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Unless you’re addicted to Big Brother and don’t have IQ on your telly, finding an A-League match on your screens last night was quite the treat.
Although it’s a reminder for the rest of Australia that the lucky folk in Melbourne get more than five minutes off work for today’s big race, four days of A-League in a row is something to savour.
The last three weeks – maybe more- haven’t been quite the spectacle we’re accustomed to (I’m looking at you Newcastle and Melbourne Heart), but there is no denying another night and day absorbed in A-League can only be a good thing.
The newspapers are a tad too occupied with the Melbourne Cup to give last night’s Victory win the world of attention, but it’s in there nonetheless.
Usually, the A-League wash-up fills Monday’s papers and Tuesday can often be dormant if there are no major announcements.
An easy fix – make Monday night football a regular fixture.
These games in recent years have had an advantage in that they were either on a public holiday or the day before one, but there is a great case to test the waters on another Monday night this season and get a better gauge of its success.
Last year’s Victory-Phoenix clash attracted a crowd in excess of 20,000 and they were treated to a spectacle via, lest we forget, Marco Rojas.
It was a similar scene last night, this time with James Troisi as the Rojas figure.
A 3-2 win in Kevin Muscat’s debut was surely enough to get the viewer numbers up. After all, numbers seem to count for everything these days.
There were a number of Monday matches in the 2010/11 season, with the 12,000-strong crowd Newcastle drew for their win over Sydney FC the pick of the bunch.
Regardless of the other matches, the A-League is in a much stronger position now and average numbers are up all over the place.
It’s hard to see a regular Monday fixture having just 1,000 people roll through the gate, as happened for Gold Coast’s 0-0 draw with Perth on January 3, 2011.
It would be heinous to stage a high profile match on a Monday – scratch the Sydney derby, Melbourne derby, F3 derby et al. – but it is plausible to have one, most likely the ‘least significant’ game, on this day each week.
While comparisons with rugby league are oft avoided to keep the ‘code war’ protagonists at bay, it’s the NRL’s example that offers most optimism for the A-League to consider change.
Monday night rugby league has been a successful addition since its return in 2007, putting rugby league on the back pages for much of the week.
Having Thursday night games was a bit of a stretch and was cut early on last season, but Monday night matches have developed a piece of viewing pleasure.
Perhaps it’s one thing still coursing through Mr Gallop’s veins?
Ditto American ‘football’. The NFL thrives on its non-weekend matches, and those games go for hours… and hours.
Like any argument, there are down sides to this one, but a game that is constantly evolving can only progress by taking risks.
This is something of a safe risk and should yield more than it sacrifices.
Bring the kick-off time forward to 7pm to dispel the school night debate and we could have a deal.
While you might not see the sell-out blockbusters of a Saturday night match, the viewing public will soon be glued to the box on a Monday.
Fingers crossed for a repeat of last night’s goal-fest.
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