By AAP
February 9th 2010 @ 2:04am
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Sydney FC hoping for season-best crowd
Sydney FC chief executive Edwin Lugt predicts this Sunday’s A-League premiership showdown against Melbourne will be one of the biggest games in the club’s history.
With top spot on the ladder on the line, the Sky Blues are hoping for a crowd in excess of 20,000.
It would blow their season average at the Sydney Football Stadium of 12,149 out of the water, and remind fans of the A-League’s inaugural season when Sydney regularly attracted a great atmosphere at home games.
Lugt said a long-term strategy is under way at the club to increase their average attendance, and hopes the ball will start rolling with victory over Melbourne.
“There’s really something developing big in Sydney this week, that’s what we feel,” Lugt told AAP.
“Certainly from what I understand from people who have been around longer and also our fans, they actually consider this probably one of the biggest if not the biggest games for Sydney FC since season one.
“As long as the weather holds up, we’re certainly going to go for the biggest crowd of the season, no doubt.
“If we had 20,000 that would be absolutely great.”
Finishing top of the table would be a great reward for the Sky Blues, who have come full circle since the glorious first year which delivered a championship win.
In 2006, their grand final against the Central Coast Mariners saw 41,941 fans flock to the SFS, and similar scenes could unfold in a month’s time if they can conquer the defending champions, Melbourne in the final round of the A-League.
And Lugt says he’s keen to re-establish that first season atmosphere for the club.
“I think it could (be similar). I wasn’t here at that time, but what I understand from it, the average crowds in the first year were certainly higher than they are now,” said Lugt.
“We are building crowds again now and obviously the fact that we are playing the last game against our big rivals, the premiers is a big one. What we already see is our fans are regular fans, and it’s really picked up very well.
“Our challenge is to build crowds in our stadium and we have a whole saturated in place to step by step grow those crowds and we hope over the next month or so we will come up with some new initiatives on that front.
“You see this year Sydney FC have been able to turn it around and there’s a lot of positive noise surrounding the club.”
On the playing front, Sydney FC are still monitoring the future of last week’s two-goal hero, John Aloisi.
Aloisi’s future at the club is in doubt, with his marquee deal concluding at the end of this season.
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jimbo said | February 9th 2010 @ 1:02pm | Report comment
“The fickle Sydney public are concerned about the weather.”
Rain predicted for Sunday in Sydney and all the under cover seating and A-Reserve seating just about sold out – that’s about half the 42K capacity – depending on how many members turn up.
So should be about 25-30K crowd, unless the rain blows away and we get Sky Blue Sunshine for the Sky Blues and a big walk up crowd.
Plenty of away seats still left if you want to experience the heartbreak of losing the Premiership Plate in the very last game of the season an the very last kick of the game – an injury time penalty kick from who else but Johnny Overeasi.
Australian Football said | February 10th 2010 @ 12:59pm | Report comment
Every SFC fan needs to get out there—for the first ACL spot is up for grabs and there may not be a second chance.
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AF
MV Dave said | February 10th 2010 @ 3:05pm | Report comment
According to the Melbourne fan forums it will be the biggest contingent of away support in their history. Would be disappointing if less than 30,000 were there (good weather). Will be an interesting afternoons entertainment and ‘The Jackal’ should have the last word with a 90th minute free kick to equalise….
Certainly clubs have had fluctuating fortunes in the run into the PP decider and demonstrates that you dont need to have the best standard league in the world to have genuine excitement.
Australian Football said | February 10th 2010 @ 4:00pm | Report comment
MVDave,
tell the lads south of the Murray that the FFA now want a SFC v GCU grand final cos I have just called for the sacking of Archie Fraser in my new article soon to be published on the Roar. And apparently they have accepted a small donation from Clive Palmer’s $60 billion new brown coal China deal. In a late press release they have stipulated that the donation has had nothing to do with this Sunday’s fixture. Clive said GCU can win the toilet seat from third spot any way—no sweat..
It seems Archie’s incredible decision, to allow Nik Mrdja, to transfer to Melb Victory outside the January transfer window has been such an embarrassment. It is also rumoured in Sydneeee that the points for that game are going to be deducted—as a guess, just prior the Sunday’s kick off. If the rumoured is correct the announcement will be made just after the coin is tossed. So you will need to win and the Jackal and his bunch of merry men of Portuguese interpreters won’t be able to decipher the complexity of the new rulings, which have to be interpreted exactly to what he has to do in the match to restore parity….. Score a hat trick I think ?
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AF
Dogz R Barkn said | February 10th 2010 @ 3:07pm | Report comment
Recent history suggests that 30,000 is a probable get.
Simmo said | February 10th 2010 @ 3:30pm | Report comment
I hope that happens but it has been a pretty depressed season for crowds. We did get 33k for this same fixture 2 seasons ago (2nd v 1st in the final round). Hopefully more than 25k this time.
Towser said | February 10th 2010 @ 3:38pm | Report comment
Unfortunately it still shows the fickle nature of support for SFC in the city.
Should be a guaranteed 33,000 again,but a 30,000 crowd is now looked at as being succesful.
This match has more riding on it than the season 3 one also.
Guess the instability of the previous 4 years took a toll.
Looks more promising now for the future though. The club appears to have stabilised & should be able to build a solid base from now on.
MV Dave said | February 10th 2010 @ 3:58pm | Report comment
Just to whet the appetite… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRQGK9nh1JU
BTW MV missed the finals in season 3 but SFC were going for the PP.
MV Dave said | February 10th 2010 @ 3:20pm | Report comment
Just read Steve Corica to retire at seasons end…may drag a few extra of those fair weathered Sydenee fans out. Corica has played 490 senior football games in Oz and Europe…seems like a decent person as well as an excellent footballer. Well done Steve but sorry to say will be a runners up medal for you in 2010!
Towser said | February 10th 2010 @ 3:49pm | Report comment
Great servant for SFC. Will leave a hole.
http://au.fourfourtwo.com/news/122309,corica-confirms-my-time-is-up.aspx
Dogz R Barkn said | February 10th 2010 @ 4:38pm | Report comment
Good call – he has been fantastic for the Bling, even during times when the rest of his team mates have looked second rate.
His highlights reel of goals scored in the A-League is a decent one, add to that one or two gems he scored in the ACL (one in particular is just about the very best goal I have ever seen created and scored by an Australian of any description).
The biggest complement I can give (as an impending Rovers’ supporter), is that when Juninho strung together a few good performances in the first half of his one and only season with SFC, it was remarkable how similar he was to Corica in so many respects.
It’s literally decades ago that we first came across him in a Joey’s shirt (if I’m not mistaken) – in the days when the Joeys were actually capable of winning games.