If Australian football is to become more accessible to all those who love the game, the answer isn't to repeat the mistakes of twenty years ago. The 2015 FFA Cup final was, for me, a classic example. A tournament open to teams throughout Australian football, not just the A-League clubs, is a great concept. I do wonder why it took until 2014 to come to life but it's here now and has been very well received. But we get to the 2015 final and a question confronts the organisers: what's more important, money in the bank or the opportunity to sell out a stadium and make a statement with this fledgling competition? Are tickets priced to fill the venue with 30000 people or are the prices ramped up to try and fill a hole in the balance sheet? Deciding in favour of the balance sheet is consolidation, not a growth strategy. I firmly believe we should be investing in the game's opportunities.

Money is not always the answer; often the idea comes before the money. According to Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, the company chases great products, not money, The money follows the great products. Apple seems to be doing fine.