This weekend the third edition of the Sydney derby will be played in front of a full house at Parramatta Stadium. With Western Sydney looking to win the minor premiership and Sydney FC eying off a finals spot, there is plenty to play for.
Aside from the grand final, the derby is shaping up as the game of the season. It’s appropriate that it will involve both Sydney clubs.
For decades there has been a simmering frustration in other states about the media’s so-called obsession with Sydney. In Melbourne especially, fans have alleged that the press gallery are biased towards Sydney clubs to the detriment of a rich football culture in Victoria.
It’s a fair point. However, in the days of the NSL, Sydney was the engine that drove football, both on and off the field. The game’s administration was centred around the Harbour City, and Sydney clubs dominated on the field.
In the A-League, however, it has been hard to make the same case. One-team, one-city meant that the success of Melbourne Victory and Brisbane Roar took much of the attention away from Sydney FC, who struggled to truly cement their identity due to constant off-field turmoil.
The fact that Melbourne Heart came into the competition before a second Sydney side only reinforced the importance of Melbourne to the overall success of the A-League. This season, however, the city of Sydney has well and truly risen to the challenge. Indeed, both Sydney clubs have been integral to the current buzz surrounding the competition.
The introduction and instant success of the Wanderers has been just one part of this turnaround. However, it is important to remember that before the Wanderers went on their unprecedented winning streak, it was Sydney FC’s audacious marquee signing that really put the spotlight on the A-League.
Soon after, Newcastle and Western Sydney scrambled for their own marquee signings to match the benchmark set by Sydney FC. The Del Piero domino effect cut Lyall Gorman’s “no-marquee player” strategy to ribbons. He quickly went from talking down the marquee concept to having discussions with Michael Ballack and Shinji Ono.
Indeed, both Ono and Emile Heskey admitted that their interest in coming to the A-League was piqued by Del Piero’s presence. Sydney FC’s two million dollar gamble changed the nature of the league in an instant.
And despite the Sky Blues inconsistent form, Season Eight will likely be remembered as the season of Sydney. Can you imagine this A-League season without Del Piero? Or worse still, if the Wanderers had been just average?
This is not to take anything away from Adelaide, Perth, Brisbane, Wellington, Central Coast and Newcastle. Indeed, one-team one-city and strong regional centres mean that these clubs are, and always will be, an integral part of the football family.
However, for football to truly take off, the two major cities are crucial. You get the sense that the A-League now has the proper foundations to continue it’s rise. Further expansion is now a case of when, rather than if.
In the run up to Saturday, these moments will only add to the drama of the occasion. For the fans of the Wanderers, there will be nothing sweeter than lifting the Premier’s Plate in front of their cross-town opponents. It may be just the sort of moment that turns a derby into a heated rivalry.
It’s been a dream season for football fans right around the country. As the nation’s attention turns to Parramatta Stadium, it’s a good time to pay tribute to the active supporter groups the RBB and The Cove, and to the efforts of Lyall Gorman and Tony Pignata.
Long may it continue!
Cameron
Roar Guru
Darwin? Very aspirational Matthew Skellett.
Cameron
Roar Guru
Jojo and Kickass, I absolutely love both sports and I don't ever make comparisons. My aim was not to make a comparison it was to correct what you had said about Parra Eels not achieving such an attendance when they had. That was all. It's only because I know a fair bit about both sports that I felt a need to jump in. Sorry if you thought I was comparing. Never would I even dare.
Towser
Guest
"I beleive the idea that the sport must be successull in Sydney and Melbourne is antiquated and in serious need of review." You may believe that dinoweb ,but it will never be true. Big cities drive football throughout the world. Sure the Roar made the A-League sit up take notice of the football being played,but Brisbane cannot drive the A-League onwards & upwards only Sydney & Melbourne can. Like asking a tow boat to tug an ocean liner around the world,much easier the other way round.
Matthew Skellett
Guest
My tips for expansion clubs would be Tasmania Canberra Wollongong Darwin and a revived North Queensland model:-)
7NA
Guest
Perth had half their stadium under construction this season. They were never going to get anything bigger than 10K a game.
Ian
Guest
give yourself a pat on the back dinoweb.
Ian
Guest
the MV fan turns to the next year for success again. that was said at the beginning of this year, last year and the year before. if MV had our best team on the park.......(and no one was ever injured or got mental fatigue) if MV got all our goal scoring opportunities we would have won easily etc etc
dinoweb
Roar Guru
"in the days of the NSL, Sydney was the engine that drove football, both on and off the field. The game’s administration was centred around the Harbour City, and Sydney clubs dominated on the field." I might like to disagree with this statement. While it is true that Sydney teams dominatd the first half of the NSL winning 10 of 14 titles, they managed only one in the next 14 from 1991 to 2004. It has also always been my belef that it was the vested interests of the Sydney Cub dominated former adminstration that held back the growth of the sport in Austraila for so long Yes they are to be congratulated for having the vision to create the NSL in the first place, but when a man like Frank Lowy walked away from the sport beasue of the club politics pesent at the highest levels, you knew something was wrong. Further, despite the success of the Wanderers this year and the ADP effect, I will always contend that it was the success of Brisbane Roar over the past two seasons that arrested the slide of the A-League. It really caught the national attention, and changed the way football is played in this country, hopefully forever. Without their succes, I doubt this season would have been anything like as successful as it has. While ADP and Wanderers may have increased "the Buzz" in Sydney, there was a fair bit of Buzz in the preceeding two years despite SFC finishing 9th and 5th in those two years. I beleive the idea that the sport must be successull in Sydney and Melbourne is antiquated and in serious need of review. The true succees of the A-League is that it is a national success, and not one just confined to our two largest cities.
