Fewer moments are more powerful than a rendition of You’ll Never Walk Alone, the anthem of Liverpool Football Club. I was lucky enough to experience this with over 95,000 others at the Melbourne Cricket Ground last week.
Add to this the 83,000 who were privileged to see Manchester United play in Sydney only days before and you will see Australians have a healthy appetite for football.
Liverpool and Manchester United are two of the world’s biggest clubs and to see them in Australia within the space of a week is any football fan’s dream.
But now the planes have left the tarmac and names like Gerrard, Giggs, Van Persie and Suarez bid us farewell. We should ask, what is next for the game in this country?
The phrase ‘Eurosnob’ is thrown around. myself I’m not a fan of that slang term and think it puts a further divide between those who use it and those who passionately follow European football.
I see it as those who want to watch the best available players plying their trade in some of the biggest leagues in the world. Am I a ‘USA snob’ because I choose to watch the NBA over the NBL?
I think not.
My question is how do we attract those who attended the two exhibition matches and choose not to attend the A-League. That is where the game will grow and continue to move forward.
These fans need to identify with either a team or individual player they can relate to, who can exude the same passion from them as their ‘local’ team 12,000 kilometres away.
Whether it be the grace of a Del Piero, the never say die attitude of Jacob Burns or the untapped potential of a Mitchell Duke only the supporter can provide the answer.
Non A-League fans need to realise the game has made some great improvements over the last eight seasons, and will further improve in the future.
Sure it will never meet the standards of the bigger leagues in Europe (hey Chippers) but this is our local league and we need to engage all football fans.
For those who say “I’ve been once and didn’t enjoy it” give it another go, and choose your game wisely.
Choose a game against a local rival, or when a particular player is in town. Be smart about your choices, and you will be rewarded.
Don’t attend a game where you don’t have an interest in, take your kids to see how Socceroos stars Archie Thompson or Dario Vidosic go about their business, or see the brilliance of Shinji Ono or Emile Heskey.
Those without the luxury item that is Foxtel, tune into SBS on a Friday night this season.
For years Les Murray and the team have treated football fans to some great moments, and free-to-air coverage of the A-League can only add to this. As the tagline says “football is coming home”.
When the league first was announced I’ll put my hand up and say I failed to identify with it.
I had more interest in what was going on at 3pm London time than that 10 kilometres down the road, but over time I managed to find identify with my local league and haven’t looked back.
I’m not asking you to go every week, just choose a few games to attend or watch throughout the season and give the league another chance, you won’t be disappointed.
Hopefully I’ll see some of you in the stands.
Benched
Guest
1stly, I think Eurosnob is an apt term. It's directed at those who not only choose to watch Euro leagues and not A League, but then duly bash the quality of the A League. Now, Stavros, open your mind. Man Utd were always going to flog a team put together 5 days earlier. Something for Gallop to consider. In the NRL, the Allstars concept works because both teams have been put together on short notice. I can't see the same mistake happening and I think most people realise the situation. 2ndly, I thought Victory played extremely well and showed how far Liverpool have to go before they will challenge for silverware again. Victory, minus 3 regular 1st team players and fielding half a team under the age of 21, did the A League and Australia proud. As for a jetlagged Liverpool, they'd flown in from Thailand and had been here a week prior to the match. Hardly strenuous. If people weren't moved by the atmosphere at the MCG then they probably deserve to stay watching AFL or NRL and stick to the "insert team name clapclapclap" atmosphere.
Stavros
Guest
Lets face it, these exhibition matches did nothing to enhance the A League. Man Utd thrashed the All-Stars (misnomer if ever I have heard it), and then a jet-lagged Liverpool strolled to a 2-0 win against Australia's biggest club. Why would anyone go and watch the A League after performances like that?
