$8m loss sparks Football Australia 'right sizing'
Close to five years since A-Leagues split from FA to run their own competition under the umbrella of the Australian Professional Leagues, the picture is increasingly bleak for both of the sport's major bodies.
A-League club distributions were down to just $530,000 this season, while FA's deficit came on revenues of $124 million.
FA were reluctant to divulge the breakdown of their sizeable loss, but a big part is understood to be $12 million owed to them by the APL.
The APL are also believed to have grievances with FA over their financial arrangements but regardless of who owes who what, Garriock said the two factions enjoy a relationship that has never been more positive.
Garriock's comments came after an AGM in Sydney on Friday - that was closed off to the media - which signalled the re-election of Anter Isaac as chair.
"The relationship with APL and Football Australia as it stands at the moment is the best it's been and we need to build on that," Garriock said.
"By us having a strong A-League is only going to benefit our national teams and the investment in our national teams are at a record high ... In terms of us cutting any national teams, absolutely not.
"We're investing heavily, and we continue to invest in our grassroots.
"We need to focus internally, and that's what we're doing.
"Anter spoke about the revenues and how we can make up that money. I think it's about right sizing the business, and that's what I'm here to do."
Isaac said FA was "rekindling" its relationship with the APL but would not "write off any amounts" of monies owed.
"We have zero concerns about the commercial relationships that we have with APL," he said.
"Our relationship with APL is probably characterised in two ways. There's the commercial relationship and then there's the strategic relationship - on both counts, it's very strong."
The elephant in the room remains whether Garriock has an appetite to take on the role of chief executive permanently.
The former Matilda diplomatically tiptoed around the issue of replacing James Johnson, who quit earlier this month and was announced as having taken a role in Canada overnight.
"I've been given a mandate from the board in this interim period, and I'm fully focused on the interim period, and I haven't thought beyond that," she said.
Garriock said the next Matildas coach would be announced in June with Joe Montemurro seemingly sewn up as the man to lead the side into next year's Women's Asian Cup.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Australian
18 hours ago
- The Australian
A-League: Western United appeals against licence stripping
Western United has lodged its appeal against Football Australia's decision to strip the club of its A-League licence. Having asked for an extension, United had until 10am on Thursday to submit the appeal. The club announced on Wednesday night that the appeal had been lodged. 'As this is a regulatory process, the club will be making no further comment at this time,' a United statement said. FA, which stripped the financially embattled United of its A-League licence on August 8 for failing to meet the criteria required to compete in the national men's and women's competitions, is expected to give its verdict on the appeal next week. The club's financial woes include a multimillion-dollar tax bill reportedly owed by United chairman Jason Sourasis. Players and staff received their monthly wages late in April, May and June and were only paid overdue superannuation payments earlier this month. In May, United announced that KAM Melbourne, a subsidiary of American company KAM Sports, would become the club's new majority investor. However, the Australian Professional Leagues is yet to receive KAM Melbourne's full ownership proposal – understood to be worth $100m when including the purchase of the club's parent company Western Melbourne Group – and therefore cannot approve it. United was also banned by FIFA from registering players due to a six-figure sum that was owed to the club's former striker and 2022 A-League title-winner Aleksandar Prijovic. The ban led to United this week releasing former Sydney FC striker Jaiden Kucharski, who had only joined the club last month. Marco Monteverde Sports reporter Marco Monteverde is a Brisbane-based sports reporter for NCA Newswire. He worked in a similar role for The Courier-Mail from 2007 to 2020. During a journalism career of more than 25 years, he has also worked for The Queensland Times, The Sunshine Coast Daily, The Fraser Coast Chronicle and The North West Star. He has covered three FIFA World Cups and the 2000 Sydney Olympics, as well as a host of other major sporting events in Australia and around the world. @marcothejourno Marco Monteverde
News.com.au
20 hours ago
- News.com.au
Western United lodges appeal in fight against its A-League licence being stripped
Western United has lodged its appeal against Football Australia's decision to strip the club of its A-League licence. Having asked for an extension, United had until 10am on Thursday to submit the appeal. The club announced on Wednesday night that the appeal had been lodged. 'As this is a regulatory process, the club will be making no further comment at this time,' a United statement said. FA, which stripped the financially embattled United of its A-League licence on August 8 for failing to meet the criteria required to compete in the national men's and women's competitions, is expected to give its verdict on the appeal next week. The club's financial woes include a multimillion-dollar tax bill reportedly owed by United chairman Jason Sourasis. Building ðŸ'°ðŸ'š — Western United FC (@wufcofficial) August 20, 2025 Players and staff received their monthly wages late in April, May and June and were only paid overdue superannuation payments earlier this month. In May, United announced that KAM Melbourne, a subsidiary of American company KAM Sports, would become the club's new majority investor. However, the Australian Professional Leagues is yet to receive KAM Melbourne's full ownership proposal – understood to be worth $100m when including the purchase of the club's parent company Western Melbourne Group – and therefore cannot approve it. United was also banned by FIFA from registering players due to a six-figure sum that was owed to the club's former striker and 2022 A-League title-winner Aleksandar Prijovic. The ban led to United this week releasing former Sydney FC striker Jaiden Kucharski, who had only joined the club last month.
