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Just nine player signings and 95 days.
That’s all the Western Sydney Wanderers have in their kit bag ahead of their inaugural A-League fixture.
But the team itself is convinced time is on their side.
AFL’s Western Sydney Giants were four years in the planning.
By the time Australia’s latest sporting franchise takes the field for their first game on October 6 against Central Coast, it will be afforded only a small portion of that time to prepare.
But the Wanderers are confident they can achieve what GWS have largely failed to do – be competitive.
And two signings unveiled by coach Tony Popovic on Monday, Ante Covic and Labinot Haliti, will be key to that aim.
“We are hoping to build something special here,” Popovic said at the club’s first training session at Blacktown International Sportspark.
“And those players and other additions that will come in will be a part of that. We will definitely be competitive come that first game.”
Former Socceroo goalkeeper and Melbourne Victory’s Player of the Year from last season Covic said the side will be able to mix it with the top teams.
“We want to be competitive,” Covic said.
“We are not going to start joking around and say we are going to win it, but we want to be competitive, we want to go out there and give it a shake.
“We want to come to games and not be afraid of anyone. We just want to be there or thereabouts and prove to ourselves we are capable of mixing it with the best.”
Unlike the Giants, the Wanderers have a genuine heartland of fans who have been screaming out for a team since the A-League’s inaugural season in 2005/06.
And the groundswell of support they are likely to receive may be a crucial ingredient in turning them into a side capable of competing in the A-League.
And in Covic, who was born in Sydney, and Kosovo-born Haliti, who settled in Sydney at age 14 and played for both Sydney Olympic and Sydney United, the club has two players who will represent the Western Sydney area and its footballing aspirations.
“We just want to get together and wear the jersey with pride,” Haliti said.
“It doesn’t matter (the limited time to prepare), it will be the same language on the park.”
© AAP 2013- Explore:
- A-League, football, Football, Western Sydney Wanderers
July 3rd 2012 @ 8:19am
Geordie said | July 3rd 2012 @ 8:19am | Report comment
So far, so good.
July 3rd 2012 @ 8:24am
whiskeymac said | July 3rd 2012 @ 8:24am | Report comment
boring continual comparisons with GWS. Why do people bother doing so? it is lazy and unnecessary IMO.
So.
The team is shaping up as a sort of journeyman HAL team. Not so bad in itself in building a decent squad but it will need some extras, some X factor players thrown in to make it to the finals. Mooy, Elrich and the ‘kid they got from CCM’ were promising starts, and I like Covic but they need a Flores or a Broich type player. Will they spend the ca$h to do so when they mentioned frugality from day one (a CCM v2.0 but w/o the youth team?)?
July 3rd 2012 @ 8:32am
Kasey said | July 3rd 2012 @ 8:32am | Report comment
WSW will of course be more competitive in their first season than the GWS. The nature of football vis a vis AFL should make this obvious. On paper Chelsea were a far inferior team to Bayern leading into the UEFA CL Final, but football is also about systems and structure. If Poppa can get his squad working well as a unit, they’ll win a few games and should be competitive in most outings. Plus the AFL only has a limited pool from which to acquire players, their junior structure leading into the draft or by poaching League players;) so with the global player marketplace, football has a distinct advantage in building a new squad. That said, most potential WSW fans I have had contact with are very pleased to have 8 of 9 players as Western Sydney products. That should not be underestimated in the mindset of the flledgling team and fan base.
July 3rd 2012 @ 2:40pm
whiskeymac said | July 3rd 2012 @ 2:40pm | Report comment
the point being not to talk at all about afl when discussing, vis a vis or otherwise, WS.
July 3rd 2012 @ 2:45pm
wisey_9 said | July 3rd 2012 @ 2:45pm | Report comment
Agreed! Everything below is just irrelevant mudslinging!
July 3rd 2012 @ 8:31am
MV Dave said | July 3rd 2012 @ 8:31am | Report comment
Most pre seasons in Europe last about 6 weeks so there is still enough time on the playing side to get the team sorted. However they obviously need to get the core of 18 players signed before that time with a few late additions possible. Hopefully they can pick up one high profile attacking player over the next 2 months to get the fans further excited.
As an MV fan the club has just released details of memberships for this season. I haven’t read anything about the Wanderers memberships but it is here that the new club needs to do the hard yards. When memberships are released it is an exciting time for supporters and l would think even more so for those of the new club. Lets hope the club has packages that are well suited to the fans they are trying to attract and get them released early. Also l would like to see a membership counter, a la Melb Victory/Newcastle Jets, to generate some further interest.
Good luck to the Wanderers and l look forward to seeing them in person lose to the Victory in Melbourne in February.
July 3rd 2012 @ 8:40am
agga78 said | July 3rd 2012 @ 8:40am | Report comment
I remember when the NQ Fury squad was finalised in it’s 1st season and I thought they would struggle to win a game and yet they just missed out on the finals. This WSW side is already a better squad on paper than that Fury side with 9 players signed, WSW will be very competitive, they may not make the finals but they like the other 9 sides they will be in finals contention late in the season.
So far they have done everything right in the creation of this side 8 of the 9 players are local West Sydney boys and im sure 3/4 will end up being local players, the biggest factor on how well they go will be in the foreign players they sign, if they get this right they could push top 4.
