I wouldn’t be bothered if we lost every game, as long as we won the league. — Mark Viduka
Mark Viduka is a former captain of the Australian football team, a 17 year professional footballer on two continents and is one of the greatest sportsmen Australia
While we are a quick to praise The V Bomber for his football abilities, we should also recognise that his amusing incongruous statement reflects a similar attitude often expressed by the supporters of the round ball game here in Australia
The A-League, Australia
I’m not sure which is my greatest frustration with viewing an A-League game; is it (a) waiting for something exciting to happen or (b) the clichéd commentary and production values of a budget conscious telecaster preaching to the converted and being out rated by Guthy Renker.[1]
One swallow does not make it fellatio, nor does a Grand Final penalty shoot out make it a compelling and entertaining season. While as a Brisbane Roar supporter, 2010-2011 proved to be season as rare as a one in 100 year flood event, (is it too soon to make that reference?), it was also marked by the many conscientious attempts I made to mentally and physically keep myself interested in watching a full game (that includes botoxing my testicles and naming one Jean Carlos Solorzano and the other Kosta Barbarouses i.e. both are effective in and around the box).
Perhaps I’m being a bit harsh, but watching an A-League game fails the litmus test that is my wife. If there is one sport my wife will sit down and watch with me it is football. If there is one sport she’ll come to the pub and watch with me, it is football. I have dragged her to mid-night World Cup games, Cup finals and final rounds of various international leagues for 16 years. One of our first dates was going to the 1997 NSL Grand Final.
My wife dislikes watching sports, but she’ll watch football why, because it is exciting (Cristiano and Beckham don’t hurt either). But give her 10 minutes of the A-League and even she is telling me there should be two balls on the field, the sidelines markings should be electrified and a pack of hungry lions should be periodically let loose on the field and the players given tasers.
The next auction of the A-League broadcast rights is fast approaching and a rich and lucrative deal is essential if the domestic league is to grow. However, as grateful as we are to Fox Sports in their generous support of the round ball game, our game must speak the language of free to air TV if the odds of securing the games future prosperity are to shorten.
Lightening rarely strikes twice and while the minds and sensibilities of Australia pay TV executives maybe pliable to the silver tongue of Uncle Frank, there is no longer a home World Cup to build towards, economic conditions are extremely volatile and the game’s domestic future is dangling like a like limp carrot found in the bottom of my fridge’s vegetable tray.
The game needs to entertain, clubs and franchises must seek to entertain. The delicate politics and sensitivities of the Australian football landscape must focus as one on creating a product that is entertaining. If Brynne Edelsten can attract the attention of network TV producers why can’t our game. That is the challenge before us.
