Well, the FFA, A-League and most of the clubs are flat broke, so in that sense, there might be some sense in stating that soccer has outgrown the A-League.
Apparently, there are NPL clubs much richer than the majority of A-League clubs (but what are the chances of the current owners allowing these clubs into their cosy little comp?)
And you can see that the only way of describing decline as growth is through profound delusion!