No longer able to suck upon the teat of Fox Sports grants since the pay-TV network scorned the sport, the professional domestic competition receives barely a fraction of past remuneration in its current rights package from Paramount+.

And only two of its 12 teams - Melbourne City and Western Sydney Wanderers - appear to possess a fiscal presence robust enough to traverse turbulent currents with any degree of certitude.


Unbuckling from Football Australia was heralded by club chiefs as a brave new epoch of self determination and sustainability in a marketplace where investment dollars were apparently there for the plucking.


But, in an era of post-Covid induced austerity and an over-estimation of its own ability to conjure endless deals from thin air, the Australian Professional Leagues are facing some sobering home truths.


Cast an eye across the competition’s participants and all is far from well. In no particular order, perennial basket case Newcastle Jets continue to search for a benefactor beyond the largesse of WSW, Western United, Sydney FC and Wellington Phoenix.

It’s understood that Sky Blues owner Scott Barlow, in the midst of overseeing a significant cost-slashing exercise at his own club, is more interested in off-loading a sizeable share to potential investors than continuing to bankroll the Jets. Western United chiefs are believed to be of a similar mindset in terms of seeking to curtail the Hunter handouts.


Sydney have slapped ‘for sale’ signs on their entire squad and trimmed their backroom staff, the most notable recent departures being assistant Paul Reid and team manger Michael Swibel.


Barlow and wife Alina, whose Russian banker father David Traktovenko has stepped away from funding the club, last month sold their luxurious Sydney harbourside home for $60m, almost to the day after paying $45m for the Point Piper pad.


It’s understood the couple are willing to sell out almost the entirety of their controlling stake to allow the Harbour City team to move in a new direction.


Part of the issue is a bloated Sky Blues wage bill, with English import Joe Lolley believed to command well in excess of $1 million a year to be reputably the highest earner in the league.


Perth Glory, meanwhile, find themselves in receivership after Tony Sage’s cash reserves finally ran dry, leading the APL to wrest the license from his grasp.


Former boss Nick Tana, as the rumoured figurehead of a local consortium, has been touted as a saviour in waiting, though the Perth business identity declined to elucidate on his intentions when contacted this week by FTBL.


It’s understood Sage was offered a nominal sum of $2 million to walk away before receivership moves were instigated.


The saga of the Bakrie Group’s ownership of eternally underfunded Brisbane Roar rumbles on, this month’s recall of CEO and chairman Chris Fong to head office in Indonesia seemingly making little impact on the club’s wafer-thin bottom line.


Former powerhouse Melbourne Victory’s much heralded five-year tie-up with US-based investment firm 777 Partners received plenty of headlines and did involve an initial $8.7 million cash infusion.


However, 777 Partners, who hold stakes in Brazil’s Vasco Da Gama, Belgium’s Standard Liege and Spain’s Sevilla, don’t look to be in a hurry to drip feed any more cash the club’s way in the immediate future.


Victory were keen to move coach Tony Popovic on at the end of last season, with Ufuk Talay on standby for the role, until the board baulked at the size of the contract payout required to make the change.


Talay has now been lined up by the expansion entity Canberra for the 2024-2025 season.


Amidst the red ink, champions Central Coast Mariners stand alone as having made a success of their talent factory model of identifying, honing and sharpening players to be sold on to Europe or elsewhere.

But the pressure to keep the production line churning is intense and unrelenting.


A concurrent concern revolves around the sale of the grand final hosting rights to NSW, a cash grab which has alienated and irked fans across the competition.


The resulting opprobrium hurled the way of APL chief executive Danny Townsend came as no surprise, and ill feeling still festers.


The Mariners’ fairytale run to the decider, where they obliterated Melbourne City 6-1, on this occasion spared the APL’s blushes.

They may not be so fortunate come grand final time next season.