Strike action threatens new A-League season as World Cup afterglow fades fast | A-League Men

The heartache of the Socceroos’ penalty shoot-out loss to Egypt and exit from the World Cup is still raw, but normalcy is returning to Australian football. Well, it looks like this incident will follow someone else.

At a time when the A-Leagues should be basking in the glory of the World Cup, they are instead focusing on industrial participation; players have unanimously rejected the latest collective bargaining agreement (CBA) proposal from the Australian Professional Leagues (APL). The news has a sense of deja vu, coming less than four years after the desperate move that saw the sale of the final hosting rights announced just days after the Socceroos almost took Argentina to extra time at the World Cup in Qatar.

The CBA dispute doesn’t really compare to causing a revolt among the fans, as the final agreement did. But industrial action, including a possible strike, looks like an unwanted distraction as the A-League plans its annual bid to drum up interest in the Socceroos or Matildas World Cup.

“We have been in good faith with the PFA for the past eight months to agree a new CBA to ensure the sustainable growth of the A-Leagues for our clubs and players, and we look forward to continuing to do so,” said APL chief executive Steve Rosich. “We have had joint discussions … and we have sought clarification on the status of the PFA, before further discussions.”

Rosich’s statement paints a picture of the APL in a state of disarray when things suddenly erupted, as if a deal was close. The arrival of the chief executive earlier this year, with the aim of establishing the A-League as the third pillar of Australian domestic sport, led to improved relations between the league and the players’ union, and raised hopes that a one-year standoff could be reached to replace the deal that expired on June 30. There was a shift in the language of the hard cap shown by APL chairman Stephen Conroy, who announced in no uncertain terms that it had led to the creation of a partnership with the PFA.

But PFA boss Beau Busch’s message to the players was when he rejected the league’s latest proposal, to say that “the CBA negotiation process is over,” would imply that there has been a conflict.

It is not ideal, even if there is enough time for some kind of agreement to be made before the start of the new season in October. But until a decision is reached, preparations will take place under a cloud of uncertainty. The club’s ability to sign players and plan for the coming years will not be removed but it will be reduced, especially those who negotiate with players who have been in the middle of many exemptions, or who will not be significantly reduced in wages. The season may start without the CBA, but strike action, the big red button, is still alive.

But there is a lot at play here. The players’ confidence in the APL’s ability to deliver a long-term vision of growing the league has since gained independence and promised “no strings attached”. Seven months after the release of the book Ready for Takeoff, Busch does not shy away when he says that the APL “does not believe in the power of the women’s game”, based on suggestions that the union does not go far enough in keeping up with the wider women’s sports market and that could prevent investment in the competition. The APL describes the focus on transfer fees over the overall quality of the league and competition in Asia – and the associated matchday, sponsorship and TV fees – as “a misguided strategy for a men’s talent farm.” [competition]”.

“The players are not satisfied with the direction of the A-Leagues,” said Busch. “The CBA of the past five years did not protect the game from damaging decisions, the decline of crowds and the growth of the ability to extract skills.

“Players have been asked to accept big deals without being sure that their goal of change will be achieved. The challenges of the leagues are likely to be big in the next 12 months. Therefore, it is better to pursue changes in other ways now.”

The CBA negotiations, it seems, have become another battle for the future of Australian football; one that has been booming for decades and shows no signs of abating. For those new to the sport, perhaps attracted by Patrick Beach’s heroics or Nestory Rankunda’s World Cup stardom, this domestic concern may come as a surprise. For those who are deep into the Australian game, anything will come.