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What a season awaits us in the A-League, where I can see the final six being determined in the last round. It begins what is shaping as a mouth-watering period for football in Australia.
In David Gallop finally football has an administrator who understands how to promote the A-League and how to build the Socceroos brand.
Every team seems stronger and better prepared. SBS live on Friday night. Socceroos friendly matches to be played in the lead up to the 2014 World Cup.
Many A-League clubs of plenty of reasons to be optimistic.
Adelaide have a very interesting new coach with two Spanish imports.
Perth Glory have the wonder kid Daniel De Silva, along with a new coach.
Western Sydney Wanderers have strengthened from last year. Heart have signed Harry Kewell among others.
Reports emerging from Sydney FC of technical developments, playing systems is just plan scary given their squad.
The Jets have a bunch of kids, some of whom look like future Socceroos.
Victory is developing and in its second year of Ange Postecoglou. The Mariners are as always rebuilding. The Nix are also re-building under a new coach, as are the Roar.
The East Asian games, now we are also a full member of ASEAN we can maybe have an A-League squad play almost locally in meaningful matches.
Then we have the World Cup, another start to the A-League, then the Asian Cup, finish off the A-League season.
Not forgetting the W-League and women’s and youth internationals.
What a mouth-watering 18 months we have ahead of us. Many questions spring to mind, will the crowds grow, will the TV ratings increase, will the online traffic increase?
All could decrease. The naysayers and the over-hypers will do battle over what each statistical measurement means to the long term.
My own prediction for what it’s worth is Sydney FC and Western Sydney Wanderers will attract a lot of media.
Sydney is where all most media companies have their head offices. Melbourne is where the free-to-air stations have their sports departments centred.
If Heart and the Victory, especially Heart can generate reasonable crowds, then football will start to break through the Melbourne media as well.
So for what it’s worth I predict our best year ever, in every respect. Long gone are the memories of Clive Palmer and Nathan Tinkler.
How do the Roarers see their teams going and the season ahead?
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