A-League Australian Professional Leagues Discussion Thread (APL)

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hey shorty

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30k Posts 10k Posts TheBrownDog
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What I mean is, if we are going to relegate clubs for failure then we can’t hamstring them in trying to be the best.
Also will help in the ACL.
I do get that premise of course, but without a salary cap you'll end up with an EPL style system whereby 2 or 3 clubs win 90% of the time.

Now I know we've got the AFL where Richmond have won 3 flags and Hawthorn and Geelong who've done the same, but they win because they're the best run clubs.

It does need some serious tweaking, but in market like Australia you can't survive as a league without it
 
Dec 22, 2009
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That's fanciful IMO.

Australia is not a big country and the bulk of its money in a sporting sense goes toward NRL, cricket, AFL and netball. Football, while still charging ridiculous money for junior fees will always be back in the pack.

We will always lose players to Asian leagues because they have bigger enconomies.

Netball? Lol. The sport has enormous potential in this country. Those other sports you mentioned have very little in the way of potential, they are maxed out..

Fanciful to keep the current salary cap setup in a worlwide sport. Caps work in closed markets like the AFL. It doesnt need to be scrapped completely yet but does need gradual phasing out over a long period of time.
 
Dec 22, 2009
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I do get that premise of course, but without a salary cap you'll end up with an EPL style system whereby 2 or 3 clubs win 90% of the time.

Now I know we've got the AFL where Richmond have won 3 flags and Hawthorn and Geelong who've done the same, but they win because they're the best run clubs.

It does need some serious tweaking, but in market like Australia you can't survive as a league without it

The AFL is the most manufactured comp in the world. That system doesnt work in football.
 

hey shorty

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30k Posts 10k Posts TheBrownDog
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Netball? Lol. The sport has enormous potential in this country. Those other sports you mentioned have very little in the way of potential, they are maxed out..

Fanciful to keep the current salary cap setup in a worlwide sport. Caps work in closed markets like the AFL. It doesnt need to be scrapped complex yet but does need geadual phasing out over a long period of time.
What I'm saying is the money in those sports isn't simply going to suddenly appear in football.

I agree we can't keep the current cap, it needs changing big time but it should NEVER be scrapped.
 

hey shorty

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30k Posts 10k Posts TheBrownDog
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The AFL is the most manufactured comp in the world. That system doesnt work in football.
Works in many football leagues around the world.

Even without a cap, Australian clubs aren't going to come close to most of the Asian leagues
 
Dec 22, 2009
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Works in many football leagues around the world.

Even without a cap, Australian clubs aren't going to come close to most of the Asian leagues

Which leagues have a successful hard salary cap?

Disagree on our clubs, they could easily become the biggest in Asia. Just need to be able to do their own thing like every other competition they are up against.
 
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I do get that premise of course, but without a salary cap you'll end up with an EPL style system whereby 2 or 3 clubs win 90% of the time.

Now I know we've got the AFL where Richmond have won 3 flags and Hawthorn and Geelong who've done the same, but they win because they're the best run clubs.

It does need some serious tweaking, but in market like Australia you can't survive as a league without it

Then we don’t get promotion relegation.

Clubs would challenge it and win every year.
 

hey shorty

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30k Posts 10k Posts TheBrownDog
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Which leagues have a successful hard salary cap?

Disagree on our clubs, they could easily become the biggest in Asia. Just need to be able to do their own thing like every other competition they are up against.
You really think that ?? There's very very few people in the country who have the resources that are available to Middle Eastern clubs or even the Chinese and the growth potential isn't what you believe it to be.

League One and League Two have just implemented a cap, as have the Chinese. Several other leagues in Europe are seriously considering it too.

Even "open market" sports in the US have one
 
Dec 22, 2009
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You really think that ?? There's very very few people in the country who have the resources that are available to Middle Eastern clubs or even the Chinese and the growth potential isn't what you believe it to be.

League One and League Two have just implemented a cap, as have the Chinese. Several other leagues in Europe are seriously considering it too.

Even "open market" sports in the US have one

Chinese salary cap hahaha that's the worst possible example to use.

League 1 and 2 are not top level foorball. Salary cap at NPL level would be a good idea imo if most clubs didnt pay cash under the table.

Those sports you quote in the USA - Ice Hockey / NFL / Baseball etc - they are the main league for those sports and dont compete with any other competitions for players. So they can control the market.

Face it, in a worlwide sport like football where we compete wih Asian clubs and MLS clubs for players a salary cap isnt compatible.

Obviously we cant scrap the cap overnight. It needs to be phased out gradually.

It does need to go long term.
 

hey shorty

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30k Posts 10k Posts TheBrownDog
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You seem to be in the minority in football terms
That may be so, but I do think it'll happen and I'm not against it as such. I just don't see where the money comes from to have roughly 25-30 professional football clubs.

Not even the "Big 3" footy codes have that.
 

hey shorty

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30k Posts 10k Posts TheBrownDog
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Chinese salary cap hahaha that's the worst possible example to use.

League 1 and 2 are not top level foorball. Salary cap at NPL level would be a good idea imo if most clubs didnt pay cash under the table.

Those sports you quote in the USA - Ice Hockey / NFL / Baseball etc - they are the main league for those sports and dont compete with any other competitions for players. So they can control the market.

Face it, in a worlwide sport like football where we compete wih Asian clubs and MLS clubs for players a salary cap isnt compatible.

Obviously we cant scrap the cap overnight. It needs to be phased out gradually.

It does need to go long term.
Scrapping the cap benefits the big clubs, I can see why Melbourne and Sydney clubs would want it.
 
Dec 22, 2009
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If the A League recruited only players from within the A League and lower leagues in Australia a cap makes sense.

But thats not the case. We compete worldwide for player signings. The clubs we compete with have far less restrictions.

Pretty much every top level sports comp that has a salary cap does not compete with any other competitions for players.

The only way forward is a gradual phasing out of the cap. Or maybe introduce more marquee places. Something needs to change.
 

hey shorty

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30k Posts 10k Posts TheBrownDog
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If the A League recruited only players from within the A League and lower leagues in Australia a cap makes sense.

But thats not the case. We compete worldwide for player signings. The clubs we compete with have far less restrictions.

Pretty much every top level sports comp that has a salary cap does not compete with any other competitions for players.

The only way forward is a gradual phasing out of the cap. Or maybe introduce more marquee places. Something needs to change.
I think the marquee rules certainly need changing, that's a must.
 
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Transfer fees between A-League clubs need to come in and see how it works before we scarp the cap! The two should be able to complement itself. On extension transfer fees between A-league clubs and NPL clubs also need to come in. No point NPL clubs finding and developing talent when they end up getting peanuts for them to A-league clubs. In theory it should create a thiving ecosystem.
 
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