I don’t how these articles continue to compare WSW with the Giants, one game football has been played in the region for over a hundred years while the other AFL is almost seen as a foreign game to people out West. WSW has all the ingredients to be a success it is now up to the people to make it a success.
July 3rd 2012 @ 8:49am
Kasey said | July 3rd 2012 @ 8:49am | Report comment
Almost seen as foreign??
One of the reasons the AFL gave the GWS a long lead time was to get the locals ‘used’ to the idea of the idiosyncracies of the sport – which to the uninitiated can look an awful lot like organised chaos! Western Sydney has a long tradition of football in the area and the fans will not need the offside rule explained to them. Ideally all coaches would want more time to prepare their squads, but of the other 9 already established HAL teams, how many have begun pre-season training yet? Adelaide United (admittedly juggling ACL commitments), start official pre-season training on July 9th.
July 3rd 2012 @ 8:59am
Midfielder said | July 3rd 2012 @ 8:59am | Report comment
I think Popa will have the side playing reasonably well …
July 3rd 2012 @ 9:15am
Fussball ist unser leben said | July 3rd 2012 @ 9:15am | Report comment
“AFL’s Western Sydney Giants were four years in the planning.”
So what?
AFL was selling a NEW product into a NEW geographical market. From what I’ve been told by people who live in the western suburbs of Sydney, AFL had ZERO existing customers – i.e. people who like ARF, understand ARF, play ARF.
By contrast, Football in the region is king.
95 days is more than enough time to get a group of professional footballers into a fit & cohesive unit. Most international managers have about 7 days to get their 23-man squads into a cohesive unit.
WSW will succeed on the park and it will succeed in the stands b/c they are recruiting professional players – not some teenagers, who are allegedly going to be superstars based on their “beep test” & “vertical leap”!! – & they have a huge potential & eager customer market.
July 3rd 2012 @ 10:09am
nordster said | July 3rd 2012 @ 10:09am | Report comment
Haha well we should also be wary of beep test recruiting in our game too. I reckon with this region there will be plenty of football literates running the show so i think WSW will be better off than most.
Any news on which local associations they are looking to link with? The obvious answer should be ‘all of them’ tho given the size of the sydney basin theyd be better off thinking about focusing on a couple. Not blacktown btw i believe that is a ccm territory
July 3rd 2012 @ 10:12am
Kasey said | July 3rd 2012 @ 10:12am | Report comment
I agree nordster, focus on one, two or three(max 4IMO) local associations. Spreading themselves too thinly is one of the mistakes SFC made in trying to connect with the grassroots of football in the Sydney Basin.
July 3rd 2012 @ 10:19am
nordster said | July 3rd 2012 @ 10:19am | Report comment
Central west sydney FTW i remember a graphic that did the rounds on 442 a while back by erebus, plonked them smack in the middle of sydney. Liverpool to parra corridor, link in bankstown, merrylands, fairfield, granville …if they cant build a great squad and average 5 to 15k at the gate from there …well no one can.
July 3rd 2012 @ 10:40am
Kasey said | July 3rd 2012 @ 10:40am | Report comment
I think that’s the general thoughts amongst the fans of other teams, given all that appears to have been done correctly thus far. If Wanderers FC can’t make a fist of this opportunity, then just what would have to happen for it to work? It puts a bit of pressure on the WS people to turn up and support IMO.
July 3rd 2012 @ 11:57am
Ian Whitchurch said | July 3rd 2012 @ 11:57am | Report comment
If I was running the Wanderers, I would print – literally – five thousand free tickets to every game.
If you register your kid with Football NSW, you get two tickets.
If you play in a park competition, you get two tickets.
If you are seen kicking a round ball around in a park, you get two tickets.
If you run a social club that has people in at 3am to watch Macedonia play Holland in a friendly, then the people there get two tickets.
Get people at the games. Make them an event.
First taste is free,
July 3rd 2012 @ 12:00pm
Kasey said | July 3rd 2012 @ 12:00pm | Report comment
Ian…and then when you expect them to pay for their tickets (which you would have to eventually), they refuse because you’ve seriously undercut the value of your ‘product’ by dishing out freebies.
It has been shown over and over in business circles that doling out freebies like candy has a short term effect that is unsustainable in the medium to long term.
July 3rd 2012 @ 12:10pm
Ian Whitchurch said | July 3rd 2012 @ 12:10pm | Report comment
Kasey,
Yeah, thats a risk. But I’d do it anyway, as being caught in a death spiral of poor crowds leading to a poor match day experience is worse.
I’d also make sure you need to verify your tickets, thus putting you on our mailing list to be bugged about taking out a membership.
July 3rd 2012 @ 12:17pm
Kasey said | July 3rd 2012 @ 12:17pm | Report comment
Ian, its not a risk I’d be prepared to take, making your team look in US parlance: “bush league” by distributing so many freebies, could turn into a PR nightmare. Either the market for top flight football exists in WS or it doesn’t. Clive Palmer opened the gates at Robina famously and drew 10k. I think the overriding feeling in the football community though is that there wasn’t a viable market for HAL football on the G-Coast. That feeling certainly does not exist in Western Sydney, reading their fan forums, they’re already organising their fan groups and seem eager for the club to release its membership brochures so they can sign up.
