While today's new broadcast deal is significant for the game, when it comes to rival codes football still lives in their shadow.

Rugby League received a reported $1.8 billion for their TV rights, while AFL is the number one code in the country when it comes it's broadcast arrangement with a whopping $2.5 billion for their six-year deal.

While football still has a way to go to reach the sums of money of other codes, FFA Chairman Steven Lowy believes the round ball game can be number one.

“We are talking about the world game,” he said. “It’s a very competitive market here with other codes. Australians love many sports, clearly NRL AFL, Cricket and other sports Rugby Union there is a deep culture of sport and we have the ability we believe to grow more than any of them.

“We now have a major capital injection to grow and ultimately, we are talking about the world game. Australia is now in the Asian Football Confederation it has enormous impact for our national teams it has enormous impact for our clubs and the growth that can provide and the ability for our game to interact with the rest of the world so we are very excited and optimistic about the future.”

There were expectations the new broadcast deal would double from $40 million to $80 million a year, with former FFA Chairman Frank Lowy putting that number as the ideal. However, FFA Chairman Steven Lowy said FFA was happy with the final figure of $56.7 million a year.

“We are really thrilled with where we are and we still have free to air and international rights to come,” he said.

“It also needs to be understood that the package of international games is separate from that and that would’ve included that and that would’ve been bought separately so it’s not apples and apples to compare it so far.”

With the rights to Socceroos games taken over by AFC's commercial partner Lagardere and sold directly to Fox Sports, Gallop was keen to point out that the FFA was still getting twice the amount of the previous arrangement.

"On a like for like basis this deal doubles the investment that Fox Sports were making but (it's) not the same package of rights as last time," he said.

“For the last round of qualifiers, it’s in a separate arrangement that’s controlled by AFC and not us. That also includes the Asian Cup and the Asian Champions League so this is not the same package of rights that was sold last time. That value is out of this deal, Patrick Delany (Fox Sports CEO) can tell you that they’ve secured those through the AFC route."

Gallop added that FFA had already been in negotiations with all the free to air broadcasters regarding the Saturday night game which will be shown on terrestrial TV.

“It’s fair to say that each one of the commercial networks has expressed interest in football,” he said. “It was felt at this stage we were better placed to put this arrangement in place.

"It has a package available to free to air, which of course which will be simulcast but it has a package which is an improved package from a previous arrangement and I’m confident we’ll be able to take that to the market and get good value for it.”