Gary Cole: There is no better time than now to unify the game

Socceroos great Gary Cole feels it is now time to “find a way to heal” the wounds of the past and move forward for the good of the game.

In a wide-ranging interview with Soccerscene, the former NSL striker believes FFA CEO James Johnson is the right man to lead Australian football into a new era, incorporating “the best of both” the old NSL and A-League.

“I think James has been an absolute breath of fresh air,” he said.

“You couldn’t have wished a worse start on a person to take over that role.

“My hat’s off to him and I just can’t applaud him enough for the start he has made and his willingness to listen and engage.”

Cole remains involved with the game in some capacity, after being elected as a member of Football Coaches Australia’s Executive Committee, late last year.

The 64-year-old has a strong belief that coaching education in Australia needs to improve and was a major factor behind his decision to put his name forward for FCA.

“Coaches have never had a seat at the table (in the game) for the last 30 odd years,” Cole said.

“Today (with FCA), we’ve got a good working relationship with James, Chris Nikou and the FFA board.

“We are talking regularly, having zoom meetings; they understand that coaches are an important part of the game. It’s absolutely terrific.”

Throughout his coaching career, Cole would go on to be an assistant to Socceroos coach Frank Arok, as well as managing various clubs in the old National Soccer League and Victorian Premier League.

The ex-Heidelberg player admits he was fortunate to land his first coaching gig, as an assistant to Ron Smith at the AIS in 1987.

“I was always going to go into coaching and I was incredibly lucky that in my last year of playing as a 30-year-old at Preston, I went and did my Senior License (equivalent of an A Coaching License today).

“That was at the end of my career, then within six months I applied for and accepted a role as Ron’s assistant at the AIS. So that was absolutely incredible.

“At the age of 30 I had a full-time job in coaching and I have to say at the time I didn’t realise how lucky I was to do that.”

The mentorship he received and experience he gained from working alongside Smith, has led Cole to question the way Australia develops coaches in recent times.

“I had an incredible coach and mentor in Ron who I worked with day in, day out. So, not only did I just complete a coaching license, I got to practice on a daily basis with someone there who would coach me as a coach and answer my questions.

“When I left and came back to Victoria because my mum developed cancer, I coached Heidelberg in the old NSL and I still had my coaching mentor on the other end of the phone.

“Nowadays, most modern coaches don’t have that.

“We’ve done a terrific job at getting thousands of coaches through coaching courses. But, getting a coaching license is a bit like being an 18-year-old and getting your driver’s license, it gives you access to the roads but it doesn’t make you a great driver.”

The AIS program was recently brought back into focus after a panel of six former ‘golden generation’ Socceroos heralded the setup and its role in their football development, in a recent Optus Sport discussion.

Cole echoed their sentiments claiming “It was integral to the development of players at that point in time.”

“Those guys all had wonderful talent but what Ron Smith did was turn the AIS into perhaps the best professional finishing school for athletes that we have ever seen.

“It was a wonderful opportunity for both players and coaches to develop and I was very sorry to see it go.”

When quizzed on the possibility of a reformation of the program, the Socceroos goal scorer believes the ship has sailed on that front, due to the current structure implemented in the game.

“Most countries around the world now have some sort of national coaching setup and some of those have a system like Clairefontaine in France, which is still there,” he said.

“But we are so different.”

According to the former Socceroos assistant, a country such as Belgium which is much smaller in size, makes it significantly easier to introduce a national setup.

That’s not the case in Australia, however.

“Here, we are so vast in distance and travel. I think it would be very difficult, because the model has been…to help A-League clubs develop academies and then…help NPL clubs develop academies.

“There are challenges around the depth and quality of the coaching talent, as well as getting kids in there. It’s not simple to answer.”

After an extremely decorated playing career in the NSL and the Socceroos, Cole looks back fondly on his time in the old national competition.

Memories of his playing days at Heidelberg stick out vividly in his mind, particularly the large crowds that would gather for matches against South Melbourne.

“It was a tough competition, played in smaller stadiums. We would have 15, 20, 25,000 people at Middle Park or Olympic Park (against South Melbourne).