ABC News
a day ago
- ABC News
South Melbourne FC, Preston Lions pushing for A-League promotion as Western United struggles
Two local football clubs in Melbourne say they are ready to step up to the A-League should the embattled Western United fold. Men's champions just three years ago, Western United is fighting to stay alive amid a financial crisis with its licence stripped by Football Australia's First Instance Board this month. The expansion club has until 10am on Thursday to lodge an appeal against the decision. Storied clubs Preston and South Melbourne said if they were given the chance they would breathe new life into Australia's top-flight competition. Both have a rich history and were once a part of the defunct National Soccer League (NSL), the predecessor to the A-League. "This place has a heart, it has history. How many of the A-League clubs can say they've got 78 years of history and three generations of grandfather, father, son or daughter coming to the one game?" Preston Lions president David Cvetkovski said. "We have a heart, we have a soul." Founded in 1947 by Macedonian immigrants as a place to connect, Preston enjoyed success in the 1980s and 1990s but found itself relegated to lower leagues about 15 years ago. Cvetkovski, whose dad took him to Preston matches as a kid, said the club rebuilt through its people. "The one thing we knew with this place is we have the supporters," he said. Its members stuck by and within a decade Preston climbed back to the top of the National Premier Leagues (NPL) Victoria. It's where Preston has re-established a rivalry with South Melbourne, a club that has long dominated the state competition. In round five this year, more than 9,000 screaming fans packed Preston's stands when the two sides clashed in a fixture dubbed The Big Show, according to the clubs. "In the closeness of a suburban ground the vibe that night was simply electric," Cvetkovski said. "I think we sold through 3,500 kebapi (kebab) rolls that night. "These community clubs are attracting crowds, they're attracting people to come out. Why? Because they've got a good product and they're a good club." The attendance at that game easily eclipsed three of the five A-League men's fixtures that weekend and matched the remaining two, according to crowd figures published by With an impressive record of producing Socceroos, including Ange Postecoglou — who has gone out to carve an impressive career as a coach — South Melbourne has long fought to return to the top of Australian football. The club said it has been ready for two decades. "We'd bring success, we'd bring excellence in football and a real passion for it," South Melbourne president Nick Maikousis said. The club has made several attempts to enter the A-League — in its last bid the club lost out to Western United, which entered the competition in 2018 as part of an expansion. Established to represent growing communities in Melbourne's western suburbs, the promise of a new stadium was central to United's successful bid. But the 15,000-seat stadium in Tarneit — a joint project with money from private investors and planning approval from the local council — is yet to be built. Cvetkovski said any new A-League club can have a stadium or financial backing, but it must also have a pulse. "For any club just to come about and create a new identity, brand connection and that link to passion is not easy," he said. He added there is no club without its supporters and community, and that money alone will not do it. Maikousis said Western United's struggles bring into question the method by which new A-League clubs are picked. "There seems to be a systemic failure," Maikousis said. "There have been plenty of clubs that have failed in the A-League in the last 20 years. "[Football Australia] need to take a breath and make sure that the next club that goes into the A-League adds value to it." Another pathway to promotion could open up when a national second-tier competition known as the Australian Championship starts in October. South Melbourne and Preston will feature and hope to show they are serious about making the leap to the A-League. "It'd be such a magnificent story for the A-League expansion to come from the Australian Championship," Maikousis said. "I think it's more than a trial run. It's something that must be successful." Cvetkovski said Preston held no fear about playing in the A-League and said they could build a side within months. "If you told us that we had to play the A-League, we would have no problem competing in all facets," he said. The Australian Championship is designed to "connect the football pyramid in Australia and elevate aspirational clubs to the national stage", according to a Football Australia spokesperson. "FA will continue to monitor the growth of the Australian Championship, noting it remains a key strategic objective to establish a standalone NST home & away league competition in the future," they said. The A-Leagues have been contacted for comment.
