A MARQUEE fund $7 million less than was planned is one of many boxes Football Federation Australia has so far failed to tick on its four-year strategic plan.

Tuesday marks one year since FFA released its four-year strategic vision for 2016-19, which followed the 2015 release of its “Whole of Football Plan”.

The game is in a state of flux with A-League clubs pushing for independence and supporters left frustrated by the game’s lack of vision on expansion and a national second division.

But head office insists it is making “massive progress”, highlighting its new $331m TV deal with Fox Sports and the beginning of the process to overhaul the A-League’s operating model as positive steps taken recently.

Some of the initiatives outlined in the four-year plan were:

— REFRESH the A-League brand;

— NEW digital investment;

— CENTRALISED approach to marquee player recruitment;

— CREATING a unity of purpose in the soccer community;

— BECOMING the leading sport for females.

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FFA chief executive David Gallop has work to do. Picture: Getty Source: Getty Images

But the plan missed the mark in regards to governance reform and A-League expansion, topics which continue to dominate the soccer landscape.

FFA promised a renewed focus on the A-League and in January it unveiled a snazzy new logo, while its “You’ve Gotta Have A Team” campaign was catchy.

But more needs to be done to polish a repetitive 10-team competition that is stagnating.

FFA committed $1m to a marquee fund this season, about half of which was allocated to Tim Cahill, but briefed reporters about its desire to see that pool swell to $10m after the TV rights deal was completed.

In December it announced the 2017-18 marquee fund would be $3m.

Although there is work currently being done behind the scenes, soccer is still being left behind by other sports when it comes to its digital strategies — its websites, for example, are clunky — while the current political landscape suggests the sport is anything but unified.

And the advent of women’s AFL, Big Bash and a new national netball competition has left the W-League for dead.

There are still three years for FFA to make good on its strategy.

FFA chief executive David Gallop said it is important to remember that, while “relatively young commercially”, the sport has a “massive agenda” to drive.

“The new strategy makes concerted choices for the first time and recognises the importance of the A-League as the engine room of the game as well as the need to develop our pathways for young men and women,” Gallop said.

“The first year of the strategy has seen a doubling of our pay TV revenue, an important overhaul of our pathways led by the creation of Hyundai A-League academies, a new national sponsorship for ALDI MiniRoos and the first steps toward a new operating model for our professional leagues that will help the ambition to expand the competitions.

“That’s massive progress by any reasonable measure.”