AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou said the AFL would earn $1.253 billion from the 2012-16 deal, including a cash contribution of $1.118 billion under the new TV and internet rights deal which was finalised on Thursday.

It’s put the spotlight on what FFA can reap when their broadcast deal runs out in June 2013. And with insiders painting a dire picture about what the game is worth, the focus is on how the game can rebound in the next two years. 

With broadcast deal negotiations set to start soon, much focus will be on FFA CEO Ben Buckley’s sell of a code that has struggled in the last two years for crowds and has pulled back on its earlier bullish expansion plans.

Currently the code is shown on subscription TV with Fox Sports providing live coverage of all A-League, ACL and Socceroos games (except at the FIFA World Cup where SBS-TV have the rights).

With the Smith Review into football likely to be finalised in the coming months, Tony Pignata, former CEO of Wellington Phoenix and one of the key men behind the success of the Kiwi franchise, believes the game's dip is all part of the cycle of sport.

But he wants the game to come together for the sake of the code's future.

“Not just the FFA but all clubs, the PFA and the fans - we all need to start working together to build it together for the long haul," he told au.fourfourtwo.com.

“And we’ve seen it in the J-League and the MLS they took a bit of a dip but look at them now – I think we can follow suit.

“We’ve seen today what the AFL got and it’s crucial for their game going forward. With our TV deal coming up at the end of 2013, it’s vital we get our house in order.

“It’s great for the AFL and the work that Andrew Demetriou has done in getting $1.25b. It’s an enormous amount of money... hopefully there’s money left for the A-League down the track.”

What is clear is FFA won't get near that amount with one TV insider telling this website: "When it's renewed, even for the same package, Fox will not pay the same. A-League's performance doesn't justify it.

"And if the FFA insist on one pick-of-the-round game on FTA then the offer could be as low as $3m per year. The push for FTA could actually damage the league.

"Fox pay considerably more than it is worth. No FTA will be close."

However, there is funding for football from the federal government, but there is no certainty that the pollies - under pressure from other football codes - will continue to help football.

Yesterday, PFA chief Brendan Schwab told this website the Smith Review is important in strengthening the game which in turn helps boost the game’s potential future government cash.

However, as the AFL has shown, it’s the broadcast deal that is the main game when it comes to securing the future of a code.

And Pignata, a strong candidate for the vacant CEO’s position at Sydney FC, agreed with Schwab that many A-League teams hadn’t engaged with the grassroots as well as they should have.

“Look at Wellington and some of the crowds we achieved in the last couple of years – the potential is there. What we need to do is make the fans not just spectators, but fanatics... to have the passion to come watch the games each week.

“In saying that, we can provide content and with the other codes in their off-season we can get some more money [from the next broadcast deal].”

Phil Stubbins was adamant that based on the product on the park the game is in good shape to negotiate a better broadcast deal.  

And the former Adelaide United assistant coach in the A-League, Asian Champions League and Club World Cup, urged the game not to rely on the generosity of key figures such as Frank Lowy.

“The review is a reflection and recognition of both where we’ve come from as a sport and more importantly where we’re trying to get to,” he told au.fourfourtwo.com.

“The last A-League Grand Final would have to go down as perhaps the greatest in the A-League’s history.So, with that understood we know the product is a viable one.”

He added: “The attempted World Cup bid did damage and sanitise our own promotion of the A-League domestically in some ways, but I feel we have the powers to resurrect ourselves to new heights once again.

“Frank Lowy has done an exceptional job but it’s about time the game took it upon itself to no longer rely on anyone to be such a huge benefactor.”  

  • In other A-League news, Bradley Norton, 20, has been spotted back training with Melbourne Victory. The defender had crossed from Victory and signed a two-year deal at Hindmarsh last season.