The next broadcast arrangement will start from the beginning of the 2017/18 A-League season with the current arrangement with Fox Sports and SBS to conclude this campaign.

Negotiations for the new deal started in October.

O’Rourke said the Tim Cahill factor combined with the derbies provided a massive boost for the A-League.

“Time will tell in respect to the financial impact it has on the broadcast deal but it couldn’t have been a better start for us in respect of being able to put us in strong negotiation position,” he said.

“The fact that we can show our broadcast is up year on year by 30% has got the interest of the people who are out in the tender process in respect that they’ve seen a growth league.”

With Tim Cahill’s presence helping increase attendances and viewing figures, O’Rourke said the possibilities of more big name players coming to the A-League was the competition's major selling point.

“It’s part of many parts of the fabric of the deal,” he said. “In respect to why we would encourage the interest of the broadcaster by telling them that we are going to be bringing new news to the game and new news to the game will be from marquee players.”

O’Rourke said expansion would be part of the good news story the FFA would be selling to potential bidders.

“Again it’s part of the conversation,” he said. “We are also talking about bringing in new news not at the beginning of the broadcast deal of four years but within it. The potential to bring new news in respect of new teams which is a positive story with both free to air and from subscription TV.

“Because the subscription TV providers are also looking for new markets and new viewers.”

And while negotiations are fresh, FFA have spoken to all commercial networks with a look to broadcasting two games a week including derby games on free-to-air.

“Of course, they are mainly interested in getting the biggest and best games broadcast,” O’Rourke said. “But that no doubt will be part of the negotiation going forward in respect of how many and whether the so called big games, the derbies are part of that package.”

With the Socceroos, Asian World Cup qualifying games currently broadcast on the Nine Network, O’Rourke said it doen't mean the A-League will be added to that arrangement as well.

“I don’t think that seeing the Socceroos games through Channel Nine that there is any leaning of the free-to-air partners,” he said. “What I do think is having it on a commercial network is actually stimulating competition. As people see the impact of our game on free-to-air whether it be on Channel Nine or any other Channel other people are saying that they’d like a piece of that.”