Marquee
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Not right that that the owners are wanting to be selective in who has wage reductions. Cant imagine it would create a very good team spirit if it goes down as the owners want. Would imagine there would be some PO players who have taken a pay cut while others havnt. The owners would want to hope like hell that those players who havnt taken pay cuts perform on the field or things could get messy.

Legend
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Where I am a bit lost, is Player's Union (PFA) have pulled out of negotiations, because the PFA itself is apparently split. Of the 300 odd members, 200 are employed, and 100 are currently unemployed.

Who are the 100 unemployed? Just those players who are now off contract since the last A League season finished? Or could you be someone like Tom Doyle who was released 12 months ago by the Nix, but still be a member of the PFA, ie part of the 100 unemployed?

Just that 100 'unemployed' seems a lot compared to only 200 employed.

Is an interesting situation. Can think of Fenton and maybe Sail (seemed to be overtaken by Zac Jones as reserve keeper) as 2 contracted players, who the Nix might try 'push out the door', with large pay cuts. It's an ugly idea, but clubs are simply going to have to slash their wage bills, and seemingly carrying 'deadwood' will be more unattractive than ever.

As well as reducing salary cap by the 30% to $2.1M, I think it's also been proposed to reduce the squad size from 23 to 18 players. If so you can't really afford to carry 3 RBs in a small squad of 18. Maybe return Payne back to being a CB as he was at Eastern Suburbs.

Marquee
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Squad size of 18 seems to be really pushing things might be okay at season start but come later in the season can see some teams maybe struggling with a combination of injuries and suspensions. With our Academy set up hopefully we wont be one of those.

RR
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coochiee wrote:

Where I am a bit lost, is Player's Union (PFA) have pulled out of negotiations, because the PFA itself is apparently split. Of the 300 odd members, 200 are employed, and 100 are currently unemployed.

Who are the 100 unemployed? Just those players who are now off contract since the last A League season finished? Or could you be someone like Tom Doyle who was released 12 months ago by the Nix, but still be a member of the PFA, ie part of the 100 unemployed?

Just that 100 'unemployed' seems a lot compared to only 200 employed.

Is an interesting situation. Can think of Fenton and maybe Sail (seemed to be overtaken by Zac Jones as reserve keeper) as 2 contracted players, who the Nix might try 'push out the door', with large pay cuts. It's an ugly idea, but clubs are simply going to have to slash their wage bills, and seemingly carrying 'deadwood' will be more unattractive than ever.

As well as reducing salary cap by the 30% to $2.1M, I think it's also been proposed to reduce the squad size from 23 to 18 players. If so you can't really afford to carry 3 RBs in a small squad of 18. Maybe return Payne back to being a CB as he was at Eastern Suburbs.

The '100 unemployed' are off contract players. 

Afaik, there has been no calls to reduced the senior squad size, I suggested that maybe they should consider it as a compromise to reduce the pay cuts per person.

Legend
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Maybe you just inadvertently started a Chinese Whisper, RR that's taken on a life of it's own.

http://theniche-cache.com/football/2020/9/16/union...

I wrote in that Offseason Primer that I reckoned we’d see a drop in import slots next season. Sounds like I didn’t go far enough as there’s talk of reducing the minimum squad size too, possibly as low as 18 players. How they implement that will be fleshed out in whatever CBA they end up with... if it’s an optional thing then that’s dangerous if Sydney FC can still have 23 fully contracted pros while teams like the Phoenix are dealing with barely enough to fill out a matchday squad plus academy fellas. But it makes sense to lower the squad size in some way when that’ll take entire salaries off the books.

Marquee
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Reposted From https://forum.insidesport.com.au/2885632/GOVERNANC...  

Poster was Gyfox:

The linked 102 page document is a hard read but well worth it for anyone who wants to understand the different models used across the football world.

The most common is the association model but it comes in three versions:-
1. Management of the league by the national body.
2. Self management by the league but financially dependent of the national body.
3. Self management by the league and financially independent.

The other model is the separate entity model which isn't particularly common and comes in two versions:-
1. National body as a shareholder.
2. No shareholding by the national body.

The document discusses examples of these models and variations in some detail and the final paragraph of the conclusion states:-.

"Finally, when observing many situations in which the national associations do not entirely govern football at national level, we can note that the relationship between the national association and the league is a love-hate one. They need each other for some matters, but at the same neither one wants the other to be too involved in the governance of its own organisation. The balance is a delicate one indeed."

https://www.cies.ch/fileadmin/documents/CIES/Governance_I_-_Models_across_football_associations_and_leagues.pdf

PS. James Johnson supervised the research on FIFAs behalf.

