Anyone who follows sport knows that the key to success in team sports is unity. A shared belief. A coming together for a common goal.
So why is it that some sports fail to realise how important this is off the pitch?
The main reason is obvious, in that the decision-makers, those with power are the only one’s making the decisions. Like all of us sometimes they get it right, sometimes they don’t.
Some listen to other opinions and ideas and are in touch with the sport at all levels to be able to make informed decisions. Others have a more arrogant approach whereby they know best no matter what. Some rely on data to make decisions, but as we all know statistics can be interpreted to show what you want them to show. This is often just another way to protect their ego, and give them the outcome they want no matter what.
Football has for decades in Australia suffered all forms of leadership, good, bad, ego-driven, arrogant and self-serving. This is why despite a complete reboot back in 2003 and renewed hope the sport finds itself trying to climb out of another big hole that it has allowed those entrusted with running the game to create.
It was not so long ago that one State CEO allegedly told someone, “no one can make a decision in football in this state without it coming through me!” No wonder the game is in the situation it finds itself in with egos like this given power.
Last week Perth Glory’s future was secured in the national competition, the A-League.
This was important for the A-League, because without the Glory it would have been hard to claim that football had a national footprint. It was also important to the game in Western Australia because aspiring footballers male and female need a team like Perth Glory to connect with and dream of playing for.
It was also extremely important because it has been forgotten how hard key individuals fought for Western Australia to have a side in the National competition in the first place.
When Nick Tana and Paul Afkos created the Perth Glory it was the pride of Western Australia. They created a club proudly Western Australian, and tapped into the strong parochialism of Western Australians. The team on the field was made up of predominantly players from within the state, some whom returned home to be a part of the new team. Even the administration was proudly Western Australian. This was extremely important. They had skin in the game. They knew the local game and the key players within it, they understood how people thought, and were able to talk to them and receive honest feedback.
Nick Tana regularly on a match day would be seen greeting fans as they came through the turnstiles, talking to them, hearing their thoughts, views and opinions. Making sure that the club was connected with its fans, for the fans are the lifeblood of any club.
The new owners of the Perth Glory have said that they intend to engage with the Western Australian public, and especially the clubs to try and win back the fans who have walked away from the club, but also restore local pride in what was once one of the strongest sporting brands in the state. It will be no easy task and will take time and money, but crucially the right people. Trust has unfortunately been one of the key components at the club that has been lost during Tony Sage’s ownership, and that is not all down to the previous owner, but often down to those he chose to employ in key roles at the club, in particular the role of CEO.
As was made very clear at the Press Conference announcing the takeover of the A-League licence by the Pelligra Group this is a very different siutuation that the club finds itself in.
Independent Chairman of the Australian Professional Leagues (APL), Stephen Conroy, who some felt for an individual holding such a key role was inappropriately sporting a Perth Glory scarf, admitted that the new owners had paid a reduced fee for the club’s A-League licence, as this was about saving a club, however the actual fee was he said “in commercial in confidence.” He assured those attending the Press conference that the other A-League owners including the new owners of the Canberra and Auckland licences were aware of the situation and were okay with the A League Management’s decision as long as it kept Perth Glory in the league. Obviously this is crucial, with an A-League licence today said to cost $20million, the last thing you want is the new owners suddenly questioning price variations.
Of course what the reduced sale price also means is that with the club in receivership monies received will go to the debtors, of which the APL is said to be one of the largest, and the previous owner Tony Sage will receive an extremely reduced amount, if anything from the sale.
The State Government was represented at the official announcement by the Deputy Premier of WA, Treasurer, Minister for Transport: Tourism, Rita Saffioti, and the WA Minister for Culture and the Arts; Sport and Recreation; International Education; Heritage, David Templeman. They revealed that after the A-League took back the licence from Mr Sage that they had started conversations with the A-League to try and ensure that Perth kept a team in the competition. “We really wanted a team in the A-League that juniors and the community can support, ” Ms Saffioti said. “we worked with the A-League to put forward support, and that support was discussed with all the potential buyers.”
Some will understandably ask why the Government would be supporting what is essentially a private business? This is a fair question. We saw in the past the club asking for Government support and monies allegedly owed by the club to Transperth were written off. How many other private businesses receive such support from Government?
The argument will be that ultimately this is doing what is best for the community as a whole. Funding will go to the Perth Glory to try and assist in the engagement of juniors and the community, some of that money enabling the club to do more work in schools within the state. Surely though they should be doing that anyway? There will be a bigger focus than there has maybe been in the past on the women’s game, and also on the regional areas. All of which will no doubt help the club to pull in fans again and also sell merchandise.
The one problem that this injection of money raises is the State Government is already making contributions for much of this work via Football West.
When the State Football Centre – now known as the Sam Kerr Football Centre – was being planned this was going to be a home for not only the State’s administrators but also the Perth Glory. This would be where the A-League club was going to train. This has not happened as yet. (Political Football)
The matter of a new training facility has been mentioned by the new owners, which must leave the Government scratching its head as to why it spent so much money on a facility if the state’s premier side is not going to use it.
