THESE are gloomy times in the A-League.

Crowds have dropped more than 40 per cent in the past three years to an average 8393 a game - the lowest in the comp's six-year history.North Queensland Fury has been axed, joining former franchise New Zealand Knights on the scrapheap.

Brisbane Roar is under FFA control, as was Adelaide United until recently.

Gold Coast played to empty stadiums, while fans have deserted glamour club Sydney FC in droves.

Melbourne Heart is dealing with a multi-million dollar hole in its budget after just one season. And there are suggestions Wellington Phoenix is also in strife.

The A-League is on a downward spiral that shows no signs of stopping.

Administrators have taken action by putting back the start date of next season so it doesn't clash with the AFL and drastically reducing the number of low-drawing midweek games. But much more needs to be done.

Here are 10 ways - some already in the pipeline - to save the A-League:

GET HARRY

IF there's one man with the pulling power to drag the A-League out of the mire its Socceroos ace Harry Kewell. He would increase sponsorship, crowds, merchandise sales, membership, media coverage and TV ratings if he was playing every week in Australia.

"He'll be what David Beckham is in America," former Socceroo Stan Laziridis said.

The FFA should dip into its pockets if that's what's needed to get the former Leeds, Liverpool and Galatasaray pin-up boy over the line.

FREE-TO-AIR TV

THE league's $130 million, seven-year deal with Fox Sports runs out in 2013.

Gaining a presence on commercial television, perhaps like the BBC's Match of the Day program in the UK is paramount.

Adelaide United chairman Greg Griffin said the A-League has to find a way on to commercial television, even if it meant losing money on its next TV rights deal.

"You will get more money from Foxtel for excluding free-to-air, but I think at the end of the day it's a cost we have to bear. Bringing the game to people who don't have Foxtel is that important," Harris said.

WESTERN SYDNEY

WESTERN Sydney is the most obvious place for the A-League's next franchise.

The Sydney Rovers' bid was scrapped in December because the consortium behind it didn't have the funds.

But the A-League still plans to have a team playing out of Parramatta Stadium by the 2012/13 season.

DOWNSIZE STADIUMS

HAVING teams play in all-but empty stadiums on the Gold Coast and in Sydney last season significantly damaged the league's image.

One of the key reasons for the success of Major League Soccer in the US was the construction of boutique soccer-specific stadiums.

While this is obviously an extremely costly exercise and one that was set back when Australia failed to win the right to host the 2022 World Cup, it can't be ignored any longer.

START A CUP

PLANS are progressing for an FA Cup style competition involving A-League, state league and regional clubs starting in 2012.

This will be a brilliant opportunity to build on the relationships between the different tiers of the game.

To give this an immediate boost, perhaps award the cup winner one of two Asian Champions League positions granted to Australia.

FIX ASIAN MESS

THE A-League is failing on almost every count to maximise its involvement in the Asian Champions League.

Apart from Adelaide United, results have been poor and the games have generated little interest.

A lot of it has to do with the fact that our representatives are decided 12 months before the ACL begins.

The A-League must finalise its entrants earlier. One could be the cup winner and the other whichever team is top of the table by the ACL cut-off date.

While it might lessen the premiership race, there is still the finals series.

ALL-STAR GAME

AN all-star game could come in two guises.

Either a foreigners v Aussies match, or an A-League 11 hosting a big European club - like MLS is doing when it plays Manchester United.

TOO MNAY FINALS

THE A-League is all but certain to have a finalist with a losing record this season given six of its 10 teams will qualify for the playoffs.

It's too many, especially considering only once in the first six years has a team outside the top two made the grand final.

The system should be reduced to a top four, with first playing second and third facing fourth in two-leg semis.

The preliminary final and grand final could be one-off matches, keeping the finals to four weeks.

WARREN MEDAL TV

THE Johnny Warren Medal needs to become a marquee night on the Australian soccer calendar, not an occasion reserved for the select few.

Changing the flawed voting process for the award - which doesn't reward consistency - should also be addressed.

LATINO MAGIC

THE most exciting players to grace the A-League - including Adelaide's Marcos Flores and Melbourne duo Fred and Carlos Hernandez - have one thing in common.

They all hail from the soccer production factory that is South America.

The A-League should consider a full-time scout in South America so clubs can uncover stars in waiting.

They should also re-think plans to reduce the number of imports at each club from five to four in 2012-13.