The importance of club culture in the A-League

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By Pippinu, 10 Aug 2009 Pippinu is a Roar Guru

Tagged:: A-League, Adelaide United, Brisbane Roar, Central Coast Mariners, football, Gold Coast United, Melbourne Victory, Newcastle Jets, Perth Glory, Sydney FC, Wellington Phoenix

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In less than 5 years, it’s fascinating to note that each of the 10 A-League clubs has forged its own unique identity and club culture. It’s an important aspect of promoting a club to prospective fans, allowing them to be able to identify with a club.

Even the two new clubs have managed to present themselves with a unique club culture in a relatively short space of time.

I thought I would have a go at describing the unique cultural aspects of each A-League club. Using Tony’s method, I’ll start with Wellington, and then go counter-clockwise from there.

Wellington Phoenix
It’s very much the us and them philosophy (the ‘them’ basically being every other team). The club that is on the outer in more ways than one. If you are born with a massive chip on your shoulder – this is the club for you.

Sydney FC
The original “Bling”, I say that because no doubt, others will appear in the future (as has already happened). Sydney is a club based on largesse and profligacy, where no thought is given to ever needing to pay the piper. A club that mistakenly thinks money is the answer to all the world’s problems. A club that epitomizes the maxim: shop till you drop. A club highly attractive to the me-generation and yuppies of the Eastern suburbs.

Central Coast Mariners
CCM is all about staking its own little spot in the sun, for the most part, in a place about which few Australians know anything nor will they ever visit it. Mariners fans would not want it any other way.

Newcastle Jets
If there is a difference between the Jets and the Mariners, it’s only one of degree. The Jets have history on their side (in terms of football in this country), and above all, have brought home the bacon once. If there is a rivalry between the two, it’s very much about avoiding the title of “least significant club in the A-League”.

Gold Coast
The club of the nouveau riche and aspirationals. A club for all those who really do believe that all that glitters is gold, and what’s more, that some of it is available to them. Scratch at the gold plating, and what will you find? Alloy, cheap junk and very little substance.

Brisbane Roar
A bit like the lion who relied on the mouse to extract a thorn from its paw, the Roar know they have a solid place in this league, the only trouble is that the mouse might ultimately be more valuable and of more use.

Townsville Fury
It’s a bit like that good ol’ pioneering spirit that sits behind much of Australia’s modern mythology. A club for all those who toil in far away places, sweating in the sun, going where no man has ever gone before (inevitably with holes in the soles of their shoes and in their pockets).

Perth Glory
The team could just as easily be called Past Glories, since that is what most takes up discussion amongst Glory fans. A hankering for a bygone era when the colour purple wasn’t viewed as embarrassing and Perth was at the heart of a sporting revolution (which has since moved on).

Adelaide United
This is a club for all those who enjoy being thereabouts. If you enjoy being thereabouts on a quasi-permanent basis – this is the club for you.

Melbourne Victory
The first club to win the double, the first club to win the double twice (even a triple), the first club to get 30,000; then 40,000 and then 50,000 to an A-League home and away fixture; above all else, Melbourne is a club of firsts.

Which is appropriate since Melbourne views itself as both the sporting and footballing capital of Australia. Its massive supporter base is right up there with just about any other football club in Australia of any description.

There is an unwritten contract between the Victory and every Melbourne member: we will always be number one, we will always be the biggest, we will always be the best.

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The Crowd Says (31) | Page 1 of Comments

whiskeymac said | August 10th 2009 @ 9:12am | Report comment

about as objective as could be expected

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Luke W said | August 10th 2009 @ 9:28am | Report comment

Why can’t I shake the feeling that this whole piece was written to take a few jabs at the other clubs while tooting the horn of Melbourne Victory? GO THE JETS!

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Pippinu said | August 10th 2009 @ 9:30am | Report comment

Whiskey
the feedback I get back from the Roar editors is that objectivity is my strong point.

