Wanderers could be an A-League powerhouse

 
Michael Turner Roar Pro

By , 3 Aug 2012 Michael Turner is a Roar Pro

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    Western Sydney Wanderers strip (Image: Twitter)

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    Say what you will about the Western Sydney Wanderers, there’s no denying they have made a great start to their inaugural season.

    Sydney’s second A-League club have already broken the average attendance of the now defunct Gold Coast (in pre-season fixtures), successfully engaged the community and united the forces of Sydney’s West.

    The Wanderers could well be a future A-League powerhouse.

    The West truly has risen.

    Of course though, harsh criticisms have come the Wanderers way, and many of you reading this article may very well have passed prejudicial judgment on the fledging young club based on my comments in the last paragraph.

    Any merits in such arguments are more than not destroyed by the posters themselves. Now yes we agree that we have only played two matches against state opposition, but that doesn’t mean we will agree with your ill-fated argument that the club will inevitably fail.

    Tell me why this will happen?

    Yes the FFA are running this football club, and as much as we all love to hate the FFA and its decisions, they have actually done something right. This has very well been acknowledged by many fans on various discussion boards, who are seemingly shocked at the successful start this venture has encountered.

    Which brings me back to my point, this football club is in Western Sydney. The true heartland of soccer/football in this country, and it is futile to simply debate this.

    Our sporting folklore dictated that one of the first (if not the first) football match was played here: the Wanderers versus Kings XV in Parramatta Commons.

    Do we really want to dispose of the history of our beloved sport because our petty attitude toward the FFA and Sydney dictates as such? The Western Sydney Wanderers represent this history. They represent the people of Western Sydney.

    For the first time, the FFA built this club on the people. I attended those fan forums, there was no faux voting, no hoax. The fans built this club and shaped it to what they all really wanted.

    This was a club for the people and it is here to stay. For the first time, small droves of die-hard NSL fanatics have risen to join a club which they can call theirs.

    This is a club that drew 3,500 to their first ever pre-season friendly on a freezing Wednesday night in Suburban Penrith. A club that drew 4,200 to a freezing Blacktown to impress once again on the park.

    The same club that draws 100-200 active supporters in the Red and Black Bloc.

    Without even having played a game, the Red and Black Bloc drew 100-110 active supporters to their match at Penrith, and more at the match in Blacktown. This is a group that is making some noise, so keep your ears out for home games at Parramatta.

    This is a club that is here to stay. The FFA have done it right, the people made their choice and the people of Western Sydney have their football club.

    Whatever you say, the Red Black Bloc is here to stay, The Western Sydney Wanderers are here to stay, and if things keep progressing as they go, they will be a force to be reckoned with.