July 3rd 2012 @ 4:35pm
Australian Rules said | July 3rd 2012 @ 4:35pm | Report comment
I don’t think crowds will be a problem for WSW. Compared to Syd FC, they only have to get 15k per game and already be in front.
Everyone in the west seems genuinely excited about their arrival so I think they’ll enjoy huge community support.
July 3rd 2012 @ 10:50am
GCS said | July 3rd 2012 @ 10:50am | Report comment
Fussball – I didn’t realise that the AFL had ZERO existing customers in West Sydney. Not one person liked, understood or played the game. You’d have to say they are doing better than expected then.
July 3rd 2012 @ 10:52am
Kasey said | July 3rd 2012 @ 10:52am | Report comment
GCS:
I didn’t realise the AFL fraternity had set the bar so low…No wins – not even close. Approx 5000 fans is considered doing better than expected then is it?
July 3rd 2012 @ 11:24am
GCS said | July 3rd 2012 @ 11:24am | Report comment
Keep up Kasey, if you have a look at the AFL ladder you will see one win. 5,000 fans from zero is not too bad for the first year.
Actually, I’ve just been told that they are averaging over 13,000 at home. Not one person knew anything about the game and now we have 13,000 turning up. I’m sure WSW will get more though, as from what I understand, the game is massive there.
July 3rd 2012 @ 11:27am
Kasey said | July 3rd 2012 @ 11:27am | Report comment
1 win against that other screaming success the Suns…big deal, I’m sure that will generate lots of hope to sell memberships over this coming summer. team % under 50 – indicating a season of thrashings – not even close to the semi-success of the Suns first year and we can see how 2nd year blues are treating them. Not much hope for yr2 at Skoda really is there?
Derby 2 was a Sydney Swans home game. The Swans previous Home game at the SCG against Geelong had a crowd of 27,400. Assuming(crazy assumption) that every Swans fan who went to watch the game against the Cats also went to the more important game – derbies are always more important than regular H&A games. This game was against a team whose supporters didn’t have to fly into Sydney to get to the game had a crowd of 22,565 – with a significant effort/expenditure undertaken to distribute tix for free…. ANZ is right next to the GWS regular home ground so no real excuse for not attending the 2nd derby is there?
I’ll leave it to you to draw conclusions from those figures.
July 3rd 2012 @ 11:32am
Dinoweb said | July 3rd 2012 @ 11:32am | Report comment
Come on, be fair, GWS did beat Gold Coast, and are averaging about 8000 fans to their home games to date.
Even so, I’m sure the AFL must be wondering if all those millions and four years of planning were really worth it.
Makes you think, maybe the FFA’s relatively cut price approach to adding teams might not be so bad after all.
July 3rd 2012 @ 12:02pm
Kasey said | July 3rd 2012 @ 12:02pm | Report comment
Dino..
I think if WSW are a success and I see no reason why they wont be, perhaps FFA have stumbled upon a sustainable way to add new teams going into the future(we’ll call it “listening to the fans”). MLS found that tying down owners to commit to building a Soccer Specific Stadium was the way to go and they are reaping the rewards now. I can imagine a series of fan forums in 2-5 years in the Nation’s capital and in the Illawarra.
July 3rd 2012 @ 11:12am
Fussball ist unser leben said | July 3rd 2012 @ 11:12am | Report comment
GCS,
You’re right. I hear AFL is now booming in the Western Suburbs.
Apparently, the parks are filled each week-night with hordes of kids kicking the oval ball on fields marked with those 4 goal posts.
And, apparently, the locals are extremely proud of the on-field performances of their much-loved AFL team. Yes, indeed, folks, these are heady times for AFL in Western Sydney – there’s no telling where this may end … but, bookies will soon create a market on WHEN it might all end.
July 3rd 2012 @ 11:19am
nordster said | July 3rd 2012 @ 11:19am | Report comment
The parks are filled with ‘Keep Off’ placeholder signs for the impending victorian rules juggernaut …look out sydney u will be converted
I dont know if the AFL are calling their west sydney policy subsidy or investment at this point. Bleed em out for a few more years and find out eh?
July 3rd 2012 @ 11:23am
Kasey said | July 3rd 2012 @ 11:23am | Report comment
Fuss, it will end when the Melbourne clubs realise they are pouring tonnes of money down the drain to pursue a fools errand whilst they struggle by living on handouts from HQ and that the TV deal just signed will not be repeated; common consensus being that the figure paid is far too large for what is being/has been delivered. Crikey, remember the stink when Eddie McChins realised just how big a Salary cap advantage the Swans and the Lions used to enjoy.
July 3rd 2012 @ 11:34am
GCS said | July 3rd 2012 @ 11:34am | Report comment
Kasey, you are right. The $1.25b deal won’t be repeated, it will be bettered. Haven’t been getting your information from Roy Masters by any chance?
Good sledge on Eddie though. I mark you down as someone who could be converted to the way of the Sherrin.
