A Galaxy of Stars?

It's been announced in the last 24 hours that Sydney FC will be receiving football royalty in November with Los Angeles bringing their galaxy of stars to Telstra Stadium for a friendly with the inaugural A-League Champion.

A deal negotiated by Sydney FC, the FFA and the state government has apparently been made, with a sell out crowd expected, and free-to-air coverage expected by Channel 10 (all for just $2 million dollars to the AFL broadcaster). But all deals are dependent on the appearance of the new number 23 for the Galaxy. Yes Mr Beckham is the reason for all the hullabaloo, and while any interest in football in Australia is welcomed, there are concerns that this may alienate more fans that it attracts.

Both Sydney FC and LA Galaxy are very much small fry in the big bad world of football; 2 teams from countries that have never really accepted the world game. And Beckham apart, you'll be pushed to find any players recognisable to the average Joe on the street, from either team.

But the opportunity is here for both sides to spread the gospel. Any match with Beckham involved attracts massive attention, especially in the Socceroos new stomping ground of Asia. And on the back of Sydney FC's Asian Champions League campaign, there is the potential for the club to tap into a whole new market.

On the field though, the hopes for a contest worthy of the occasion are not high. The Galaxy need Beckham's creativity and personality to lift them away from the foot of the MLS Western Conference. The blend of young US players and ageing overseas stars has not yet reaped rewards for LA's Canadian coach Frank Yallop. Similarly, Sydney FC have been beset with recruitment problems. As things stand new coach Branko Culina has 17 players (minus the 2 at the Asia Cup) for the season. Salary cap restrictions and the failure to secure a marquee signing have left the A-League's perennial crisis club, well....in crisis. And these factors do not bode well for a rip roaring attractive match up.

There's no doubt that Beckham's arrival in Sydney will bring fans through the door on November 27. The biggest challenge facing both clubs, is to ensure that they return.

Asian Cup Excitement?

The Socceroos first foray into Asia is just 6 days away, but it's hard to see the country being swept up by "Asia Cup Fever". The 2006 World Cup finally put the sport on the map in a country obsessed with the oval ball, but 12 months on, signs are not good for advocates of the round ball.

The governing bodies decision to sign an exclusive deal with pay tv giant Fox has swollen the coffers at FFA HQ, but left many fans alienated. The national team are no longer availabe on free-to-air, and in a country where just 20% of the public can access pay-tv, this is a problem. The "traditional" home of football on free-to-air, SBS, have been inundated by angry viewers wondering where the football is.

In the wake of Germany 06, the FFA could have written their own cheque to any broadcaster; football was big business. But they had signed with fox months before, leaving every match of the national team, and the domestic A-League, exclusive to the few, and isolated from the masses.

And with a major tournament around the corner, and in a favourable time zone, people simply don't know how they can watch the national team. Fox aren't to blame for the situation. They paid the price wanted and have brought some much needed professionalism to the coverage; years of neglect by the heavyweights of Australian TV, left government funded SBS the home of the game, but they simply did not have the financial muscle to compete with the Pay giant.

Instead, the finger of blame must be pointed at the governing body. Their shortsighted view in taking the money, has robbed the general public of seeing the national team in action, and possibly lifting their first major trophy.

And with a handcuffed deal well into the next decade, the FFA may have cooked the goose, before it's had chance to lay it's golden egg.