The A-League - Part 1

As I previously said, I love football. I am really excited this week because the A-League is about to start again. The A-League has been one of the best things to in Australian football. People can watch quality football (despite what people who have never been to a game or watched one may think)in a good atmosphere. Last years grand final was one of my favourite moments ever watching sport. Going to Melbourne with mates, being well and truly in the minority in that we were supporting Sydney, seeing big Kev miss the penalty and then the time after the game celebrating the victory with the Sydney fans was brilliant and something I will remember for a long time. The near future of watching the A-League excites me. I think the quality of players in the league this year is the best it has been. It is going to be a difficult but close competition and this can only be good for the game.
Sadly the long term future of the A-League still concerns me. I think that the FFA needs to take some major steps if the A-league is going to be successful in the long term. First and foremost they need to be more willing to put money into promotint the league. Advertising outside of the Foxtel channels is next to non-existant. The game needs to be promoted to those people who are not just football fans. With this in mind I think it is therefore crucial to start showing games on commercial tv. I know with foxtel having the rights to the games this is difficult but without coverage of the league for everyone it is hard to promote the game. Long term they need at a minimum to at least show a highlights package on a commercial tv station (profferably not at 2am in the morning) Showing one game live a week would be a big step forward also. Without promoting the game further, crowds are likely to drop.
I love the game and want to see the A-League successful. I hope we can continue to bring quality player to the country and see teams visit like Rangers, Blackburn and Athens.