Gallop in Monday's statement:
“FFA has carefully evaluated the role and contribution of the Wellington franchise in terms of game development, player pathway, commercial factors, broadcast rights and the long-term strategic outlook,” said Gallop.
“The application for a 10-year extension to the licence does not meet the requirements we see as fundamental to the future growth of the Hyundai A-League.”
http://www.footballaustralia.com.au/article/ffa-bo...
Gallop today:
Asked if this could be their last season in the A-League, Gallop wouldn't make any promises. "The ball is in their court," he said. "Certainly if they come to us and ask us to apply for the four-year licence, then we will do that. But they need to make some decisions about their future. There are issues with how they're performing [off-field]. There's one metric that's hard to measure, on-field performance, but nobody is suggesting that is poor. But their numbers off the field are poor. The metrics are pretty obvious - crouds, television ratings and membership. Those are the ones that are really going to make us sit up and take notice."
http://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/david-gallop-de...
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So, what happened to game development and player pathways? The first two factors mentioned in the press release aren't identified as key "metrics" in the follow up interview? Even in two days it looks like the FFA have shifted the goalposts again.
Also he says on-field performance is hard to measure - really? I thought they had scoreboards and league tables for that sort of thing?