Frustrated footballers are pointing to an A-Leagues website crash as representative of the incompetence of the competition’s operators, the APL, as the players’ union warns it is not ruling out a strike ahead of what is expected to be brutal pay negotiations beginning this month.
The A-Leagues website was unavailable for more than 24 hours on Tuesday and Wednesday, although club websites remained live.
The glitch drew criticism from Sydney FC’s Ben Garuccio, who called it “one part” of the APL’s inability to market the competition, among a suite of “bigger” issues.
“The AFL grand final? Every single person in Australia is watching,” said Garucci, who was Western United’s captain before the club was put into hibernation due to financial collapse.
“An A-League grand final? Fucking hell … Probably some of the people that actually care about football aren’t even watching it.”
Andrew Redmayne, the former Socceroos goalkeeper who now plays at Central Coast, said the website failure was indicative of the APL’s struggle to cut through.
“I was with [rugby league player] James Tedesco the other day, and he said, ‘So, how long have you got off?’ and I said, ‘Oh no, we just played round one,’” said Redmayne, who is an executive member of Professional Footballers Australia (PFA).
“Like, people just don’t know, there’s no visibility around the game, there’s nothing about it, it’s quite frustrating.”
The APL, a group largely made of up A-League owners, took over the running of the A-Leagues from Football Australia in 2020. Despite the league now bring run by club officials, the fears around the viability of their operations have only intensified in recent years.
The APL slashed annual distributions last year and in April announced a hard salary cap of $3m a squad, plus one marquee player, would be implemented next season. The news blindsided the PFA, who were not consulted.
The PFA released its latest A-League Men insights report on Thursday, the result of surveys with 276 members during last season, roughly three-quarters of contracted players.
It showed more than half (52%) of the playing group were slightly or very dissatisfied with the APL’s management of the A-League Men, an increase of two percentage points since 2023-24. While those slightly or very satisfied with the PFA increased the same amount to 93%.
PFA’s chief executive, Beau Busch, said players would consider industrial action if the parties weren’t able to reconcile their differences by July when the current agreement expires.
“We need to be prepared for everything,” he said.
The players fear the hard-capping of wages would prevent ambitious clubs from recruiting senior players, reducing the standard of the competition. The flow-on effects, they argue, include making A-League sides less likely to win Asian prize money or secure funding from Fifa for players who are selected at the World Cup.
However, the much-publicised struggles at Western United, ownership uncertainty at the Central Coast Mariners, and the APL’s failure to secure a Canberra licensee underlines the precarious conditions for clubs. The A-Leagues are yet to secure a broadcast partner for next year.
Busch warned there were issues broader than pay that needed negotiating.
“What we’re seeking to pursue is significant industry reform that really centres around securing the future of the professional game,” he said.
This includes calling for an independent commission, greater player involvement in decision-making, and focusing revenue growth on sources beyond transfer fees.
