The A-League has come of age. Tomorrow’s derby at a sold-out Parramatta Stadium is perhaps the most anticipated domestic fixture in Sydney since the competition began in 2005.
I was there the evening Sydney hosted its first ever A-League match, when ‘All-Night Dwight’ lit up the Sydney Football Stadium before one of the competition’s best-ever players in Archie Thompson equalised.
Having grown up in the Hills District and spent a fair amount of my early adulthood in nearby Parramatta, I never felt like Sydney FC was anything but the club for me.
I listened to a lot of local punk bands at the time – still do, in fact – in an era when bands with strong western Sydney roots like Last Nerve, Strength Within and Means To An End were dominating the local scene.
I still remember picking up Last Nerve’s eponymous 7-inch EP and being surprised to see the Sydney Harbour Bridge on the cover, because to me those bands always represented the deep-seated sense of alienation at growing up in western Sydney.
Those bands are all long gone – replaced in the perpetually churning cycle of Australian punk music – but many of the main protagonists are still kicking on.
Likewise the addition of the Wanderers has changed the dynamic of the A-League for many football fans in Sydney.
“Geographically and by my own set of rules, I’m now a Wanderers fan but my heart is yet to be won over,” former Last Nerve and current Vigilante vocalist Dave Immerz told me.
Immerz, once a Sydney FC fan and a man of strong convictions – a quarter of the pre-order proceeds from Vigilante’s debut album “Quality Of Life” were donated to Sydney homeless shelter The Station Limited – is not an easily persuaded figure.
His dilemma is echoed by ex-Strength Within guitarist and current Boneless bassist Matt Sourdin, who is still agonising over which club to support.
“Having grown up in the western suburbs of Sydney, and playing for nearly 10 years for my local club, I was absolutely stoked when the A-League began and I had a team to barrack for – Sydney FC,” Sourdin said.
“They were my local team and growing up amongst a European family, tradition stated that there was only one option when barracking for a team – the team representing your home town.”
As a Sydney FC fan, it’s a sentiment I appreciate. You can change your wife, as far as I’m concerned, but you can never change your football club.
But for Sourdin, who grew up in Werrington and still calls the harbour city home, it’s a difficult decision to make.
“Questions of loyalty to my beloved Sydney FC seemed to start arising as I saw a lot of my close childhood friends switch immediately to their new found ‘home team’ the Wanderers,” he explained.
“I never questioned their decision, as it really is a sport that gets you involved in your community and your town, but I wasn’t so sure. I couldn’t just drop what I had built and invested into my team, could I?”
For Immerz, who has seen plenty of false dawns in more than 20 years of attending domestic fixtures, his allegiance to the Sky Blues wasn’t quite so steadfast.
“Sydney FC is constantly changing, as expected to a degree, but not (to the extent of) eight coaches in nine seasons and a rotating chief executive position,” he said.
That’s not to say he’s become a Parramatta Stadium regular, instead observing the Wanderers warily from a distance.
“Once bitten, twice shy is my reluctance to dive in with the Wanderers,” he said. “I also want to see what they do for the fans.”
Plenty of fans have already jumped on the bandwagon, though I’m certainly not one of them.
I’ll be in the away stand supporting the Sky Blues on Saturday, just one of many football lovers from western Sydney somewhat bemused by the emergence of a wonderful club that will simply never represent me.
Football Nation
Guest
You a have to give them time the area is still new to football... And football is the only sport at can survive up there as there population is small and a league clubs have less costs than other sports..... But if there is one thing the swans prove ,,, you have to support you expansion clubs long term... Then the pay great benefits....you,ve got to admire the Marinators....
kylesy sky blues fan
Guest
Which is ludicrous, because for anyone living over here in the North-West (I live near Epping) it's 40min in good traffic, then you have to park if you can without getting a ticket... Would be a disaster imo. Chatswood Oval would be perfect, but as you said no chance.
Matthew Skellett
Guest
It's also an incentive for the club to ensure a consistent quality product is before the fans no one expects to win all the time but consistency is a great magnet for growth aye any level
Matthew Skellett
Guest
Well actually it's an example of the power of the fan why should a member of the public pay hard-earned money to watch mediocre /craptacular play? on a consistent basis(*I'm not talking about one or two games)Why does the average fan have to put up with bad entertainment for the sake of mis placed loyalty? If you go to a concert and the performance for some reason is bad you walk out and or /boo and throw things if you go to a movie that turns out not what you imagined you walk out if you get a bad meal at a restaurant you refuse to pay and complain so why is it any different for your sports team? People change loyalties, religion, their minds, their attitudes, their lives all the time why is change so frightening?
Football United
Guest
This, that's absolutely pathetic. Melbourne Victory were dead set awful from the late days of ernie till Ange, yet you don't hear of people crossing over to heart because of this.
Steggz
Guest
And it's this flakiness that gives Sydney sports fans such a bad reputation: "my team didn't play that good, so I'm gonna find someone else to support"
Matthew Skellett
Guest
I have to tell you guys that I was a SFC fan for quite a while until they made such a dismal showing in the ACL (played crap actually) and subsequently became less than mediocre in the A-League itself -I became enamoured with the Wanderers not only because of the RBB and their passion for the club but also the bright positive football style they play -HersI and Ono have been revelations to me from the wider world if global football-they are truly gifted players and long may the Wanderers unbeaten run continue ;-)
yewonk
Guest
so what your saying is buy full membership?
