The holiday period was an unequivocal success for the A-League with bumper crowds across the nation, exciting football and momentum generated for the run to the finals. It demonstrates why the Christmas and New Year period is critical for the league and the importance of staging traditional fixtures.
Adelaide United’s match at Adelaide Oval against Sydney FC attracted over 23,000 and while the game didn’t necessarily live up to the occasion it has developed into one of the most popular sporting fixtures in Adelaide after such a short space of time.
Likewise Central Coast’s New Years Eve fixture is a proven formula.
Traditional fixtures such as these are winners.
Take the Boxing Day Test.
I don’t watch cricket. I can hold my own in a conversation about Matty Hayden’s struggle with the bat, but I don’t necessarily sit down to watch a Test. Watching the grass grow in my backyard is just as appealing.
But come Boxing Day, no matter where I am or what I’m doing, I tune in at least once to the traditional test along with the rest of Australia. Why? It is intrinsically linked to that day.
I know if I turn on Channel 9 on the day after Christmas there will be a test match with Australia from the MCG.
That is the power of tradition.
It’s also a time of year when there is little else to do, hence why watching cricket becomes a viable alternative to my boredom. The weather is great, kids are on school holidays and many get some time off work.
There are also plenty of public holiday opportunities to take advantage of.
As I’ve written previously, expansion will force a rethink of the A-League calendar and squeezing those extra rounds into the festive season will avoid an intrusion into winter.
Why not take it to the next step?
The use of the rivalry round concept should be well thought out, taking advantage of significant dates or periods to draw in the big crowds. These larger scale games will help draw in the casual fans.
For example, the Adelaide Oval round attracted fans that ordinarily don’t attend matches at Hindmarsh Stadium. It was a major news story here, the biggest sporting event of the year thus far, a social gathering for friends and a chance for football fans to enjoy the locale of one of Australia’s finest sporting grounds.
Hopefully those casual fans liked what they saw and are now enticed to see more of the Reds.
Another possible date is Australia Day.
The final round of this season takes place on the weekend of January 23 to 25. Why not create the tradition of having the final round on the 26th of January?
Such traditions are critical for the A-League’s development.
Crowd figures will remain inconsistent until the franchises establish themselves in their respective communities so winning isn’t a key requirement for people to turn up.
It’s no surprise the teams attracting the big crowds are the ones doing the winning. Expect the bumper crowd run to come to a thumping halt when Sydney FC host Wellington this weekend!
The message from the fans to the FFA and the clubs is clear: take advantage of the Christmas and New Year period and create traditional fixtures over certain dates of the Australian summer.
This is one-way hearts and minds will be won over.
Adam Pearce
Guest
The christmas/NYE football fixtures are awesome and in time a great tradition i hope.With a second division and more teams it will be a veritable footy feast.I mean you look in England the sheer volume of games you can watch in that time is staggering and great anyone with pay tv and follows football will attest to.
Adrian Musolino
Expert
That's okay. And for the Jets fans: Group E Ulsan Hyundai Newcastle Jets Beijing Guoan Nagoya Grampus
Midfielder
Guest
Adrain Not sure if this counts in this thread but heck why not as it's nowhere else. Fark me I have gone to these teams sites and looked at their stadiums ... fark me impressive ... Our draw for the ACL: and always remember Walking along Singing a song Happy in a Mariner's wonderland Group H Central Coast Mariners (AUS) Tianjin Teda (CHN) Kawasaki Frontale (JPN) Pohang Steelers (KOR)
Koala Bear
Guest
Adrian, It's the same old story in Sydney when I was living there .. Never a problem for the League folk getting in quickly in time for the kick off .. However, when it came to football the ground was always understaffed which did not allow smooth entry for patrons.. It has always been that way with Football .. lack of proper respect... ~~~~~~~~~ KB
Adrian Musolino
Expert
Yes that's an issue too, especially for midweek games. Television rules in that regard.
