The great thing about football is that it has always been a very simple game.
For some reason the game could not just be left as it was in Australia.
The FFA were forced to introduce a Cup competition, which excited many around the country as finally the semi-professional sides had the chance to play against the full time professionals and make a name for themselves. Not only that the clubs had a chance to make some money if lucky enough to be drawn at home.
Sadly this competition was not to be run like any other cup competition, where every team goes into the hat and then gets pulled out; accepted that in the World cup the top teams are seeded. Instead the competition is contrived so that early in the competition A-League sides play each other and at least half are eliminated. These games have proved to have little appeal to fans.
Then we have the draw being such that at least one semi-professional side makes the semi-final. Then teams who win the right to play in the competition have been prevented from playing at home, because their floodlights are not adequate and all games have to be played midweek. So where is the benefit in playing such a game? Surely there should be some leeway so that these sides get to host a team at home?
Then a points system was introduced into the NPL competition whereby players are awarded points based on their loyalty, age and standard at which they played. The coach then can only put out a team based on the total of points of all the players; this is not even uniform around the country.
Today we have just heard that Bayswater City who won the rights to host the final of the National NPL competition – played between the champions of each state – have to play away from their home ground.
Bayswater City were aware that this would be the case prior to their semi final against Tasmanian side Olympia. The reason being that their pitch is too narrow. It does not meet the competition regulations, however the FFA allowed them to play the semi final there. So why have rules if you are going to waive them one week but not the next? Despite being soundly beaten one wonders how Olympia feel, and if they have grounds for appeal, or did they accept that the pitch was narrower than the competition regulations state.
However even if the ground did meet the requirements Bayswater City do not have floodlights and the game is scheduled for Saturday evening at Dorrien Gardens, so that it does not clash with the AFL Grand Final and the State Amateur Cup Final on the Sunday. Discussions on this subject were held last week between Football West, the FFA and Bayswater City.
We have seen in Western Australia, Perth SC instal new floodlights so that WA sides have a venue at which to play their FFA cup games other than NIB Stadium and the Athletics Stadium, are we now going to see clubs widening their pitches to ensure they meet the FFA criteria should they win the NPL? Or are we going to see sides thrown out of the NPL for not meeting such criteria?
None of this is good for football. Rules for the sake of rules, but worse, rules that are not adhered to or change during the competition.
One of the great things about football is learning the ability to adapt. Adapt to different conditions, namely the width of the pitch, the surface of the pitch, the crowd, the weather and of course the tactics used by the opposition.
If you take all of these things away, as seems to be the desire in Australia, you will end up with a sterile game void of personalities and truly talented players who have that ability to adapt to the circumstances they find themselves in. That is one sure way to kill the entertainment.
