Football Federation Australia (FFA), the sport’s national governing body, has defended its stance on continuing to play A-League top-tier fixtures during breaks for international matches by saying that it wants to protect its broadcast rights income.
Some A-League clubs have spoken out against the governing body’s insistence that they have to play on through the windows, with Sydney FC head coach Graham Arnold warning of “heavily depleted sides” due to many players being on international duty.
However, FFA chief executive David Gallop said that halting the domestic programme during the international breaks, which are scheduled by football’s global governing body Fifa, would “adversely affect our broadcast value.” He added: “That affects the sustainability of the A-League and its clubs, and puts future expansion at risk.”
The A-League is broadcast in Australia by pay-television broadcaster Fox Sports and free-to-air SBS under a four-year deal, from 2013-14 to 2016-17, which is worth a total of A$160m (€111m/$139m).
The A-League is also shown in 65 countries worldwide through a partnership with the World Sports Group (WSG) agency.
WSG’s director of Australia, David White, told the Fairfax Media news agency: “Broadcasters value consistency in scheduling and fixturing. People have got to know when the matches are on and they tend to develop a regular viewing pattern based on what they're used to. From a broadcaster’s point of view, any break would be very detrimental to value.”
White said that football is an “emerging sport” in comparison with Aussie rules, rugby league, cricket and rugby union in Australia, and added: “I think it would be a foolish move to break the momentum the A-League currently has.”