Usain Bolt will get people talking about the A-League, but at what cost?
Related Story: Del Piero wants more A-League marquees Related Story: Usain Bolt hoping to light up A-League with Central Coast
Tuesday's announcement that Usain Bolt is primed to hit the A-League has been met with equal parts scepticism and bewilderment.
The "world's fastest man" has long expressed a desire to play professional football, but has not been able to build on that dream in any theatre of greater prominence than a series of charity exhibition matches.
Bolt, 31, has previously trialled with German giants Borussia Dortmund and Stromsgodset in Norway, but neither of those trials resulted in a contract.
Cynics would suggest that Bolt only got invited to those trials due to his association with sports-brand Puma — both of whom are sponsored by the German sportswear giant.
That may well be the case, and although Dortmund were at pains to dismiss claims Bolt's trial was nothing more than a marketing stunt, the publicity generated by Bolt's appearance is worth noting.
As many as 1,400 Dortmund fans attended an open training session when Bolt trialled in March this year.
It is that pulling-power that the A-League will be concentrating on when deciding whether they should dip into their pockets to assist a move.
Dortmund coach Peter Stroger said Bolt had "a lot of work to do" if he wanted to earn a professional contract.
External Link: ITV tweet: Very nearly a Bolt from the blue in the 3rd minute!
Central Coast Mariners confirmed the eight-time Olympic goal medallist will be trialling with last year's wooden spoon recipients, with the aim of earning a one-year contract.
The A-League has a $3 million marquee player fund, provided by Fox Sports to entice top talent to the league.
Both the Mariners and Bolt's agent Tony Rallis said the move was contingent on the FFA assisting with around $900,000 from that marquee fund.
The question many are asking is whether those funds should be spent in this way.
Previous marquee players in the A-League include names such as Alessandro Del Piero, Dwight Yorke, Robbie Fowler and Emile Heskey — as well as Australian stars Harry Kewell and Tim Cahill.
Notable targets this off season have included former Liverpool striker Fernando Torres and his international teammate Andres Iniesta — but both Spaniards opted to move to Japan with Sagan Tosu and Vissel Kobe respectively.
One player still on the radar as a marquee signing this off-season is Japanese legend and former AC Milan star Keisuke Honda.
All these players have proven themselves at the highest level with their footballing ability — and most have a name big enough to entice the casual fans through the gates wherever they play.
This is where 32-year-old Honda's potential signing comes in.
To football fans, Honda is a big star. In Japan — with whom he played at three World Cups, earning 98 caps and scoring 37 goals — he is nothing short of a hero.
But is his name big enough to capture the attention of the casual fan?
Honda and his agent have reportedly already knocked back one offer from the FFA and Melbourne Victory, holding out for more money.
If that means there is not enough in the fund to snare both Bolt and Honda, then perhaps the Japanese star should take precedence.
However that depends on what the A-League would deem a success in this instance.
If the aim is to get the world talking about the A-League, then just by mentioning Usain Bolt — arguably the biggest global athletics star since Jesse Owens — is a step in the right direction.
Should he actually receive a contract — which is by no means certain — there is little doubt the Mariners would reap the reward of increased interest and gate receipts.
The Mariners' average attendance of 7,194 was the second lowest in the league last season and with crowds falling almost across the board, a signing like Bolt would likely inject significant interest and give the entire league a publicity shot far greater than the $900,000 they would have to outlay.
With the Mariners' opening fixture of the 2018/19 season scheduled to take place at Lang Park against the Roar — another team who struggled to attract crowds last season — the A-League could be looking at a bumper opening round crowd.
When the Mariners return to Gosford the following week to take on Melbourne City, they may well come close to filling the 20,000 seats at Central Coast Stadium.
But what will be paying public be coming to see?
Signing Bolt to a squad simply to sell tickets as a star attraction could place the A-League in a position where the boundary between sporting contest and celebrity reality TV show becomes dangerously blurred.
By indulging Bolt's dreams of footballing stardom, the A-League risks being tarnished as a competition in which celebrity power has more credence than footballing ability.
At best that could label the A-League an oddity.
At worst, it could jeopardise the league's ability to attract future high profile signings and turn more fans away, discouraged by what would essentially be a publicity stunt.
Bolt could prove everyone wrong by dazzling Mariners coach Mike Mulvey and newly appointed sporting director Mike Phelan when he attends the Mariners trial.
The question remains, is it worth selling the league's credibility to put more bums on seats?
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