This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou has demanded A-League expansion – and soon – to cater for what he sees as incredible growth in the sport.

Postecoglou has used his soon-to-be published book, ‘Changing the Game’, to challenge the sport’s decision-makers, issuing a call to arms to grow the league.

Those decision-makers, Football Federation Australia, are also his employers as national team boss.

Postecoglou: some European leagues 'very poor' compared to A-League Read more

But the Asian Cup-winning coach hasn’t cut the governing body any slack in comments that are likely to help hurry the pace of A-League expansion on the eve of the new season.

“Consolidating at a time of growth seems counterintuitive to me. We should be right in the middle of an investment boom,” he writes.

“The A-League is a great product but it can’t be what Australia needs it to be with just ten teams.

“It may be enough for a financial model in a boardroom but it’s out of whack with the reality of the opportunity.”

Postecoglou details his ideal Australian competition – with 15 or 16 teams, derbies in each state, running from August or September to May including finals.

“I’d be getting there as fast as I could. I’d be breaking doors down to make it happen,” he writes.

“Football seems to be in an introspective mode at the moment. We’re head down, dealing with today’s problems.

“What are we waiting for? Let’s get it done.”

Postecoglou does not address a possible two-tier system, with promotion and relegation, which is impossible until 2034 at the earliest given the licenses of A-League clubs.

Speaking ahead of the book’s launch on October 3, Postecoglou said he was eager to remove a cap on talent and enthusiasm.

“My push comes from a pretty simple, basic premise. More and more people are loving the game and playing the game,” he told AAP.

“The one thing you don’t want to do is deny young boys and girls, people that want to play the game and support the game, the opportunity to do so because of limited spots.”

Changing the Game, written with Andy Harper, details Postecoglou’s rise – and setbacks – on the road to becoming Socceroos coach.

But he isn’t shy of offering an opinion on the state of the sport.

Postecoglou also savaged his employers for their money-grabbing approach to staging the 2015 FFA Cup final.

The competition decider, won by Melbourne Victory over Perth Glory, was witnessed by a half-empty AAMI Park with just 15,098 people last November.

The Socceroos coach called it “a classic example” of the sport’s decision-makers putting profit before sense.

“What’s more important, money in the bank or the opportunity to sell out the stadium and make a statement?” he writes.

“Deciding in favour of the balance sheet is consolidation, not a growth strategy.”