July 3rd 2012 @ 11:43am
Kasey said | July 3rd 2012 @ 11:43am | Report comment
The way of the future is so far away from the current landscape, you must be living in cuckoo land. IPTV and NOT network TV is where future broadcast deals will head. There will be no more $1bn war chest with which to browbeat people for the AFL into the future.
July 3rd 2012 @ 1:19pm
Ian Whitchurch said | July 3rd 2012 @ 1:19pm | Report comment
Kasey,
You have it backwards. The AFL’s plan to nail Fox Sports to a wall is *based on* IPTV.
You will have two sorts of memberships – gate membership, which lets you into games, and TV membership, which sends the games to your TV via IPTV.
The League will presumably arrange for discounts for subscribing to several clubs games.
I recommend this model to every code.
July 3rd 2012 @ 1:22pm
Kasey said | July 3rd 2012 @ 1:22pm | Report comment
Why must the AFL nail anybody to the wall to get a deal done? That suggests they know they got lucky last time around and must adjust their tactics accordingly.
July 3rd 2012 @ 4:42pm
Australian Rules said | July 3rd 2012 @ 4:42pm | Report comment
Again we have another article about WSW…
And Kasey, Fuss et al, busy themselves by slagging off the Giants. You can’t just be excited about the new team without bagging the AFL? You’re sounding like the paranoid NRL-die-hards.
I mean seriously, ridiculing AFL crowd figures?
July 3rd 2012 @ 5:06pm
Kasey said | July 3rd 2012 @ 5:06pm | Report comment
AR, is it my fault the Roar chose to publish an article that implied “what chance do WSW have with less than 3 month to prepare when the mighty AFL is having its team cop shellackings a-plenty and they had 4 years to prepare?” The original article put WSW and GWS together. I would love nothing more than for all future Roar football articles to be pulled if they try the lazy journalistic trick of doing that again. Frankly talking AFL in any capacity bores me solid. I can’t wait until AFL season is over and we football fans can get on with talking about our game, with the usual AFL blow-in commentators of course;)
July 3rd 2012 @ 11:29am
GCS said | July 3rd 2012 @ 11:29am | Report comment
Fussball – maybe we should have a wager on who will fold first, GWS or WSW. It would be a good way to find out whether you bet with your heart or your head.
July 3rd 2012 @ 11:38am
Fussball ist unser leben said | July 3rd 2012 @ 11:38am | Report comment
GCS
How about, since the on-field contest should be the primary focus of any sporting club:
I bet that ..
By this time next year, WSW will have won more competitive matches in the HAL than the TOTAL competitive wins in AFL competition for GCS & GWS combined?
July 3rd 2012 @ 11:42am
Kasey said | July 3rd 2012 @ 11:42am | Report comment
and the loser has to buy a membership of the other person’s code(GWS/WSW)
July 3rd 2012 @ 11:49am
GCS said | July 3rd 2012 @ 11:49am | Report comment
You got me there Fussball. Can I have the reserves team wins as well?
July 3rd 2012 @ 11:54am
Ian Whitchurch said | July 3rd 2012 @ 11:54am | Report comment
Fussball,
GWS hasnt been built, as Freo and the Bears were built, to win games in the first year.
Its been built to be a monster in years 4 and 5, and to dominate the competition then.
They started with the youth academy, and are signing the players from it on long term deals.
By doing this, they are also building for the long term, so fans can identify with the players as something other than this years crop of free agents.
Its an approach I commend to the Wanderers.
But at the end of the day, it will be about if the club can unite the brawling tribes of Association Football in western Sydney. Good luck on getting fans of Marconi, the Eagles and so on to all come together under the Wanderers banner.
July 3rd 2012 @ 12:02pm
Fussball ist unser leben said | July 3rd 2012 @ 12:02pm | Report comment
Ian Whitchurch
“GWS hasnt been built, as Freo and the Bears were built, to win games in the first year.
HUH??
Aren’t we constantly being told that, the reason AUS sports fans watch AFL is b/c they know they’re watching the best in the world?
Are you actually suggesting, when you watch AFL you’re watching, MAYBE, the best in the world in 4-5 years time?
So, basically, when you watch many AFL games you’re watching a “feeder competition” or, perhaps, a “youth league”?
Very confusing stuff.
PS: If you ask Melbourne AFL supporters they’ll tell you the club started a 5-year plan back in the late 1960s… looks like it will take at least 10 times as long. Half a century … will you still be waving your scarf each week?
July 3rd 2012 @ 12:14pm
Ian Whitchurch said | July 3rd 2012 @ 12:14pm | Report comment
Fussball,
GWS can do what it is doing because it has, through the AFL’s guaranteed funding for five years, the luxury of time.
Now, as far as I can see, Wanderers wont have that luxury, so they might have to be desperate and go for “win now to get the crowds in”.
But I’d be a lot happier if the infrastructure had have been put in last year, so they can get all the back office stuff sorted.
Things like a permanent training ground.
Not that thats ever been a problem for Sydney sporting teams.
http://blacktown-advocate.whereilive.com.au/sport/story/a-league-western-sydney-wanderers-could-call-blacktown-home/
July 3rd 2012 @ 12:26pm
Fussball ist unser leben said | July 3rd 2012 @ 12:26pm | Report comment
Ian
The corporate world – local & global – is littered with the carcasses of huge, established enterprises that have gone bust, notwithstanding huge capital support, due to entering the wrong geographical market.
