Manny Gotis, a Gippsland Falcons stalwart in the NSL, believes it’s now or never for the A-League and game. 

“Playing March to November in 2021 for the A-League might not be a bad thing,” he tells FTBL. 

“Something has to change, something has to give. 

“We can bring together this huge game in Australia. At grassroots, it's the biggest code.

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“Alignment is important.

"I was always taught, effect change or you’ll be affected by it," he adds. 

“Why wouldn’t we want to change the game in 2021 and have the A-League go up against NRL and AFL.

“Looking at the game now, and the A-League, this is our last chance to fix the game.” 

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Aligning the A-League with the grassroots and NPL is being discussed at the highest levels during the shutdown of the competition. 

Gotis, a tough defender who also played Aussie Rules in the region, retired from football in 2001 after over 100 games with Gippsland Falcons and moved into his family's horse racing business.

He remains a passionate football man and watches the A-League from afar.

He applauds the return of the Golden Generation and their input into shaping a better future for the game. 

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However, Gippsland, around 120km east of Melbourne’s CBD, is suffering more than most. 

The drought has hit the agricultural sector hard, followed by the devastating summer bushfires in Victoria and of course COVID on top of this. 

It’s an area that has also had to traditionally fight for its share of government funding. 

Gotis hopes aligning an A-League in winter 2021 will put the focus back on grassroots and ambitious local talents in Victoria's country region, and open up more possibilities for football at the under-utilized Latrobe City Stadium in Morwell (formerly the home of the Falcons). 

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“Look at the players the area has produced after getting their start at Gippsland Falcons? Archie Thompson, Eugene Galekovic, Scott McDonald, and John Hutchinson. All A-League players," Gotis argues. 

“A powerful club, a respected club that had 3000 junior soccer players back then."

Wealthy Falcons backer Don Di Fabrizio helped build a club and a culture that for many years in the 90s punched above its weight and were a standard-bearer for country football. 

"Players of the future for the A-League will be out there in the grassroots, playing on a Saturday then going to see an A-League game in the evening. 

Gotis (right) against former teammate and future A-League great Archie Thompson in his Marconi days

“Let’s give all those kids hope in 2021. And all those dreams and aspirations in an area that’s really lost its way," urges Gotis. 

"The power industry is hurting and job losses with no investment is making life tough in Gippsland."

Uniting the game is key, says Gotis, who feels the NSL era has been largely disrespected since the inception of the A-League. 

And while he's been vehemently opposed to how previous FFA CEOs have managed the game, he's quietly confident James Johnson is the man who can plot a resurgence in the code. 

“When the A-League began, the administrators were hell-bent on ignoring the history of the game, and those players who played in the NSL. 

“How can you do that? To try to kill the history," he argues. 

"Now we’re seeing the benefits of those players who bled for the game and have so much knowledge from around the world and from the past. Let's unite our game ... we have a rich history."