Whilst our recent footballing attentions have been focused on sacked coaches and the humanitarian struggle to #SaveHakeem, the A-League has continued to throw up some amazing matches, situations and statistics.
Friday night provided all three when eight goals were scored at Central Coast Stadium. The Roar scored five of them.
Two Mariners managed to draw the ire of Stephen Lucas, thus ending their evenings slightly earlier than expected and the home side’s season points tally remains in single figures.
Those seven measly points earned by the Mariners are a downright embarrassment to the club, its players and the A-League itself.
I wish no ill-will towards the men in yellow, however a combination of failed signings, blown leads and a terrible defence have all combined to produce what potentially, could be the worst overall season of any A-League club in history.
Matt Simon of the Mariners places the ball for a penalty shot (AAP Image/Darren Pateman)
As the talk of the town in the pre-season, with Usain Bolt lurking about and chasing a dream that left him as quickly as it appeared, the Mariners had great hopes for 2018-19.
The club took a revolving door approach to recruitment at the end of the previous season but in retrospect, most of the decisions now look questionable.
The foreign signings of Kalifa Cisse and Ross McCormack bore no fruit and rather pointedly, the most consistent and dangerous player in the Central Coast squad has been an ex-NPL, dive bomber down the right, in the form of Matthew Millar.
For full context, it is important to remember that Millar had a grand total of four A-League matches under his belt prior to this season.
Just five days prior to the Friday night chaos on the Central Coast, the one millionth A-League patron slipped through the gates when Perth Glory took on Brisbane Roar in the west.
Attendance has remained remarkably steady over the last two seasons with 10,816 people managing to find their way to the average A-League match thus far in 2018-19; a figure down one per cent on the previous season.
While those numbers would fail to knock the socks from anyone’s feet, there are some positives.
The Phoenix have hit the heights, adding around 3,300 to their season average as their Mark Rudan-inspired rejuvenation continues.
The 23,648 fans who made it to Eden Park in Auckland when the Phoenix took on the Victory was the pinnacle thus far and reminded us all of just how poorly executed the New Zealand Knights’ adventure was. And thus, the notion of a Kiwi derby is raised once again.
I’d love to see it, but will not be holding my breath.
In spite of a nomadic lifestyle and some pre-season doomsday predictions, Sydney FC’s crowds have been impressive.
Their average of 14,833 is almost bang on the figure from last season and Perth Glory’s recent home crowds have been impressive, as their team moves ever closer to a Premier’s Plate and a possible A-League Championship.
Perth Glory fans celebrate. (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)
If the FFA could just locate the 9,000 people who appear to have ditched the Wanderers since the 2016-17 season and offer cash handouts to keep Mariners’ fans interested, the crowd data could actually be spun quite positively.
Despite the commonly held belief that the rather unfortunately named ‘Big Bash’ would make life very difficult for the A-League, it is an over-saturated cricket calendar that is causing headaches for the suits at the helm.
While football has well and truly kept its head above water the same cannot be said for the ‘Bash’, with a 23 per cent drop in attendance this season which comes on the back of a 12 per cent loss the season prior. What once appeared a threat, now looks more like the cheap gimmick for which it has been exposed.
With expansion on the horizon and the Wanderers taking the keys to their new home, there are some hopeful developments.
In reality, we have had a damaged Roar and a busted Wanderers for two seasons now and any resurgence in those two key markets will have a positive influence on A-League attendances.
Along with a Phoenix team inspiring pride and passion, there are signs that the league may soon have a bumper season of attendance, if and when Brisbane and Western Sydney do get back on their feet.
At the completion of Round 20, an average of 3.00 goals per game have been scored in the A-League. Perth have knocked in 43 and the Mariners have conceded 48; an appalling figure in just 20 matches.
Adam le Fondre has 14 goals to lead all scorers, Kosta Barbarouses is enjoying a golden season with 11 and Perth’s dynamic duo of Andy Keogh and Chris Ikonomidis have 20 between them.
Perhaps the most compelling statistic of all is the single digit ‘1’. It is the precise number of matches that the Perth Glory have lost in their quest for a first A-League title. Frankly, they look sure things.
The Victory loom as the only significant threat. Sydney FC look to have lost the edge and Wellington may lack the experience to get the job done on the big stage.
Melbourne City, Adelaide and perhaps even a fast finishing Jets will probably make up the numbers late in the season.
However, with the leagues penchant for unpredictability, perhaps all the numbers mean very little and there are a few twists in the tale yet to come.
apaway
Roar Guru
Your argument appears to be a little circular. BBL crowds have dropped by more than 20% in 2 seasons. BBL is mass vacation care with some bats and balls.
apaway
Roar Guru
People attend professional wrestling and circuses in big numbers too.
Admiral Ackbar
Guest
Huddersfield can get relegated and the Mariners can't.
