“And there’s nothing at the bottom end of the table that keeps the clubs on their toes.

“Having been in Korea twice in the last two months [on a Pro Licence coaching course] my contacts over there say to me they don’t take us particularly seriously.

“They always fear the Socceroos, but they don’t have any interest in sending players or coaches to work in the A-League. They see it as a bit of a nothing league.

“And coming from England, I know people think the same.

“They laugh at the A-League.”

Cahn, like many, hopes the Championship is simply allowed to start sooner rather than later - a preferable option to endless planning to find a “perfect” model from day one.

“We’re not a crossroads but it’s an interesting point. There are a lot of people at all levels of the game frustrated with the current state of the game,” he says.

“From a pure football point of view, we just have to go with it.

“If we have clubs who are willing to put their necks on the line and have the capital investment, we can do it. And why shouldn’t we back them and get it started?

“It will provide a point of difference between us and other football codes. And aligns us with any successful football league in the world.

“And there’d be an excitement factor - which is what football is all about - and will attract new supporters and investors.

"But we have to start that to see that. If every game has something riding on it...

“We’re never going to create a perfect model on paper. Any new initiative will have its ups and downs, but we can build and grow and learn from it any mistakes.

“But the sooner we can get started the better.”