Imagine a packed stadium in Kuala Lumpur or Bangkok watching an A-League side duel with one of the region's best club teams, with live television coverage across Asia?
Or corporate investment from pan-regional companies, pumping millions of dollars into Australia's domestic competition and attracting a higher calibre of marquee player, simply because of the involvement of off shore clubs?
There are many potential positives if the A-League broadens its perspective to consider introducing Southeast Asian sides from a football-mad area, with a population in excess of 600 million.
My job as Asian General Manager of Central Coast Mariners is to explore such opportunities from my base in Malaysia as well as look at openings for Aussie players in Southeast Asia during the off-season.
I have already fielded interest from Frenz United, near Kuala Lumpur, who have spent more than 15 million U.S. dollars on building a brand new, state-of-the-art junior academy. These are not rich tycoons looking for a toy to play with but football-loving businessmen who are hungry for the kind of tough competition that the A-League provides.
I have the utmost respect of Football Federation Australia (FFA) CEO, David Gallop. But to say that the proposal isn't feasible -- or too close to the concept of the AFC Champions League (ACL) -- simply isn't accurate.
The ACL involves clubs from many hours further north -- in Japan, South Korea and China -- and Australian sides generally lose money competing in it. With the expanded A-League into Southeast Asia, the travel distances from Australia are shorter -- Perth is closer to Singapore than it is to Sydney, and in the same time zone -- plus there is a greater appetite for this kind of regional competition which means it could be more profitable for all involved.
Logistically, it would not need to be any more challenging than having a Western Australian or New Zealand side in the A-League. As a former Perth Glory coach, I know all about the difficult logistics of away games across several time zones, including the long trip to Wellington Phoenix.
By adding two or more Asian-based teams to the A-League, it could actually mean more opportunities for Australian players. If each new club were allowed to have five foreigners, three of them could be mandated to be Australian. That means that Aussie imports would get the experience of playing in Asia before massive crowds.
Having had two seasons with Malaysian powerhouses Selangor in the 1990s, when they were one of the best-supported clubs in Asia, I will never forget the feeling of scoring a Golden Goal when we won the 1995 Malaysia Cup final against Pahang in front of 90,000 fans at Shah Alam Stadium. Fellow Socceroo Mehmet Durakovic was in that side too and is now head coach of the Malaysian powerhouses who currently sit at the top of the Super League table.
A-League expansion would also create a clearer pathway for both Australian and Asian players and accelerate their development. Aussie coaches could be in demand from the new Asian clubs as they know the rigours of the A-League better than anyone. It would also see Australia truly embrace the AFC in a more whole-hearted fashion when it comes to their domestic competition.
Singapore, for example, has taken a much greater interest in the A-League ever since national defender Safuwan Baharudin began a loan spell with Melbourne City. When he scored his two goals in recent matches, it was big news in the city state.
More teams would also open up the possibility of creating a second tier competition from which clubs would desperately want to get promoted. Unless you have promotion and relegation in the A-League, you will never get the cut and thrust of true professional football, which is what so many sports in Australia lack.
David Gallop may be looking through his old Rugby League CEO glasses. Yes, derby games will always resonate in Australian sports. But, with AFC and FIFA all ears about the idea, why not be open minded about how far the A-League can grow, given that the number of Aussie clubs may be limited by our small population and an already saturated market? Unlike Rugby League, which is played in only a handful of places, football is a sport taken seriously almost everywhere in the world.
My 35-year career in football has taken me to the UK, Europe and Asia, in addition to my native Australia. Only when you play and coach in Southeast Asia do you get a true sense of the passion for football here, from investors, as well as fans, players and administrators.
There's already talk of an ASEAN Super League starting within the next year or so -- possibly without Australian involvement -- which gives you an idea of the current Southeast Asian hunger for top-level, regional competition.
David Gallop said he allowed the research group to see if A-League expansion into Asia was viable. Well, they did, and it is... very viable.
People here are ready. They want to be part of it and they're willing to spend their own money to make it happen. Let's move out of our comfort zone to keep the discussion going -- instead shutting down the idea without taking a proper look at it.
* FFA Hall of Famer, Olympian, former Socceroo and ex-Perth Glory head coach David Mitchell is General Manager Asia for Central Coast Mariners, based in Kuala Lumpur.