Keep throwing the cash. You can’t make people like sport. Either the people in West Sydney will like AFL, without the bribes, or they’ll lose interest when the bribes dry up.
With WSW, we know there is a massive market that loves football. It’s then up to the players & football department to make sure the locals fall in love with their local HAL club.
MVFC won the hearts & minds of football fans in Melbourne – not by throwing cash, not by slick marketing, not by free tickets. They won us over by offering Melburnians a professional football club.
July 3rd 2012 @ 1:12pm
GCS said | July 3rd 2012 @ 1:12pm | Report comment
Fussball – North QLD, Gold Coast and Aukland were given professional football clubs and it didn’t work out for them.
The AFL have done the right thing by adjusting their strategy depending on the market.
July 3rd 2012 @ 1:16pm
Fussball ist unser leben said | July 3rd 2012 @ 1:16pm | Report comment
GCS
I’m sorry, but if you’re comparing the football markets in “North QLD, Gold Coast and Aukland” with the western suburbs of Sydney, I’m afraid this discussion is a waste of our time.
July 3rd 2012 @ 1:33pm
GCS said | July 3rd 2012 @ 1:33pm | Report comment
Fussball – if the football market is so much bigger in West Sydney, then why did they put teams in those other markets first?
Why has it taken this long for them to get a team? Wouldn’t have anything to do with GWS coming into the region would it? For a team that no one cares about, they sure have shaken things up.
July 3rd 2012 @ 1:38pm
Fussball ist unser leben said | July 3rd 2012 @ 1:38pm | Report comment
” … if the football market is so much bigger in West Sydney, then why did they put teams in those other markets first?”
It’s a question that every football fan has asked for the past 4 years.
In my opinion – and, I’m not privy to FFA Board discussions – it was part of our WC2022 bid strategy, to spread the HAL around the country.
An utterly disastrous strategy that set the HAL back 5 years.
July 3rd 2012 @ 11:28am
JonJax said | July 3rd 2012 @ 11:28am | Report comment
Football runs in a much tougher field than aerial ping pong!
We measure ourselves against global benchmarks- we are part of a global narrative.
Nothing can be gained by comparing ourselves to aerial ping pongs offering- analagous to a “ dead end street”.
WSW will be successful and our Western Suburbs will be enriched thru their connecting with the global community,the global currency.
July 3rd 2012 @ 1:05pm
GCS said | July 3rd 2012 @ 1:05pm | Report comment
JonJax, that is pure dribble. How will WSW connect with the global community?
July 3rd 2012 @ 1:15pm
Fussball ist unser leben said | July 3rd 2012 @ 1:15pm | Report comment
GCS
Millions in Germany and around the world watched the DFB-Pokal. It was also screened LIVE on SBS1 across Australia. Throughout this match – one of the most watched football matches in Germany – the name Melbourne Victory FC was constantly being mentioned.
AUFC is well-known across the Asian Football world.
The Asian Football Confederation has a weekly show, “Football Asia”. This football magazine show, which is watched by hundreds of millions across Asia, regularly features highlights from all HAL matches during our season.
This is how the brand of HAL clubs connects with the global community.
July 3rd 2012 @ 1:21pm
wisey_9 said | July 3rd 2012 @ 1:21pm | Report comment
Sorry for my ignorance, but why was Melbourne Victory constantly being mentioned during the German Cup Final?
July 3rd 2012 @ 1:33pm
Fussball ist unser leben said | July 3rd 2012 @ 1:33pm | Report comment
Ex-MVFC GK, Mitch Langerak, was sold to Borussia Dortmund (BVB) in April 2010.
Langerak started the DFB Pokal on the bench, but BVB’s number 1 GK, Roman Weidenfeller, broke his ribs when he was kicked in the chest and Langerak came on in the 34′, with the scores locked at 1-1.
It’s not often that a GK is subbed during a match – and this was one of the biggest matches of the German football calendar – so this was not a “normal player substitution” that is quickly forgotten. Therefore, when Langerak’s name was mentioned in the lead up to the substitution and during the game, the commentators would also mention “Melbourne Victory”/”Australia”.
BVB won the match 5-2 against the mighty Bayern München.
July 5th 2012 @ 3:19am
David Heidelberg said | July 5th 2012 @ 3:19am | Report comment
And that match has been replayed three times this week by al-Jazeera sports. I have also seen Football Asia twice this week, and they had about ten minutes on the HAL Grand Final, all this on the other side of the world.
Whenever the locals (Jordanian) hear that I am from Australia all they want to talk about is the impending visit of a team laden with EPL stars against their local boys. They can’t believe Schwarzer, Cahill and Kewell are coming to town. All three are global stars, and as a Sydney FC fan it pains me to admit that all three are Western Sydney boys.
I am yet to be asked about Essendon, Hawthorn or the like.
July 3rd 2012 @ 1:35pm
Ballymore said | July 3rd 2012 @ 1:35pm | Report comment
The first choice Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper was injured and replaced by Melbourne Victory old boy Mitch Langerak.
