Australian football is approaching a crossroads in terms of its future at international level. As Champions of Asia it is currently at the pinnacle in this region, and it is fair to say that it is likely to remain in the top three or four teams in the region for the foreseeable future. However the second tier sides in Asia are on the rise.
Just as in the early 1990’s Australian players were happy to play in Europe for second, third or fourth tier sides, establish themselves and then get a big move to a big club, many of Asia’s young players now fit that bill. While many Asian players are playing in these divisions Australian players are being overlooked because in many European countries they can find local grown players cheaper than what A-League clubs and player managers deem the Australian player is worth.
As a result Australian players head to Asia, where their A-League club receives a healthy and much-needed transfer fee and the player a very healthy salary. Yet with the exception of the J-League and a few teams in the K-League and Chinese Super League such a move is going to do very little to enhance a player’s reputation.
There are plenty of leagues now in Asia where average players can earn a very good income, and whereas this may appear a good thing on the surface, it is a bad thing in terms of development. Many players will settle for the comfort of their national league and a secure salary with regular football than pushing themselves too see how far they can go and improve as a player. With many National leagues having more than one division it is not such a big issue as it could be in Australia where there is only one division and no promotion and relegation. In Australia these established players can clog up the progression of younger players as coaches continue to pick the known quantity rather than the unknown; In other leagues these older players drop down a division and the talented Youth is still able to rise to the top.
Despite many A-League evangelists stating how great the domestic competition is, there is no getting away that it is not on a par with the competitiveness of many other leagues in Europe and South America.
Regrettably Australian players are no longer regarded as a good value investment by many European clubs, and other Asian nations’ players have taken that mantle. Quite simply many Australian players have priced themselves out of the market when matched against their ability. To give one example, currently in Asia, Afghanistan have one of the highest quotas of overseas-based players in their national team. As many as 18 from their current squad are plying their trade in lower divisions of European leagues, with eight based in Germany alone. These Afghans playing in Europe are gaining exposure and experience, and that has been reflected in the recent performances of their national team. To put this in perspective Australia had only 13 European-based players in their squad when they played Bangladesh in Perth last week. Who would have thought that Afghanistan would boast more players playing in Europe in their squad than Australia?
One cannot blame a player for trying to ensure his financial security for when his career is over, but Ange Postecoglou flagged this challenging issue when he took over in charge of the Socceroos. He wrote in the Sydney Morning Herald in January 2014,
“The A-League has now given our players an alternative route, but in many respects the challenges may be even greater. Our domestic league lacks many of the ingredients that forces players in the lower leagues to work harder so as to be discovered. There is no relegation, more than half the teams are deemed successful with the finals format, the stadiums are all comfortable, the pitches mostly pristine, and even the weather fosters a comfortable surrounding, barring heat waves of course.”
So there are two challenges, players sacrificing big bucks they can otherwise demand in Australia and Asia for testing their ability or, as Ange said in the same article, face the fact that “the challenge for every player in our league is to not fit in with the comfortable surroundings but to play as if it was the last place on earth they wanted to be in.”
If Australian players are happy playing in the A-League with one eye on a move to an Asian club. It may be good for them financially, but the country could be the poorer in terms of the performances of the national team. How many will realise that? How many will be spurred on that lesser ranked nations in Asia have players winning contracts ahead of them? With many Asian teams on the improve Australia cannot rest on its laurels. It too must continue to improve.
It is a conundrum that is very hard to address and yet another challenge that the FFA must face, and it would appear the PFA are exacerbating.
