The consistent fascination with the concept of the so called
big four in England is an increasingly irritating fact of the Premiership -
Hull City's recent inclusion in the elite is a welcome interlude from the
identity of the usual protagonists. But north of the border, the usual
procession that is the Scottish Premier League has kicked of without fanfare on
Fleet Street.
Despite passionate fans, a genuine resurgence of young Scottish talent and the presence of Rangers in the final of the UEFA Cup earlier this year, the competition rarely resonates outside Scotland other than the Old Firm derbies.
I'm no expert in Scottish football beyond the musings of various London based scribes who report - with very much an us and them attitude - on the latest goings on in the city of Glasgow.
But I don't think I'm overstretching myself when I say that having bounced back from overspending in the 90s, and the collapse of ITV digital, Celtic and Rangers are once again dominating the competition in Scotland.
Two clubs, coffers swollen by frequent appearances in European club competition, steamrolling the competition in a two horse race - sound familiar?
The recent scaling back of the 2008/2009 NZFC season is another disappointing chapter in the various iterations of the national league in New Zealand. Even in my (relatively) brief lifetime at least four different versions have been played out with the only consistency being a familiar conclusion.
And blame for the most recent failures, manifested in Waikato scaling back operations to bare bones and last year's losing finalist Team Wellington limping across the starting line, is being laid, by some at least, at the door of the league's two most successful clubs, Auckland City and Waitakere United.
Similar to Scotland, two well funded clubs have dominated, cherry picking the best players from their less prosperous rivals. Their fans have even attempted a cringe-worthy comparison to the old firm rivalry.
Auckland City and Waitakere, for those of you who have better things to do on a Sunday than watch domestic football (although I have long argued that there is little better value for $7 than a sunny afternoon at Newtown Park) have between them won all 4 NZFC titles. But more importantly, both have represented Oceania at the Club World Championship, where a substantial prize money of US$500,000 is awarded merely for turning up.
While some of the money is shared between the players and staff, the league and the other franchises, undoubtedly this has led to a concentration of footballing power and financial clout in Auckland as a result of the influx of cash.
But blaming Auckland City and Waitakere for the failings of the league completely misses the point. They should be feted rather than criticised. Both have from day one been ruthless and professional, and as a result, successful.
Although aided by subsequent success, City initially assembled a squad with an eye on competing on all fronts and have been proactive, imaginative and impressive in their recruitment, with recent arrivals Ivan Vicelich and Xavi Roca complementing South Korean international Lee Ki-Hyung.
Waitakere brought Australian Shannon Cole out in 2005 (now playing for Sydney FC and recently selected in the Socceroos squad) and latched onto the failure of the Knights to rebuild after their one poor season, recruiting Darren Bazeley and Neil Emblen who have found the NZFC more to their level. Although boosted by their CWC windfalls, it is both clubs' bold strategies that led to such success in the first place. What is the preference, that all franchises sign poor quality players and the league remains stuck in a rut?
Clearly there are problems with the financial position of the league and the franchises themselves. Because there are no TV rights, league sponsor or prize money, the only income streams for the franchises are match day revenues (limited due to generally small crowds), sponsorships (limited due to the lack of exposure) and essentially donations, whether from gambling trusts, local clubs or wealthy benefactors (which are now drying up).
There is little that a well run franchise can do to match the income levels supplemented by competition in the Club World Championship. But to stay competitive costs money, and as usual, that is in short supply in New Zealand domestic football. Developing further sources of funding for all franchises is the only way forward.
Since tobacco sponsorship was outlawed in 1995 New Zealand Football has never had a corporate sponsor of the national league. NZF hyped the NZFC as a pathway to professionalism with better stadiums and better standards - "the new name for the global game". But four years in and the crucial elements that the league's administrators are responsible for, making inroads into television exposure, marketing the league to a wider audience and generating sponsorship are back to the levels they were in 1999 - virtually non-existent.
Of course it is a tough sell and domestic football has always struggled to penetrate in New Zealand. But that doesn't mean that something can't be done - the sooner the running of the league is handed over to the stake holders, the franchises themselves, the better. It is in their interests to succeed where NZF have consistently tried and failed. Crowds are still counted in the hundreds, there is very little marketing beyond that generated by the franchises themselves and the league is almost completely reliant on gaming trust sponsorship.
The fact that we are now looking at a league that requires saving, while currently hosting the under 17 World Cup is a terrible indictment on the current administration. A 14 match league is also clearly inadequate and is frankly disrespectful to franchise chairmen who have assembled playing and coaching staff for the coming season. Whether Auckland and Waitakere dominate again they should be tested over a full programme of matches.