July 3rd 2012 @ 1:44pm
GCS said | July 3rd 2012 @ 1:44pm | Report comment
Well done Fussball, I knew JonJax wouldn’t be able to answer it himself.
So getting your clubs name mentioned on German tv constitutes engaging with the global community does it? Does that mean that if the GK wasn’t subbed, and Langerak didn’t come on, then they wouldn’t have engaged with the global community?
Just having HAL highlights means nothing. There are highlight packages of AFL matches around the world as well, so does this mean they are engaging with the global community?
July 3rd 2012 @ 1:48pm
Fussball ist unser leben said | July 3rd 2012 @ 1:48pm | Report comment
Absolutely – we have all been told there’s massive global interest in AFL. Millions playing in China & through the Pacific region. Competitions in USA & European championships of AFL. Apparently, AFL has huge – absolutely massive – global engagement. Best game in the world, we are told.
However, based on FTA Tv figures, there seems to be a significant lack of interest in AFL in the NSW & QLD regions. Funny about that?
July 3rd 2012 @ 1:58pm
GCS said | July 3rd 2012 @ 1:58pm | Report comment
Ok, I’ll take your answer to mean that WSW won’t really be engaging with the global community. It’s a good sound bite though.
You must be proud of the way they are trying to promote Aussie Rules around the world, or are you all about it only being important if it comes from overseas.
July 3rd 2012 @ 4:50pm
Australian Rules said | July 3rd 2012 @ 4:50pm | Report comment
Slow down Fuss…
The A-League Grand Final got 201k vieweres on Fox for a Sunday night.
GWS v Richmond got 228k on a Saturday night.
I’ll do you a favour and I won’t cite the FTA figures.
July 3rd 2012 @ 5:52pm
Fussball ist unser leben said | July 3rd 2012 @ 5:52pm | Report comment
Australian Rules
The AFL Sydney Derby attracted 64k viewers on FTA TV in prime time on Saturday night. That’s FTA Tv in Sydney – so no chance of fudging the figures with Foxtel ratings, which will be highly drawn from Vic, SA & WA.
July 3rd 2012 @ 7:16pm
Australian Rules said | July 3rd 2012 @ 7:16pm | Report comment
You sure you don’t want to “fudge figures”? Looks like you do.
64k represents the 7Mate viewers in NSW only. Which I think is ok.
In your wisdom, you declare that all the Fox viewers will come from Vic, SA & WA. Well, NSW has the most Fox subscribers in the country so I’m not sure where you get that fudge from.
Here are some non-fudge figures: 64k on 7mate in NSW only. 62k nationally on Fox for the first final between Glory v Victory.
I like soccer Fuss and want it to succeed in this country, but when you bag the AFL ratings and crowds, you’re just kiddin yourself.
July 5th 2012 @ 3:42pm
MV Dave said | July 5th 2012 @ 3:42pm | Report comment
GCS
In terms of the Global Community interaction between HAL clubs and the rest of the world you need to look no further than Melb Heart who recently sold Curtis Good to Newcastle United of the EPL for $600,000 (and no doubt a clause in the contract for % of future sales) and Eli Babaj to Red Star of Belgrade for $600,000. Tidy business with perhaps more to come from those sales. There have been numerous cases of players being sold to o/s clubs for good $ and long may it continue.
July 3rd 2012 @ 1:26pm
Midfielder said | July 3rd 2012 @ 1:26pm | Report comment
GCS
You said ….”"” JonJax, that is pure dribble. How will WSW connect with the global community?”"”"”
If you have to ask, no answer will do, if you understand there is no need to ask the question…
July 3rd 2012 @ 2:59pm
nordster said | July 3rd 2012 @ 2:59pm | Report comment
Brilliant
can this be stickied to any football discussion where the more dogmatic cross tab roarers wander in ? Cheers
July 3rd 2012 @ 3:11pm
GCS said | July 3rd 2012 @ 3:11pm | Report comment
Nordster, he may as well have said “it just will, ok”.
Midfielder, I am prepared to be open minded and I’m keen to hear your answer. Please educate me. Feel free to consult your book of world game cliches
July 3rd 2012 @ 3:35pm
nordster said | July 3rd 2012 @ 3:35pm | Report comment
Lol i think it applies as a principle beyond sport clearly. Seems to be a very interwebz thang to get all hot and bothered about things u arent even into. I like to have a pop sometimes for a laugh. I think some take it a little too seriously. What Bill Maher calls living in the bubble…
July 3rd 2012 @ 8:21pm
Midfielder said | July 3rd 2012 @ 8:21pm | Report comment
GCS
Taking you at your word about education… and it does apply to much more than sport …
One thing you need to do it open your mind to the size of football on an international scale, it is important… close to 250 million male players, 30, 000 odd teams and about 3, 000 clubs this is the starting point… played in 204 countries and aside from North America, India, Philippines, New Zealand, Australia, PNG and a a couple of others Football is the main codes and in most countries were it is not number one it is number two i.e. India, New Zealand, Philippines, in North America, Australia it is either number one or two.
The worlds biggest sporting event roughly twice the size of the Olympics is the World Cup.
