Things seem to be clearing up in regards to when the A-League may return to action to complete the season.
According to an announcement that was released last Thursday by the Professional Footballer’s Association (PFA), a consensus has been found between all parties and they now share a common goal of restarting the competition in the middle of July, aiming for a grand final date of 22 August.
More specifically, Football Federation Australia (FFA) chief executive James Johnson pointed out that “all parties have worked together extremely hard behind the scenes to ensure the professional game is ready to resume.”
PFA CEO John Didulica also noted the incredible behaviour displayed by all professional players during the pandemic, pointing out that the pandemic has affected the whole football industry in Australia:
“In the absence of a vibrant professional competition there is a flow on effect for the whole game,” Didulica said.
“Today we took an important step with the clubs and FFA towards ensuring the health of the game’s short term and long term future.”
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Australian Professional Football Club Association (APFCA) chairman Paul Lederer indicated his pride on the unity displayed by all sides of the game during this period, while Head of A-League Greg O’ Rourke pointed out that the top priority remains the health and safety of all players and match officials.
According to the schedule drafted by the football executives, all teams are to resume training by mid-June so that the A-League can kick off in the following month, with Johnson indicating that the majority of the matches will be played in Sydney.
The only exception will be the games between the three Victorian clubs for the regular season (Melbourne Victory, Melbourne City, Western United) that will be held at AAMI Park.
Only one obstacle remains in order to finalise this schedule and announce it officially towards the teams and of course all hungry football fans, which is the deal between Foxtel and the FFA.
The channel has been suffering huge losses throughout the pandemic and is now asking of the Federation to agree to a 50-70 percent reduction to the annual fee that is paid for the broadcasting rights, in a contract that has a further three year duration.
However, the FFA, having already watched helplessly as many of their sponsors walked away in the past few months (Caltex, Aldi, NAB, to name a few), is more than reluctant to agree to these new terms, with the two sides not likely to find common ground any time soon.