The A-League boasts bigger crowds, healthier marketing support and superior administration, but how much better is our shiny new competition really compared with the old NSL? John Davidson finds out...

It provides debate on online forums, in pubs and parks around the country and on the terraces, with strong advocates on both sides of the fence. A question that’s often bandied about and remains a thorny issue for Australia’s still fractured football family: which was better, the now defunct NSL, or its new incarnation, the A-League?

It’s a question Tom Pondeljak, the Melbourne Victory midfielder who played 10 seasons in the NSL, has heard many times before. A veteran of Australian competitions, Pondeljak came through the ranks at the Melbourne Knights before heading to Sydney United, Sydney Olympic and then a season at Perth Glory. Pondeljak started the A-League with Central Coast Mariners and has been with the Victory since 2008. He believes the main differences between the two competitions is down to the professionalism and the salary cap. “All the clubs are full-time now,” Pondeljak says. “It puts the young generation in a good state of mind if they go overseas. The A-League has a lot more level-playing field with the salary cap. The best players are not all at two or three clubs like in the NSL. It makes the competition a lot more even. Quality-wise, there’s not much change,” he adds. “A lot of the old NSL players were very good players. A lot of Socceroos.”

Archie Thompson plays alongside Pondeljak at the Victory and played against him for years in the NSL. The former Gippsland Falcon, Carlton and Marconi striker agrees the A-League is ahead in terms of professionalism and media profile. “The crowds are better, the way the clubs are run,” he says. “The NSL wasn’t recognised as much. Back then there were a lot more ethnic ties to clubs, [more] culture conflict. Maybe in the past, there was some violence. It wasn’t a family atmosphere. Now it’s more family-focused. Definitely, the way to go.” Thompson finds it hard to compare the standard of football between the two competitions. “There were some great players in the old NSL. The game’s evolved, football’s changed. You have to have a good engine, it’s more of an athlete’s game now.”

 Like Thompson and Pondeljak, Melbourne Heart goalkeeper Clint Bolton is a player who has had a big impact on both leagues. The two-time Sydney FC grand final winner also bagged titles in the NSL with Brisbane Strikers and Sydney Olympic. The speed of the A-League and the average age of its players is something that stands out to him alongside the full-time professionalism of the clubs, but Bolton still prefers the NSL. “I played with and against a lot more technically gifted players,” he says. “These days it’s a younger game. That’s the way sport is going. In saying that, last year was the best season of the A-League
by far. It’s come along.”

Bolton fondly remembers his time at Sydney Olympic alongside talent such as Troy Halpin, Pondeljak, Ante Juric and Wayne Srhoj. “It was enjoyable, fun and exciting to go to training,” he says. “There was a bigger gulf between the better teams and lesser teams in the NSL. A lot more easier games in the NSL. In the A-League on any given day, any team can win.”

The view that the NSL possessed more skillful players is held by many people. Former Sydney United keeper and current Sydney FC goalkeeping coach Zeljko Kalac is one who holds that opinion, and Branko Culina is another. Culina coached five different clubs in the NSL and has been at the helm of two clubs in the A-League. The 54-year-old, who also played in the NSL, says Brisbane Roar is the “best team ever” but the NSL had “many, many great teams”. “There were many great players in those eras,” he says. “It’s difficult to compare. The game is far more demanding now, more professional in every aspect. Technically there were some outstanding players [in the NSL], the game was a bit slower. Sydney United and Sydney Olympic at their peak had outstanding technical players – today you probably wouldn’t have as many [in one club]. Overall, the NSL had more technically gifted players.”

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