New A-League Head Greg O'Rourke said that expansion of the competition is "inevitable" and needs to happen "sooner rather than later," according to the AAP. Former Football NSW Chair O'Rourke was "unveiled as Damien de Bohun's replacement" by Football Federation Australia on Wednesday. Also a former operations director of PepsiCo Australia and New Zealand, O’Rourke is "tasked with increasing the league’s commercial performance against the backdrop of negotiations for a crucial new broadcast deal." He said that the "top priority when he starts next month would be improving the financial security of all 10 existing clubs." Then he "hopes to make the competition bigger." O'Rourke: "I think an expansion of the number of teams is inevitable, and it’s exactly the right thing to do. The first step is to actually make sure the 10 teams we currently have are sustainable and can stand on their own feet." However, O'Rourke said that new clubs should be added "sooner rather than later" (AAP, 7/15). In Sydney, Dominic Bossi reported FFA has "moved away from a commissioner-role attached to the position in this appointment to one that is hoped to finally create stability for owners who continue to lose significant sums of money each season." FFA CEO David Gallop said, "The focus of this job is to drive the commercial performance of the A-League and the 10 A-League clubs." Through his background in the corporate and manufacturing world, O'Rourke is "confident of assisting the clubs improve their revenue streams, attract more fans and members to games with the goal to expand the competition." O'Rourke: "It's about going and building those relationships. Most people just want to be heard, most people just want to be respected. Most people want you to ally to their brand. I feel that my role is actually to work with the clubs to align the strategy between the FFA and them" (SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, 7/14).
