1977 was a momentous year in Australia’s sporting landscape. It was the year that football set itself as a standard bearer in the battle of the codes by creating the first national sporting competition in this country.
Not enough kudos is given to those people and their clubs that first embarked on the journey. Perhaps it was because as the years past and the other codes caught up and surpassed, that we lost that pioneering philosophy, and subsequently our premier competition got branded as a “basketcase” (probably with good reason).
The birth of the A-League was supposed to put us back on the map, and to a degree it did. As with all fledgling businesses mistakes have been made, but like those pioneers in 1977, we are continuing to move forward.
Bold moves were made into North Queensland and the Gold Coast which didn’t turn out so well. The Heart were added into Melbourne which has been more successful.
The glaring issue in all this is the fact that while we were chasing the other codes in their strongholds, we literally left out own backyard unguarded and have watched these codes conduct a brawl in the middle of it.
Rugby league is what it is, a Goliath that everyone in Western Sydney has at least a small interest in. As shocking crowd numbers indicate, these people don’t care enough to go to games but they do watch from the comfort in their own homes in record numbers.
The other Goliath is the AFL. Most of Western Sydney actually holds the game in contempt. As rugby league fans, this is more born out of frustration that the AFL seems to be a pretty good product when given a chance and they just seem to do everything better than their blundering counterparts at League HQ.
The base of memberships, stadium arrangements and even the junior development seems to be light years ahead of the NRL.
This battle has seemed to force the A-League’s hand into the creation of what will be the true Western Sydney team – The Wanderers. To put them together in such a short time (not to mention finally waking up and putting them in at all) has taken us back to the pioneers of 1977.
It is the boldest move that has been made since the creation of the A-League, taking football back to its roots. Some may say that Sydney FC was there all along, but as a former FC member I think I can comment that no genuine attempt was ever made to pursue the heartland.
It may have been a case of “if we just build it they will come”, or more than likely fans were still hurting after the demotion of their former NSL teams. Regardless, the fact is that that backyard was left empty and even though we won’t be able to own the whole thing, it is a massive yard in which we can carve out our own niche.
I attended one of the forums and was thoroughly impressed with the process. The fans were not only consulted but based on the forum I was at, they were listened to and the majority’s thoughts were bourne out in the final selections. The colours, strip and logo are all fantastic (in fact the logo is the best going around in my opinion).
It would have been very easy to try to build this club to specifically chase those disenfranchised ex NSL fans (such as myself), I in fact previously thought that this was the way to go. However the forum changed my mind, it would have been the pandering option that would have never provided a solid enough foundation.
The club has to be Western Sydney’s team – and everything that the area entails. It is the most multicultural region in the country. Every one of these communities have football at its heart, and not only the ones that had teams in the former NSL, but every one of the over 100 communities represented in just Fairfield alone, let alone Blacktown, Bankstown, Liverpool etc.
Most of these communities will follow teams such as the Olympiakos’, Red Stars, Dinamo Zagrebs, Juventus’ as well as an English Premier League team, but will also support the Bulldogs, Parramatta, Wests Tigers, or Penrith.
We are in a unique position, to get all of these people behind one team. Rugby league cannot do that. Combined with the fact that the AFL is not ingrained in the culture as much as football, it is plain to see that we are on the cusp of something that no other code nor A-League team in the country can match.
If the Wanderers can get this right, it will blast the A League into the real mainstream of Australian Sport.
Western Sydney is basically a microcosm of Australia. It has an industrial and population base that is larger than South Australia and that of the ACT, NT and Tasmania combined. It has over a third of its population under the age of 24. It is, to use a political term, a bellwether area of the country, an area for the future.
