How many clubs would give a trial to 32 year old who had never played that sport as a professional even semi-professional level?
Everything surrounding Usain Bolt’s trial with the Central Coast Mariners is wrong for sport and wrong for the A-League.
It makes sense as a publicity stunt and that was proven the other night with 10,000 turning up for an exhibition match in Gosford. The question is how many of that crowd were there to watch the Mariners and how many were there to see one of the greatest sprinters of all time and tell their friends in years to come that they were there to witness him try and play football? How many will come back week in week out to watch the Mariners with or without Bolt?
The sad thing is there are footballers in Australia who are more deserving of the opportunity of winning a place in the Mariners squad than Usain Bolt. Athletes who are better footballers, have a better pedigreee and players who have spent their lives playing the game. These are footballers of all ages from ones in their teens to others in their late twenties or early thirties.
Usain Bolt is nothing more than a publicity stunt. He is fortunate that times have changed since his predecessor Jesse Owens won four Gold medals in the Berlin Olympics in 1936. Post Olympics Owens was prohibited from making appearances at amateur sporting events to bolster his profile. He was reduced to having to race horses and amateurs for cash and a pittance compared with Bolt’s financial demands.
Bolt is allegedly demanding a vast sum of money to play for the Central Coast Mariners. Money many feel not only the A-League can’t afford, but football in Australia. The truth is Bolt should be grateful that a club is giving an untried amateur an opportunity to fulfil his dream. How many others far more dedicated and deserving would die for the opportunity to play in the A-League?
It has been written and reported that the Central Coast Mariners are prepared to stump up the $3million being asked for Bolt to stay and play for the full season, yet they want the FFA to pay $990,000 towards the fee.
The FFA should be lambasted if they pay a cent towards Usain Bolt playing in the A-League. Especially when we have many young players unable to play in the highest competitions in their state because of the fees being imposed on junior football. Imagine if that $990,000 contribution being asked for by the Mariners was given to cover the costs of those with talent who can not afford to pay junior fees; a scholarship or bursary to help bring through young talent. Surely the emphasis should be about bringing through more young players so the talent pool is greater. Currently the fees are prohibitive, if there is close to $1million available to splash out on a player whose dream it is to play professionally, one has to ask whether that money could not be spent better elsewhere?
If Mike Charlesworth, the Mariner’s owner wishes to spend that sort of money on someone with no football pedigree then let him spend his own money.
Clearly Charlesworth needed to get some positive publicity for the Mariners, but was this really the best way? In England when it was announced that Bolt was trialling with the Mariners a comment made by someone in the media who had seen Bolt trial at Dortmund said “If the A-League signs him you have killed the credibility of the A-League, not that it had much anyway.”
What is sad is he has stolen the limelight away from credible footballers such as Melbourne Victory’s new signing Japanese superstar Keisuke Honda. Honda is the same age as Bolt but the difference is he can play football. He has close to 100 caps for his country and like Tim Cahill has scored in three World Cup Finals.
The A-League may not be the best league in the world but it is an insult to all who play and all who pay to watch if you think an athlete who has never played the sport professionally can simply rock up and compete. From the footage seen of Bolt there would be more than 100 players across the country who are more deserving of his place in the Mariners squad.
His presence may bring in sponsors and it may entice a few more people through the gate over the season, but is it going to help or hinder the team as a whole? As a publicity stunt it is bound to turn off genuine football fans as it turns the league into a circus.
The A-league is now 13 years old. It should no longer be about publicity stunts. Usain Bolt is sadly no more than that, and ultimately he could end up causing the league more damage than good.
Sport is littered with athletes who have tried to switch sports. Basketballer Michael Jordan switched to Baseball and played in the minor Leagues and although he did well for a beginner he did not last long. English sprinter Dwain Chambers failed a doping test and opted to change sports, he tried Gridiron in the USA with the San Francisco 49ers before going Castleford Rugby League side. He played in one trial match and was not offered a contract.
There are some who can make the switch successfully but they are few and far between. Danny Ainge played baseball for the Toronto Blue Jays before switching to the Boston Celtics where he won the NBA twice. Britain’s Rebecca Romero won Olympic silver in rowing before a back injury forced her out of the sport, she switched to cycling and won gold in the individual pursuit at the Beijing Olympics. So it can be done. Denis Compton played football and Cricket for England, South African Jonty Rhodes played Cricket and Hockey for his country. Sadly it is very unlikely that Usain Bolt will be amongst that list of athletes successful in two sports, certainly when it comes to football.
The damage being done to the game in Australia the longer Bolt remains in Gosford is immeasurable. What message does it send to young players with aspirations to play professionally in Australia, that they are overlooked for a guy who can simply run fast, and has limited football ability? What does it say about our Premier football competition that the Mariners are even contemplating signing him?
I agree with your last two paragraphs. IF top class players are going to come to Australia they must perform, or more importantly still be able to perform.
I do think that the League can be marketed, but agree that it is challenging when you play each other so frequently and not always a decent distance between those meetings. Sadly the other big issue at the moment is the standard of the football, and the thing that baffles me in a league where there is no relegation, that teams play so negatively with one up front and trying not to lose, rather than trying to win.
The league in its current format doesn’t lend itself to easy marketing practices Ash’. How do you market a national league that is dormant for 6 long months whilst the country’s main sports are in full flight. How do you market the games when each team plays each other countless times throughout a season (eg Please come watch Perth Glory play Adelaide Reds for the 4th time this season )
Even when Fury then Perth Glory brought Robbie Fowler – a worldwide recognised football star – the initial interest soon died down within a few league games because punters aren’t daft and it was clearly evident he came out here to enjoy the sun, golf, money and corporate lunches….lots of lunches it seemed.
The same fate I believe will eventuate with the Mariners. Once the season gets going and they are still struggling and Usain is still warming the pines all the marketing in the world won’t get punters through the door. That’s been proven time and again.
Thanks F as usual for your comment. I understand the purpose but I fear the damage will out weigh the short term gain.
One of the problems with the A-League is that there is little or no marketing to support the competition and generate interest. The clubs run adds promoting their next fixture, but the competition as a whole just simply isn’t marketed. The first couple of seasons it was and then the FFA I presume ran out of money, or passed the responsibility onto the clubs. Most struggle financially so marketing is cut and they believe a few posts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter will drive fans through the gate. It sadly doesn’t.
I think local football fans in Australia, and I’d include a fair majority of Mariners fans, laughed when they first heard of this, then laughed upon his arrival and as far as I believe, are still laughing.
The funny thing though Ashley is that whilst this is a complete circus and the wider sports media are happy to portray it as such the reality is that that the A League has been in decline for years now with its popularity and corporate interest at an all-time low. Leading the decline are the Mariners and Phoenix who struggle to get more than 6 – 7 thousand through the gates at any home game. Last season these two clubs played in Gosford before 4 900 people and that is simply appalling for a city of around 350 000 and even more if you include the regional towns
The point I’m trying to make is that the A League brand is damaged, heavily damaged. Mariners, as my mate in Gosford claims, are a bit of a joke in the region and people understand they are really just trying anything at all to get some, any, attention.
Do I think it’s a good thing to bring Usain Bolt into the league – No, no I don’t
Do I understand the purpose in why he is here – yes I do.