Ken Stead departs Macarthur FC following short tenure

Macarthur FC Football Director Ken Stead was made redundant on Wednesday, despite only being in the role since October.

Stead, who has a wealth of experience across the world with the Socceroos, Wellington Phoenix and the Scottish Football Association amongst others, is not the only major figure in Campbelltown to be on the outer in recent weeks.

Executive chairman Rabieh Krayem quit only a few days ago, whilst Lang Walker sold his large stake in the club only last week.

Macarthur are certainly having a tough time and they haven’t even gotten out on the park yet.

However, A-League boss Greg O’Rourke believes that there is no need to panic, yet.

Speaking to the Sydney Morning Herald, O’Rourke said that “everything’s fine” and that the departures should be expected following the departure of Lang Walker as a stakeholder.

The property development company is staying on with the club as a major sponsor, as part of a five year deal with the expansion club.

The departure of Stead is certainly going to turn some heads, with the Scot a well-respected figure in Australian soccer circles.

As mentioned, he has filled various roles over the years. But none more well-known than his tenure at the Brisbane Roar.

During a time when Brisbane were dominant in the A-League with former Socceroos and current Yokohama F.Marinos head coach Ange Postecoglou, Stead was one of Ange’s right hand men in that successful period.

He was officially hired in late October last year, before he officially started the role in December.

Former CEO Archie Fraser also left his role only four months in during last year. When combined with the departures of Lang Walker, Krayem and now Stead, things look alarming.

Despite what O’Rourke says, it’s hard not to feel as if something is afoot in Campbelltown. How often do so many important members of a club leave within such a short amount of time, let alone after only just starting in their roles?

The team hasn’t even had the chance to take to the field yet.

The last thing the A-League needs is for its second expansion club to get into off-field troubles. For all of what Western United have been able to achieve during their first season in the league, they are facing some difficulties.

The club has the fifth highest average age in the comp and is one of five teams to have an average age of 26 or over. A lot of reliance has been placed on their older players such as captain Alessandro Diamanti and former teammate at Bologna, Greek international Panagiotis Kone.

Their stadium is supposed to be up by 2021, yet development seems to have been left on pause ala a game of FIFA. Attendance is up there as the worst in the league and many would suggest it would be the very worst in the league, if theoretically, the club wasn’t based in Melbourne.

Currently, Western is second last behind the Central Coast Mariners on both average and total attendance for season 2019/2020. They also hold the record for the lowest attendance of the season.

Just under 3,000 people attended their round 19 loss to the Brisbane Roar. Granted, the game took place at Mars Stadium in Ballarat.

But the point still remains. There is much left to be desired when it comes to Western United’s inaugural season in the A-League.

There is still plenty of time for Macarthur to get themselves ready to go for round one next season and one can hope both them and Western United will turn into strong A-League clubs in the coming years.

What are your thoughts on the departure of Ken Stead from Macarthur FC? Are you worried that there may be a lack of cohesion behind the scenes in western Sydney?

Or are you confident that the A-League and Macarthur are still on track and will be ready for the start of the 2020/2021 A-League season?

Get involved in the discussion on Twitter @Soccersceneau and don’t forget to subscribe to our weekly newsletter to view more articles like this as well as other pieces.

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Bundesliga secures $7.39bn domestic broadcast deal

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Image credit: Bundesliga

The German Football League (DFL) has secured new domestic broadcast contracts for the Bundesliga worth $7.39 billion over four seasons.

The deal, which will run from the 2025/26 to 2028/29 campaigns, represents a modest 2% increase from the current rights package valued at $1.82 billion per season.

This development positions the Bundesliga as the second-highest earner in domestic media rights among football leagues, trailing only the Premier League.

Key Broadcasters and Packages

The DFL confirmed that pay-TV network Sky and streaming platform DAZN will remain the league’s primary broadcast partners:

  • Sky will air the majority of live matches, including Friday evening, Saturday fixtures, and relegation play-offs. It will also maintain exclusive coverage of 2. Bundesliga matches.
  • DAZN secured rights to the fan-favourite ‘Konferenz’ whip-around show and will broadcast Sunday matches. The deal also extends to the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland).