Just as Burke and Wills headed west in 1860, and the NSL was created in 1977, Messrs Buckley and crew have led the pioneering path again – bring on the Wanderers!
bp2
Guest
Thanks for the feedback guys. With specific reference to Von Neumann, i would like to add that i in no way meant to trash other sports at all. In fact i grew up and still am a League supporter (Bulldogs) and absolutely love the AFL, in fact i watch more Fox Footy (Channel 504) than any other channel. You may in fact find that football fans more often than not have more than a passing interest in the other codes, all of my football friends are also avid League and AFL fans. I dont feel that many Rugby League fans feel the same about the other codes, in fact they are more blinkered than most (i cannot speak for melbourne as i am a sydneysider however i am sure they arent called the sports capital for nothing). So it really riles me up when people say that soccer fans/administrators have chips on their shoulders. I think that rather than Soccer and AFL having a chip on their shoulders that it may be Rugby League. The AFL and A League have never come out saying that they want to kill Rugby League (it does a better job of that itself anyway), they always say that there is room in Western Sydney for all codes. It is the NRL that has adopted this siege mentality - it was them who called it AFL's Vietnam War after all. My whole point was that most football fans in the west have their Premier League team, NRL team, and even AFL team (for gods sake this website asks for these details when you register). By being western Sydney's A League team we have the ability to unite all these Parra, Penrith, Bulldogs & Tigers fans behind one team in the A League - that was the point that i was trying to make. I also have a little trouble with the reference to League as a juggernaught. The sport has the best league in the world in its code (there are only 2 but that is another story), the best players on show every week and still its crowds are at best weak. You made comment about the Parra and Bulldogs game last night and it was a great crowd, but that is what it should be every week. You had to go back to the ANZAC Day clash (when no other game was played and on our greatest day) to get a comparable crowd. There should be those crowds every week considering the quality of the competition. The only game comparable is the AFL (in terms of being the best -only- league in the world) and they have consistently handed League their backsides on this count for 100 years. I would also like to add that all this grandstand naming and statue covering stuff is utter nonsense, the Wanderers public really dont care, we have waited so long and just want the bloody team on the park. The rest is NRL media dominated nonsense aimed at getting League fans angry and thus not giving the team a chance at all, the typical small minded stuff that they have been doing for years (even back in the old NSL games).
Von Neumann
Roar Guru
So you dont get the wrong idea, I truly want soccer to succeed here, but no one wants it at the expense of trashing other sports. There is already enough of that elsewhere, and it makes reading sport tedious at the best of times. Your sentiment is not too bad, its the overall theme of sentiments out there in media land I am not fond of. ___ But also, get it in now. Because with the 5 million who watched Origin, and with the new tv deal, eclipsing 1 billion+ and matches being shown nationwide now, with better stadia each year (and hopefully transport) and with a new Perth team - THERE. CAN. BE. NO. DOUBT. ....League has nation wide appeal, and its a juggernaught. You won't be able to put league down in 5 years mate. People will scoff at the thought. The days of SL are long gone, and even then that was because of our success as much as anything.
Von Neumann
Roar Guru
I WISH YOU WELL. Let me say that. But dude, I just think saying they want to cover up the statue was just a head-line grabber, and a dumb idea. Putting down other codes, as per your article, is also a dumb idea. I just think soccer has a massive chip on its shoulder. First you want to re name stands and cover up league statues. Those stand names and statues are there to pay homage to those who have played on the ground before. When did bosnich ever play there for instance. Give me a break. Hey, here is a thought - maybe in 20 years if the Wanderers are still around, when you have some noteworthy players maybe THEN you could have your own stand names. Just think about it: what would it have been like if RL tried to re-name the Bradman stand at the SCG? I do not think soccer thought it through, or just like everyone else they have tried to piggy back on leagues popularity. But on league crowds. There was 31,000 for Dogs v Parra tonight. There was a full house at Origin time, and almost 5 million watched the game nationwide at some point. There was 32,000 in Brisbane as well. What about the 41k for the ANZAC match between the roosters and dragons. Or the 74,000 who showed for a semi final for the EELS a few years back? The financial model and innate desire used to run league has only just recently switched to one driven by attendances. ___ Its one thing to write a story as yours, and it was a good enough article. But you are disrespecting other sports here. These wanderers, if they are still around in a year or two, will not garner wide support if they keep trying to disrespect other sports. Play for 30 years, then you can name a stand, get a great local player, then you can have a statue; never mind covering up ours. How pathetic. If you want to stick it to the NRL, people won't think kindly of you. In fact many now feel a seething contempt for the team. ____ Not going to have a piddle contest, just want to point out.... Have you even been reading about league lately? Here's a run down: - Massive tv deal coming up - tipped in todays paper to be more than 1.15 billion dollars (probably without media/internet rights included in that figure); -Memberships on the rise. Sure, AFL has more but they have also been doing it for longer. - Stadium rationalization. Parra stadium mooted to get upgrade, used frequently by Rugby League. Without league - no upgrade. You can thank us later. -Therefore crowds will only increase in the NRL, and as we have seen over the past decade, there are more and more 30k-40k crowds than ever before, and only becoming more frequent. ___ Look, good luck, but I just think saying they want to cover up the statue was just a head-line grabber, and a dumb idea. Putting down other codes, as per your article, is also a dumb idea. Funny that you would talk down a sport that has broken its records for the past decade each year. League is the juggernaught in this backyard. And its only getting bigger. I am writting out of wonderment for the fact that people continue to bag other sports in order to get ahead. People will wish the wanderers and soccer well, but if they start trashing league, expect the vast majority of people to get jack of it pretty quickly. I am not having a go at you, I just hope soccer can do well - I dont think they will if they keep ruffling feathers.
