- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
FFA and the TV execs are interested in adding more derbies to boost ratings, so which cities should get the next ones?
Sydney and Melbourne have large populations and could support three or four teams each but Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide don’t yet have second teams of their own. A-League chief Greg O’Rourke has stated that FFA are focused on the east coast when it comes to where the next two teams should be based saying: “The east coast would be the preference not only for us but also for the broadcasters in at least the first round of expansion”.
But overlooking Adelaide and Perth might just be because of a lack of vision about how to market these derbies as part of a larger picture and they could be missing a big opportunity. I’ll explain.
If third teams are added in both Sydney and Melbourne to take the A-League to 12 teams then that creates 18 derbies between them throughout the season.
By comparison adding second teams in both Adelaide and Perth only creates 6 new derbies between them which brings the total number of derbies across the A-League to 12 when you include those in Sydney and Melbourne.
So creating new derbies in Adelaide and Perth would create six fewer than by adding third teams in Sydney and Melbourne.
But what’s more important, is it the quantity of derbies or the quality of derbies?
Let’s say that FFA decided to put the next two teams in Sutherland and Campbelltown to create 18 derbies in Sydney. That would be a large number of derbies, but would they also be good quality?
The biggest derby in Sydney will always be between the Sky Blues and the Wanderers so any new teams in Sydney will just end up creating minor derbies like Sydney FC versus Campbelltown or Campbelltown versus Southern Sydney.
Even Sydney FC versus Southern Sydney might not be a huge event if Southern Sydney end up struggling to draw 10,000 fans to most home games. The Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks only got around 12,000 in their NRL premiership-winning season, could an A-League team drawing from a split fan base really do any better?
But what’s the alternative? Instead of having as many derbies as possible it might be better to limit each major city to just two teams in order to create scarcity. This will make every derby a big event and with ten derbies across a 30-round season they could be held every third week.
The trouble with having derbies in Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide revolves around the problems of the level of support the new teams would have, the stadiums they would use and the impact on current teams. If new teams are to be added to these cities then these problems must be addressed.
Starting with stadiums, Perth and Adelaide lack second stadiums that could be used by new teams meaning that they will have to share them with existing clubs. The stigma that’s been created by the two Melbourne teams both sharing AAMI Park turns people off the idea, but the Milanese Derby between AC Milan and Inter shows that it can work in some cases.
If Fremantle City and Adelaide City are going to have share stadiums with Perth Glory and Adelaide United then they need to establish a clear point of difference.
With Fremantle this is quite clear since it will be a rivalry based on geography with Perth Glory being based north of the Swan and Fremantle being south of the Swan.
Adelaide on the other hand is hard to divide geographically so there needs to be another point of difference.
When looking at Adelaide City it comes down to two things. Firstly it’s a case of “old soccer” versus “new football” and secondly it’s basically a title fight with Adelaide City having been crowned national champions three times in the NSL compared to twice premiers and once finals champions for Adelaide United in the A-League.
Adelaide City have also won the Australia Cup three times and have been crowned continental club champions on one occasion in 1987, whereas Adelaide United have won the FFA Cup just once and haven’t yet been continental club champions in Asia.
There were some good derbies in Adelaide in the days of the NSL and I’m sure there would be some good ones again if they had a second team in the A-League.
Looking west, the Perth Derby would also become a big event on the calendar with the match splitting the city in two between north and south. Perth’s population is the fastest growing of any major city in Australia and is predicted to reach 3-4 million people. A city the size of Perth should be able to handle two teams and FFA should get a second team in there before the NRL can have their first.
(AAP Image/Joe Castro)
If the new Fremantle team is owned by clubs based south of the Swan then that will also help the club to engage with fans even if they have to share the same stadium with Perth Glory.
The same applies in Brisbane where FC Brisbane City are setting themselves as a northern club to separate themselves from Brisbane Roar. Aligning themselves with other northern clubs in Brisbane and possibly merging with Strikers will help them to do this.
A merger with Strikers would be beneficial if they could jointly do a knock down rebuild of Perry Park to have a football specific stadium, rather than helping the rugby codes at Ballymore or in Ipswich to develop theirs.
If they’re looking for a good logo they could adapt that of Lamborghini but change the background colour to maroon and put their own name in it’s place. Ferruccio Lamborghini owned a tractor company but started his own sports car company when his Ferraris and Maserattis kept breaking down.
