A-League clubs are hoping to sideline Football Federation Australia and snatch a whopping 90 percent of broadcast money in their blueprint for an independent competition beginning later this year.
Clubs have also backed expansion plans to 16 teams as they look for a new financial footing for A-League.
The model has been developed by the A-League clubs’ umbrella body APFCA, as they look to take control of the competition from FFA by the start of the 2019-20 season.
Titled “Blueprint for an independent future,” the report made a case why the A-League, W-League and national youth league should operate independently of FFA, with clubs agreeing the game has been stifled by conflicts within FFA’s operations.
“The APFCA believes that the transition to an independent League will lead to improved governance outcomes by reducing conflicts of interest in league-related decisions and bringing the competition’s governance framework more closely into line with best practices in other Australian sports and the world’s most successful FIFA-aligned football leagues,” the blueprint said.
According to its own analysis, 90 percent of the $360 million broadcast deal signed with Fox Sports in 2017 is attributable to the A-League while it only receives 65 percent.
In return for receiving that increase, the clubs plan to deliver a defined proportion to the state bodies, and to the players via a collective pay deal, but nothing to the FFA.
“Ultimately, the current situation has put the A-League in a vicious cycle. The most effective way to boost the popularity and sustainability of the League is to improve the quality of football played on the pitch,” the report said.
“However, the commercial challenges faced by A-League clubs — combined with concerns over the competition’s existing governance arrangements — have been a handbrake.
“In the absence of a measurable and sustained increase in the value of A-League licences, it is difficult for clubs to commercially justify increased investment in their facilities, on-field and off-field capabilities.”
The APFCA also called for fully professional referees, two extra substitutes in A-League games which would be reserved for Australian players aged under 23, plus transfers and loans allowed between clubs during the normal FIFA transfer windows.
The APFCA calls for expansion to be planned by identifying key markets and inviting bids based in them rather than the current FFA strategy.
Potential promotion and relegation to and from a national second division is also mooted, but should require 75 percent approval from existing clubs.
But growth to a 16-team home-and-away competition is the mooted first step.