micka
Guest
Lets just hope the whole comp is competetive and doesn't die like the NSL eh Sports Candy.
Sports Candy
Roar Pro
They'll put together a competitive team and won't get beaten by 30 goals and 40 behinds like some other GWS team we know.
micka
Guest
"Just as Burke and Wills headed west in 1860" Sweet lord bp2, B&W went north from Melbourne to the gulf... They also died painful and lonely deaths in the wilderness through poor planning... ...sort of like the NSL. I hope for the wanderer's sake that they don't take a similar pioneering spirit.
Futbanous
Guest
For me its always been a no brainer,get football people onside & respecting & supporting the local game & your on a winner. Nowhere in Australia with a sizeable population has as many switched on football fans as Western Sydney. Logic says this area is a true barometer of the games health/progress as it heads into the future. As they used to say on the Goodies "Get it right". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydXtCpYimN8
Midfielder
Guest
BP Brilliant article just read it ... deserved more comments but its late so will get back to it latter..
jbinnie
Guest
bp2 - you make many good points in your offering and it nice to see some credit given to the pioneers of the NSL idea. There is one big problem facing the HAL and that has been the lack of "selling' to the greater football audience that in fact it is not only an "NSL PHOENIX" but is in fact a national SUPER FOOTBALL LEAGUE, the very epitome of what can be achieved by the application of full time professionalim to all facets of the game. Why has this not been done?????The make up has gone from the original proposed 8, to 10,back to 9, & but for the creation of WSW may well have gone back to 8 again.This is not the message that sells the "top of the pyramid " idea to those missing thousands of potential supporters.We are part of the biggest,most populous sport played in the world today & in these days of mass communication this is the message that should be getting endlessly sold to the Australian public for it is an area in which there is no competition. We do not play in competition with the other football codes so we have a ready made receptacle in all the people who play and support football in winter but for far too long this has been ignored and we have this endless squabbling for more teams,stopping players from going overseas,lack of real junior development,the list of complaints is endless. Let's sell the super football idea,& recognise that the top of the pyramid is a level that should & can, only be achieved by hard work & dedication to the task by those involved.When this is done we should see our football thrive in a way never thought possible only a few short years ago. jb
Minister for Information for the Democratic People's Republic of Football
Guest
Very well put together bp2. This is the start of phase 2 of the A-League ,in Sydney in particular, and it will blow people away. In this phase 2 we will finally achieve our goal of unity between old soccer and new football. We will summon the previously left out football fans who couldn't identify with the SFC and the A-League in the past and welcome them aboard. This will be their team and the potential is massive.
nordster
Guest
The beauty is as far as appeal goes, the nsl club fans are just the start. Those folks were 1st or 2nd gen migrants from a particular mix of backgrounds. Since then as our migration intake has continued, new people have moved to the sydney basin. And surprise surprise many are from a part of the world that loves football. Add all these people who already have an attachment to the game together...bingo. Key is to focus on small subsets first , build some localised mass and enthusiasm which will and is infectious. Their initial signings are good from a racial mix perspective, if i can be so crude. The personal links these players have in the west cant be overlooked, it all starts somewhere.