For Brisbane football fans who can’t stand the Bakries (or bright orange) I think that the symbolism of power and rebellion of “the raging bull” would work quite well.
The new Derbies will ruffle a few feathers with fans of the current teams but that’s what big derbies are all about. Who’s the top dog in the city?
This takes me back to a point that I made earlier where I said that FFA overlooking Perth and Adelaide might just be because of a lack of vision about how to market these derbies as part of a larger picture.
If each major city is limited to just two teams then the value of the derbies will increase due to scarcity and they will each be special. There might only be 10 derbies between them over the season but they will all be big ones.
This is where FFA need a bit of vision so they can see how to market these as part of a bigger picture rather than in isolation.
The battles and duels between the big clubs in the major cities will each be big events on the calendar driving interest throughout the season and generating large amounts of media publicity. You only have to look at the Sydney and Melbourne derbies to see this.
The Battle of Brisbane will divide the city in two between north and south. This would have a similar dynamic to the Sydney Derby pitting the wealthy northern suburbs, including the CBD, against the more working class but also more populous suburbs to the south.
(AAP Image/Dan Peled)
Like Brisbane, the Perth Derby will split a city in two between two clubs separated by a river. But unlike Brisbane or Adelaide, Perth has never had a derby in a national league. Maybe it’s time they did. The MLS will be adding a new team next year called LAFC to create a derby with LA Galaxy and adding Fremantle will give Australia it’s own west coast derby.
Then there’s the Adelaide Derby which will be a straight up title fight between two prize fighters. One from the old NSL and the other from the new A-League. It’s ‘Old soccer’ versus ‘new football’.
The only quibble I would have about these expansion bids is that they’re all from clubs called City. It might be better to use more original names instead. Adelaide City could become Adelaide Zebras, Brisbane City could merge with Strikers and become AFC Brisbane and Fremantle City could become Fremantle Sailing. Or if ‘Twiggy’ Forrest branches out they could even be called Fremantle Forest.
FC Tasmania could also change their name to Taswegians. The bid itself is still alive but in a holding pattern because of the congress dispute at FFA. As an island state Tasmania will form a rivalry with every team from the mainland but the Bass Strait Derby with Melbourne Victory will be the highlight similar to the Tasmania versus Victoria rivalry in the AFL state of origin.
Sydney, Canberra and Perth (differences over GST distribution) will also be big rivals.
Also on the topic of names, maybe Melbourne City could change their official nickname to Melbournians.
Five derbies
The next two teams to enter the A-League should be in North Brisbane and Fremantle which would create the biggest possible derbies. These will be big events drawing 50,000 to Lang Park and 60,000 to the new Perth Stadium and will draw large TV audiences. Just to make things interesting, tickets could be allocated 50:50 to home and away fans as is the case in the Tehran Derby.
At the same time as these are added the W-League should be expanded to 16 teams with Central Coast, AFC Brisbane, Fremantle Sailing, North Queensland United, Adelaide Zebras, Taswegians and Wollongong Wolves. Men’s teams can be added later for those who miss out in the initial expansion to 12 teams.
The regional teams will be necessary to take the competition to 16 teams without diluting the derbies by adding third teams in any one city. The priority should go to isolated locations to help with developing players in these areas. Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and Geelong are all close to major cities so they have less need.
Tasmania, North Queensland and Canberra however have a greater need to have their own teams and should have priority.
I would also add Wollongong as an exception because of their history and heartland status and also because they would form good rivalries with Central Coast, Newcastle and Canberra.
Impact on current teams
If the new derbies generate a lot of publicity and result in increased attendances they will be a positive for the current clubs. This has been the case with both the Sydney and Melbourne derbies and I think the same would also apply to Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide.
(AAP Image/Julian Smith)
Managing director of Brisbane Roar Mark Kingsman is all for a local rival saying that “A-League expansion is important for the development of the game here. It’ll keep us on our toes. Having been to Sydney and Melbourne derbies, it’ll be great for our fans.”
I hope that Perth Glory and Adelaide United can also see the benefits big derbies can bring and be just as enthusiastic about the competition.
Are you the ultimate team manager? Pick your own superstar team and go head to head with other football fans for glory and cash prizes on Draftstars. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.