I started a thread in the 'Australian Football' category about the news that Australia is likely to join the AFC (although with FIFA, we won' be sure until it actually happens).
Cockerill on the Sydney Morning Herald highlights the benefit for A-League teams in case of this happening:
A-League clubs will be the other major beneficiaries, being able to participate in the Asian Champions League and the second-tier AFC Cup.
Former Sydney Olympic assistant coach Steve Darby, who has been coaching club sides in South-East Asia for the past five years, said: "AFC competitions are so well organised. You're talking about access to over 3 billion people, games which can pull crowds of over 100,000, and television audiences of over 500 million. For Australian clubs and Australian players, it's going to be a massive boost, and I think Asia will get something out of it as well."....................
Perhaps the greatest benefit of all. The clubs will sacrifice Oceania's automatic spot in the World Club Championships, but regular entry in the Asian Champions League or second-tier AFC Cup would bring in money, competition and exposure.
That is debatable. How many people are going to go and watch a match between Victory and the Thai or Phillipino champions? Probably less than for a regular league match. If anything factoring in the extra costs of travel / accomodation it could be a loss making exercise.
What about the prize money? Playing against big japanese, korean, and saudi teams, TV rights money, Overseas inverstors to the a-league.....weaver that response was almost as ignorant as the crap that the AFL like spurt out
Last edited by ONYX; March 11th, 2005 at 11:47 AM.
I would certainly go and watch MVFC play in the Asian Champions League and I'm sure plenty of others would, too. Not all of us are so insular.Originally Posted by weaver
Anyway, aside from that, the TV rights deal for the ACL is huge and it would be great for Australia to be a part of that action.
Melbourne Victory - the club for the football connoisseur
weaver that is such a stupid comment
winning the Asian Champions league would be more important than winning the A-League. Prizemoney and global/regional prestige.
watching MVFC play in a champions league semi final against Yokahama FC etc would be a dream come true. Imagine watching us battle it out in front of 60,000 screaming fans in Korea or Japan or China!
How could anyone talk it down. weaver i say shame on you!
Since reading about the probable/possible move to the AFC I have been thinking about a couple of things that will, I believe, affect the A-League positively.
First being, that with the ability to move into the Asian Cup competitions ACL and Asia Cup, players not playing in top flight clubs in the European leagues may be much more tempted to come back and play in the local competition. With the knowledge that there is a possibility they can compete in a top flight regional championship, rather than trying to help their club avoid relegation for eg.
This in turn will, hopefully, raise the level of competition in the A-League. Because clubs may want to lure back many of the fringe national team players from their stalling Euro careers in the hope of gaining entry into either the ACL or Asian Cup. Which may then lead to the expansion of the competition to 10-12 teams as the talent pool in the national competition would be much deeper.
Anyway, just a couple of thoughts I had about the proposed move. Let's keep our fingers crossed that we don't get screwed by FIFA again!
One more thing to consider. A hypothetical question...
What if Australia joins the AFC and NZ Knights win the A-League and are therefore guaranteed an ACL or Asian Cup spot. How would the AFC feel about a club from an OFC nation competing in their competition?!?
Viva la Victory!
If KFC win the A-League I'll come around to your house and eat your hat.
;)
Mate, if KFC win the league I'll eat my own hat. Like I said though, hypothetical, as we all know there is not a snowflakes chance in hell they'll win.
Viva la Victory!
What have you been smoking ? Word of advice get a new supplier ! :( :( Malaysia just had 45,000 - 50,000 odd turn up to their version of the FA Cup, Thailand is an even stronger football nation.
People would turn up in droves to see them and other stong Asian nations many of which have good foreign players on their rosters in the Asian Champions League. A league which is televised to millions around Asia.
If Australia gets accepted into the AFC then quite simply it will be the biggest thing to happen in the sport in the last 30 years...End of...
In the southern terrace standing up for the sport and the club always....
KFC is bad for you!!! :D
Guys, lay off Weaver. He threw up potential problem and people have dissagreed with it. Thats what forums are for. It's probably a post that has had a lot more thinking behind it than many others on this forum. I think we all agree now that the ACL could only be a good thing but his comment was a fair one to bring up.
Don't abuse him too much, we don't want to label him another Jebac.
The difference between Victory and the rest of the A-League:
Romário - January 29, 1966, Kazuyoshi Miura - February 26, 1967, Brian Deane - February 7, 1968, Benito Carbone - 14 August 1971, Dwight Yorke - November 3, 1971
---
Carlos Hernández Valverde - April 9, 1982
HOOLIGANS: STORM OVER ASIA
This has been a long term dream of mine. Running amok through Asia, sticking it to the Amrozi's of this world and getting hosed down by the giant water cannons aimed at me and my firm.
We shall crush this rebellion, admiral prepare my ship !
i dreckon it would be tops, asian champions league all the way
I think it would be great to see Australian teams in Asian club competitions.
Asians love their football and the continent is huge and diverse. No matter where you go the game is well supported. In Korea, in Saudi Arabia or even watching Pakahtor (from Uzbekistan) over 50,000 people attend these types of games.
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