“It was a real derby like Liverpool against Everton. You could have a terrible season, but if you won the derby then you are everyone’s hero.

“There was a great passion to it.”

Most NSL clubs at the time were ethnically based, which created distinct atmospheres at the grounds.

“You can remember the sights and sounds,” Cole said.

“Will Hastie (Executive Manager of Football at FV) and I were having a conversation last year, (saying) you could remember the smells from the different cultures.

“That multicultural background that it gave us was absolutely incredible.”

Cole described the transition between the end of the NSL and start of the A-League as a divisive period, which the game must now, after 15 years, finally try to put to bed.

“I loved the NSL, but so much was made out of the crowd trouble. It was bad at different times and that was a part of killing it off unfortunately.

“But by the same token, (when the A-League was created) it became ‘old soccer against new football’. It drove a stake in the heart of the game and developed this disconnect straight away.

“Not only because the (NSL) clubs couldn’t play in the top division, but we did away with the history. It was like the history of Australian football, for a long time, kicked off in 2004.”

In that year, Cole was appointed Melbourne Victory’s inaugural Football Operations Manager, a position he would hold for seven years, with the Victory winning two championships in that time.

There were certainly challenges in that period, including a board which was initially not comprised of football people.

Speaking about his time at Victory, Cole said it was “perhaps the most exciting and remarkable thing I’ve ever done.”

“I’m blessed that Ernie Merrick came on board. We brought in some great players, we developed some great talent and I’m very proud of that unique opportunity.”

Whilst a fantastic achievement, it would pale in comparison to the proudest moment in his football career.

“I can close my eyes and think about my first game for the Socceroos, standing on the pitch before the game against Greece in Melbourne.

“When you stand there with a green and gold shirt on and the national anthem plays, the hair on the back of your neck stands up.

“And then, you realise you’ve got an opportunity to represent your country.

“I’ve got a lot of things to be proud about in the game, but that for me is by far and away perhaps the best day.”

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Philip Panas is a sports journalist with Soccerscene. He reports widely on football policy and industry matters, drawing on his knowledge and passion of the game.

SharkNinja named partner of new women’s Ninja A League

SharkNinja has been confirmed as the new multi-season naming rights partner for the Women’s A league, which will be called the Ninja A-league.

SharkNinja is a tech and design company that works on a global scale, they have produced famous household products including the Ninja blenders and Shark cordless vacuum ranges.

It will also, in conjunction with the Ninja A-league, become a major new partner of the Isuzu UTE A-League.

The A-league commissioner Nick Garcia has welcomed the added investment the partnership will have.

“SharkNinja joins the A-Leagues with aligned ambitions; to grow women’s football in Australia and New Zealand, increase the opportunities and pathways for players, and help make the game more visible and accessible for our fans. We can’t wait to see where we take the Ninja A-League Women,” Nick explained in an A-league media release.

One of the future initiatives the partnership has confirmed is a new junior pass for under 16s that will give free entry for the first few rounds of the Ninja A-league to increase stadium-going fans and the family-friendly environment of the games.

This strategy has worked in the A-league before and with the huge numbers of young girls going to the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup and the Women’s A-league. This could be a necessary boost to increase the passionate youthful support that’s been crucial to the growth of Australian female football.

Furthermore, the agreement outlines media developments that will inject interest in the league including the continuation of the Dub Zone newspaper that details the weekly action of the league and in collaboration with the APL and Network Ten plan to increase the number of free-to-air games on 10 Bold for the 2024-25 season.

The number of games will increase from one to ten in a move to hopefully increase the Ninja A-league’s viewership online.

Judy Darling, the VP Commercial of SharkNinja advocates for the company’s excitement at the new partnership.

“Our mission is to positively impact people’s lives every day in every home around the world. This is exactly what our incredible Australian and Kiwi female footballers do – having become such powerful role models for the young and old alike,” Judy explained in an A-league statement.

The A-league’s need for investment means this is a welcomed announcement and could produce more cash flow for the A-league to continue developing Australian football both at the top level and down through the youth leagues.

Only time will tell if this partnership can deliver on its promises, for stakeholders and fans, however, this can be viewed as a step in the right direction.