Admiral Ackbar
Guest
Apparently when Seven had the NSL coverage things got a lot better for Glory in Perth as far as their public profile went. Even if Seven didn't broadcast the game Glory still had an awesome lineup that people wanted to see. There were also the times finals games were broadcast live on the ABC and fans called up the ABC demanding that Glory be shown live instead of The Bill! Heck, I've heard that Glory were getting better crowds than both the Dockers and when they existed, the Reds (remember them?). Crowds were down in 2003/04 (probably because HBF Park was being redeveloped) but in 2003 the Dockers started winning games, and I think that could have had a negative effect on Glory crowds since 2003 onwards.
Pork Chop
Roar Rookie
Wsw numbers have declined since the wander years of Popovic. Playing in an empty stadium when the attendances were still goin up was a lost cause and spanish and german coaches have not met with the faithfull’s pleasure. I am not a fan of wsw ....... but I am looking forward to their new stadium and hopefully a new “ic” coach to go with it. No problem for me if the new ffa board bring back the ethnic flavour to the teams, to my mind it is all soccer.
Pork Chop
Roar Rookie
Homeless???. I thought it might be a good time to put in a word, from one of the fans that have dropped off football. The thing that always stuck in my groin was the empty stadiums. I watched the last sfc game at kogarah and enjoyed how the closeness and compact crowd actually added to the games enjoyment for me. Until last weekend I had watched everygame live on fox ....... that’s every game ....... until last weekend when I am guilty of recording the games and will replay any games that have sufficient “talking points” that simon hill points out. I think the bbl oversaturated the market for cricket and ffa have overdone the derby attraction to the point that everygame is a derby. I should add that my home team WAS the mariners. I think like all people that understand the complexities of football you never really get it out of your system and although the attendance figures for the ffa run “bore-a-thon” may have declined I am sure that everybody still has an interest in results and players progression, the socceroos and Matildas in particular.
Munro Mike
Roar Rookie
#Chris I'm not sure where you're coming from with that statement??
Munro Mike
Roar Rookie
#The Joy of X Yes - the 1.38% increase was from 520K to 527K for 'outdoor competition' (MiniRoos, Youths, Senior - both male and female). The broadcast 13% increase is from 1.63Mill up to 1.85Mill. The +220K is via +89K (Community Events/Promo Experiences), +33K (Futsal/Social), +30K (school programs) and +26K (school comps) and then +19K the newly reported volunteers Not all that controversial an allegation at all - re volunteers. It's all there. note - the 19,417 tally is drawn from the state by state summaries but is only derived from NSW, Nth-NSW, Vic and Tas.....so there's even more scope for growth when the other states/feds report!!! (-: 1. How do you know the FFA is now including volunteers in its Official Participant figures? Have the FFA ever done this before? By downloading the FFA's 2018 participation report that details these numbers. And - because I've done this previously and have copies of prior reports or screen shots of prior participation summaries I can tell what the 1,631,041 reported last year was comprised of. 2. Are the FFA also including volunteers in its NON-CLUB various community and/or school programs? If so, which community and/or school programs? And how do you know? The volunteers has me scratching my head. As it is - the FFA community/tournaments/events category has exploded from 157K in 2016 to 550K in 2018. From 2016 too, when total reported participation was 1,188,911 to 2018 with total of 1,851,683, that's a major component of the increase. That and the almost 67K of coaches/refs/volunteers reported on in 2018 that weren't in 2016. 3. Did the FFA, for both its 2017 and 2018 Official figures, also include coaches and referees in its Official Figures Yes - Coaches and Referees were included in the 2017 number but NOT in 2016. Please note - the hard thing - and this is why I do this - is to get 'apples with apples'. The best comparison is the AFL - as they have been the most public of the major codes with respect to reporting/annual reports etc. Same criteria as you suggest re reporting to the ASC (Sport Australia). The AFL started reporting coaches/umpires in 2015 annual report. (risen from 36K to ~49K for 2017 - awaiting the 2018 numbers - annual report due soon). The main difference now - is the AFL haven't been tallying volunteers (not sure where you start and stop on that front???). That and - the AFL and FFA split their numbers differently (esp re Auskick vs MiniRoos). The NRL 2016 Annual report had some year on year stats that really ballooned in 2014 when they decided they could count the over 600K 'Touch' participants (more than doubled the 555K total from 2013 - which was 'Male' and 'Other'....hmm!!). The ARU generally hide their numbers in an article rather than publish report style summaries. Note for 2017 the FFA reported 1.63mill participation and the AFL ran with 1.54mill. But - we know we've gotta drill down on EACH (I'm not singling anyone out). I tried doing some 'apples with apples' comparisons - that's why I do this. Just to find what what the numbers actually represent. Please don't take this as an attack - - I apologise if I've come across that why - - it wasn't intended.
