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Just like most 10th birthdays, there will be colour and excitement, tantrums and tears.
The A-League reaches double figures this year and will demand more than ever to be treated like one of the big boys.
“What’s really clear is that the A-League has really moved into the mainstream of Australian sport and I’m not sure we could say that when it started 10 years ago,” competition boss Damien De Bohun told AAP.
“It’s now a football competition that really matters to Australians.”
Fans will be treated to more football than ever this sumer with the inaugural FFA Cup continuing to gather momentum heading into the final in December while the A-League goes on a break over January to make way for the Asian Cup.
De Bohun feels the anticipation for season 10 has been bigger than ever before, starting with the Socceroos’ competitive World Cup showing in Brazil.
Another factor garnering excitement is Western Sydney’s extraordinary run in the Asian Champions League which will culminate in their grand final appearance in the coming weeks.
While the Wanderers’ fairytale looks set to continue, the story of this season shapes as Melbourne City.
No other side is surrounded by as much hype as the club formerly known as Melbourne Heart.
They’re bringing Spanish superstar David Villa straight off a World Cup pitch to the A-League on a 10-game guest stint while securing former English Premier League legend Damien Duff for one season.
Remarkably they’ve gone from wooden spooners last season to title fancies this campaign with several bookmakers declaring them equal championship favourites along with Brisbane.
Roar have been the most consistent side in the league and again look like contenders.
But losing their main attacking weapon, Besart Berisha, to Melbourne Victory has the Victorians looking just as strong.
Only two clubs will begin their season with new coaches.
Newcastle have brought in former Adelaide assistant Phil Stubbins, while Sydney FC hope championship-winning coach Graham Arnold will save the perennial underachievers.
And it’s Sydney FC where the biggest transformation is expected with Arnold amassing one of the best-looking forward packs in the league, boasting the likes of marquee man Marc Janko, Alex Brosque, Shane Smeltz and Bernie Ibini.
They may have lost Italian legend Alessandro Del Piero but now they look like more than just a one-man team.
This season will be without former Liverpool legend Emile Heskey and Japanese playmaker Shinji Ono, with more low-key marquees like Austrian Janko and City’s Slovenian import Robert Koren.
But De Bohun insists the lack of household names won’t be an issue.
“We’ll have in excess of two million people going through the turnstiles this year and I think that shows just how far it’s come,” he said.
“We’re now broadcasting into over 150 countries over the world which means we’ve got a reach of over 300 million people who can watch the league.
“So it’s not just in Australia but our credibility on the world stage is really rising as well.”
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