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Friday 22 April 2011

Socceroos/Asia Cup 2015: TV Money to save the A-League

But will we ever use money in football wisely in Australia?

Socceroos are the big big drawcard and with World Cup qualifiers on FTA in coming years and the Asian Cup in Australia in 2015 we have a lot to sell.

Not to mention the A-League which is what really needs the money to kick on.

Jesse Finks talks of rumoured figures below. And if Fox wanted to get in early you'd imagine we'd get more money than $42 mill per year.

A nice ten A-League teams with $3 million per year per club would be great - but given each W-League team needs $1 million per year (wouldn't that be nice) and all the other increasing costs from o/s teams, Socceroo payments and of course ahem grassroots and coaching programs - and the soon to be increased if we get the TV deal FFA staff, can we really give the A-League what it needs.

$60 million per year is probably a 4 year $250 million deal approx - surely the Socceroos and Asian Cup Hosts can lock in the cash.

Last year Buckley turned down a revised offer made in late 2009 by Fox Sports that included a free-to-air component and which would have replaced the $130 million, seven-year deal made in 2006 with Premier Media Group, owners of Fox. The new deal would have locked in FFA until after the 2015 AFC Asian Cup, which is to played in Australia.

In the press this figure was put at $60 million a year. Insiders at FFA I have spoken to have it at $42 million. Whether it was $42m or $60m, or something in between, the exact figure was significantly more than the $17 million a year averaged out on the original seven-year 2006 deal.

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