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Why the Sydney Derby will become the city’s premier sporting event

Martin new author
Roar Rookie
27th November, 2014
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Western Sydney Wanderers fans. (AAP Image/Dean Lewins)
Martin new author
Roar Rookie
27th November, 2014
74
1059 Reads

As we prepare for another instalment of the Sydney Derby, it’s an appropriate time to reflect on what the derby has meant for football in Sydney and why it will become the city’s premier sporting event in the years to come.

It’s hard to believe that this fixture did not exist just over two years ago. But it’s become so engrained in us now that we can’t remember what football used to be like before the derby.

Unless you’re a Sydney FC fan of course.

For many Wanderers fans like myself, we only had a passing interest in the A-League because there was simply no emotional connection that could be built supporting a team on the other side of the city.

The city’s sprawl is so big that Western Sydney is even classified as a separate region by many government bodies. For example, the NSW Government designates a Minister for Western Sydney to administer the region.

As a result, Western Sydney has, over many decades, developed its own identity and became distinct from the eastern, northern and southern parts of the city particularly in terms of demographics and income and wealth distribution.

And as much as Sydney FC tried to represent the entire city on its own for seven years, it was always going to be an impossible task given that they were based in the eastern part of the city.

So when the Western Sydney Wanderers were established in 2012, it awoken a football mad population that had been crying out for their own team to represent them on the national stage.

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Finally, the region that has produced more Socceroos than any other in the country, had a football team to call its own. And a new fan-base became enamoured with the A-League.

The Sydney Derby was born and for the first time in the history of sport in this city, there was a true East versus West rivalry.

That’s right, no other sport has been able to harness the historic East versus West rivalry in Sydney quite like football.

Let me explain.

If you look at the other sports played in the city, they either have a lot of teams representing different pockets of the city or the sport has too low a profile to harness a real rivalry.

Let’s take the NRL for example. Rugby league is the biggest sport in town, however, its nine teams represent different pockets of the city such as Penrith, Campbelltown, Parramatta, Canterbury, Randwick, Redfern, Kogarah, Manly and the Sutherland Shire.

While all teams now have a fan-base outside of their traditional strongholds, the large amount of teams has prevented any true East versus West rivalry to occur.

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Rugby union has the Shute Shield competition but once again, the large quantity of teams has prevented a true east versus west rivalry occurring.

Basketball had a somewhat east versus west rivalry for a short while with the Sydney Kings and West Sydney Razorbacks, but the financial instability of the teams as well as the low profile of the sport and the league prevented this rivalry from capturing the imagination of the city.

Cricket now has the Sydney Sixers and Sydney Thunder in the Big Bash but the problem is that they are only in the limelight for two months every year. The failure to incorporate the name ‘Western Sydney’ into one of the teams was a big opportunity missed to attract people from this region and develop a true east versus west rivalry.

The AFL now have the GWS Giants and the Sydney Swans. This could over time become a true east versus west rivalry in the city.

The only thing holding them back is the low profile of the sport in the city, particularly in the west, where it is largely unknown. And it’s hard to capture the imagination of the city, when the sport doesn’t have a lot of history.

The AFL’s decision to call this rivalry ‘The Battle of the Bridge’ sounds like a good idea from a marketing point of view, but I personally feel that they’re trying to manufacture a rivalry instead of letting it grow organically.

Which now brings me to the A-League. Football has a long and proud history in Sydney. Out of all the major cities in the country, Sydney has probably been the most receptive to the sport.

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Despite the dominance of rugby league in the hearts and minds of the people, football has always been a favourite second sport for the majority of the population. It was common for children to start playing football and then switch to rugby league as teenagers. The fact that 40 per cent of all registered players in the country come from Sydney shows how strong football has always been in the city.

In comparison, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth have and still are very much AFL oriented while Brisbane is very rugby league oriented.

You only have to see the poor coverage Brisbane Roar still gets from mainstream media even though they have been champions three times in the last four seasons.

In comparison, both Sydney FC and Western Sydney Wanderers have been getting much better media coverage than other teams in their own cities. And the best thing is that the coverage will only get better as the derby grows in stature and importance over time.

The Sydney Derby epitomises the historic East versus West rivalry in Sydney. The upper class, latte-sipping, brash and bling team from the east that is Sydney FC against the working class, Centrelink-loving, modest, hard working team from the west that is Western Sydney Wanderers.

Now those stereotypes are probably not true but they are part of the narrative that this east versus west rivalry has been built upon for many decades in this city.

It is a compelling narrative because it stirs up the emotions of every Sydneysider. The Derby now brings this rivalry to the battlefield of a sports arena.

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It is for this reason that I believe that the Sydney Derby will become the city’s premier sporting event in the near future. The compelling narrative that the derby plays out is starting to prove irresistible for the fans.

All we need now is to get more people on board. And the best way to do this is by getting as many neutral fans to go to a derby match because the intensity and atmosphere that the rivalry creates will get them hooked and leave them wanting more.

They will tell their family and friends and even more people will want to go to the next one. In this respect, it’s a bit unfortunate that the limited capacity of Parramatta Stadium makes it near impossible to invite new people to experience the derby.

Playing a derby game at ANZ Stadium as a one-off is worth a shot for the simple reason of getting more neutral fans on board to help make this derby the biggest sporting event in Sydney. But that’s a debate for another day.

The Sydney Derby has the potential to be a sports rivalry where everyone in the city has to pick a side regardless of their interest in the sport or the league.

This may seem confusing to some but in many cities around the world where two big teams dominate, even people who have no interest in football pick a side to support because they are compelled to do so. You’re either one or the another and you are forced to make a choice.

In Milan, you’re either Rossoneri (red and black) or Nerazzurri (black and blue)
In Glasgow, you’re either a Bhoy or Ger.
In Rome, you’re either Roma or Lazio.
In Manchester, you’re either Red or Sky Blue.
In Liverpool, you’re either a Red or a Toffee.
In Belgrade, you’re either Partizan or Red Star.

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And in Sydney, you’re either a Sky Blue, or Red and Black.

Make a choice if you haven’t yet done so, because this rivalry is going to become this city’s premier sporting event in the years to come.

What do you think Roarers?

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