The Director's Chair: What on earth is going on with the A-Leagues?

For the past five years I have witnessed an Australian football landscape severely lacking in accountability, and one that has gradually developed strong, concerning signs of widespread apathy. Phrases such as "typical Australian football", "standard A-League", or even the seeming embedded behaviour of accepting the reality of club "politics" at a local or grassroots level all only serve to hinder progress, not help it. You see, the real optimists in Australian football circles always talk about this idea that the game is a sleeping giant in this country, and maybe they're right (maybe they're wrong). Regardless, none of us can actually be happy with the overall state of the game. What is required is a widespread growth mindset driven by the question of how we can be better. Even the elements of our game that are positive—how can we make them even better? In my view, that, as a fundamental baseline, is what's required to realise that supposed potential. In the sports landscape the game operates in, complacency is not an option and every decision matters. I don't think this is truly understood.

Ok, enough with the preamble. What are we really doing here? Well, I'm welcoming you to my new column where I'll implement that aforementioned thinking in my capacity as a media member. How? By pondering whether decisions being made at all levels of the game will truly benefit its growth in the long-term. It could be related to anything: A-Leagues, national teams, Aussies abroad, local football...you name it. And boy oh boy are there a lot of things not being questioned anywhere near enough. Some of you will read these columns and either vehemently disagree, overwhelming agree, or have no feeling either way. I'm not very fussed regardless. Your view is your view and I respect it. Don't take it personally. See these articles as conversation starters. What is most important is ensuring uncomfortable questions are asked and honest views are expressed and freely discussed. Silence, tiptoeing, and cheerleading will get us nowhere. So, without further ado, let's get started with today's topic, shall we?

Today's topic: What on earth is going on with the A-Leagues?

The 2025/26 A-League Men season starts tonight. (Image: Australian Professional Leagues)

I've been wanting to start this column for weeks. There have been other commitments that have delayed its release. But fundamentally, I've been grappling with choosing the identity of the writer I want to be. I've known for a while what I need to do; it's just been about executing it. After much internal deliberation, I've reached a point where certain hard truths need to be written and serious questions need to be asked.

I guess today is "Happy A-League Day", is it? Yeah ok. Whatever. I feel pretty confident in saying that I'm not the only one thinking this: that this is by far the least excited I've ever been for an A-League season in my lifetime.

I mean, let's just start with a few simple questions for the APL. Why should I follow what you're doing? What are you doing right now to make either of your two competitions appealing to a more mainstream audience? And if I'm thinking like this, someone who will follow your leagues no matter what, how in the world are your leagues actually going to grow?

Oh, wait a minute. I forgot. Guys, the APL recorded an operating profit of almost $2 million last financial year, so everything is going really well now. It was just right-sizing. Seemingly all they've done to get to that point is significantly cut costs, which has had negative ramifications such as a worse on-pitch product and many people losing jobs. Don't celebrate a wrong ($140 million going down the drain) being righted.

"It has been an extremely challenging period, but this significantly improved financial position provides us a strong platform for sustained growth," Stephen Conroy said two months ago. Oh yeah, you know Stephen Conroy? He's the guy who is supposedly at the forefront of whatever the APL is doing. But yeah, you can be excused if you don't know, given the guy never fronts the media—no ownership for what's happening. No accountability. All good, nothing to see here.

Anyway, it is probably true that the APL is now operating from a much stronger financial base. They are possibly now in a position to start making decisions that can spark growth instead of spending their day-to-day putting out fires, which, from an outside perspective, has seemed to be all they've done across the past two years.

But what's the plan? How are you going to put yourselves in a position where central distribution funding will be increased for clubs? Is there a roadmap, a strategic plan? Short-term pain is only acceptable if followed by long-term gain, and that's the part I'm very sceptical about at the moment.

I tell you one thing that absolutely will not help them moving forward. Whatever the hell their marketing strategy is. What a joke, honestly. Similar to their media releases, which often read like paragraphs of PR spin and border on outright propaganda, the social media content produced by the A-Leagues accounts, and even on the website, should serve as a case study for the impact of incredibly tone-deaf, overly positive marketing that often ignores the complete truth. "Look at how much transfer revenue clubs are generating!!" That's great. So I assume some of that revenue is being used to pay off debts? Yes?

Honestly, I'm confused. When KeepUp died, was that not the end of this weird pandering to, I guess, "Eurosnob" supporters who will never watch the A-Leagues? I thought that was over? Clearly not, because these social media accounts keep spreading content that suggests anything A-League-related with a European link is supposedly fucking awesome.

