Former Fox Sports commentator Simon Hill says the A-League shouldn’t measure itself against other football codes, rather it should focus on Asia as it moves to a winter competition.
With this in mind, Hill believes the A-League moving to winter is a perfect platform to realign the competition with Australia’s grassroots and Asia’s leagues.
“We can’t predicate everything on what those other football codes do,” Hill, now an A-League commentator with SEN Football Nation radio in Melbourne told FTBL.
“We’ve got to have enough confidence in our game to stand up and say, ‘look we’re gonna play the A-League at this time of the year and we don’t care what you’re doing.’
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“And the other argument of course is that a winter A-League aligns with Asia, which is our future.
“And allied with that, of course, is we’ve got a winter FIFA Men's World Cup coming up in Qatar in 2022.
“Also, maybe this gives our A-League teams a better chance in the Asian Champions League and aligns our calendar with Asia more broadly.
“That’s what we need the A-League to be measured against, not rugby league AFL not the Premier League.
“The A-League will never be the EPL, but we need to start focusing on our football in our region and what’s best for our game.
“For those reasons alone I think winter A-League is worth a try.”
With the current A-League season due to finish next month following the COVID recess, A-League season 2020/21 will kick off in December and finish in July 2021.
This will pave the way for a new “winter” A-League to kick off in 2022 from Feb/March till Oct/Nov.
It’s hoped this alignment and the benefits it will bring - as well as the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand - will be the springboard for a rebirth in the A-League and football more broadly in the recovery years post-COVID.
“Winter A-League also aligns with the NPL seasons, but if we’re going to have a second division and promotion-relegation from the A-League - which everyone seems to want - you can’t have a semi-pro game in winter and then a professional game in summer.
“How would that work for A-League promotion and relegation?” Hill argues.
“This is the chance to try something different.
“And I know the arguments against it and I know we tried it years ago and I know that the AFL and NRL have got their seasons in winter and everyone’s talking about the pitches and coverage.
“Well, what about the pitches now? What about the coverage now?
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“Ultimately I’d like to see promotion and relegation with all football tiers linked. That’s the key to everything.
“Connecting the A-League with the entire football community - because if we do that, we’ll be unstoppable.
“We’ve got the biggest base of participants in the country.
"Everything is a little disconnected at the moment.
“I don’t care if we’re not the number one sport, I just want the game to fulfill its potential.
"And as I’ve said many times before we’ve only just begun to scratch the surface of the game’s potential.
“If it doesn’t work you can always you can always be tweaked but I like the fact that at least James Johnson [FFA CEO] is thinking outside the square and try to find solutions.”
A-League star and Socceroo defender Matthew Jurman likes what Hill has to say on the topic.
The Wanderers A-League star believes fans will love football being played at a higher tempo for longer in games.
“I think it’s good what Simon is saying,” Jurman tells FTBL.
“We can’t be afraid of other sports because they play around that time.
“I think it’s reached a point where we need to back ourselves as a game as the A-League, and take it to other sports in that in the country and give it a good shakeup.
“The biggest number of kids in Australia playing sport are all playing football.
“There are A-League fans out there, it’s just being able to market the game and try and get these families and grassroots kids in and get them to games.
“We have to change something to make sure these fans are coming back and fans coming on board.
“As a player I think you gonna get a better brand of football when you’re playing in the winter months.
“In winter you as a player you feel you can give it a good 90 minutes at your peak, during the summer you can be at your peak and it’s not easy with very tough conditions.
“You’re gonna get a better brand of A-League football playing in winter.”
Former A-League coach and Fulham FC assistant Scott Miller conceded summer A-League football was a huge challenge.
“There is no doubt that it [the heat in summer] affects the speed of the A-League over the course of the season.
“So, I can certainly see the benefit from the players’ perspective on how the switch would impact their physical capacity on match day.”
But the Victorian coach, who managed A-League club Newcastle Jets in 2015 for one season, adds a note of caution.
“I’m not convinced that switching from summer to winter will be the answer we are all looking for, regarding the standard of play, commercial value, and broadcast exposure.
“However it will bring the A-League in line with the NPL and Asia ensuring the competitions are consistent across all leagues.
“I am cautious about the decision as I do feel that there are a number of other areas that need to be addressed before switching the time of year of the A-League.
“My view is a fresh mentality needs to be instilled," Miller added.
"A culture shift from the past and opportunity for new talent with ambition and fresh ideas whilst fostering young Australian talented player is of most importance to the future of Australian football.”
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