GCS what many in Australia don’t know it is the World Cup is a cerebration of football .. you care deeply about your own national side but over 170 nations don’t make it and you watch other teams… it is a meeting of people from all over the world to enjoy and see what others are doing…
Spain yesterday had many people all over the world spell bound watching an amazing display…
Down the chain you have mega clubs with their greats….
With I think 110 professional leagues around the worlds to compare our standard to these…
Interestingly if you look at the figures 110 leagues with say 20 teams per league on average is 2200 professional teams with a squad size of say 25 … meaning about 50, 000 professional players… or 1 player for every 5, 000 players…
The top say 150 teams say 3, 750 players or 1 player for every 66, 667 players …
The top 50 teams say the top 1, 000 players or 1 player for every 100, 000 players…
Lets now look at the AFL say 400, 000 thats being nice and 60 professional teams around Australia .. 60 teams at 40 players is 2, 400 players or 1 player for every 166 players…
Take the top 18 teams and compare to the top 100 football teams… 18 players by 40 players is 720 players or 1 player for every 555 players as against 1 player to 66, 666.
In the top 50 teams it is one player in every 100, 000 … meaning over a ten year cycle the AFL could maybe produce 6 players at this level…
What we watch are some of the best talents in the world this makes us talk compare and when our A-League plays we compare our side to other sides how they play what style i.e. 442, 433, 31231 etc …. this is what WSW will do it will allow the people of WS to compare themselves and measure themselves against the very best in the world… this is what the connection is …
July 3rd 2012 @ 11:17pm
Bondy said | July 3rd 2012 @ 11:17pm | Report comment
Mid . Thats how I sought’ve judged the H.A.L. I thought to myself how do I gauge my league from the rest of the worlds pro leagues i’d be keen on Fuss’s comment here as well. If we’re ranked say 22 in the world and say there are 90 pro leagues around the world your national teams world ranking should dictate as to where your league is globally I dont believe i’m necessarily to far out there with my gauges.Think of Japanese football are they better than us internationally and domestically partially,think of South African soccer, and who just won the Euros; Spain and look at the world rankings for those nations…
July 3rd 2012 @ 12:41pm
wisey_9 said | July 3rd 2012 @ 12:41pm | Report comment
All this comparing WSW to GWS is useless. What is the point in comparing win to loss ratios in two completely different competitions? Even comparing memberships is not worthwhile as everyone should accept the AFL does not have a strong foothold in the area – yet.
Personally, I am both an AFL and football fan and can see a viability in both teams. Surely the fact that the people of Western Sydney have two more professional teams to support should be celebrated, rather than argued about?
July 3rd 2012 @ 12:52pm
tonysalerno said | July 3rd 2012 @ 12:52pm | Report comment
I will be the first to admit i think the WSW franchise has been a bit rushed.
They have had minimal time to prepare and with 95 days remaining to the season they really need to get thinks in order quickly.
I believe the GWS comparison in this article was to magnify the flaws of the FFA in bringing in a Western Sydney franchise on such short notice.
I do believe the Western Sydney Wanderers will be competitive unlike the GWS giants because of the higher calibre of players the WSW have relative to the A-league competition and that the AFL is a much more professional as an organisation than the FFA. The best AFL teams are a lot more better than the worst ones- that is why GWS and the Suns get hammered every week.
WSW will not experience that problem… wait maybe after the first couple of rounds.
July 3rd 2012 @ 12:59pm
Fussball ist unser leben said | July 3rd 2012 @ 12:59pm | Report comment
“The best AFL teams are a lot more better than the worst ones..”
But, why is that? Logic tells us this is because there are not enough high quality AFL players in the world market to sustain more than 8 competitive teams each year – i.e. around 200 top quality AFL players in the world. After the Top 200, the standard drops considerably.
This has been the same for the past 40 yrs & no amount of money will change this inadequate “supply line”.
July 3rd 2012 @ 2:04pm
Bondy said | July 3rd 2012 @ 2:04pm | Report comment
Its looking like that Fuss,good observation.
July 3rd 2012 @ 7:21pm
Australian Rules said | July 3rd 2012 @ 7:21pm | Report comment
Across the last 10 years, there have been AFL Premeirship winners from QLD, NSW, VIC, SA & WA. I don’t know any competition in the world that can boast such a spread of winners (maybe the NFL).
How many different winners do we see from the Premier League, or the SPL, or La Liga, or Serie A, or ..?
July 3rd 2012 @ 9:29pm
MV Dave said | July 3rd 2012 @ 9:29pm | Report comment
Bundesliga 5 different winners in the last 10 years plus an ave attendance of over 45,000 for each of their 306 league games.
In 7 completed seasons HAL has had GF winners from 4 cities and premiers from 4 states…not too shabby.
July 3rd 2012 @ 11:13pm
Midfielder said | July 3rd 2012 @ 11:13pm | Report comment
Hal 2011 the final four …. two countries [Aust & NZ] and three Australian states ….
Cough cough it’s funny how some think this happen in my game … could never have happened anywhere else
July 4th 2012 @ 8:51am
Australian Rules said | July 4th 2012 @ 8:51am | Report comment
Mid, we’re not talking about who made the finals, we’re talking about who won.
Regardless, 7 years is too early to tell, but obviously the A-League is far smaller and less developed than the Euro league so the gulf that separates the dominant teams from the weaker ones will be smaller. That’s a positive.
