But it's not necessarily the truth, especially in sports where the players also see for themselves a role in nurturing the game's growth in tandem with club officials and game administrators.

That's not to say they see eye-to-eye on every issue. Quite frequently they don't, as every round of negotiations over collective wage bargaining and workplace agreements shows.

But in general the PFA, the soccer players' union, says its aim is to improve the game, expedite its growth  as well as get the best deal for its core group of members in a sport which has changed dramatically in the 10 years that the A-League has been in existence.

Talks are taking place at the moment between the union and the FFA over the new CBA, and while the main focus will inevitably be on the headline issue of the salary cap — currently set at $2.55 million — there are fascinating opportunities for horse trading and changes to ancillary issues in the CBA which could bring a profound change to the landscape of the A-League.

Call it self-interest, but a stronger, healthier sport with bigger crowds and a better TV deal results in more money, more playing opportunities and greater job security for all. It's self-evident.

The PFA is exploring ways to improve the quality of the league which might ultimately lead to clubs being able to sign a third marquee player, but if only if a number of conditions are met.

At present clubs are allowed to have one foreign marquee player and one Australian, but there is no reason why that has to remain locked-in.

The Australian marquee designation was introduced to help clubs retain top players who were being targeted by wealthy Asian clubs and to help bankroll the return of Socceroos and leading Australians who had spent most of their careers in Europe but still had something to offer the local game.

Some of the wealthier clubs — such as Melbourne Victory and Sydney — would like to strengthen their roster with another marquee man, and the union in principle has no problem with that if compensatory initiatives are introduced to ensure that those without such resources can remain competitive.

One way might be to allow cashed-up clubs to trade with those willing to "sell" their marquee right: that way one club gets what it wants, the chance to sign an extra offshore player, and the other gets what it needs, money to sign a cluster of less-well-known, probably local, players whom it believes can do a job for it.

They are also open to the idea of clubs trading some of their exemptions with each other, such as the young player development allowance.

Other ideas which are likely to be raised as issues in the CBA include the number of foreign players a club is allowed to sign — currently five, including its marquee — as well as the way severance payments and termination payments are settled when a club or coach decides a contracted player does not fit in with its long-term plans.

At present that player's pay-out is counted in the salary cap, and the union believes it might make things a lot smoother and easier if it wasn't, so that players not wanted could leave quickly and easily rather than be forced to negotiate settlements, often for less money, because the club needs to keep room in its salary cap.

The key issue for the union is to maintain growth, player security and the competitive balance the A-League now has, where one team can beat any other on a given day.

The FFA will want to ensure the game's revenues can pay for player demands and sustain growth across the whole of football, not just the professional game. With a new TV deal to be discussed the forthcoming CBA will have major ramifications for the direction the game takes.