A Lesson to be Learned: Ange Postecoglou wins J-League Title

On Saturday, former Socceroos head coach Ange Postecoglou completed the amazing feat of taking the Yokohama F.Marinos to the mountaintop of Japanese football.

The 54-year-old, who also coached the Brisbane Roar and Melbourne Victory, hasn’t had it all his own way in Yokohama.

After a tough 2018 campaign which saw his side finish 12th, the club backed him in to turn it around this season.

He has delivered in spades and following a comprehensive 3-0 win over FC Tokyo, he took Yokohama to an unlikely fourth J-League title.

It is a great story of redemption and perseverance from a man who has had his fair share of doubters over the years.

Postecoglou was responsible for our 2014 World Cup campaign, our qualification for the 2018 tournament and the infamous 2015 Asian Cup success.

Related Articles: Ange Postecoglou’s trail blazing J-League success finally silences the critics

We, as football fans, can very easily forget the good in which has come from coaches and players alike in their pasts.

Ange was thrown straight out of the frying pan at the Victory and into a white-hot fire as Socceroos coach, tasked with a near impossible feat of qualifying for the round of 16 against Chile, Spain and the Netherlands.

The Dutch were inches away from reaching the Final, falling short in a penalty shootout against eventual runners-up Argentina. Spain were the defending champions at the time and despite not reaching the knockout stage, were still a very formidable team.

Chile, perhaps deemed our easiest opponent at the time, were no slouches either. They defeated Spain 2-0 in the group stage and in the coming years, won back-to-back Copa America titles.

When your ‘easiest’ opponent was capable of outstanding achievements such as that, the job of Australia’s head coach was anything but enviable.

For the most part, he did a fine job making us competitive against some of the best in the world, despite three losses.

His finest hour came during our Asian Cup triumph against South Korea. Being the hosts of the tournament, Australia was expected to perform well and maybe even win the entire competition.

That kind of expectation brings about a lot of pressure. Ange coached his boys to perfection, showing his prowess as a manager and he led the Socceroos to a deserved trophy.

But the following few years began to take its toll on Postecoglou, with his resignation coming only a few weeks after leading the Socceroos to a fourth successive World Cup campaign.

In his press conference, Postecoglou spoke of the pressure that came with being an international coach and how it had “taken a toll both personally and professionally”.

Postecoglou was announced as coach of Yokohama one month later.

He reportedly received offers to coach Greece’s national side but instead opted to extend his contract in Japan, with hopes of surging up the table.

As we now know, he did more than just that.

Following his incredible title-winning season at Yokohama, Postecoglou’s name has been thrown into the hat for managerial opportunities in Europe.

Rumours are circling that he will take a job somewhere in Europe, with some of the biggest teams in the continent reportedly considering him.

All of his success following his departure as Socceroos coach goes to show something.

Ange Postecoglou was extremely underappreciated as head coach of our national team.

He faced enough criticism during his tenure to last a lifetime and it came from all angles.

Former players and fans were consistently on his back when things slightly went awry, with little-to-no margin for error as far as some were concerned.

In his athletesvoice.com.au column back in June of 2018, he spoke of how he wanted more out of us as a footballing nation.

He wasn’t going to settle for the Socceroos forever being, what he described as “battlers”. In his eyes, we weren’t going down without a fight.

This was resembled in the way he coached during the 2014 World Cup.

“Let’s now stand up and show that we could conquer that last bastion of our sport.” His own words.
He also claimed that many of those close to him at the FFA lost faith in him for his aggressive and ‘go down swinging’ style of play, believing this to be the catalyst for his eventual departure.
Now, following his successful ventures elsewhere and our forgetful 2018 World Cup and 2019 Asian Cup campaigns, his words need to be heeded now more than ever.
Perhaps he was right on the money, that we often settle for ‘giving it our best’ or ‘being that one step below the best’.
We should all take notes from him because, after all, he could be head coach of a top team in Europe not long from now.

 

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Caelum Ferrarese is a Senior journalist with Soccerscene. He reports widely on micro policy within Australasia and industry disruptions at grassroots level.

National Women’s Soccer League score big with record-breaking domestic TV rights deal

NWSL TV rights deal

The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) have secured a four-year, $240 million USD ($324 million AUD) domestic broadcast deal with four major streaming and cable partners.

Starting in 2024, CBS, ESPN, Prime Video and Scripps Sports will nationally broadcast 118 NWSL games, and this deal also becomes the most expensive TV deal in women’s sports history which sends a strong message about its huge presence in the worlds game.

The NWSL broke several league records in this past season that completed, with record highs in membership sales, average attendance, ticket sales and single game attendance.

The NWSL has no doubt been the league to set a standard for professionalism in women’s football and no doubt the success of the US Women’s National team propelled that push to a competitive environment where the best players and coaches feature.

The financial stability of the NWSL has set an example for other women’s leagues globally, encouraging corporate investment in women’s football. The influx of financial support through sponsorships allows for the world class facilities and increased player salaries, both topics that were previously issues within the space.

NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman mentioned that this deal signifies the league’s insane growth since its inception back in 2013.

“This moment is a celebration, a celebration of how far we’ve come and far we’re headed,” Berman said via press conference in San Diego last week.

“These partnerships fundamentally change the game for our league and the players who take the pitch each week. The investment into facilities and grassroots will be vital for the foundation we aim to build.

“We have taken great care to ensure our games are discoverable by increasing our reach in order to expose new audiences to everything that makes our league special, without compromising the economic value of our product. This is the beginning of our future.”

In a similar fashion, the A-League Women’s competition saw their record memberships tally for multiple teams smashed and round one attendances were fantastic compared to recent years. There were many positives from the Women’s World Cup that attributed to this rise however a little concern is the talent pool compared to other top leagues.

It has become an issue in the A-League Men’s competition and although the Matilda’s are a skilled, popular national team, it is increasingly rare to see talent be homegrown as most top young Australian players are pipped by US or European clubs to develop their skills.

The news of this NWSL record TV rights deal, and the compounding positives news in the Women’s football space over the last 12 months shows that there is a strong foundation that will inspire young girls to participate and support the sport.

Football Australia and Professional Footballers Australia confirm CBA for 2023-2027

Football Australia and Professional Footballers Australia CBA agreement

Football Australia and Professional Footballers Australia (PFA) have announced a four-year National Teams Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) for the Subway Socceroos and CommBank Matildas.

The new CBA arrives after the international triumphs of the Socceroos and then the Matildas, where we will see changes to the revenue-share model, Youth National Team investment, player welfare – and in addition, the introduction of past player programs.

The CBA will last during the AFC AFC Asian Cups 2023 and 2027, Paris 2024 Olympics, AFC Women’s Asian Women’s Cup 2026, FIFA World Cup 2026 and FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027.

Major highlights of the agreement include: 

  • Enhanced revenue sharing between Football Australia and the players through a world leading economic model;
  • Strengthened commercial partnership between the players and Football Australia to drive further investment into the continued growth of Australian football;  
  • CommBank Matildas’ player payments to transition immediately from centralised contracts to match and commercial payments; 
  • Preservation of the gender equality model to ensure players continue to receive equal pay, employment and high-performance standards; 
  • Enhanced parental policy provisions; 
  • A commitment to develop a Football Australia human rights policy and development of joint player and Football Australia community impact investments via the PFA’s Footballers’ Trust; and 
  • Establishment of a PFA – Football Australia CBA Committee to further strengthen the partnership, focused on expanding commercial opportunities, boosting the national team brands, and elevating high performance standards. 

Football Australia’s CEO, James Johnson, voiced his excitement about the new agreement, stating:

“The new CBA represents a sophisticated economic model that rewards our players in tandem with the growth and commercial success of our national teams. It’s a model that ensures as we scale new heights commercially, and our players will share in the fruits of these triumphs — a true testament to our shared goals and values. 

“Football Australia has enjoyed remarkable growth in the last few years and this agreement is positioned to drive our progress even further forward. By incentivising our players to promote further growth we will be able to create new opportunities for generating revenue and unlocking value which was not previously available to us under the old structure. Through this new structure, we have been able to build in the possibility for innovative opportunities to respond to a dynamic and ever-changing landscape.

“This agreement is more than a contract; it’s a commitment to progress and a promise that as our revenue base flourishes, so will the opportunities and rewards for our players, making them key contributors in our game’s prosperity. Our aim is clear: to continue growing the game of Australian football hand in hand with those who bring it to life on the pitch.” 

“I am proud to say that this CBA is a landmark not just for Football Australia, but for sports organisations worldwide. It sets a new standard for how players and national associations can work together to achieve common objectives.  

“The spirit of cooperation with the PFA and our players has been exceptional, and our shared ambition for our national teams to excel at the highest international levels is stronger than ever. We look forward to the continued growth of Australian football through collective achievements and successes.” 

PFA co-Chief Executive and former Matildas’ captain Kathryn Gill reflected on the inaugural CBA till now:

“Since the first Socceroos’ CBA in 1997 and Matildas in 2010, our national team agreements have laid the foundations for the international success Australia has enjoyed across the past 25 years. 

“In partnership with Football Australia, we have a framework to ensure we capitalise on the growth and popularity of our players and national teams across the next four years and further incentivise performance on the global stage.

“We thank Football Australia for the spirit of collaboration that has defined these negotiations and the contribution of over 40 national team players who were so actively involved.”

PFA President and current Subway Socceroo Jackson Irvine spoke on behalf of the players with the impact of this deal:

“From the outset of these negotiations, our ambition was to set up the game for more success, but we also wanted to ensure that we leave the game in a better place for those who follow us. 

“This agreement will ensure that our National Team players have everything they need to excel on the pitch, a more robust partnership that can strengthen the game and, importantly, allow us to have more impact off the pitch than ever before.

“The current generation of players are deeply grateful for those players who came before us and who fought to guarantee the conditions we enjoy today.”

For a full Facts Sheet on the 2023-2027 Collective Bargaining Agreement, you can view it here.

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