RR
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Perth Glory CEO Tony Pignata has told ESPN that A-League clubs will push ahead and stage the next season without a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) in place, declaring that clubs were ready to determine their own salary cap, minimum wage and other parameters without the input of Professional Footballers Australia (PFA).

https://www.espn.com.au/football/australian-a-league/story/4188451/a-league-to-proceed-without-collective-bargaining-agreement-perth-glorys-tony-pignata
RR
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On Friday, Western Sydney Wanderers re-signed all but one contracted player on new pay deals. Sydney FC are also close to agreeing terms with their squad.

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/players-union-hopeful-of-new-cba-as-wanderers-re-sign-core-of-squad-20200925-p55zcm.html

Looking forward to seeing how Sydney retains their team, yet cuts a million dollars from the guys included in the cap ...

ALF leaving frees up a marquee slot for Kosta's wages, maybe Wilkinson & Ninkovic take bigger cuts but add in more years to their deals + coaching deals outside the cap.

Starting XI
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Breaking news:

Clubs and PFA on verge of agreeing to new CBA:

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/pay-war-set-to...

"The A-League is set to commence without any threat of industrial action with the clubs and players' union on the cusp of signing a new collective bargaining agreement for next season.

The clubs and players have brokered a peace deal that is set to end a bitter months-long pay dispute with a new agreement to be ratified as early as next week. The A-League season is still scheduled to start in December, although that date remains uncertain.

Sources involved in the discussions informed the Herald one of the final obstacles standing in the way of an agreement has been overcome with the clubs agreeing to an annual fee paid directly to the players' union, The PFA.....

If the agreement is ratified, it will ensure all individual A-League player contracts remain valid with many previously at risk of being deemed invalid in the absence of a CBA.

....Clubs have been able to sign the core of their players on reduced wages for next season, with the salary cap set to be slashed from $3.2 million per season down to $2.1 million. Clubs that didn't spend the full salary cap for last season will also be given up to $200,000 extra to spend on this season's salary cap if they choose to...."

Starting XI
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The predicted introduction of transfer fees between A-League clubs is going to shake things up next year.

Longer-term contracts on the horizon for A-League players, plus more revenue for clubs from both local transfers and selling players overseas:

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/ffa-targeting-...

"One of the primary items on a white paper to be released next month will be the introduction of a domestic transfer system – a first in the A-League era – that will allow clubs to buy and sell players like the rest of world football. The document will also cover training compensation fees, transfer fees, agent accreditation and regulations, the timing of transfer windows within the season and the alignment of the A-League with the winter-run state leagues.

The proposals and consultation process are aimed at achieving two targets; creating an internal domestic transfer economy and increasing Australia's international transfer revenue at least 15-fold.....

....The A-League's aim of matching Japan's transfer revenue could see clubs rake in more than $40m a year.

FFA's plan to bridge the gap between Australia and Japan hinges on improving the quality of the A-League, providing more match minutes to young Australian players, encouraging longer periods of contracting and potentially realigning the schedule of the A-League season and transfer windows with the state-based National Premier Leagues.

The governing body could flag a reduction in foreign player quotas to four per team to encourage local player development, as well as incentives around home-grown players and allowing Australian clubs to buy and sell players with one another. The latter is hoped to lead to longer-term contracting that will increase player value on the global transfer market. Currently, a third of A-League players enter the July-August transfer window as free agents in any given year."

RR
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RR
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Legend
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RR wrote:

why can I never see these images??

RR
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theprof wrote:

why can I never see these images??

No idea, maybe Patrick can answer that. The picture is the A-League changing its profile picture on Facebook to remove the Hyundai off the logo.
RR
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A revamped FFA Cup could help keep players ticking over during an eight-month break between A-League seasons, as football transitions to winter and provides a test run for a direct-to-consumer streaming model being planned by the sport.

While the next A-League season has been locked in to start on December 27 and will finish with a grand final in June 2021, there are still huge question marks over what domestic football looks like after that point and how the planned shift from a summer to winter calendar is managed.

The Herald can reveal the most likely scenario being discussed by A-League powerbrokers, who are mapping out possibilities for what could happen at the end of 2021 and beyond.

Senior club sources say the A-League is facing an eight-month hiatus after next year's grand final with the following season unlikely to begin until February 2022.

The extended recess is a one-off consequence of moving to a winter season but the void would be filled with other competitions to ensure A-League players remain active during most of that time, according to the plan favoured most by club executives.

Teams would be given a two-month break in July and August 2021 before returning for pre-season training, with competitive matches to resume in September with the FFA Cup's round of 32, which would wrap up in December.
There could be an eight-month recess between the next two A-League seasons, but that does not mean football will not be played.