Vas Venkatramani
Guest
I don't understand any sense of despondency regarding the A-League. As the author rightly notes, Australians have a genuine interest in football given the Man U and Liverpool games, as well as sold out crowds for the Socceroos in Melbourne and Sydney only in June. Football's biggest strength is its global appeal, and it cannot be regarded as a weakness when people compare it to the EPL, Serie A, La Liga or the Bundesliga. That is the pathway in which the very elite play, and that is a sense of aspiration that players are attracted to, and that current fans of the A-League wish to one day see their competition strive to be (whether that occurs is another matter). So if Australians shun the A-League because it's not the quality of the European leagues, then it is something we must just cop for now. The fact is that match attendances, TV viewership and club memberships are rising in all the key markets in the A-League. The FFA's bid for the World Cup aside, the FFA have done well to promote small incremental growth in the game without creating overexpectation and underdelivery. The key for the A-League is to have a combination of recruiting high profile international stars to the league while at the same time creating home grown talent that have the potential to one day play at a top European club. This is how the league will grow. Combine the fact that cricket, rugby league and rugby union are all stagnating, I can easily envisage a day that Aussie Rules and football will be the big two sports in this country.
HardcorePrawn
Roar Guru
We watched it for the very reason I stated in my comment: It's skilful and technical, things our own league (I'm English) was lacking. It should also be noted that in the early days of the Premier League live football on FTA was restricted to the occasional FA Cup match, a live game and highlights of all other Serie A matches every Sunday, and a live game from Division One (England's second tier). Great if you followed Grimsby Town, Brentford, Wolverhampton Wanderers, or in my case Sunderland, not so good for everyone else. If you wanted to watch a decent match on TV, and didn't have Sky (as so few did back then), then it would be Serie A or a game like a Stoke-Port Vale derby most weeks. I'm not for a moment denigrating Italian football, just saying that I considered English football to be the more entertaining at that time. Whether that was from inept defending, a larger amount of shots on target, the beginning of the disparity between the wealthy clubs and poor, or just from the hit & hope tactics that some clubs employed, I don't know. Oh, and lay off the name-calling please, Not that I would ever do such a thing, but I'm sure you wouldn't appreciate it if this Pom were to do the same to you. We're both Europeans after all.
Mazzalenko
Guest
Well what did the punters on Channel 4 watch the Serie A for back then Hardcore Pawn? I dont want to get into the same argument but ok maybe Gascoine @ Lazio & Ince @ Sampdoria in the early 90's and Hadley @ Milan & Rush @ Juve or David Platt @Sampdoria in the 80's are probably the main reasons. These days the Eurosnobs mentality (Yes I will use that term as its apt) is the EPL this and EPL that and to hell with every other league. The 'pommysnobs' will all shove down our throats that EPL is better than Serie A because their ignorant brain will have a chip in there that tells them every time Serie A is mentioned you link it to the words 'boring' and 'defensive'. Irony is of course they would not have hardly watched a minute of any Serie A game. Sure there is end to end action in EPL yet how many goals in that league are scored due to inept defending I wonder? For me Serie A is still one of the best leagues on earth and it aint going anywhere anytime soon regardless of the amount of articles that are written (mainly by poms) of its supposed demise!
HardcorePrawn
Roar Guru
I don't wish to get into a 'my league is better than yours' argument, but while the standard of football in the English PL was never up there with Serie A in those days, I'd say that it was definitely the more entertaining of the two leagues. Live Serie A matches used to be broadcast on the UK's Channel 4 back then, and I don't think many that watched it would claim they tuned it for end-to-end action and goals galore. It was often like watching a chess match: very skilful and technical, but often quite slow and ponderous.
gurudoright
Guest
What I would like to see happen would be another Sydney Football Festival type of thing from a few years ago. Sydney Fc hosted Glasgow Rangers, Blackburn Rovers and AEK Athens. I would like to see Sydney host Sydney FC, West Sydney Wanderers, and two other European/Sth America teams in a annual tournament to start the season. Melbourne could do the same thing with the Victory and Heart and a AEK or Olypmiaios type of team and a european or Sth America eam
Towser
Guest
This is from memory Jukes remember so could be off a bit, but the figures were stark, so stuck in my mind as they confirmed my own thoughts at the time. if you add the 30% combo NSL/Overseas that makes 40% interest. Still on the wrong side of the ledger admittedly ,but better than 10%. LIke yourself though have wondered about current day figures. Let me add its not for want of trying,always been on the lookout for them(as I feel there quite important stats in measuring the domestic games health) ,but so far no luck.
