Jim SpearsLosing Players
September 24th 2008 04:30
There is not an Australian football fan that is not aware that player drain is now a concern for the local game. During the dark ages of Australian football player drain kept the game alive and is the reason why the national team is so strong. The A-League is still young but Asia’s biggest league, J-League, recently created a 4th foreign player spot designated for AFC players.
Considering Japan’s status and location it would have been appropriate for that spot to also be open to players from Oceania but Japan is a growing football nation so a future Oceania spot may come. Over fifteen years the J-League has grown to an 18 team competition with a fully developed promotion and relegation system. Since 2006 one team from the third tier has been promoted to J2. Adding player spots shows how close Japan is to full integration with global football with no-limits.
Australian football clubs will never be able to compete with big clubs financially; player contracts in Japan are not subject to the confines of a salary cap. Distinctions are made between classes of professional; A, B, C. Professional A contracts don’t have a maximum only a ¥4.8trillion ($5.7m AUD) minimum. B and C contracts have ¥4.8trillion ceilings with no minimums. C is a three year developmental contract similar to the A-League’s youth schemes. J-League contracts have various requirements: for A or B contracts a player must have either held a C contract for three years or played 450 minutes in J1, 900minutes in J2 or 1,350 minutes in Japan Football League (unofficial J3). With marquee contracts and various other schemes the FFA has provided ample opportunity for players to earn but with greater wealth J1, even J2, clubs represent stability, security and a new market for Australian players.
As a contingent of Aussies hopes to help Adelaide get to the AFC semi-finals they will find that being on historical horizons opens them up to attractive offers. Players flowing to Japan will inevitably bring knee-jerk calls for increases to the salary cap but these must be ignored. The salary cap will protect the game from wage inflation and provide security for the game. Besides, Australian football is resilient and any increase in player departures would be offset by the continued success of a grassroots finally supported by a professional organisatio
Will the J-League cup draw Aussie players?
Considering Japan’s status and location it would have been appropriate for that spot to also be open to players from Oceania but Japan is a growing football nation so a future Oceania spot may come. Over fifteen years the J-League has grown to an 18 team competition with a fully developed promotion and relegation system. Since 2006 one team from the third tier has been promoted to J2. Adding player spots shows how close Japan is to full integration with global football with no-limits.
Australian football clubs will never be able to compete with big clubs financially; player contracts in Japan are not subject to the confines of a salary cap. Distinctions are made between classes of professional; A, B, C. Professional A contracts don’t have a maximum only a ¥4.8trillion ($5.7m AUD) minimum. B and C contracts have ¥4.8trillion ceilings with no minimums. C is a three year developmental contract similar to the A-League’s youth schemes. J-League contracts have various requirements: for A or B contracts a player must have either held a C contract for three years or played 450 minutes in J1, 900minutes in J2 or 1,350 minutes in Japan Football League (unofficial J3). With marquee contracts and various other schemes the FFA has provided ample opportunity for players to earn but with greater wealth J1, even J2, clubs represent stability, security and a new market for Australian players.
Japan before football.
As a contingent of Aussies hopes to help Adelaide get to the AFC semi-finals they will find that being on historical horizons opens them up to attractive offers. Players flowing to Japan will inevitably bring knee-jerk calls for increases to the salary cap but these must be ignored. The salary cap will protect the game from wage inflation and provide security for the game. Besides, Australian football is resilient and any increase in player departures would be offset by the continued success of a grassroots finally supported by a professional organisatio
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Comment by James Rickard
unlucky_ fishermen.com
Angling Fish
Comment by Jim Spears
Political Pundit
Sport Sensibility
The short answer is no we don't have free agency like American sports. Although the Australian Football League (AFL) has a draft similar to American sports like football and basketball.
Australia supports four football codes: soccer, rugby union, Australian football and rugby league which means player payments are heavily regulated. Soccer, rugby league and AFL operate with a salary cap. ($1.8m AUD for soccer, $4.1m AUD for rugby league and $8.5m AUD for AFL.) This was designed to stop the situation you describe.
I understand what you are saying tho, my favourite baseball players for example were Kirby Puckett (one club man) and Ozzie Smith (two clubs but mostly the 'Cards) these guys played not that long ago but it seems like an age has passed since those days...