A change to the format of the FFA Cup is almost certain. FFA chief executive James Johnson has previously expressed a desire to move to a group stage in the round of 32 to provide more national-level matches for players, while FFA's XI Principles document also forecasts a move to groups and for the final to become the last match of the domestic football season each year.

While some within the game believe a group stage would take away some of the romance of the FFA Cup by making it more difficult for NPL sides to progress, it is seen as a handy short-term solution to keep A-League teams active - particularly in a year where the Socceroos could be faced with a backlog of qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and players will need to be fit if called upon.

An open draw – instead of the current structure which guarantees a semi-final berth for at least one non-A-League team – is also on the cards, as well as regionalising the early stages of the cup to ensure more derbies and minimise travel costs.

Then in January 2022, A-League teams would be involved in a pre-season tournament or "league cup", before the season proper begins in February and ends just before the World Cup commences in November 2022.

The A-League has not had an official pre-season competition since the Pre-Season Challenge Cup was discarded in 2009, while this year's FFA Cup was abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The FFA Cup was specifically excluded from the A-League's revised broadcast rights deal with Fox Sports – which expires at the end of July – because it was viewed as an ideal test run for a football-specific streaming platform being planned by A-League clubs.

Firmer details around the service are scarce, but sources believe it will serve a pivotal role in connecting the A-League with the grassroots by providing an all-encompassing digital platform for the whole of the game.

The Herald reported in May that FFA and A-League clubs were interested in taking on responsibility for broadcast production of matches, enabling them to exercise more control over how rights are sold and opening up the possibility of deals with companies like Optus Sport.

A move to winter is not officially set in stone for the A-League, with extensive research being undertaken on the commercial impact before any definitive call is made.

But while some clubs - particularly in AFL-dominated Victoria - have reservations, most key stakeholders within the sport believe there is more to be gained than lost by flipping the calendar and running the A-League in tandem with grassroots competitions, which have always been played in winter.

Analysis of data shows that the tempo of A-League matches improves during the cooler months, but that the competition suffers a decline in share of mainstream media space when going up against the other major codes, especially the AFL and NRL.

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/how-a-league-plans-to-fill-long-void-between-its-next-two-seasons-20201019-p566cy.html
Starting XI
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What is the Aussie fascination with having it in Winter?  I really don't see positives for either country involved:

+Crap weather, especially in Melbourne, Adelaide and especially in Wellington

+Clash with League and rugby and maybe AFL too.

+Most fans/fans children busy playing for their clubs.

+Less interest in local clubs eg Brisy Roar taking precedence over the Lions etc.

Marquee
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Winter is Wellingtons best season, spring is the crappy one. Play through Autumn and Winter and the weather in Wellington should be pretty settled.

RR
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Fox Sports is understood to be in discussions with the A-League club’s representative body APFCA about extending its long-standing rights deal beyond July 2021, the date its divorce from the sport was due to be finalised.

https://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/fox-sports-u-turn-offers-cash-boost-to-independent-a-league
RR
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From a Tony Sage interview

RR
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I didn't realise this until last night, the Glory don't play their first game until the 23rd game of the season. The Nix will have played 5 games before then.

Legend
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Be worth keeping an eye on the March 2021 FIFA window (22nd - 31st March). Nix are scheduled to play 2 games over those dates (Brisbane & Macarthur). Though Roar game to be exact is 21st March.

A lot can happen in this Covid world, but OFC have scheduled the first round of OFC WC qualifying in that window. From memory will include the minnows like Cooks, American Samoa etc - and AWs would only need to finish 2nd in their pool to make the 2nd round from June 2021 onwards.

I see the Handy Prem finals are scheduled to finish before that March window, and if the OFC tourney proceeds it could just be a Handy Prem AWs if Hay thinks they could get the job done. Otherwise depending on borders, location of the tourney, etc etc he could be calling up A League guys. That could include a fair number of Nix players missing those 2 A League games. 

I think already you can rule out Hay picking anyone from USA/Europe.

Who knows come March next year, and if OFC goes ahead with the tourney (they may just can it and have OFC's top 8 teams go straight to 2nd round qualifying from June onwards) - Australia may have more open borders with the Islands than NZ. ie Australian residents maybe able to return to the Islands without a 2 week MI requirement, whilst NZ residents visiting the Islands need to still MI for 2 weeks upon return. That's relevant if any tourney is staged in the Islands.

So in that instance it could be that Hay is better to pick an AWs side solely of A League players (plus any Kiwis with NPL sides), rather than NZ domestic players. As always with the stupid virus lots of moving parts.

Getting paid to be here
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coochiee wrote:

Be worth keeping an eye on the March 2021 FIFA window (22nd - 31st March). Nix are scheduled to play 2 games over those dates (Brisbane & Macarthur). Though Roar game to be exact is 21st March.

