Australian football’s new A$65M ($47.2M)-a-year broadcast deal is "likely to spark an arm-wrestle over how the new cash is spent, with clubs and players jostling for an improved share of the TV money," according to Smithies & Davutovic of the HERALD SUN. As the players union "warned" that the competition's salary cap could not be "taken for granted," negotiations to find a new home for the A-League on free-to-air TV are "likely to go to the wire," with TV networks and Football Federation Australia waiting to see the outcome of the Big Bash TV deal early next year. A separate deal to confirm Fox Sports as the A-League’s major broadcast partner, believed to be worth some A$50M ($36.3M) a year, "could be announced as early as Tuesday." In what will be seen "as a game of brinkmanship," the free-to-air component of the new broadcast deal will be held off until the new year, with Football Federation Australia "hoping that the networks that miss out on the T20 cricket deal will then spend their warchests on football." A-League clubs have already "made clear their expectations" that the distribution of money they get from FFA "must rise by more than the salary cap, to give them more financial support" (HERALD SUN, 12/19). THE AUSTRALIAN's Ray Gatt reported with Fox Sports increasing its commitment from A$33M ($24M) to A$50M a year, "it means FFA could be on target for an overall windfall of close to" A$70M ($50.8M) a year. While short of the A$80M ($58.1M) a year some followers of the game "had been hoping for," it would be "a good result for FFA." Whether it will be enough to appease A-League club owners "remains to be seen" (THE AUSTRALIAN, 12/20). In Sydney, Dominic Bossi reported the int'l rights for the A-League are also "set to yield a significantly greater return with its growing popularity," particularly in the U.K. "due to its morning timeslot on weekends." Australia's int'l friendlies will be sold separately, however "the FFA does not have the rights" for the Socceroos' World Cup qualifiers and AFC tournaments. The 10 A-League clubs collectively receive A$26M ($18.9M) from FFA each season -- enough to cover the salary cap -- but "remain in the dark as to what share they will receive from the new deal." What appears certain is that "they will be given at least a small surplus beyond their required payments to players in the next deal" with a contract solely for the A-League and not other int'l games (SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, 12/19).
