[mkdf_dropcaps type=”normal” color=”#f55549″ background_color=””]T[/mkdf_dropcaps]he recently re-branded Football Australia has relinquished full control over the professional football competitions it has run since its foundation in 2005, handing over the commercial reins to the 12 A-League clubs.

In 2021, the newly formed Australian Professional Leagues (APL), will take over the operational, commercial, and marketing control of the Professional Leagues within Australia, including the A-League, W-League and the Y-League.

The separation has been approved by the Football Australia board and each club.

The APL board will be made up of five club directors, three independent directors and one Football Australia appointee.

The clubs will elect the chair, which will be ratified by the governing body, while Greg O’Rourke, currently head of the professional competitions at Football Australia, will be the game’s new commissioner.

The owners who have been pumping money into the competition since its inception, mostly wealthy business owners or global consortium’s, will now have more say in how the competition is run and can seek outside investment.

Currently, the A-League is without a naming rights sponsor after ending its long-term deal with Hyundai, and many clubs have struggled to stay afloat through the COVID-19 pandemic due to the disruptions to the 2020 season.

Football Australia chief executive, James Johnson, said the newly developed model would be more in line with that used in Korea and Japan than the Premier League, but would cater to local challenges and preferences.

“The unbundling of the Professional Leagues from Football Australia is a key milestone in the ongoing transformation of Australian football and fulfils our commitment outlines in Principle VIII of our XI Principles,” Johnson said.

“It represents the culmination of a process, which ramped up following the completion of the A-League 2019/20 season, the ebbed and flowed over the course of what has been a difficult 2020.

“The new model respected the fundamental aspects of the global football pyramid and highlights the importance of strong governance principles as Football Australia retains its regulatory functions in respect of the A-League, Westfield W-League, and Y-League and the APL takes control over the operational and commercial direction of the leagues, in turn triggering the ability for significant new investment in the quality and marketing of the leagues.

“Each constituent now has defined roles and responsibilities and the ability to make the right contribution to the growth of the professional game.

“We have been able to create a unique model which draws upon global best practice whilst allowing for local specificities.

“Significantly, the model establishes a framework for a strong partnership between Football Australia and the APL which recognises the value of a thriving domestic professional league to the ongoing growth of the game in Australia,” he said.

APL chair, Paul Lederer, said “innovation” would be at the heart of the APL’s push to generate more income, hinting at catering to rapidly changing viewing tastes.

“This is an historic moment for the future of football in Australia, for the fan, for the player, for the whole game,” Lederer said.

“It’s now time to earn and deliver the future our game deserves.

“The handbrake on the game is off; owners can finally invest in what they own and create value for the entire footballing ecosystem.

“Players can plan their careers in Australian football, fans can reconnect with the game that they love, and clubs can create meaningful moments for the whole Australian football family,” he said.