A lot can happen in this Covid world, but OFC have scheduled the first round of OFC WC qualifying in that window. From memory will include the minnows like Cooks, American Samoa etc - and AWs would only need to finish 2nd in their pool to make the 2nd round from June 2021 onwards.

I see the Handy Prem finals are scheduled to finish before that March window, and if the OFC tourney proceeds it could just be a Handy Prem AWs if Hay thinks they could get the job done. Otherwise depending on borders, location of the tourney, etc etc he could be calling up A League guys. That could include a fair number of Nix players missing those 2 A League games. 

I think already you can rule out Hay picking anyone from USA/Europe.

Who knows come March next year, and if OFC goes ahead with the tourney (they may just can it and have OFC's top 8 teams go straight to 2nd round qualifying from June onwards) - Australia may have more open borders with the Islands than NZ. ie Australian residents maybe able to return to the Islands without a 2 week MI requirement, whilst NZ residents visiting the Islands need to still MI for 2 weeks upon return. That's relevant if any tourney is staged in the Islands.

So in that instance it could be that Hay is better to pick an AWs side solely of A League players (plus any Kiwis with NPL sides), rather than NZ domestic players. As always with the stupid virus lots of moving parts.

OFC qualifying for the 2022 World Cup is currently scheduled to start no earlier than June, though the window is May 31 to June 15 and the A-League is currently scheduled to end June 20 (last round of the regular season ends May 31) so there could still be a clash.

Legend
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Too quick AV. Was just about to Edit a correction.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_FIFA_World_Cup_...

Hopefully NZF can pick up some Euro friendlies then in that March window, if borders within the EU (and with USA) are a bit more open.

An A League selections - AWs v Socceroos game would also be nice, if could be squeezed in somehow.

One in a million
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RR wrote:

I didn't realise this until last night, the Glory don't play their first game until the 23rd game of the season. The Nix will have played 5 games before then.


Yeh, why is that??
Legend
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RR wrote:

I didn't realise this until last night, the Glory don't play their first game until the 23rd game of the season. The Nix will have played 5 games before then.


Yeh, why is that??

WA border issues, and some hope that they can be resolved soon.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/nov/24/f...

Looks like Nix and maybe Glory will be only teams forced to relocate/not stage home games. So no hub as such. Big disadvantage for Phoenix, with the other teams maybe all having 50% home games with supportive fans.

Of course all changes if there are new Covid outbreaks, and border closures again within Oz.

RR
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Jets vs Roar pre-season stream, game kicks off soon

RR
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RR
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Western Australia have closed its borders to Victoria immediately, so that is another spanner in the works for the season.

Woof Woof
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Will be interesting to see if SA and Queensland follow suit.

Legend
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FYI, there we a number of state borders reopened this week, which should now free up interstate travel for the various A League clubs, and some semblance of the draw returning to normal.

However looks like the WA Govt continues to take a hardline, with travellers from NSW, VIC & QLD still required to self quarantine for 2 weeks in WA upon arrival.

So unless the A League teams can get some sort of travel exemption, the Glory hosting anyone bar Adelaide United will be a problem?? I guess Perth will just continue to play away games in the interim until that changes. But eventually surely they need to consider setting up a base in one of the Eastern states, or maybe Adelaide - until their state Govt relaxes it's stance.

But not sure, since Covid started whether WA has ever relaxed it's travel stance on the Eastern states (obviously has with SA) - so could be a long wait.

Glory - the one team currently disadvantaged more than the Nix.

Legend
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See WA has gone in a 5 day lockdown over 1 new community case!

https://7news.com.au/lifestyle/health-wellbeing/wa...

Think there is very little prospect of Glory hosting any A League games, anytime soon.

Starting XI
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Some one posted on another site that the FFA have already signed another TV deal? But i cant find anything about it. Anyone here no more?

RR
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Sydney cancelling their plans to fly to Melbourne tomorrow, so that is one game postponed.

RR
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Starting XI
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This is a cool read about the great season so far we have had but why no one is watching it on TV or going to live games anymore. A bit like Wellington fans to be honest.
Why have fans deserted the greatest A-League season in history? (sbs.com.au)
First Team Squad
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Royz
This is a cool read about the great season so far we have had but why no one is watching it on TV or going to live games anymore. A bit like Wellington fans to be honest.
Why have fans deserted the greatest A-League season in history? (sbs.com.au)
 Isn't a huge contributing factor that the fans are being over-policed (unlike the redneck sports in oz)? Regardless, it's a shame as the league deserves way more coverage and support than it's getting. Surely given the vaccine roll out, there should be assurances for the leagues future?
Starting XI
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Why NFL's $100 billion broadcast deal is great news for NRL, AFL But not Rugby or A League.
RR
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