On the back of a sold out and incredible first edition of the Sydney Derby for this season, yesterday both the remaining Sydney Derbies sold out in a matter of minutes.
With only a few thousand tickets left due to the Wanderers’ incredible season ticket holder numbers, tickets were in incredibly high demand.
Sydney FC fans took to social media to express frustrations at their allocation of tickets for away support was so small, but due to season ticket numbers, there was simply no other option.
Given the success, and the fact the Sydney Derby is now a guaranteed sell out, I think it is time to take the fixture to ANZ Stadium from next season onwards.
In the past I have been against clubs taking games to ANZ, such as the Swans’ recent AFL finals fixtures, and I was extremely happy to hear the Wanderers decided to keep their ACL home game at Wanderland.
The Sydney Derby, however, is a completely different beast.
The fact that there are three derbies each season makes it incredibly easy to move the third game to the Olympic Stadium.
Allianz Stadium would then host one fixture, with Pirtek Stadium hosting the second. The third would take place at the 82,000 seat stadium and would allow for a record A-League crowd.
Surely both teams could work out a profit share and ticket allocation. If I had to make a decision today I’d say allocate both sets of fans exactly half the amount of tickets as they do for the FA Cup final in Wembley.
Split it right down the middle. One half of the stadium would be red and black, the other would be sky blue.
I have no doubt at all the crowd would surpass 50,000 supporters. In a few years time, if both sides continue to grow, it’s not unlikely that the game could sell out.
In terms of profit share, next season’s lion share should go to Sydney FC as it would technically be their turn to host two derbies. From then on in, 50-50 split.
If one team fails to sell their allocation of tickets with a week or two to go, they become fair game for opposition supporters. Fans would absolutely revel in the fact their supporters encroach on enemy territory.
Now I’m well aware that ANZ Stadium is situated in Western Sydney, and some would refer to it as an unfair advantage to play a second game out west every season.
I’d argue that South Sydney went ok this year, playing all of their home games west of their traditional home of Southern Sydney.
The atmosphere at both Allianz and Pirtek for the derbies has been absolutely incredible. Can you imagine adding potentially more than 30,000 to that noise?
You could play the Sydney Derby out of any stadium in the city and it would still be a marvellous occasion.
Let’s allow it to shine to its fullest potential by moving one game next season, even as a trial, to the biggest stadium available.
Da`
Roar Rookie
Perhaps trialing the third game at ANZ as a once off would be wise. Whilst insufficient crowds at ANZ would be a negative, hosting it there as a once-off would enable evaluation of three options: 1) The status quo 2) The proposed option of 1 home, 1 away, 1 neutral 3) Similar to Origin, a 3-year cycle of 2 home, 1 away; 1 home, 2 away; 1 home, 1 away, 1 neutral This last option would enable a blockbuster game once every three years, whilst keeping the impact on home grounds quite minimal.
rmc
Guest
The football heart of Sydney (and perhaps Australia) is Western Sydney. We deserve a 40k football-only stadium in Parramatta, and a football museum attached to it at the Old Kings School across the road, where the home of the original Wanderers played Kings in the first pro football match in our nation's history. Forget Homebush. It's an honour for SFC and their fans to be in Parra, and pay homage to sacred football soil, where champions of Asia are made.
MikeD
Guest
good thing after reading posts by wsw fans on here, is that i still feel as if SFC hasn't truely clicked it..in terms of engagement with the rest of Sydney and its target area. So much room to grow... and even then look at the avg crowds, sponsorship lvls, corporate brand. Fair enough west area has jumped on board really well with wsw, but when the "east" or rest of sydney gets behind SFC truely. then we'll be in business.
Knightblues
Guest
its nobodys home ground!!!