Dave
Guest
Adrian Another issue seems to be the starting times of evening games. They change constantly which is confusing for the casual fan. It was 7.30pm start last night but 8pm previously and there have also been 6pm and 7pm starts? Stick to either 7.30 or 8pm but dont keep changing...there was certainly a late rush to TD last night with fans still looking for seats 15-20 minutes in to the game.
Adrian Musolino
Expert
The beauty of the Telstra Dome, likewise the MCG and Adelaide Oval, is the proximity to the CBD. As a result you get a lot of people who work in the city who pop by unannounced for the game and filter in at their own pace, hence the problem of squeezing in the fans last night on a regular working day. If the FFA do decide to go down the midweek path for the extra rounds in the next few seasons, they could possibly ensure teams like Melbourne and Adelaide, the bigger franchises, host the majority of these fixtures to guarantee a decent crowd before the notion of midweek games grows on the fans and then they can expand it to all teams.
Koala Bear
Guest
Dave, when you hold your cursor over the emoticon, you will see what keys you need to use to get the sunglasses, or any other for that matter... SEN is a very good Football broadcaster and I shall be tuning in more often .. However, last night they had Micky Peterson in the commentary box, one of my all time favourite Roo players .. But I wish I could give him the same accolade when he turned out for the "Australian National Football Team".. He kept calling AU .. Adelaide City .. Ha ha .. I don't think his future is in Football commentary.. :lol: There was still a lot said on the condition of the pitch and that would never happen for a Grooky match .. Also the ques were some 100 metres long with patrons still trying to get in 15 min after the kick off .. Bloody disgraceful don't you think .?. It was suggested that some of the patrons gave up and went home .. Now, that is sad as we may have had well into the 30k mark at the TD.. It seems if the Grooky advocates that work for the TD had put on more staff to deal with the top of the table clash it may have been the biggest crowd for the regular season in a mid week fixture.. The Bear mention that the Melbourne and Adelaide press have not court up with the times and it is hard to disagree with him on that score.. When will they start to give the Football Code the proper respect it deserves... ? I am sick of waiting .. ;( but the attitudes are slowly changing for the better... ;) ~~~~~~~~~ KB
The Bear
Guest
LAS, the A League has done very well creating good traditions with respect to crowd behaviour. Let's focus on the here and now, otherwise i shall start quoting police statistics for Crowd violence at Cricket matches over the last few years (the ones that somehow don't get quoted in newspapers and tv, mind you). ;-)
LeftArmSpinner
Roar Guru
Tradition in fixtures and tradition in pride in one's team and their performances, good and bad. I just hope, but dont expect that the supporters will unwind tradition from crazy, obsessive and frankly dangerous fan behaviour that is justified by how important the game is. Bollocks. It is a game. Lets hope that Soccer finds pride in a tradition around good behaviour by players, coaches and fans alike. Golf, for one, has proven that it can work!!!
Millster
Guest
Pip - due to my obvious interest in sports I listen for and engage in conversations about it when I travel, including over the last fortnight in the US and in 2 trips there in 07 and 08. I totally agree with you in relation to football and in particular I've heard this said of the MLS with people commenting that it sometimes leaves much of its potential 'on the table' due to a lack of aggression and flair in the way it promotes itself from top to bottom. On the positive side I saw 2 things while I was there that pleased me: 1. Long (that is, block-long) queues for mid-season registration for kids holiday 'soccer school' 2. At the 2 high schools near us the gridiron goals on the field all had 2 swing-down posts under the horizontal bar which enabled the creation of a makeshift football goal from the setup (albeit with a - dangerous for the goalie in my opinion - whopping big vertical post in the middle from the original t-bar setup of the primarily gridiron goal). The fields also had combined football and gridiron line markings.
Pippinu
Roar Guru
Millster in all our cross code banter on the Roar, we all appear to underestimate just how massive Gridiron is in the US. No doubt you're aware that the VFL started sending fact finding missions to the US in the mid 80s to pretty much learn how become more professional and commercial. Virtually all the commercial and off-field "innovations" in the last 20 years stem from copying the NFL (with a fair bit of success, it has to be said - recalling that in the mid 80s the game was virtually broke). However, the FFA has no such luxury, for at least two reasons: 1. The stranglehold FIFA has on a wide range of areas relating to the game; and 2. The incredible conservatism that is to be found in the World game across all aspects of it: coaches, administrators, fans, etc (where the mantra definitely is: if it ain't broke, don't fix it). Also, it must be said, most of us have a bit of scepticism when it comes to all things American, including their sports. I personally don't like any of the games that originate in North America (with the exception of lacrosse), but I agree with you that there is much to learn from the manner in which they organise and administer their sports.
