Police direct Gold Coast United fans after they stormed a closed off area of stadium in protest of a crowd cap at Skilled Park during the round 13 A-League match between the Gold Coast United and North Queensland Fury , Saturday, October 31, 2009. Gold Coast United owner Clive Palmer made the decision this week to limit the Skilled Park crowd to 5,000 people to save on stadium fees. AAP Image/Dave Hunt.
One of the common complaints of the A-League is that so many decisions seem to be made by non-football people. From odd scheduling to inconsistent suspensions, several of the decisions stemming from FFA headquarters have left fans scratching their heads.
A recurring issue is the failure to consistently accommodate international match-dates into the A-League fixture list.
As one of the first to trumpet Jason Culina’s decision to join the A-League, the FFA has been decidedly mute on Gold Coast’s marquee signing missing key games for his club side when the national team are in action.
More embarrassing was FIFA’s intervention during the Beijing Olympics, after FFA decided that goalkeeper Danny Vukovic could serve a domestic ban in two parts.
The tailor-made suspension was intended to allow Vukovic to represent his country in Beijing, however the world game’s governing body were quick to point out that allowing Vukovic to play internationally was “contrary to the spirit of FIFA regulations.”
So it’s with a degree of trepidation that one approaches an A-League fixture list which includes two matches on Boxing Day and another on New Year’s Eve.
Playing the games on or around public holidays isn’t a new idea.
The A-League’s inaugural campaign featured games on December 31 and New Year’s Day, as well as a clash on Australia Day.
But it was an epic rain-deferred Round 15 match during the 2007-08 season that proved just how successful fixtures scheduled around the holiday season could be.
That clash took place at Bluetongue Stadium, three days before Christmas, and saw 17,514 fans pile through the gates of the atmospheric ground to watch Sydney FC defeat Central Coast Mariners 5-4 in a classic.
So memorable was that encounter, that the following season saw the Newcastle Jets take on local rivals, the Central Coast Mariners on Boxing Day, whilst regional foes Perth Glory and Adelaide United clashed in the west.
Scheduling games between local rivals on Boxing Day makes sense, and follows in the English tradition of local foes clashing so that fans avoid long away trips on the day after Christmas.
This season’s Boxing Day line-up sees Gold Coast United host Brisbane Roar and Perth Glory take on the Newcastle Jets, while Central Coast Mariners and Wellington Phoenix do battle on New Year’s Eve.
It’s unfortunate for FFA officials that Gold Coast have done so much to alienate their own supporters, while Brisbane fans have dropped off in droves on the back of a difficult campaign.
Meanwhile, Newcastle Jets fans are unlikely to travel to Perth in any great numbers, whilst Central Coast’s match-up with Wellington Phoenix sees two of the less entertaining sides in the league go head to head.
For what it’s worth, I’m a big fan of scheduling fixtures on public holidays and I think it’s a tradition that should continue.
But through a combination of bad luck and a lack of foresight, this season’s holiday schedule is largely a ho-hum affair.
It’s neither here nor there in terms of big-name rivalries, and combined with the now familiar lack of advertising, it remains to be seen whether thousands of fans don’t suddenly find something better to do on their days off.
It’s a shame that TV constraints ensure that a full round of fixtures can’t take place on Boxing Day, although there are obviously plenty of other important match days scheduled throughout the season.
One would hope that this season’s holiday fixture list is a success, though, if it is to avoid becoming another negative talking point in what has been a difficult campaign to date.
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