Is Western Sydney struggling to stay a novelty?

I hope Buckley has held off on finalising the tv deal, cos the League's value must be rising every weekend.

RF: Of course the more good news football generates, the harder the anti-soccer types will work to try to burst the bubble, as discussed yesterday its called the Eggball Fan Anti Soccer Self Protection device (EFASSPD) the most common of which is the wonk who reads a football article in the newspaper, then takes the time to locate its online version just to post the always illuminating ”Who cares its only Soccer” comment. As this season continues as it has started – with good news story after good news story (remember we still have the TV deal to unveil – it will surely provide for the short to medium term stability of the league) I fully expect more and more sophisticated EFASSPD’s to be given column inches n this very website, not to mention the Opinion Pieces a plenty in the Mainstream media from journos who are not football literate.

Absolutely clear and to the point. No room for ambiguity here. Would be a great answer to a Year 12 English exam question. I wish I had have done it years ago - would have got a better mark :)

Philip - You mention my "conclusion".I did not state a conclusion, simply stated that the improvement in crowd figures for the first 15 games of this season, 245,588 compared with 222,850 for last year,ie 22,738 is actually surpassed by the increase attained by WSW 29,451 compared to the contribution made by GCU to the same figure last year,4113,ie an increase of 25,338. Get the point? Your argument re. "derby games" or "blockbusters" in both 15 game samples I compared doesn't stand examination. Last season in 15 games Victory had 1 (blockbuster), the Kewell/Emerton debut game (40,351) ,and 1 (derby) against Heart (39,039). This season in 15 games Victory have had one derby (42,032) and Sydney have had 1 (blockbuster), the ADP debut match (35,449). Same difference as above.? (Last year, Sydney's only home game pulled (15781) v Roar). It should also be remembered Heart's 2 derby game attendances last year, total 52,974, were not in the first 15 weeks. I would agree that if Victory start winning they should get increases, for up to now their attendance in 2 home games (1 derby) dropped from 42,032. to 19,174 against old rival Adelaide,quite a drop. Overall Philip is is far too early to be trying to analyse and draw conclusions from crowd figures for,as you point out, the differentials in comparative data have changed and, as I did say, it is still only a discussion point.jb

Good to see a shot of pre-emptive doom and gloom so early in what has been a stellar start to the season. We'll all be rooned, said Hanrahan.

Have enjoyed the wanders games ive seen so far, they are obviously severely lacking in goals, but the rest of their game looks good and ive got a good feeling their support wont drop off too much either. Western Sydney is great for aussie football and the A-League, great work by the FFA to ignore the doom and gloom and make the right decision.

Rothfield may be credited as a RL journo, but the only bashings he's handed out recently have been to rugby league, as evidenced in that puff piece attached above. He will go to any lengths to antagonise RL fans for website hits. I haven't visited the Telegraph site in months.

jb, i dont think your conclusion is valid for two reasons, Firstly, it's impossible to compare last year's 3 rounds with this year's, but if you try to, I'd say MV had 2 blockbusters in that time last year and only one this year. If you add the blockbuster effect you'd have another 20K to the crowd this year and we'd be talking 40K extra gate and around 20% increase. More to the point though, if you look at where crowds may increase i'd say that MV should have growth this year with the Ange effect and (I hope) winning more matches, plus they have 2 derbies instead of 1 so crowds will grow +5~10% for MV, Sydney should have growth this year +10~20%, WSW should almost double CGU crowds +80~100%, the rest will have winners and maybe losers (Heart may be down as 1 derby vs 2 last year). The bottom line is that there'll be more increase in crowds than just the benefit of the intro of the Wanderers.

They need to recruit new strikers, they're solid everywhere else, its a personel issue.

Tony the truth is that sokkah supporters in Australia are very alive and very well and with a very great future (just take a look at the age of the average supporter) and the truth is all that is required

To an extent the AFL and NRL are competitors, but my view is that A-League's main competition is: 1. Itself - i.e. getting itself to a level that people (not just the rusted-on) want to come, to grow the game. This is a long term issue and whilst we have had a magnificent start to the comp and we should enjoy it, I don't think we should get carried away with it. In other words, build on this. What we have write now with all the postive news, features, big crowds etc is what we have been desperately trying to achieve the last few years. Now is not the time to rest on laurels. 2. Cricket - due to it being a direct summer sport competitor versus the winter codes. Do I go to (or watch on TV) the cricket or the A-League? This issue with NRL or AFL does not exist for the overwhelming majority of the A-League season. Sure there are soccer haters amongst the AFL and NRL and there always will be, but there are even more supporters of those codes who would be willing to follow the A-League as well that we need to get into. That may sound nice and flowery but I don't doubt its truth.

I don't really like the guy, but to be fair to Rothfield I have never really seen him as a football hater. He has written some criticisms in the past (can't remember exactly what) but he is nowhere near the level of a Wilson or FitzSimons etc. On reflection, my view on the article is that he is using the good start to the A-League to have a dig at the NRL Commission who if you know anything about Phil Rothfield, will be aware that he openly has an agenda against. Anyway, whether its just reporting the facts (that are true) or an underlying agenda of Rothfield's against the Commission (probably true) the article certainly reflects well on the A-League.

It must be a Sydney thing. I don’t see why they need a ’thing’ to replace the Novelty of being a new team? We are told that for the better part of a decade, the Western Suburbs of Sydney have been crying out for a team in the HAL. Sure some part-time and initially curious fans will drift away if the new team continues its barren patch in front of goal even teams over 7 years old will see their crowds dwindle if they go on a losing run, but I hardly think the new team will live or die by the actions of these part-timers. The new team will live or die by the number of diehards in waiting that have already engaged the WSW. It seems to me that WSW already have a good core of solid support. Organised too.....If I'm not mistaken they displayed the League's first ever card-display tifo pre-game in the Derby? Great to see.

"Do the on-field performances not impact their off-field status?" You tell us, Tony. How have you assessed AFL expansion clubs Suns & Giants. Did you write any articles about The Giants or Suns after their 1st 3 games... did they win their first 3 games or get smashed & embarrassed? No agenda... give me a break! PS: Just to see how well you've researched this issue, how many games did MVFC win in their first 3 matches in the HAL and how did it impact their future off-field success?

Fuss - there is a "settllng down" of crowd figures occurring & if analysed reasonably accurately the trend is following that of last season. First of all we have to recognise that the worst supported team in the HAL has been removed & replaced by an identity which should,under normal circumstances generate an improvement on averages just by "outdrawing" GCU. Last season GCU had 1 home game in the first 15 matches drawing 4113 to their game against Well. Wests on the other hand have had 2 home matches,one a "derby", & have attracted 29,584 thus giving the HAL a compounded average increase of 25,471 ( note this figure well) at the 15 game stage. Now to the intersesting comparison. Last season's total attendance figure for 15 matches was 222,850. (These games encompassed the Kewell/Emerton opener (40351) & a Melbourne derby (39039). This season's total attendance figure for 15 matches is 245,588 ,(These games encompass a Melbourne derby (42032)& the ADP debut in Sydney(35449)) this being an apparent improvement of 22,738 over last year's total. (a 10% increase) However the discussion point that will need clarifying as the weeks progress. Is the "apparent" increase in gates being generated by the exclusion of 1 club & the introduction of another???????.At this early stage the above figures would suggest this may well be the case. Your mate jb

"football fans in Australia are alive and well" now mate if you started like this in the first instance :)

It's funny how a reporter goes from being oft quoted to being crap when he or she does an unfavourable story on the sport that person supports! While Football may not have league's populatrity out west, it certainly challanges with participation and now crowds.