You could call it football for a start

So, the National Soccer League Taskforce has released its report into the national soccer competition. And its verdict? The competition is stuffed and needs more money. And less teams. I can't but help feel that yet again, the establishment of another incarnation of our national league (this time the Australian Premier League) will fail to deliver. Asking the corporates for more money is one thing, but money alone is not going to make a soccer league in Australia a success. There is the small problem of fan bases. As comicstriphero pointed out, you can't just plonk a team somewhere and expect passionate fans to suddenly appear. Apparently no current NSL team is guaranteed a place in the revamped league. So, one surmises that new clubs will be developed, or should that be new consortiums will form and a football club will be tacked onto them in an attempt to buy something they think will be akin to the English Premier League. What they seem to forget is that football in England has been around for a LONG TIME. It doesn't have a serious rival from any of the other football codes. Soccer in Australia falls behind every other football code in terms of fan bases. Is it just because the standard of football is bad? Maybe, but this can be fixed with the advent of professionalism. I still tend to think that a loyal and committed fan base is going to be the thing that makes or breaks any new league.

I love soccer and would I be jogging down the hill to Coogee oval every week if a Sydney team was based here? Maybe. The funny thing is though that I wouldn't want some pale imitation of the English Premier League. I would want a true blue fair dinkum Australian league with all that entails on and off the field. I have been to Northern Spirit matches and cringed when the 'fans' started chanting just like they'd heard on the telly. It was like kids playing at being grown-ups. It didn't add to the atmosphere, it just made you realise what a sad little league we have. The ASA should stop looking to the overseas soccer leagues for their cues and perhaps look to other Australian football codes. What makes them work? Where are the 'entertainers' of soccer? Where's the passion? Where's the scandal? Does anyone know if Shane Warne can kick a ball? Alternatively, bringing back Kevin Muscat and Danny Tiatto from England would be a good start. A bit of biffo would bring them through the gates...