​The eternal question…

Posted on November 04, 2015 by Nz_Dave

UK online football news site 90 Magazine yesterday asked the question we have all been asking ourselves for the last week. Why?


Why would any governing body of any sport remove a participating team that is not only fulfilling all its obligations but actually growing faster than the league average?


Football clubs do fail. It happens all over the world and for many different reasons. The most common reason is money. Football clubs (and sports in general) are hardly profitable endeavours – with a few notable exceptions. They are simply pits for the well-to-do owners to pour money into because of the great many benefits the spectacle and fan communities bring to cities and regions the world over.


When Gold Coast United, North Queensland Fury and most recently the Newcastle Jets failed it made sense that the FFA stepped in and took action. They had no money to pay players, the debts were mounting and off-field problems were dominating. Teams in that position put the league in jeopardy. Action had to be taken.


The A-League currently has similar issues so action needed to be taken once again. The FFA has stepped up to take control and announced they have rejected the Wellington Phoenix’s licence extension.


Wait…What?


The Newcastle Jets are under FFA management because they were insolvent, the Roar have been missing player payments for months, other owners are expressing their desire to get out of sinking ships and you lash out at the Phoenix?


The FFA extended the licences of those troubled clubs through to 2034 but are only willing to consider a paltry four years for the club with one of the most stable ownership models in the league. This sad offering to a club seeking to invest heavily in player development and growth in coming seasons and that is seeking the licence assurances to do so.


Why?


90 Magazine’s Stephen James correctly states “In England, football clubs fold on a regular basis. Financial mismanagement, issues over stadiums and relegations can all see a club fold. But you would never see a stable, successful club fold because the Football Association decided to kick them out. Bizarrely, that is exactly what is happening to New Zealand’s only professional football club, Wellington Phoenix.”


He goes on to note many realities about the “metrics” the FFA seem to be ignoring – and that often don’t seem to be making to the MSM in Aussie. The truth can’t be that hard to find though if the UK media can do it from afar. Ignorance is bliss though right?


If the “metrics” the FFA are trying to trot out aren’t proving their point though perhaps they should try an emotive argument.


Termy_X linked a fantastic piece from the Guardian – “He scoffed at the idea that football is merely an entertainment business, in which shareholders should be entitled to make money however they can. It’s about emotion, about sharing and comradeship, about the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. These are very deeply rooted human needs and I believe that that is at the root of people’s love for football and loyalty for their clubs.”


I reckon if that’s the measure of a football club then we are streaks ahead of the league and the support from fans and clubs across the ditch is a testament to that.


That logical thought is absent from the FFA decision is blindly apparent to even those many time zones away.


So why try and kick us out?


Because they can.

Comments

Dinosaur Dave
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over 12 years
Hidden by Tegal May 31, 2020 14:13 because "Spam link"
Trialist
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almost 4 years

FIFA world cup is one of my favorite sports. I like FIFA because of Chris and he is a great guy and one greatest player I have ever seen and essay have services about sport especially about Rolando's life is amazing. This article is attractive to those who miss to watch that series of FIFA.

Hidden by el grapadura September 18, 2020 06:45
Trialist
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over 3 years

The topic of football has always been interesting for modern youth, especially for those who also play a particular sport. I want to write a separate article about the importance of the presence of sports habits since childhood, as soon as I finish working on a  blog article writing