Jukes
Guest
A Sweeney report around 2001 showed that only 10% of football fans followed the NSL,30% followed the NSL & Overseas equally(my category) & 60% followed overseas only Those are some low numbers for the old NSL Towser, I would be interested to know what the figures are these days. I have no doubt that people following the A-league has increased from the 10% and 30% participation criteria that you mentioned above. The period from 2001-2013 is a time when the EPL has gone through an amazing growth period around the world. I would hope that at least those figures now would be reversed with 60% following the A-league, but I have no idea.
nachos supreme
Guest
Subjective is right. In the 90's the "premier league" was anything but. The true snob followed Serie A. EPL was like watching chooks with their heads cut off.....still is now I think about it.
Towser
Guest
Key lines hardsy ,I've switched the order around. "When the league first was announced I’ll put my hand up and say I failed to identify with it." Understandable we(football fans ) were all skeptical at first given the past history of the game in Australia. Understandable also that for non fans of the NSL,which was most football fans, overseas is where they got their fix. People need to be reminded of this before slagging off Eurosnobs. A Sweeney report around 2001 showed that only 10% of football fans followed the NSL,30% followed the NSL & Overseas equally(my category) & 60% followed overseas only. Worth remembering those figures from 12 years ago to put some perspective on the Euro/Local magnet pull. "For those who say “I’ve been once and didn’t enjoy it” give it another go, and choose your game wisely." If you went to any game up to 5 years ago as a Eurofan(better name IMO than the divisive Euro snob because not all are hardcore ie A-League = Matt Simon eating pie n chips, Europe =Chippers types eating caviar) you could possibly have come away from many matches with the above thought in mind. I know this because I heard the comments inside Suncorp during & match & outside Suncorp leaving the match & on the way home. Ange for me raised the bar kicked off the change ,not just at the Roar ,but throughout the A-League. So yer I also say have another crack at returning ,but like hardsy says "Choose your game wisely" if you like at first. IMO only the hardcore Eurofan will still find fault in season 9 & you aint ever going to change the Hardcore Henry's of this world no matter what.
Jukes
Guest
The Euro snob term is still valid and yes there are plenty of them. I feel for those football fans who want to follow an A-league club and cant identify with a team in Australia. A lot of people can still take an interest in the A league. I dont have a problem with people supporting a Euro team especially if they support an A-league team. What drives me crazy is when people support teams from Europe and at the same time deride the A-league and its players, "Oh its a rubbish league", "Its not the EPL" etc etc etc. At what point in the A-league will Euro snobs be satisfied with the standard of play, the quality of players they watch every week. What is the best is also very subjective. Take your pick, is it the Bundesliga, La Liga or the EPL. There are positives and negatives to every league. I can say with absolute confidence we have a terrific league. The comp is even, the matches competitive, teams and coaches are now tactically more aware, lots of attacking football with heaps of goals, atmosphere at games is second to none. The football played is mostly in the right spirit ie not much time wasting, simulation, positive football. There are also some negatives, the season itself is too short, the salary cap can be restrictive but it serves a purpose, there are only 10 teams, security and policing still heavy handed, media reporting of minor issues get blown up out of proportion, the disconnect between NSL and A-league still hasnt been rectified, small but troublesome hooligan element that we dont want or need. If your an exclusive Euro fan then at least tune in to SBS2 on a Friday evening to catch a few A-league games. I dont think it will interfere with your EPL schedule.
whiskeymac
Guest
Local comp trumps my older football following, although I still retain an interest on arsenal my focus is the mariners and the Hal. Hal Football offers me to pursue locally what I used to follow globally and to that end other comps now are of less concern. I know others share these sentiments but I will add it's not the only way to enjoy the game. And nor should it be. As thehHal grows and the standards rise and money increases it would be nice to see more money on grassroots and advertising to support and market the local scene. The best move in recent events for me is gallop. He can provide the skills to bring the game to that next level of community consciosness which will swell the crowds.