P budd
Guest
Wow, first up many thanks for all the contributions and the passion for the subject set down in print by so many people. It has been a very entertaining read on the subject and although it occasionally deteriorates into a kind of "let's bash" on the whole there are plenty of well reasoned arguments but best of all, passion and after all, that is what makes local derby games more exciting than most. When the early meetings for the formation of WSW took place, I was part of the group that argued partly for Parramatta but also for playing in stadiums where even if they were half empty, the atmosphere was going to be maintained and the ground felt half full, not half empty so to speak. Parramatta fits the bill very well overall. Whilst there will always be huge demands for tickets for Derby games, the same cannot be said for all fixtures and the one area that has puzzled many of us during the first two seasons is why so many empty seats when sold out" signs have gone up at the ground? When Sydney FC were going through lean times and crowds were falling away it was depressing to watch the television with the cameras pointing directly at banks of empty seats. 8000 people in a stadium that holds 45000 does not make good viewing, nor a good atmosphere. So ticket allocation is important, buy back schemes and trying to ensure that all opportunities are taken to put "bums on seats" maybe even hold special event areas at various locations where fans can meet to watch the game on large screens as per the World Cup or the AFC final a few weeks back. That would be a better solution than just turning fans away. However, on the ANZ front, I am firmly in the "not a fan" whatsoever and if a game was switched there, I will not be attending and that includes semi finals and finals. Vote with your feet. It is a horrible venue to watch football, so don't support it. I have access to halfway line tickets too but it won't make any difference...No to ANZ.
Matthew Skellett
Guest
I was at ANZ for that Socceroos WCQ game against Uruguay and when we won the sound was incredible - no one complained about the "Atmosphere" that night -I think someone just got on the negative bandwagon about ANZ and it has never let up since-Like many famous or re-told stories paraded as facts (notably biblical accounts)-most if not all turn out to be popular myths with no factual basis . I have been to ANZ for quite a few events and I love the carnival, easter-show -like atmosphere about it with the grande avenue, wide spaces , clean toilets, multiple food stalls, the flowing beer sales and the bands playing -I think a Sydney Derby Game would be great (SFC's turn to be "host" of course ;-) ) -we would finally get to see how many we can jam in to a game these heady days :-)
Jack Russell
Roar Guru
Only on the roar could an article about an A-League game being at ANZ stadium turn into AFL bashing.
alicesprings
Guest
I can't see it becoming rectangular..it would be cheaper to build a 40k seat stadium from scratch. The other sticking point is the very ordinary stadium deal that the swans have with the SCG. If they could sort that out i think the AFL/Swans would give up their three games at ANZ.
josh
Guest
At the end of the day you walked out on your own team.
josh
Guest
You brought the Manuka Midgets into this not me.
Hung
Guest
I am sure we lost a fair few crowd after this game. If you haven't seen our lowest crowd capacity was just after this game at about 6500. We grew our memberships ourselves. ADP did to bring success to WSW. It brought success to sfc. In case you are too blind to see.
Hung
Guest
You haven't really been following politics much lately have you? NSW don't want to upgrade any more suburban ground. . They want to focus on anz and sfs. Third option is a new stadium out west somewhere they haven't got a clue. By moving our home games from parra will allow government to keep knocking back No proposal to upgrade by forcing us to move our home ground instead .
Tim
Guest
I guess it depends where you are sitting, the past two GF i have been behind the tryline, sorta in the corner. The atmosphere really doesn't reach there. I have sat in the middle for an origin and the atmospher is pretty good. Nothing compared to the sfs or suncorp atmosphere though. After the kickoff in the GF this year, the crowd went pretty quiet. That could just be league fans though. Soccer fans are a lot more vocal and it might work, but I doubt it.
Woodo
Guest
They didn't really have the same opportunities as WSW when they were setting up though. Wanderers did an amazing job at engaging the football community from inception but they had the advantage being able to go straight into a well-established league that could guide them with the gift of hindsight. If WSW had come in from day one things would probably been a fair bit different. SFC didn't have the same chance, most of the clubs didn't, those first few years were mainly about feeling out the right way to set up a club and pushing doodie uphill to gain acceptance. I wish some people would keep that in mind.
Woodo
Guest
Possibly because it's less than half the size... ?
Gareth
Guest
Round 1 Attendance = >25 000 Good luck.
Aethelbert
Guest
Standing up for a fellow fan being ejected is a joke? Only your twisted mind could come up with that. We walked out because we weren't being allowed to express our opinions and we did it knowing hateful little people like you would try and bend the truth. You honestly wouldn't do the same for a fellow fan being unfairly treated? I think we've found our joke here. Honestly think before you talk, so you don't get burned by everyone from real football fans to AFL fans. Dismissed go find someone else to pester little man.
josh
Guest
No but 18,000 turned up on a Wednesday night to an ACL final. Hopefully one day you might get the fact that we simply don't care about missing out on the FFA cup.
josh
Guest
I thought people who walk out on their own team are more of a joke tbh
Da Lawyah
Guest
We were too busy winning the Asian champions league in front of sell out crowds to care. . .