jojosyney
Guest
Kellet, I too am a Leage fan and funny enough, i am a wests tigers fan and was at that game in 2012. But, like Kickass below mentioned, A-league crowds will always suffer due to the distance in between. In the EPL for example, fans can travell by train to and from away stadiums. This is why, and please im not forgetting Melbourne, this is why we should compare the two things if we actually have to compare at all.. The Age is the second factor. The A-league is 8 years old. WSW is in its 1st year and The EELS or TIGERS have been around for decades. 2012, 'Round 8, Parramatta vs West Tigers: attendance 19,654. 2012 Round 2, Wanderers vs Sydney FC: attendance 19,126', for the a-league to be acheiving this fan base after sch a short time, imagine, with the right dirrection (and money) where it could be in 100 like NRL. The injection of ADP this year has done two things. Made other players aware of the potential of the A-league in this beautiful country and also made foreign investors aware of the potential as well. As much as we hate to say it, but clubs like Melb Heart, Adelaide, newcastle, Wellington and perth could benefit from the injection of money from an overseas investors. Crowds in australia need to be pushed and this year we could finally see why. for the first time in A-League history, we had travelling fans commuting in bulk to away games especially in their own state. the teams in and around sydney are now growing fast. may need a couple more years of investment and guidance but they will grow. The melbourne teams should learn from this as all three are close enough to each other. if the A-League wanted to expand again, Canberra should be a realistic option as it is still close enough to both and could tie them in together. The reason why now other codes are begining to fear A-league is due to the rapid rise it has taken this year and the potential it has to grow. All this crap now involving drugs and cheating in other codes will not help too. Football (soccer) is the largest junior sport played in australia and the world. With all these activities happening, including more oportunities for our kids when they grow into teenagers and beyond, this will ignite more and more. Look out Australia. The A-league has only just begun..
Kickass Koala
Guest
I dont like these comparisons anyway, for one, many crowds the Wanderers get dont have a huge throng of away supporters turning up because its a Flight and accommodation deal to get to a game. Where as many away fans in sydney can just drive or catch a train to a rivals ground. I think its easy to try and make comparisons but so many factors contribute to crowds at any code. If we really wanted to twist the knife in, they would be better off comparing Wanderers and Syd FC crowds, to Waratahs crowds.
pete4
Guest
Absolutely phenomenal to think WSW are in touching distance of the Premiership. Wooden spoon favorites at the season could take it in front of a rocking Parra stadium on Saturday night
striker
Guest
Yeah agree with all your points real football still penty to do before we become a major player come next TV deal.
Realfootball
Guest
Very true. Adelaide and Perth are a real worry. Wellington are a basket case and their future in the League must be in doubt; Heart, well, it really isn't working but they are paying their bills. But Adelaide and Perth need to do better. That last Adelaide crowd was terrible for a Friday night.
striker
Guest
Mahonjt i hope that the other clubs lift there game because the crowds are very average except Melbourne Victory.
Cameron
Roar Guru
Jojosydney, I would also love to see some more money spent to attract these types of players but realistically it is not always going to be possible. Mariners current woes, hopefully will be sorted but the owners can only fork out so much money until it is not financially viable anymore. In Regards to NRL attendances not rivalling A-League? Besides the Victory matches versing Heart the NRL has done a fairly good job with a fair few 30,000+ crowds. The NRL is still averaging more than the A-League. Don't get to far ahead of yourself. In regards to Parra stadium not having a full crowd since 2007, that's wrong. 2012, Round 8, Parramatta vs West Tigers: attendance 19,654. 2012 Round 2, Wanderers vs Sydney FC: attendance 19,126. I support both League and A-League so I know a lot about both. I'm not trying to make NRL sound better, I'm being realistic.
mahonjt
Guest
Welsome to Football Sydney. Its terrific isnt it?
Ken
Guest
Umm...Dave? I think you need to look at things in perspective. Have a think about it and if you still can't figure it out let me know and I'll paint a picture for you.
mahonjt
Guest
Agree absolutely!
Towser
Guest
kellett_1992 Regarding the Premiers Plate & ACL qualification, its tiresome ,you are right ,if football writers have no respect for the correct monikers given to the 2 distinct & equally important titles in the A-League,who does.
striker
Guest
Without a successfull Sydney teams like there is now the A-League would never reach its potential, Melbourne Victory may have the biggest support base but you can see what the two sydney teams have done in bringing the A-League into being a major code, the sydney derby has taken alot of the back pages normaly saturated with league in sydney and is now the hottest ticket in town along with the NRL grand final.