Dave
Guest
KB How do you put the sunglasses on? SEN do a great job down here with the HAL, MV in particular. Didn't hear the post game show as l went for pasta and pizza after the game...mate did ring to tell me SEN had given Celeski 1 vote and l almost choked on the mushrooms ;) Was a terrific night if not a great game. One mate who is a member came in late just after KO and said the ques of people buying tickets was still 50-100m long...maybe they underestimated the attendance. People were still coming in well after KO. Yes totally agree re midweek fixtures during school holidays...it is a winner. Very little print media attention beforehand but still over 27,000 for a Tuesday and it was a terrific atmosphere.
Koala Bear
Guest
Dave, I listened to the match on, online SEN radio, and it was wonderful to see that on the night "Football" was the winner .. Not once did I hear the term "Sokka" yes the times are a-changin' .. I went through the entire website and viewed the menu bar and found "Football" standing proud along side AFL (Grooky) tags.. What a surprise it was I must say. Expecting something totally different .. It seems that a few dishonest lot of you (not you) down south have reiterated that the folk down there (SEN) have no problem with the tag Sokka .. Well the truth seems totally different doesn't it.. :lol: To add what a massive crowd for a mid week fixture (27k) it was and after that evidence; I see no good reason why we can't have some mid-week fixtures thrown into the mix when the league eventually expands to 14 clubs.. Watch out for my mistress in '09 they won't be so kind.... 8) The ones wearing dark sunglasses..... :lol: ~~~~~~~~ KB
Millster
Guest
Happy New Year everyone. Just an observation which may or may not be related to this thread based on my trip over the last 10 days to enjoy Christmas and the NY in the USA. Atlanta Georgia, New Years Eve, Louisiana State at Georgia Tech (yes, that's right, not even NFL just a College Bowl Fixture). The so-called ""Chickfilla Bowl". Game time was 8pm yet by 10am the entire centre of the city was jam packed with marching bands, floats and people from both sides partying like there was no tomorrow. I'm not saying the city stopped metaphorically. It stopped literally and this game was THE event of that day. I should also expand on the comment that people were from both sides - a metric shitload of people had come up from New Orleans to make the game the 'start' of their NYE celebrations. The seas of LSU purple measured easily in the thousands. Attendance - 71,423 plus live nation-wide on ESPN God knows how much more would have been at the following Day's Rose Bowl and the other really big matches. Anyway no concise analytical link with the article but just an observation of what the combination of good scheduling and tradition can do. It was truly amazing to witness - in fact I would not have 'understodd' it if I had just been told of it - and though all of our sports are well different than the game of American Football in all dimensions, we should nevertheless look and learn.
Koala Bear
Guest
"Miron relaxes on a banana chair at training drinking a cold beer ,while Paul Okon puts the lads through their drills." Towser, not only that he is the nude centre fold in this months edition of the CRSL Ladies Auxiliary January Gazette... :lol: ~~~~~~~~ KB
Kazama
Roar Guru
Dave: "Good to see no sour grapes." No, none at all mate. ;-)
Kazama
Roar Guru
Dave, I can definitely see that happening, especially if they win their first few games. Great to see them really going for it though. I can't wait to boo them and shout abuse at their players.
Dave
Guest
Kaz LOL Good to see no sour grapes :)
Kazama
Roar Guru
Pippinu: "The close attention Carlos copped crossed the line." Funny that coming from a Melbourne Violence supporter. We went in hard on him - which happens to playmakers all around the world btw - but we didn't try to deliberately injure him or kill him, which is what Muscat clearly aimed to do to Dodd. Maybe if he did kill him we would have got a penalty.