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The Round 1 clash between Western Sydney and Sydney FC at Homebush should easily set the record for the highest-ever attendance at a domestic football game.
Say what you will about the wisdom of scheduling the A-League’s highest-profile fixture on the opening weekend, but there’s no doubt the first Sydney derby of the 2016-17 A-League season could go down in history.
Not only is the game capable of drawing in excess of 80,000 fans to the cavernous ANZ Stadium – provided it’s marketed effectively – but it can also kick off the campaign with a bang and set the tone for the rest of the season.
The fixture is a decent start for the Wanderers, in a season in which their fans will have plenty of time to get used to sitting miles from the action.
The club’s decision to play regular season fixtures at Spotless Stadium while their usual home at Parramatta is rebuilt may be borne of necessity, but it means Western Sydney’s vociferous support will invariably be diluted.
The 24,000-capacity Spotless Stadium is similar in size to Western Sydney’s usual home, but its oval configuration will leave the club’s hardcore supporters standing a long way from the action.
Elsewhere, defending champions Adelaide United have chosen not to take a fixture to Adelaide Oval this season, instead concentrating on packing out their compact Coopers Stadium home.
It’s safe to say the Reds’ previous attempts to take big games to Adelaide Oval didn’t work, with less than 20,000 fans turning out for their Round 1 fixture against Melbourne Victory last season.
If there’s one thing Adelaide should be doing more consistently it’s filling Coopers Stadium, although Reds fans would be quick to point out the boutique stadium boasts little in the way of first-class amenities.
That could also be an issue when the Newcastle Jets take their Round 17 clash against Melbourne City to Coffs Harbour, although it’s doubtful any of the locals who get to enjoy the full-fledged competition fixture will complain.
Plenty of clubs in both the NRL and AFL take games to regional locations, and with the Jets looking to rebuild on and off the field, the high-profile Friday night showdown on January 27 is one to mark on the calendar.
If we apply that logic to the Jets, then perhaps we should take the same approach to the Central Coast Mariners’ decision to play two games in Canberra.
The Mariners will face Kiwi outfit Wellington Phoenix and defending champions Adelaide in the Australian capital, with Central Coast offering a two-game membership to Canberra-based fans.
Already Football Federation Australian chief executive David Gallop has declared he’d like to see 10,000 fans in attendance for the games at Canberra Stadium, although a sceptic might claim the whole enterprise sounds like a bit of a poisoned chalice.
Surely Canberra deserves an A-League team of its own, while the Mariners must do everything within their power to try and rebuild their shrinking supporter base in Gosford.
The same could arguably be said for Brisbane, where we’re still no closer to knowing the intentions of new managing director Daniel Cobb.
With the Bakrie Group set to sell Brisbane Roar to a Melbourne-based consortium led by Cobb, it remains to be seen what impact that has on the three-time A-League champions.
With a supposed press conference on Friday having failed to materialise, the instability is likely to see even more season-ticket holders boycott the club going into the new campaign.
Perth Glory were the big improvers last season and their fans will be happy with plenty of Saturday night fixtures, while for clubs like Melbourne Victory, Sydney FC and Melbourne City, it’s essentially business as usual.
In fact, with the draw largely bereft of any major drawbacks, about the biggest downside is the fact we have to wait another four months for the season to kick off.