Because the competition will only be worth watching when there are better teams competing, not by getting rid of the better players.
This is an interesting statement though JD.
It’s been asked before but what are we even after here? What does "better" mean and what does "worth watching" mean?
There are at least two variables in play here – the overall standard of the league and the overall competitiveness of the league. Ideally, we probably want as much as we can get (afford) of both, but if we can’t have both then what should we prioritise?
Of course, the answer to that depends on what we think the league is for.
If we want the league to generate lots of interest from crowds, media etc then we need to know what engages them. Is it good players? Is it close, competitive games? A bit of both? I don’t think any of us actually know the definitive answer to that.
If we want the league to be a development league, or pathway, for NZ players then that’s different. We obviously still want a high standard and competitive games but not at the expense of opportunities for Kiwi players – so goodbye imports (and goodbye to a lot of the funding pressure).
If we want the league to simply produce a champion capable of qualifying for, and winning at, the CWC then that’s different again. Hello imports! Hello professionalism! And who cares how competitive the league is as long as the top team is good, right?
I reckon that we are currently pursuing that last option, whether we consciously intended to or not, and therefore a lot of the policy type settings around the league have defaulted to support that. But that’s also where a lot of the debate comes from because many of us are actually looking for a different set of outcomes and therefore perceive those settings as being “wrong”.
It’s also difficult to discuss the role of the league without considering the wider strategic context of football in NZ. For instance, we might decide it’s strategically important that Kiwi footballers can play professionally in their own country. You could deliver that via the ASB Prem or you could decide that a better approach would be via the A-League, and look to establish new A-League franchises in NZ instead. The role of the ASB Prem is completely different depending on the outcome you want.
When we don’t even know where we want to go it’s no wonder we are all bitching and moaning at each other about how to get there.
My two cents:
- if we want the league to be a stepping stone (i.e. of sufficient quality that players want to play there, people want to watch and will be entertained and professional sides will look to recruit from it) you need it to be semi-pro - players need to be training more than two times a week and it has to be a realistic alternative to the Aussie state leagues. There needs to be more matches. If you expect people to do all this for free, to travel away every second weekend, you are dreaming. That's just not credible. How that's funded is up for debate but I wouldn't turn our noses up at pokie funding while that is still available. That may be an issue in the future but deal with that at the time. If you have a moral problem with gaming funds being used to fund sport write to your local MP - but in the end football has the same right to that money as everyone else.
- in the end your "distribution model" isn't credible as it doesn't reflect the reality behind our gaming funds are distributed. I also think you are confusing correlation and causation when you look at the gaming funds and results. That is definitely part of it, but those Auckland sides are traditional club powerhouses from a city of 1.3mn people and you need to be realistic about that. I absolutely support giving the franchises much more say in running the competition
- part of a semi-pro league is attracting overseas players. Overseas pros have been a feature of football in NZ for ever and have brought a tremendous amount. They've raised standards and played their part in our football history. Many of stayed on and the local football/coaching community is filled with them. Personally I think the English/British influence is arguably too great and is affecting our general play, but either way a league without imports isn't going to be good enough. Players need to be exposed to good players if they're going to progress. Nothing I have ever seen suggests NZ crowds would prefer watching NZ players - in fact the opposite is true I think. I know in Wellington that the overseas guys have generally been the most prominent in recent history (thinking Tim Butterfield, the Little brothers etc).
- the local after 1 year rule is a joke and should be changed. But overall I don't see imports being the problem with the league. ACFC have a lot, Waitak don't generally, TW have had some - all have been competitive at different times. There are plenty of opportunities for kiwis in the league, although at ACFC that has been a bit more difficult. Not an issue anywhere else
- facilities drastically need to improve if you're going to attract bigger crowds and that's down to the franchises holding their end of the original bargain, but I think every franchise should be able to achieve crowds of roughly 1k per match and part of that is making a game day an event. That means some thought going into catering, match day presentation etc, appropriate venues - not just putting on a game of football and hoping people turn up.
Part of the gaming funding issue is there is no real requirement to draw a crowd and that's made franchises extremely lazy.
- I think there needs to be some external pressure on underperforming franchises. Palmy may have been unlucky to be cut but them, Otago and Waikato were coasting and that needed to stop. NZF needs to be constantly looking for potential new entrants and use that as pressure on current entrants to maintain standards, I mean Waikato let Declan play his kids for a season and they can just have a terrible year and start again next season without consequences - that's a complete joke. Otago cut their playing expenses by 100k in a year. No consequences.
- In the end, I think what you're aiming for is something similar to the Aussie state leagues. A combination of young players, talented older locals who aren't going to make it as pros and some imports playing in boutique venues at a decent level.