The man who led the campaign to oust former FFA chairman Steven Lowy says any plan to give new A-League licenses to the highest bidders would be an affront to the principles of governance those who opposed Lowy sought to bring to the game.
Former Adelaide United owner Greg Griffin, who has also taken a leading role in the Australian Professional Football Clubs Association, was a thorn in Lowy's side for several years and was a key player in the faction that fought to widen the FFA Congress to get A-League clubs and other stakeholders in Australian soccer a bigger say in the game's policy-making body.
Griffin says the Wanderers should be the model for new A-League clubs.Credit:AAP
As rumours circulate that the always cash-hungry FFA might be tempted to consider handing the new expansion licenses to those that offer the highest fee, Griffin, who is currently the APFCA's caretaker chief executive, bridled at the idea.
He wants expansion to be approved quickly – but in the right locations, and for the right reasons.
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He wants existing A-League clubs and the game's other stakeholders to be consulted about which of the bidders gets the go-ahead.
And he says that the separation of the A-League from the FFA and the establishment of a genuinely independent league management should be almost as big a priority for the new Chris Nikou led board as expansion itself.
''It needs to be judged on the correct metrics. Location, population, support, demographics, not just on who pays the most,'' Griffin, an Adelaide-based lawyer, said.
''I would be appalled if it was whoever pays the most gets the license. That is just not the way to do business.
''It has to be demographically supportable and it also has to respect the position and investment of the 10 existing A-League clubs, which have lost $350 million between them in the 15 years they have been in existence.
''You can't cannibalise existing markets, but Australia is big enough and diverse enough that you don't need to.
''NSW is such a big state with such a strong football culture, that you don't need to put one next to Western Sydney or Sydney.
''It's the same for the next license in Melbourne … it can't be in the CBD of Melbourne. Whether it goes to Dandenong, or Frankston, or Geelong, wherever it may be, it just has to appeal and cater to a different market that is being well catered for now.
''And it will be the same thing with South and Western Australia. SA and WA are more than capable of supporting a second team.''
Griffin also says that steps should be taken as soon as practicably possible to ensure the independence of the A-League.
That was one of the key arguments those who opposed Lowy prosecuted during soccer's long civil war, and Griffin is adamant that splitting the A-League from the rest of the game will not lead to cash shortages for the grassroots, as Lowy and his supporters claimed.
''I think it's incredibly important to have an independent A-League.
''That's going to bring in a whole new set of investors. It will bring in new clubs.
''And we want new clubs that are financially viable and will add to the A-league.
''We don't want what occurred in the past where franchises came in and went out as quickly as they came in. That doesn't do our game any good at all.
''We are not the AFL with lots of money to throw around.
''Gold Coast Suns are just a basket case and if it had not been for the pumping in of millions of dollars by the AFL they wouldn't be there.
''And it's probably the same for GWS. They are a basket case in reality.
''The AFL's expansion clubs only survived because of the diversion of millions of dollars from AFL coffers. Soccer doesn't have that luxury.
Griffin argues that getting the location right is the crucial factor in determining which potential franchises will succeed.
Transport links and infrastructure will be critical, as will a population base that identifies with the area in which the team is based. Western Sydney Wanderers should be the model for any new teams, he says.
''I was hoping that the new board would come and talk to the stakeholders – the clubs, the federations and the PFA – before they make a decision.
''At the moment there has been no consultation and we should have an input as to what we think is the best location for a new franchise.
''Ultimately they become our quasi-partners. They are rivals, but they are also partners. We are all in this together.
''We are in a very tough commercial environment, and the tighter we are and the harder we work together, the more likely we are to be successful.''
Michael Lynch, The Age's expert on soccer, has had extensive experience of high level journalism in the UK and Australia. Michael has covered the Socceroos through Asia, Europe and South America in their past three World Cup campaigns. He has also reported on Grands Prix and top class motor sport from Asia and Europe. He has won several national media awards for both sports and industry journalism.
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