really going to be a good idea?
And the rest of us - go have a look at the state leagues. A good look, too - not just one afternoon. If someone came to see some of the A-League games we've had over the years and based their entire opinion on that one match, imagine how bad of a reputation we'd have! Join your local club. Have a beer. Have some food. Talk to people. Join up and play some social or amateur games. In the unlikely event that you're reading this and you don't attend A-League games, come along. We're not all plastic fantastics!
Get to know your local, and hope that your local gets to know the A-League. If we bring the state and national tiers closer together, and get more people attending more matches, football can only bettered.
After all, isn't that what we all really want?