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Pippinu said | August 10th 2009 @ 9:31am | Report comment

Luke
nothing could be further from the truth!!

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AndyRoo said | August 10th 2009 @ 9:36am | Report comment

The Gold Coast one is totally off, Cullina is gold, real gold.

And don’t stick your hand in the Roars cage…. who knows what M&M will do to it (Malcolm and Moore)

Wouldn’t have minded until the Victory part, Big Crowds, Big Expectations Big Reputation…. Big Flops
Lucky the top 6 make it to keep up the Victory fans interest

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md said | August 10th 2009 @ 9:44am | Report comment

Pip – I’m assuming this is intended to be tongue in cheek, in which case, fair enough.

If not then, in the nicest possible way, get your hand off it mate.

Cheers
md

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Koala Bear said | August 10th 2009 @ 9:45am | Report comment

You forgot to mention that, the Melb Vic FC were the last football franchise to join the A-League in version One ….

~~~~~~~~
KB

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Pippinu said | August 10th 2009 @ 10:05am | Report comment

md
I intended it as a serious look at club culture. Everything I have written has been thoroughly researched.

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Pippinu said | August 10th 2009 @ 10:19am | Report comment

md
In fact you gave me the idea for this article last week. I had mentioned the amount of money spent on Aloisi, and you casually responded that SFC’s billionaires could afford it without batting an eyelid.

That got me thinking about the difference in culture between Sydney and Melbourne. The words: largesse and profligacy came to me immediately in describing Sydney.

Whereas with Melbourne its about building the biggest and best football club via generating football revenue – a very different philosophy.

As I said, thoroughly researched!!

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- md said | August 10th 2009 @ 12:25pm | Report comment
  
  I still suspect most of the research was done with your private browsing turned on.
  
  ———
  The only thing I pointed out was that with 3 billionaires involved in the ownership of the club, we are unlikely to run out of money.
  
  Whatever your take, the A-league without a successful Sydney FC doesn’t work – as we saw last year, the league flatlines when Sydney isn’t competitive. It’s a much bigger burden to bear for the club’s management that anyone outside of Sydney recognises. Sydney’s big money spends have mostly been about trying to do what is right for the A-league. Firstly by signing decent marquees when everyone else treated the marquee system as a joke, and then ensuring that Australian marquees are paid properly (here’s hoping that finally works out). Now it involves taking the coaching in this country to a new level and building a club that can actually compete regionally – at least vs clubs from China and Korea.
  
  But presently, Sydney is the best resourced club in Australia, has the best facilities and has an ownership team that frankly, makes most European “big” clubs look a little provincial. Tratovenko is a proven football lover that had immense success turning Zenit into a force. Frank Lowy owns the world’s shopping malls and incidently has Sepp Blatter’s mobile phone number on speed dial, and Paul Ramsay – as well as running a pretty successful healthcare business – owns one of the 2 genuinely profitable media companies in Australia. I cannot think of a “top” club in Europe that is as well backed (though the Arse and Spurs both probably come close). Add to that the fact that (as I pointed out on a 442 blog), both Lowy and Ramsay are home grown billionaires – effectively guys from the Sydney suburbs who have made good. It’s an amazing story. You have really to look to the US to find any similar sort of stories. It is fantastic that they are involved with Sydney FC. The idea that this is, in any way, a bad thing or a source of derision could only he held by somebody with a very jaundiced view of the world.
  
  Cheers
  md
  
  PS It should be noted that Anthony La Paglia is no mug either…
  
  Reply
  - Pippinu said | August 10th 2009 @ 12:28pm | Report comment
    
    Well then – we’re in agreement – there’s a clear difference in culture between SFC and the Victory.
    
    Reply
Midfielder said | August 10th 2009 @ 10:25am | Report comment

Pip

Watch for my article will be submitted tomorrow… BTW Pip is it true the police caught some MV fans climbinh over the fence at the Dome… told to go back in and watch…

No Body Rates US
We Don’t Care

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