Football Australia Are Putting A Cash Grab Up Against Their Own Product. Why?

Written by Lachlan Sherriff

I'll be honest.

Nine times out of ten, I would tune into an exhibition match played on Australian soil headlined by Tim Cahill and Ronaldinho, and I would enjoy it.

Sure, some people would never bother with what is obviously a cash grab, but I probably would. Tim Cahill was my childhood hero. And Ronaldinho entertained me for hours on YouTube with his skills compilations from his days at Barcelona. The two may both be retired and in their forties now, but it still sounds fun.

But despite this, I would never tune into it over an actual A-League game, and thousands of fans around the country would agree.

Which is why it's baffling that Ronaldinho’s XI vs Cahill’s XI is set to kick off at 7:30 tonight - competing against not one, but two A-League games.

At 7PM tonight, Western United and Wellington Phoenix will kick off the 2024/25 NINJA A-League Women's season. 35 minutes later, Brisbane Roar and Sydney FC will kick off match week three of the men's comp. For devoted football fans.

Thirty minutes into the women's game, and right before the men's is due to start, Tim Cahill and Ronaldinho will begin their cash grab at CommBank Stadium.

And guess which one you can watch on free to air TV?

It's not either of the professional games.

This is nothing against Tim Cahill, Ronaldinho, or anyone else taking the pitch at CommBank Stadium tonight. If people are willing to pay to watch them jog around a pitch in a game that will probably end 8-7, they may as well get their money.

This isn't even against any fans who are attending CommBank tonight. All power to you, and I hope you have a fun night.

But when we just sat through what felt like the longest off-season ever, and when their seems to be an international break every other week, and you instead choose to schedule your exhibition match against two A-League games, it's gonna leave a lot of people wondering the same question.

"Why?"

Well, like always, it seems to be about the money.

An adult can get into the Western United vs Wellington game for $15 and the Brisbane vs Sydney game for $34. A child, $5 and $23 respectively.

Compare that to the $80 price tag set for Ronaldinho’s XI vs Cahill’s XI. Or $60, if you're a child.

If people are willing to pay that money for an exhibition game, set it. Whatever. But with those prices, it's clear that the top dogs at Football Australia are more concerned about what happens at CommBank Stadium tonight then at Ironbark Fields or Suncorp Stadium.

And when you put your exhibition game on a free-to-air channel while hiding the actual games behind a Paramount paywall, it's not a good look. And it shows you what's wrong with Australian football.

Do you think the UK would ever not only play the Sidemen Charity Match at the same time as two Premier League games, but then make it the only game fans in the UK could watch for free?

Not to mention how disrespectful it is to women's football to have their opening night behind the pecking order of a game with ex pros and YouTubers. Despite there being a long way to go, a lot of progress has been made in getting fans interested in the A-League Women's. This feels like a move that would be pulled in 2014, not 2024.

But hey, we shouldn't be surprised. It's Australia, after all. The A-League's been treated like a second thought for years.

There's nothing wrong with having an exhibition match. But doing it tonight, Football Australia have, once again, completely dropped the ball.