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It used to be that cricket and tennis were the two big-ticket summer sports in town, but slowly football is making inroads as it seeps into the collective mainstream conscience.
The sight of a full house at AAMI Park for the grudge match between Melbourne Victory and Sydney FC on Saturday could scarcely have been imagined some eight years ago.
Not only were the terraces awash with colour and noise, with Sydney FC notably selling out their allocation of away-bay tickets, but the match also coincided with the women’s Australian Open tennis final at nearby Melbourne Park.
Steep admission prices meant there was still a smattering of unsold tickets for the final between defending champion Victoria Azarenka and popular Chinese combatant Li Na on the morning of the match, though the drama of Azarenka’s controversial semi-final win over teenager Sloane Stephens ensured Rod Laver Arena was ultimately heaving by the time the two players took to the court.
Meanwhile at ANZ Stadium in Sydney, Cricket Australia took its annual Twenty20 carnival to the smallish confines of what is barely a suitable cricket ground for a tip-and-run slugfest against Sri Lanka.
What was interesting to note was the fact that the A-League managed to muscle its way into the media headlines before and after both events.
What’s more, yesterday’s W-League final between Sydney FC and Melbourne Victory – which attracted a respectable crowd of more than 4,000 fans to AAMI Park – also generated headlines.
That’s important because it proves that slowly but surely, football is becoming a popular sport of choice alongside the long-established summer heavyweights of tennis and cricket.
It helps when there’s an identifiable narrative, such as Alessandro Del Piero’s first trip to Melbourne in Sydney FC colours or Western Sydney’s battle with the league’s other fledgling club Melbourne Heart, because it’s these kinds of stories which help coax football supporters and general sports fans out of their living rooms and into A-League stadia.
It’s a self-perpetuating cycle, whereby big crowds and interesting media angles help fuel even bigger crowds and better coverage as the season goes on.
Which is why it Melbourne-based supporters can deliver a strong message next Saturday by turning out at Etihad Stadium in numbers for the derby between Victory and Heart.
In recent weeks there has been a lot of focus on what’s going on in Sydney and Melbourne, to the extent that league leaders Central Coast must wonder what they have to do to garner some positive media attention.
Losing playmaker Tom Rogic hasn’t helped but their thumping 3-1 win over Adelaide United has thrown down the gauntlet to in-form Melbourne Victory and the Wanderers in the race for the Premier’s Plate.
And with the Mariners set to play both challengers in successive weeks at Bluetongue Stadium, they should be able to boost their own attendances as the regular season races on to a thrilling conclusion.
What is most important though is the fact that in less than a decade, the A-League has transformed from a laudable concept into a league which attracts big crowds and plenty of media attention in a crowded summer sports schedule.
While the other three domestic football codes jostle for space in winter, the A-League is busily making inroads into the summer sports market.
Where once the sound of cicadas meant long nights watching the tennis and an Australian cricket team with players you’d actually heard of, now it signals the presence of another summer sport growing in popularity.
Football is comfortably establishing its own niche in the Australian sporting calendar, something all those involved in playing and marketing the game deserve credit for.