With a "new broadcast deal set to be thrashed out before the end of the next A-League season," Football Federation Australia CEO David Gallop believes the new draw will "put the domestic competition squarely in the shop window," according to Sebastian Hassett of the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD. This will be "the last season of the four-year agreement" signed by Fox Sports and SBS that commenced in '14, worth A$160M ($119M). FFA is hoping to "double that amount for the rights in the 2018-2022 period." The governing body is aiming to "whet the appetite of major networks with their early-season derby matches," with the round one Sydney derby to be played before an estimated 60,000 at ANZ Stadium, followed by a "50,000-strong crowd at Etihad Stadium for the Melbourne derby the next week." Gallop: "We've obviously got a big bang start to the A-League. That's the moment when the other codes come off and we come on. ... There's a huge wish list out there -- expansion, big TV deals, when promotion-relegation is going to come in -- and these things are worthy wish lists to have but the number one thing is driving commercial revenue into this game. The investment of our owners needs to be protected and built and we are only a decade old." Apart from using the fixture list to drive a television bonanza, FFA "is confident it has devised a draw which no longer compromises teams who qualify for the Asian Champions League" (SMH, 6/9).