chris
Guest
Propaganda remains the sole property of the AFL
The Joy Of X
Roar Rookie
@ Munro Mike You correctly noted that the 2018 FFA Official figures (ie legally required to be presented, with accuracy, to the ASC- now Sport Australia) showed an increase of only 1.38% in their "outdoor participation" numbers. I assume this 1.38% increase comprises, SOLELY, U4 -U11 Miniroos, to juniors, to adults (both male and female) in CLUB (not school or futsal) 'proper competitions' (ie have a minimum 6 week's duration). Is this your view? You have also made an EXTRAORDINARY, controversial allegation when you wrote above "Last year they (FFA) didn't include 'volunteers' in the tally (1,851,683)- thats a new addition for the 2018 figure". 1. How do you know the FFA is now including volunteers in its Official Participant figures? Have the FFA ever done this before? 2. Are the FFA also including volunteers in its NON-CLUB various community and/or school programs? If so, which community and/or school programs? And how do you know? 3. Did the FFA, for both its 2017 and 2018 Official figures, also include coaches and referees in its Official Figures
Munro Mike
Roar Rookie
#chris I'm not actually making any argument for or against any particular code. Simply - I had a close look through the annual reports of codes and find their 'total participation' numbers to be pretty 'optimistic' across the board. This is a multi code site and while I was discussing the BBL further up - I thought I'd point out why quoting the 1.8 million participants is a bit off the mark. The beauty I think of the Australian market is that no one code dominates it like soccer does in many Euro nations (granted in some cases Handball or nordic skiing are pretty high profile!!). Anyway - the level of competition is so great that it forces each to be better than they would be otherwise. btw - what is the point of sport at the end of the day? Is it just for the kids; is it for adults who should be focusing on more important things; or is it for the punters who are very concerned about 'fixing/integrity'? (to me, it's either playing for fun/fitness or watching for entertainment/distraction).
chris
Guest
Mike - lets just cut to the chase. Even if every man woman and child played AFL in Australia what would be the point? What will AFL do if they reached that goal? Become rich/richer? For what purpose? Its going nowhere. If you made the argument for Rugby or Basketball I could see some merit. But AFL?
Munro Mike
Roar Rookie
#Football is Life You made the statement "It’s not rocket science…..1.8 million football participants" I asked you "1.8 million…..y’know how they came to that number??" Let's return it to that.
Munro Mike
Roar Rookie
#Chris That's because - via the FFA's own numbers - NSW (read Sydney) and Northern NSW comprise between them 56% of total national participation. Throw in the ACT with another 2% and that's 58% of total national participation contained within the NSW border. A third of the national population accounts for almost 60% of total national participation. This comment has been edited by The Roar's moderators.
Football is Life
Roar Rookie
I don't go onto other blogs and annoy followers of that sport. I stay with football. Why fo come to football when you dislike it so much? You have led me to believe either one of the following is true A) you are extremely bored and need a hobby because you have nothing else to do and nobody to do it with or B) your real name is Rex because all you want out of life is a bite. Open the door go outsde and discover life and you'll realise your targeted vocab challenged endeavors here are somewhat futile. Just let us talk about football.
Max power
Guest
This comment has been removed for breaching The Roar's comments policy.
jbinnie
Guest
Waz and Fadida- Don't know from where you get your stats info. but at game 100 the average aggregate crowd at HAL games was standing at 10,810 as against the 17/18 figure of 10,839. a huge differential of ---- down 29. When one looks at the comparative figures for say WSW and Roar we find that in the same time frame (100 games) WSW crows have dropped from 12,150 to 8,490. but Roar's figures are actually showing an increase from 9,440 to 10,400 although, with only 8 home games played this figure is actually in "free fall" so could move into negative results before season's end. Talking about average attendance figures one wonders why the FFA are not having a long hard look at Auckland to see what potential there is for another team in the HAL. That 23,000 figure they got just 2 weeks ago is one of the best inter club (not a derby) crowds attracted to the HAL only being surpassed 5 times in 100 matches this year. Cheers jb.
chris
Guest
He seems very lost. Just take a drive on a Saturday and Sunday and report back what you see. What sport are people playing? I know in Sydney and Newcastle its football. By a ratio of 20 to 1 or so. Try and dispute that.
Football is Life
Roar Rookie
Are you lost, do you want me to send you the AFL URL?
Munro Mike
Roar Rookie
#Football is Life 1.8 million.....y'know how they came to that number?? Claiming growth of 13% on last years reported figure of 1.63 million. Last year they didn't include 'volunteers' in the tally - - that's a new addition for the 2018 figure. The growth in actual outdoor participation was 1.38%, up to 527K from 520K. And that includes the MiniRoos (up from 223K to 227K). The FFA have done well - an increase in registered coaches and refs - that's always a good thing. However - and this is where ALL the sporting codes need to be held to scrutiny when shouting from the roof tops the total aggregate - the FFA total includes outdoor comps, school comps, school programs, diversity/inclusion programs, Community events, promotional experiences, Futsal and Social. Are you really going to suggest that equates to 1.8 million unique individuals? Or - might there just be a tad of 'double dipping' or even 'triple tallying'. A school kid playing club and futsal and involved in a 'community event' (last year this last category was "Community Tournaments, Programs & Events"). Main point is - senior and youth registered players make up 16% of that tally. (A smidge under 300,000). The AFL reported for 2017 that 'club footy' had 371,311. btw - AFL claimed 636K via school programs - vs the FFA 'only' 270K in school programs. But that's where the FFA's 550K in community events is an inventive catch up. Rubberty figures all?? Outside of the actual registrations - but, at least it's not extrapolated based on some flimsy premise phone surveys. This comment has been edited by The Roar's moderators.