Griffo
Roar Guru
It's interesting what you say about Sydney clipper. From my own experience I'd say Sydney may have changed somewhat over the past few generations. My father was born in Sydney and because of the area he was born and raised in it was South Sydney for league, and later when he was old enough, played for Randwick. Supporting some other team was not on. Even though I was born and raised in Sydney only a few short years before moving elsewhere, it was picked up from my father's sense supporting the community you were born in that I had a soft spot for Cronulla Sharks. Although we later moved and settled in Newcastle, my father always was Rabbitohs first, Knights a close second. I'd lost interest in league by my teens but was always good to hear the Knights win. I still remember how weird it was though hearing some of my mates as kids choosing a league team solely because they were winning - you can pick roughly when they started following that sport by whether they were Eels, Manly or Bulldogs fans. Use to rip them off but really, there was no team representing where we lived at the time.
Realfootball
Guest
Great lineup this year, but no. I don't mind football crowds - I love the theatre of football - but in other contexts I avoid large milling groups of people. Occupational hazard of writing - you spend probably more time alone than is healthy. Please don't misunderstand me - I am over the moon that CCM are alive and well. Mainly I'm puzzled by the uneven support and the reasons for it. Perhaps it is just time - that it will take a generation, time for these kids to grow up, to rust the Mariners on to the local culture. I have great affection for the Coast. As a young surfer I spent a lot time surfing at Avoca, where a mate of mine had a place on the beach. Beautiful part of world, and if I didn't live up here, I'd be down there with you.
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
The CEO of WSW told a Sports Business forum last night that the key to WSW's off-field success has been listening to what fans want and he said fans have told them they do not want any WSW home matches moved from Parramatta Stadium.
yewonk
Guest
this game should have been moved anz somehow
yewonk
Guest
this game should have been moved anz somehow
AVictory
Guest
The police are doing the bids ;)
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
jb Not sure if your analysis has unearthed these little gems about MVFC's 2012/13 crowds 1. Docklands: MVFC average crowds were the 2nd highest season average for this venue. The highest season average at Docklands was in 2007/08 & declined each year until the finally increased last season & we now have a further rise this season. Note: Neither ARP, nor Ono, nor Heskey visited Docklands .. perhaps, we'd have achieved a record average if all 3 had? 2. AAMI Park: With 1 game to play, MVFC will record its highest season average for AAMI Park. Each year the season average for this venue had increased. At a recent forum, MVFC's CEO (Richard Wilson) mentioned MVFC is actively searching for suitable land. The vision is to create top class training facilities & a 40k MVFC home stadium. Exciting times.
Timber Tim
Guest
In Hindsight yes Western Sydney should have had a club from the beginning but these 7 years without an A-League club have been the biggest blessing in disguise for Western Sydney's A-league team. If you had a club from the beginning chances were high you wouldn't wear red and black, wouldn't be called the wanderers, wouldn't be playing out of parramatta and possibly would have had a incompetent owner. While all markets are equally important western sydney was a market the FFA could ill-afford to stuff up. It took the failures of NZ Knights, North Queensland Fury and Gold Coast United to open their eyes plus allow Sydney FC to established themselves at least 5 years. Mike Tuckerman as a follow up article it would be nice if we could get some word from Ian Rowden and co from the still born Sydney Rovers and former potential owners of having a Western Sydney team in the past to see how they feel about the wanderers now or whether they still hold hard feelings towards the FFA?
Ian
Guest
Jbinnie, now that's a good stat. if i may indulge in hidden, or not so hidden reasons - Sydney - you've mentioned (i think or maybe Towser) before on AdP having an influence on crowds such as Brisbane getting close to 23,000 against Sydney. This was a special crowd. Are all of Sydney's home crowds 'special' because of AdP? also a team with a good prospect of playing finals who have recently recruited a Socceroos captain - can't put a figure on if Lucas gets more bums on seats. WSW - a new team representing over 2 million people on top of the table........are these higher crowds than what anyone can predict would be normal if they weren't flying high in 1st place? Melbourne MV - top 3/4 most of the season. played good football (leaving out some games at the beginning and most recently in terms of results). Supercoach employed. seemingly entrenched supporter base. higher average crowd than last year certainly. Heart - very strong record at home this year until last 2 games. Throw in 3 large crowds for derbies for Melbourne total. Result - 1 - the FFA gods intervened and created circumstances to make the Melbourne and Sydney home crowd averages so close. 2 - one of those funny old coincidences.
oly09
Guest
Hopefully it's just some football fans putting in fake bids, so the person gets nothing for them.
Punter
Guest
Don't get Tim Prentice going again (Bears colors).
clipper
Guest
Sydney very much runs along geographic and demo graphical lines - more so than most other cities in Australia, especially the southern ones. Thus, a snapshot of sports fans in Blacktown or Waterloo where league and channel 9 are king will be completely different to ones from Surry Hills or Rose Bay who will follow a range of sports and will have a higher percentage watching ABC. Although Football would have a pretty even spread over these disparate areas, and the popularity is increasing out west, which is something that Rugby and AFL struggle with. I do fear that the strong emotional attachment to your towns team in the UK will diminish over the years as the stranglehold of dollars stays in just a few clubs and the sense of community lessens as chav culture increases.