A-League should heed Dynamic Ticketing issues

Dynamic Ticketing is seen as a new revenue builder by struggling clubs in Europe needing to inject more funds into their clubs. However, the backlash reported by supporters worldwide should make clubs think twice about this divisive option.

Dynamic Ticketing is a system that gives tickets adaptable prices based on demand. The most recent upheaval on this system has come from the Oasis reunion tickets, where fans have queued up for hours expecting tickets to be $292.39 only in a few hours, skyrocketing to $699.38.

This has caused outrage and even opened an investigation by the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority.

The footballing world has recently been riddled with ticket price controversy. Aston Villa fans raised concern at the prices of their Champions League tickets for their first return to competition since its earlier iteration, the European Cup, which they competed and won in 1982, 42 year ago.

A Champions League home ticket for Aston Villa has been increased form the cheapest non-season home tickets at $167.37 AUD rising up to $191, with a discounted price for season ticket holders ranging from $137.83 to $163.43. This comes at a 55% increase for non-season holders and 21% increase for season ticket holders from the clubs official cheapest ticket bracket of $108.

This decision has been defended by Aston Villa’s president of business operations Chris Heck saying that the financial problems facing the club and fears of Financial Fair Play (FFP) stepping in have made the ticket increase a viable option.

Other clubs such as 2023/24 Premier League champions Manchester City prices range from $74 to $123. Liverpool, 6 time champions league winners charge $59 to $120.

Valencia and Celta Vigo have taken it a step further by already imposing dynamic pricing onto its game tickets explaining prices will rise closer to the date of the game based on demand.

From a business point of view, clubs losing revenue see Dynamic Ticketing as an easy cash stream back into the club.

It is no lie that the A-league is under a strain financially, with little respite in sight. The league’s attractiveness as a business venture is vastly diminishing.

Ticketing for the A-leagues has much more financial importance than other more lucrative leagues in Europe. Also, it is worth mentioning that dynamic ticket price range would be substantially smaller than the larger supported and wealthier European clubs and leagues.

A more financially stable league would presumably result in more quality signings and revenue injected into youth development and infrastructure.

The negative effects for the fanbases, however, are glaring.

Supporters are not blind to the recent worldwide football news and know that fan’s frustrations at rising prices and where this profit goes, often falls on deaf ears. These same people could be the first to be hit hard.

The clubs in Spain that have imposed Dynamic Ticketing have caused uproar by their respective fans and other fan bases around the country. It has also soured an already fraught relationship between supporters and club owners.

Many view it as blatant greed, that they treat fans as customers and not as supporters important for the dynamic of the club.

The stage of development that Australian football is currently at means the fans have an important impact on the club’s activity. The popularity of leagues such as the Premier league or even La Liga club management see the benefits outweighing the negatives. This room for decision does not correlate with the popularity of the sport in Australia.

Football clubs should be finding angles to increase attendance and not increasing prices that could minimise interest in matches, with the cost-of-living crisis taking a hit to the public, individuals are thinking twice on where to spend their money.

Big games such as derbies draws in the largest attendance, with last season’s Sydney derby drawing in 28,152 and 27,998 for respective home and away games. Wellington Phoenix’s top of the table clash against Melbourne Victory back in May had the largest attendance at 33,297.

These type of games would be the key moments for Dynamic Ticketing and an increases in prices. The argument is that increased prices could cause less attendance for the casual viewer and an increase of season tickets pricing.

The not as important games could also be effected if they seem to increase in price. This has been mentioned by many fan groups as an increasing occurrence from worldwide clubs struggling with ticket prices.

The A-league clubs must still be realistic with their push to gain more support for football in Australia’s saturated sporting environment.

Australia is no stranger to successful rises in domestic league viewership and stadium-goers.

The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup is recorded to have helped garner a big increase in casual viewers to regular supporters for domestic leagues.

It’s possible this profit-building option in Australia could backfire tremendously and impact the league’s development and fan numbers. Something it cannot afford, quite literally.

The league needs more investment there is no denying that, but this volatile option could do more harm than good for Australian football.

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