Free-to-air access is bolstered by:

  • Sat.1, which will broadcast key games such as season openers, relegation play-offs, and the German Super Cup.
  • ARD, ZDF, and Sport1, offering highlight rights.
  • RTL, airing Saturday evening 2. Bundesliga matches and highlight packages.
  • Axel Springer, managing short highlight clips for digital platforms.

DFL’s statement

DFL co-chief executive Steffen Merkel spoke on the incredible record-breaking TV deal that will advance German football.

“The result of the tender underlines the unbroken popularity of German professional football, despite economically challenging times,” Merkel said in a statement.

“Trust and unity within the league association have paid off. At the end of an intensive process, a very good and comprehensively secured financial result has now been achieved.

“The clubs now have planning security at a high financial level for another four years. For the fans, our future partners in both the pay and free-to-air markets will provide a high degree of consistency.”

DFL co-chief executive Marc Lenz shared the same positive sentiment about the new deal.

“The financial security achieved with this result is a key foundation for the positive development of the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2. From this position of strength, we must tackle the economic, sporting and political challenges – and continue to develop our leagues together with the 36 clubs and make them fit for the future,” he said in a statement.

Market Context and Challenges

The increase in Bundesliga’s media rights revenue contrasts with declines experienced by other major European leagues like Serie A and Ligue 1.

The DFL’s ability to keep Sky and DAZN involved despite legal challenges reflects the league’s strong negotiation position. While DAZN received fewer live matches, its acquisition of the ‘Konferenz’ show could drive subscriber growth.

Future Outlook

The deal provides financial stability for Bundesliga clubs, giving them an advantage over many European rivals. Moving forward, the DFL will focus on expanding its international rights income, with the U.S. deal set to expire in 2026.

The Bundesliga’s mix of traditional TV, streaming, and free-to-air options ensures fans remain well-served, setting the stage for sustainable growth and global outreach.

QLD Government Joins Brisbane Roar and Football Queensland’s Community Program

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Brisbane Roar, Football Queensland (FQ), and the Queensland Government (QLD) have partnered to give more young people the chance to play football in the sunshine state.

Under the ‘Active! Queensland’ initiative, the QLD Government will provide a grant to Brisbane Roar’s not-for-profit organisation Roar Recreation and Welfare Limited, extending the Football Queensland and Roar Football in the Community Program.

The funding aims to empower more children to get involved in sport and increase the number of active footballers.

Over 10,000 junior participants are estimated to take part in a range of different activities in the program across 2025.

Brisbane Roar will be responsible for organising over 270 clinics through the scheme, these will include school holiday clinics, community and school programs, training and education, plus game day activities.

Minister for Sport, Tim Mander, outlined the importance of the partnership for Queenslander children.

“To have a healthy community, it is essential that we have an active community,” he said in a press release.

“The physical, social and psychological rewards of sport are enormous, and football plays an important role in seeing these benefits reach young Queenslanders.

“Which is why we are proud to partner with Brisbane Roar to help more local kids enjoy the game, and hopefully set them on a path to years of involvement in sport and active recreation.”

Brisbane Roar Chairman and CEO, Kaz Patafta, expressed his appreciation for the extensive partnership.

“From our ongoing consultation with the Queensland Government, we are beyond grateful to be receiving this support to grow our community programs in collaboration with Football Queensland,” he said via press release.

“With this new funding, Brisbane Roar together with Football Queensland is set to provide more opportunities for local Queensland kids to engage in football, aiming to expand the sport’s reach and impact across the region.

“We’re delighted to be able to provide more opportunities to local Queensland kids to play football as we endeavour to continue growing the game across Queensland.”

The partnership kicked off last Thursday at Suncorp stadium.

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