You often have to laugh. You know how the A-Leagues accounts—I assume they do this to broaden reach—post each club signing onto their own platforms. I remember when they did the post for Sydney FC signing their new Spanish striker, and they said "his CV looks seriously impressive" and "what a signing".

1. No one thinks the guy has an impressive CV but you.

2. How are you calling him a great signing when he hasn't even played a game??

This post is literally absurd.

It's honestly ridiculous. I could go through heaps more examples. I think the other week, when Mary Fowler was at the Paris Fashion Week, they did a post interjecting the phrase "A-Leagues alumni" in there or something like that. Not everything is about you. Sell your competitions and stop pandering to an audience that has no interest in you. I have mates who are "Eurosnobs". One has joked to me, saying, "You have to pay me to watch that". These are fans who are only interested in the elite of the elite. Honestly, there's an argument that some of these people don't like football that much and just enjoy elite sport, which they are well within their rights to do.

You will have far more success by marketing the importance of your competitions in a broader Australian sporting context. Again, I have mates who are much more into AFL, but they aren't totally turned off by football. They will ask me what's going on with Adelaide United. If this competition ever altered its marketing strategy and tried to reach them, it could easily encourage them to attend a handful of games each season. From there, if they enjoy it, well then they come to more, and before you know it, they're converted. Yes, that's just one anecdotal example, and it's not always going to be a linear conversion. But I find it hard to believe the current strategy is somehow better.

Sell what is unique to the A-Leagues when compared to other sporting codes. Sell active support. But also sell what entices those Australians who might be "on the fence" about going to A-Leagues matches. Sell the family-friendly environment. Sell community. Sell grassroots. Sell local.

Suppose I'm a multifaceted sports fan who's a bit of a bandwagon supporter and watches various sports. In that instance, I likely don't understand why it's important for young A-Leagues players to earn moves to Europe. That type of marketing is football-centric, and only the core fanbase can see it as positive (though it isn't always, which is for a separate column). But what I might be interested in is sitting in The Red Army, The Cove, The RBB, for at least one game, just to experience it and see what the fuss is about.

Right now, the marketing seems not only scarce but entirely out of touch and out of sync with growth. From my vantage point, it's only serving to either alienate people by perpetuating false narratives or by being self-serving towards fans who are already converted. It makes no sense whatsoever.

I need to get a move on here. But I will just write a few paragraphs on the clubs, as well, as they are just as culpable when we talk about things like a lack of honest communication and flawed marketing.

There have been way too many instances this off-season where fans seemingly have no idea what is going on at their own football clubs. How the hell can that be happening? 

You've got a club like the Central Coast Mariners, who for much of the off-season seemed like they were literally dying in front of our eyes, and it was hard not to assume that when there's absolutely no communication. Has anyone actually been able to talk to the CEO? I think actually just yesterday we've finally heard from him through a short, PR-heavy message. Always good when that happens just two days out from the season starting. Anyway, the message doesn't outline any measurable goals or targets, it's just a lot of spin. This part is interesting: "when there’s news to share, you’ll hear it from us first – directly and openly." No worries, I'll now be holding you to that standard (which we should be doing regardless).

The word "transparency" is a PR spin crap word, so I don't use it. I much prefer the word honesty. A lot of people in football seemingly tend to default to these sorts of communication complaints, and it can be overused. But see, in the case of the A-Leagues, whereby you are already so out of sight, out of mind for many everyday Australians, your margin for error is so small.

By failing to I guess, humble yourselves for five minutes, whether by accepting blame, outlining decision-making processes (to a point), strategic plans, or I don't know, involving the input of your most important stakeholder, those people called fans, in the future outlook of your club, you are failing to activate a shift in operations that could be revolutionary for the sport.

I mean, there would be many reading this, like me, who just follow these competitions because we love football. We want the competitions to grow. If the APL and all clubs were simply just more honest, more present, and could actually detail their thought processes, not only would they start taking control of the discourse surrounding them, but, if the outlook is negative, they might spark some of us to think more about solutions instead of waking up everyday wondering what on earth is going on behind the scenes—just a thought (I'd consider it).

Oh, and don't worry, Football Australia and other entities within the Australian football landscape are also not immune to any of the critiques I've outlined above. Let's save that for future columns.

Long live the A-Leagues, I guess.

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Have feedback for Christian or additional information that could benefit his perspective? He encourages you to contact him at frontpgfootball@gmail.com. Alternatively, Christian has an ongoing open invitation for representatives of governing bodies and clubs, or even players discussed in the above topic to join him on the Front Page Football Podcast for further discussion.