Football Federation Australia CEO David Gallop "has warned he won’t 'run a stampede' towards expansion of the A-League," saying financial stability remains his priority, according to Ray Gatt of THE AUSTRALIAN.
The push to increase the A-League from 10 to 12 teams "has gathered momentum in recent months as pressure grows to secure a bigger slice from the broadcast rights, which come up for negotiation in 2017."
FFA has made no secret of the fact it would like to double the A$40M-a-year deal secured in '12 to A$80M, but that "is likely to come about only if the body expands the A-League by at least two teams."
Just where the new franchises "would come from remains a hot topic, though there are suggestions FFA is looking to another team in Sydney, likely in the Sutherland Shire, and Brisbane."
Gallop: "The first point is that we need to have sustainability and financial viability across the 10-team competition. There is no set timeline when we must expand." Gallop admitted there had been "a number of people from a number of areas" that had made representations to him regarding having a franchise in the A-League. Gallop: "Yes, I’ve met with a number of people. There’s always great enthusiasm for this kind of thing" (THE AUSTRALIAN, 12/16).
INCREASING THE FIELD: In a separate piece, Gatt reported FFA "plans to expand the FFA Cup to 600 teams and shift the grand final to a weekend next season."
As Adelaide United and Perth Glory prepare for tonight’s inaugural final, Gallop "flagged the significant changes to the highly successful knockout competition which kicked off for the first time this season." Gallop: "On my first day in the job at FFA I considered the cup was a great idea. It is something unique to football. It is something the other codes couldn’t do -- professionals v amateurs." Gallop said that "the final would be played in November, would be a one-off game in keeping with the knockout format and played on a weekend in conjunction with a shortened A-League round." Gallop: "Our view is that the status of the competition is big enough to be held on the weekend and should be just one game" (THE AUSTRALIAN, 12/16).