MV Dave, the Bundesliga is certainly better than most Euro leagues (and the best run comp in the world IMO), but still doesn’t have the spread of winners that the AFL does. (note, this is NOT some comment about which sport or competition is better…simply that AFL is unapologetically socialist, whereas European soccer favours the biggest strongest clubs year after year).
July 4th 2012 @ 9:57am
nordster said | July 4th 2012 @ 9:57am | Report comment
Football has contests across tables, divisions and cups …one title is not the be all and end all …we dont need to rig our competition to ensure an even spread of ‘winners’ …though they still try to in the hal a little (for now) with a looser version of a cap.
July 4th 2012 @ 11:32am
wisey_9 said | July 4th 2012 @ 11:32am | Report comment
nordster – “we dont need to rig our competition to ensure an even spread of ‘winners’”
Yes we do.
If the HAL does not have a sufficient spread of talent, the competition will descend into a farce – something that our fledgling league can not afford.
To predict that the HAL will do away with the salary cap in the short-medium term is pure fantasy.
July 4th 2012 @ 11:38am
nordster said | July 4th 2012 @ 11:38am | Report comment
I appreciate the caution but a more open market model for sport in this country has many benefits.
We have plenty of access to talent to ensure more natural parity and financial sustainability. It’ll even help our league on sporting terms, many aussies have not experienced it so theres certainly something unique and compelling to sell.
July 4th 2012 @ 11:57am
wisey_9 said | July 4th 2012 @ 11:57am | Report comment
I think that the marquee system allows the clubs with more financial clout (read MVFC) to capitalize on the broad access to talent that football enjoys.
IMO it’s absolutely paramount that, for example, a resident of NZ – and a potential fan of Wellington Phoenix – can look at their team every year and see them as a title contender, rather than just another team making up the numbers. Having a salary cap ensures this chance of a competitive league.
July 4th 2012 @ 1:05pm
nordster said | July 4th 2012 @ 1:05pm | Report comment
Marquees are a good transition system to abolishing the salary cap, yes
And lets call a spade a spade …a salary cap ensures the contrivance of a fake competitive league. Once people realise this more and experience a different system, which they do via football …
July 4th 2012 @ 1:13pm
Kasey said | July 4th 2012 @ 1:13pm | Report comment
I just can’t foresee a day yet in the future where the game will be so completely self reliant and flush with enough money that the Salary cap is no longer needed to enforce spending limits on the HAL teams. As it is, once the new TV deal is in place, the entirety of the Salary cap will be covered by the dividend from the FFA, meaning that there should be no excuses for any club to trade in the Red year after year. As it is, I like that smaller market teams(ADL, PG) can take on the big market teams(SFC/MV) and at the start of the season we know that the race to the Dunny seat is likely to be an open race. Once the new TV deal is in place, we should see a gradual rise n the salary cap or individual clubs that have been well run might splash the cash on a marquee player here and there, but the structure we have in place, like the single ownership model of MLS was put in place to correct for perceived shortcomings of the previous set-ups.(the NASL and NSL) respectively.
July 4th 2012 @ 1:17pm
wisey_9 said | July 4th 2012 @ 1:17pm | Report comment
well put Kasey
July 4th 2012 @ 2:48pm
Australian Rules said | July 4th 2012 @ 2:48pm | Report comment
Yep, agree with what Kasey’s said there.
nordster’s comment: “a salary cap ensures the contrivance of a fake competitive league”
…no, it ensures a very real competitive league. If SFC and MV were the only teams which had a shot to win it at the start of the season, the game would wither everywhere else around the country.
July 4th 2012 @ 3:43pm
nordster said | July 4th 2012 @ 3:43pm | Report comment
Eh … you all choose to overlook the flaws in it …without wanting to get into technical economic arguments, the idea that a cap and floor system helps clubs financially is not exactly correct. Clubs will not go broke trying to outspend each other if they are managed properly. Systems like this try and enforce good business practice and it fails over time anyway. Part of the issue is having a minimum standard that a) threatens the existence of smaller clubs and b) keeps out prospective new entrants as they have to reach some prescribed level before being invited in. Its a nice little cartel i guess. The new tv deal should not be the basis around which the structure of the league is built as it is short term. Only opening things up will ensure something approaching self perpetuating sustainability. You cant hold the hands of clubs and force them to spend one way or another.
See i didnt want to get into it LOL …just being well into a bit of a study binge …its very easy to see some relevance for free market theory in australian sport. It is a big mindshift but not as scary as is made out…..
July 3rd 2012 @ 1:39pm
asanchez said | July 3rd 2012 @ 1:39pm | Report comment
WSW is gonna be a big club, they’ll get better crowds than Sydney FC.
The derbies will be great for Sydney and for the code.
Plenty of people were complaining about long it was taking for the club to be named, colors, strip, logo etc. that’s now done, and it’s come up fantastic! 9 players already on the books is a good start, surely their talking to all other potential signings right now.
IMO Popovic and Gorman have another 4 weeks to finish off assembling the rest of the squad. You need at least 8 weeks of preseason to get everyone to start gelling on the pitch, and different players will be coming in with different levels of fitness to the squad.