Evening the competition by knee-capping the Auckland clubs is not an improvement and is symptomatic of some of the small time thinking that perpetuates the current malaise in the game at the highest level. Just as other clubs in the Scottish Premier League realise that their fortunes, and the fortunes of the competition as a whole, are tied to those of the Old Firm, the NZFC franchises outside of Auckland need to wake up. Because football in New Zealand may not have many further chances to get the domestic national league right
Despite passionate fans, a genuine resurgence of young Scottish talent and the presence of Rangers in the final of the UEFA Cup earlier this year, the competition rarely resonates outside Scotland other than the Old Firm derbies.
I'm no expert in Scottish football beyond the musings of various London based scribes who report - with very much an us and them attitude - on the latest goings on in the city of Glasgow.
But I don't think I'm overstretching myself when I say that having bounced back from overspending in the 90s, and the collapse of ITV digital, Celtic and Rangers are once again dominating the competition in Scotland.
Two clubs, coffers swollen by frequent appearances in European club competition, steamrolling the competition in a two horse race - sound familiar?
The recent scaling back of the 2008/2009 NZFC season is another disappointing chapter in the various iterations of the national league in New Zealand. Even in my (relatively) brief lifetime at least four different versions have been played out with the only consistency being a familiar conclusion.
And blame for the most recent failures, manifested in Waikato scaling back operations to bare bones and last year's losing finalist Team Wellington limping across the starting line, is being laid, by some at least, at the door of the league's two most successful clubs, Auckland City and Waitakere United.
Similar to Scotland, two well funded clubs have dominated, cherry picking the best players from their less prosperous rivals. Their fans have even attempted a cringe-worthy comparison to the old firm rivalry.
Auckland City and Waitakere, for those of you who have better things to do on a Sunday than watch domestic football (although I have long argued that there is little better value for $7 than a sunny afternoon at Newtown Park) have between them won all 4 NZFC titles. But more importantly, both have represented Oceania at the Club World Championship, where a substantial prize money of US$500,000 is awarded merely for turning up.
While some of the money is shared between the players and staff, the league and the other franchises, undoubtedly this has led to a concentration of footballing power and financial clout in Auckland as a result of the influx of cash.
But blaming Auckland City and Waitakere for the failings of the league completely misses the point. They should be feted rather than criticised. Both have from day one been ruthless and professional, and as a result, successful.
Although aided by subsequent success, City initially assembled a squad with an eye on competing on all fronts and have been proactive, imaginative and impressive in their recruitment, with recent arrivals Ivan Vicelich and Xavi Roca complementing South Korean international Lee Ki-Hyung.
Waitakere brought Australian Shannon Cole out in 2005 (now playing for Sydney FC and recently selected in the Socceroos squad) and latched onto the failure of the Knights to rebuild after their one poor season, recruiting Darren Bazeley and Neil Emblen who have found the NZFC more to their level. Although boosted by their CWC windfalls, it is both clubs' bold strategies that led to such success in the first place. What is the preference, that all franchises sign poor quality players and the league remains stuck in a rut?
Clearly there are problems with the financial position of the league and the franchises themselves. Because there are no TV rights, league sponsor or prize money, the only income streams for the franchises are match day revenues (limited due to generally small crowds), sponsorships (limited due to the lack of exposure) and essentially donations, whether from gambling trusts, local clubs or wealthy benefactors (which are now drying up).
There is little that a well run franchise can do to match the income levels supplemented by competition in the Club World Championship. But to stay competitive costs money, and as usual, that is in short supply in New Zealand domestic football. Developing further sources of funding for all franchises is the only way forward.
Since tobacco sponsorship was outlawed in 1995 New Zealand Football has never had a corporate sponsor of the national league. NZF hyped the NZFC as a pathway to professionalism with better stadiums and better standards - "the new name for the global game". But four years in and the crucial elements that the league's administrators are responsible for, making inroads into television exposure, marketing the league to a wider audience and generating sponsorship are back to the levels they were in 1999 - virtually non-existent.
Of course it is a tough sell and domestic football has always struggled to penetrate in New Zealand. But that doesn't mean that something can't be done - the sooner the running of the league is handed over to the stake holders, the franchises themselves, the better. It is in their interests to succeed where NZF have consistently tried and failed. Crowds are still counted in the hundreds, there is very little marketing beyond that generated by the franchises themselves and the league is almost completely reliant on gaming trust sponsorship.
The fact that we are now looking at a league that requires saving, while currently hosting the under 17 World Cup is a terrible indictment on the current administration. A 14 match league is also clearly inadequate and is frankly disrespectful to franchise chairmen who have assembled playing and coaching staff for the coming season. Whether Auckland and Waitakere dominate again they should be tested over a full programme of matches.
Evening the competition by knee-capping the Auckland clubs is not an improvement and is symptomatic of some of the small time thinking that perpetuates the current malaise in the game at the highest level. Just as other clubs in the Scottish Premier League realise that their fortunes, and the fortunes of the competition as a whole, are tied to those of the Old Firm, the NZFC franchises outside of Auckland need to wake up. Because football in New Zealand may not have many further chances to get the domestic national league right
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