Big decision: Football Federation Australia CEO David Gallop. Credit:James Brickwood Arthurson/Quayle had privately decided the Crushers should be Auckland's partner, with the Perth and north Queensland teams to join in 2000. However, the presentations by the three clubs were equally good and Arthurson turned to Quayle and basically said, "Why don't we let all three in for 1995?" The decision infuriated the privately owned Broncos who could see their monopoly of Brisbane cut in half and when Murdoch offered to fund clubs joining his rebel league, the Warriors, Perth Reds and north Queensland team all showed their loyalty to Arthurson/Quayle by accepting Rupert's cash. And the six Sydney clubs who had opposed expansion had their fears of an inflationary spiral in the game justified, rendering them lukewarm ARL loyalists.

So began a three-year war from which rugby league still has not recovered, compared to the billions of dollars of government funding given the AFL. Basically, for every $100 million granted the AFL for new stadia, rugby league has received $10 million, an indication that government will not fund a warring code, particularly with private owners involved. Significantly, all 10 A-League clubs are privately owned, yet seek to take over FFA's governance of the game! FFA chief David Gallop was Super League's in-house lawyer and it's not surprising he has tried to stall the expansionary push, including a promotion/relegation regime. Furthermore, he must know pay TV, always keen on high quality competitive contests, will have a say.

Whereas Murdoch was desperate for content in 1995, Fox Sports is not keen on an immediate increase in the A-League from 10 teams to 12 and beyond. In fact, it's written into FFA's recent six-year contract that Fox Sports won't add any money for expansion until year five of the contract and then only if the new team is from Sydney or Melbourne. So, the fanatics who want an A-League team in Tasmania or Geelong won't be funded by additional Fox Sport money. Furthermore, the additional pay TV money won't go close to covering the costs of the new team. The Fox Sports/FFA contract offers $2.5 million for an additional Sydney or Melbourne club in years five and six.

It costs $10 million to $12 million to run an A-League club and the owners have accumulated losses of $300 million during the decade-long life of the competition. Fox Sports is basically saying, "We'll give a new club $2.5 million and that's in 2021 and at 2021 prices." Assuming $15 million is needed to run an A-League team in years five and six of the current TV contract, Fox Sports are funding only one-sixth of costs. Significantly, Fox Sports also encouraged the A-League to partner with a free-to-air network to screen one game on a Saturday night, basically saying, "Get greater coverage and we can grow subscriptions and pay you more money." Ask Quayle today whether it was the correct strategy to introduce all four new clubs simultaneously and he says "yes", arguing all new regions "were ready for expansion".

He points out Melbourne wasn't in the plan but became an immediate success at the end of the Super League war, albeit artificially, by the collapse of three Murdoch-funded teams (Perth Western Reds, Adelaide Rams and the Hunter Mariners) into one (Storm). He also points out that if the Crushers had survived, it would have impacted the Broncos' monopoly where its current commercial revenue is twice the next highest club (Cowboys and Rabbitohs $15.8 million). But he does have one regret. "We should have charged the new clubs licence (or entrance fees). Loading "We didn't want to add to the cost base of the new clubs but the licence fees paid could have been used to assist those clubs who suffered as a result of the inflationary pressured created by expansion."

SANZAAR fumbled the ball with its big picture ambitions and the A-League risks an own goal with similar dreams.