Brisbane Roar or Central Coast Mariners will be crowned as the A-League’s 4th champion in 6 seasons on Sunday evening, with the Roar becoming the 6th of the 7 foundation clubs to have played on the game’s biggest day. The Mariners – from the competition’s smallest market – will play in their 3rd Grand Final, a feat matched only by A-League heavyweight Melbourne Victory.

According to Professional Footballers Australia (PFA), these results highlight the effectiveness of the A-League’s competitive balance policies which, uniquely in the world of football, feature a collectively bargained salary cap, fixed player rosters, freedom of movement for all out of contract players and a prohibition on transfer and compensation fees within the league.

“A lot of the talk about the salary cap focuses on the goal of financial viability.  However, it is just as important to attain competitive balance,” PFA Chief Executive Brendan Schwab said.

“Big and small clubs are now a universal feature of major football competitions around the world.  For the A-League to prosper, it is essential that the fans of all teams are given genuine hope that their team can not only be competitive, but become A-League champions.

“The A-League’s policies have allowed the Roar to quickly turn their fortunes around and build the foundations for sustainable success.  They have also rewarded the Mariners, who have introduced some of Australia’s most promising young players.

“Surprisingly, in the short 6 seasons of the A-League, only Perth Glory – the competition’s most established team that dominated the later years of the old National Soccer League (NSL) – have been unable to reach the league’s final day,” Schwab added.

Leading Australian sports academic Braham Dabscheck researches competitive balance in sports leagues by measuring average table position over time.  His research has informed major legal cases into the relationship between competitive balance and labour market restraints that saw the National Rugby League (NRL) player draft, the Australian Football League (AFL) permit system and the NSL transfer system all abolished.

According to Mr Dabscheck, if the A-League was perfectly balanced, all A-League teams would have an average table position of approximately 4.5.  At the end of the 2010/11 season, 8 of the 12 clubs that have competed in the A-League, or 75%, lie within 1.5 points of this average.

Club             Years in League   Average Position
Gold Coast
Melbourne Victory
Sydney FC
CCM
Adelaide United
Queensland Roar
Newcastle Jets
Wellington Phoenix
Perth Glory
NZ Knights
Melbourne Heart
NQ Fury		 2
6
6
6
6
6
6
4
6
2
1
2		 3.50
3.50
4.00
4.00
4.67
4.67
5.00
6.00
6.83
7.00
8.00
9.00

During the recent strategic review of the A-League, the PFA commissioned Mr Dabscheck to study the mooted introduction of a transfer and compensation fee system within the A-League to operate in conjunction with the salary cap, a move strongly opposed by the PFA and which has since been taken off the table.

In his report, which was completed before this season’s final results were known, Mr Dabscheck studied competitive balance in the English Premier League (EPL), the AFL, the NRL and referred to many adverse consequences of the transfer system which had compromised the old NSL including it creating classes of buying and selling clubs.  On the issue of competitive balance, he found:

“…an examination of the historical results of various competitions in Australia and the EPL has revealed that competitions based on transfer systems have not enhanced competitive balance; they have been very unequal. On the other hand, both the experience of the AFL and NRL provide support for salary caps enhancing competitive balance. The A-League has been operating for five years. Its results provide tentative support for a league which is evolving towards one which will attain competitive balance. The worst effect of superimposing a transfer system onto the salary cap is that it will stop this evolutionary process and return Australian football to the dark ages of the NSL.”

“The PFA will continue to press for financial and labour market policies that promote competitive balance, so that clubs are rewarded for the depth of their football culture and not just the depth of their financial resources,” Schwab said.  “This is essential to ensuring the A-League thrives in all markets.”

For a copy of the Dabscheck report into competitive balance in the A-League, click here