The message was very clear from Minister Saffioti, and that was that the new owners of Perth Glory must sit down and find a way to work with Football West, as clearly the relationship between the two organisations has been fractured in recent years.
If that relationship can be restored then both parties have to look at what is good for the overall game, and not just Perth Glory.
In recent years since the Glory created an ‘academy’ we have seen the club strip all of the local clubs of their best juniors. Something that has resulted in many players who come through the Glory system having no idea as to what it means to be a part of a community club, something that is very important to learn. The Glory has also had bigger squads that the other NPL sides in the junior competition, which has meant that some of this young talent does not get to play on a weekend. That is not helping development.
Young players need to be playing. If the Glory Academy is a a true “pathway” – we hate that term – then surely those talented players that are selected to be a part of this system should not have to pay registration fees? The club should be investing in their talent and their ability to bring through that talent, and then sell it on overseas. If the players are paying these fees then surely they would be better off remianing at their original clubs and simply having specialised training each week with coaches supplied by the A-League Club?
If the Government is investing in this area of the A-League club should they then be creating a system similar to a HECS fee that university students have to pay? The situation may prove to be one where the Government is financially supporting Perth Glory in identifying and developing local talent. The club then develops that talent with the hope that one day that talent will head overseas, and they will receive not only a transfer fee but also a development fee, depending on the age of the player when they are transferred and when they joined the A-League club’s junior program. So, some would argue that the Government is giving the club money from which ultimately they will make more more money. So why shouldn’t a percentage be paid back to the Government?
Having these young players taken by the Glory has already hurt the local clubs, as their cut of any development fee has been greatly reduced, yet they are still expected to bring through the next generation of players. As we have already seen as a result of the success of the FIFA Women’s World Cup the powers that be at Football Australia failed to put a plan in place to accommodate the rise in players wantng to play, despite knowing, as is the case following every world cup, that participation numbers increase. Once again it is the local club that is expected to cope.
It is great that the State Government wants to keep Perth Glory in the national competition, and it can have a huge impact on the game within the state, however the game needs underpinning. The money cannot be solely focussed on the top end, the elite and the professional ranks. If the clubs that supply Perth Glory die the whole system will collapse, and currently many clubs are finding survival tough. This is where the sport needs better management at national and state level.
The new owners have so far talked a good game. Ross Pelligra has said that he is in for the long haul. He has said that he knows that on a match day they will lose money, but has said that with a full business plan he can make money in other areas.
The key area facing all A-League clubs is that they do not own the stadia in which they play, which makes it virtually impossible for you to make money on a match day. The good news for Mr Pelligra and the Western Force is the Government has said that they are looking into this issue and will be presenting new pricing structures to both teams for the use of the stadium.
Fans of both teams may want to watch this space. Mr Pelligra may in fact look to achieve what Andrew Forrest owner of the Western Force was looking to achieve. Mr Forrest had looked at buying Perth Glory so that he owned both teams that played at the Stadium, and then would be able to negotiate a better deal on the stadium lease or even purchase it.
With Mr Pelligra owning Catania Rugby in Italy, would he consider buying the Western Force off of Andrew Forrest with the aim of achieving a similar goal with the stadium? If allowed to buy the stadium both clubs would be in a far better position to earn a profit.
There are no doubt going to be some new faces coming in and there is much to play out in the coming months. It is crucial that the new owners not only bring in people with the right skills required but that they bring in people who have a connection with the game in Western Australia, and know it’s history.
One key issue will be the role that ex Socceroo Marco Bresciano plays, and will he recognise a conflict of interest and resign from the board of Football Australia. After all the FA own 20% of the A-League. Fans know that Frank Lowy remained as chairman while owning a share of Sydney FC, but to many this should not have been allowed. Hopefully Bresciano will do the right thing.
The other key issue in the coming weeks before they embark on winning back the Perth public, is finding some common ground with Football West. If this issue cannot be resolved both parties could suffer in the future when funding is handed out.
At the moment the team under Alen Stajcic is doing all they can on the pitch to pull fans back in. Under difficult circumstances the squad has shown a genuine pride in the shirt that has been missing for a while. Success will pull some fans back but with a hardcore loyal group of around 5-6000 fans it will take a lot more than this to pull in crowds of nearer 10,000.
One advantage the Perth Glory from the NSL had in achieving this was that games were played in a regular time slot, like in Leagues across the globe. It would appear that Western Australian fans prefer that routine, and this is one component that would help restore the crowds of old.
However, the most importnat question the club needs to ask is, what does it stand for? What are it’s values, and are they aligned with the Western Australian community? The key to all the long standing clubs in sports across the globe is that they stand for something. Usually it is a community, but the image that they project reflects that community. When Perth Glory started that was very much the case. In recent years the club has not reflected the values of the community, and that is a key reason why the fans have left. Apart from winning this club must stand for something that Western Australians believe in. Do that and people will engage once again with the club.
