Playing the third Sydney derby of the season at the Sydney Cricket Ground is par for the course for an A-League that remains addicted to bad ideas.
Sometimes it’s hard to focus on the A-League’s positives when the negatives so consistently smack you in the face.
Sydney FC’s tense 1-0 victory over Western Sydney Wanderers was their first derby win since December 2018, but whatever lustre the fixture should have generated was tarnished by playing the game at a cricket ground instead of Kogarah or Leichhardt Oval.
Why was the derby even at the SCG? Don’t ask me.
If there’s ever any logic behind these sorts of decisions, they’re rarely communicated to the proles in the peanut gallery.
Having only published 930 of these columns over the past 12 years, most A-League clubs are yet to realise it even exists.
And so on and on we go, with the Australian Professional Leagues taking up where Football Federation Australia left off by drawing salaries from the game to steadfastly ignore what fans actually want.
Hate VAR? Too bad.
Want expansion in cities that aren’t already home to two A-League clubs? Get stuffed.
Hoping for simultaneous final-round kick-offs? Sorry, but we have to bow to the wishes of a broadcaster that no longer wants to broadcast the game.
It’s enough to make you tear your hair out. Or if we’re judging by attendances and viewer numbers over the past few years, stop watching the A-League entirely.
Which is hugely ironic, because as he been pointed out repeatedly this season, this is by far the most entertaining campaign in recent memory.
Bobo and Sydney FC take on the Wellington Phoenix at Allianz Stadium. (Photo by Mark Nolan/Getty Images)
We were reminded of the competition’s potential on Saturday when more than 24,000 fans roared Wellington Phoenix on to a sensational 3-0 win over Western United.
The Kiwi side were literally swept along to victory by the passion of a vociferous crowd watching its first home game in 433 days.
What will the A-League learn from that?
The Phoenix have learned something – in a roundabout sort of way – because their final home game of the season takes place at Eden Park in Auckland.
That might come across as a bit of a smack in the face for Wellington-based fans, but history tells us the Phoenix are capable of pulling a big crowd at that venue.
So why doesn’t Auckland enter the conversation when we talk about the next expansion city?
Either create a New Zealand derby, thereby doubling the A-League’s footprint, or we might as well get rid of the Phoenix entirely.
It’s beyond ludicrous that Australia houses a club from the Kiwi capital but not one from Canberra.
And as we saw with Wollongong playing host to the Phoenix for the majority of the season, we have cities with ready-made stadia simply screaming out for top-flight football.
So what is the A-League doing about it? We’ll have to wait and see.
The new broadcast deal is imminent, we keep being told, just like it was imminent last month and the month before that.
And there are midweek fixtures to tide us over and keep us entertained and hopefully distract us all from the fact there seems to be no real plan in place beyond the end of this season.
It’s a dreamland for couch potatoes. If only there were enough couch potatoes to make the whole thing financially viable.
Because having so consistently discouraged fans from actually attending games – by doing things like playing on cricket grounds where players constantly slip over and you need a pair of binoculars to see the opposition goal and you get harassed by police at every turn – the A-League can’t continue making the same dumb mistakes we see year after year after year.
Stop scheduling games at cricket grounds. Sort out VAR. Start talking to active supporters.
Because if we can’t ever seem to figure this out, we might as well kiss the A-League goodbye.
AR
Guest
So you've cherry picked a few GWS and Gold Coast games (and a couple of Tassie games where no AFL team resides). It's interesting...WSW are considered one of the big clubs with broad support and passionate fans...whilst GWS are a plastic friendless joke. 2021 average home attendances: WSW 8.4k (largest home average in the ALeague competition) GWS 8.5K (smallest home average in the AFL competition)
Ad-O
Guest
I don't understand why anyone would wanna drop NZ. Makes more sense to have them than Perth and nobody would advocate for dropping them.
Ad-O
Guest
TBF, being harassed by authorities for having fun is as Australian as a kangaroo and vegemite sandwich. It's not just football.
Winter A League is Awesome
Guest
Saturday 7pm kick offs should have multiple teams playing. That means any senior State League players can make it to the game.
FC_Barcelona_77
Roar Rookie
Wow, that should solve it! Great ideas, hope they become reality.
FC_Barcelona_77
Roar Rookie
Unfortunately I do not believe this will become a reality, they may be based in Ballymore or another small ground (fan numbers are simply too small, in my opinion).
Blood Dragon
Roar Rookie
NZ 2 is a good Idea with Auckland the most logical choice but the owner of Christchurch United has the Ambition and Money for the A-League, Canberra has 464K people while the Central Coast has 337K
Blood Dragon
Roar Rookie
Paramount + will likely make sport an Add on just like Stan
Blood Dragon
Roar Rookie
Sky Stadium has excellent groundstaff, I could not tell that there was a rugby match the night before during the Nix game
Blood Dragon
Roar Rookie
either that or you need a Curtain like BC Place in Vancouver
Blood Dragon
Roar Rookie
I'm from Brisbane and still live there and I Followed Gold Coast United until they Folded started Supporting Wellington but would stick with Wellington even if GCU came back into the league at this point
Blood Dragon
Roar Rookie
Auckland has several Stadia all with Pros and Cons Eden Park: Best Location but to big and field shape is weird cause of Cricket Mount Smart: Correct Field Shape, Capacity is decent if slightly to big for regular season, Train Station nearby but in the Middle of Rugby League Heartland in NZ North Harbour: Good Capacity but to Isolated and Field is a Diamond Western Springs: Smallest Capacity out of the 4 and Close to Eden Park but Field surrounded by dirt track for Speedway
Blood Dragon
Roar Rookie
if QLD gets a 2nd team it will be the Gold Coast
Rodger King
Roar Rookie
As others have stated, you have to strike while the iron is hot. They [Western United] made the commitment to the new stadium but needed the license up front. Not ideal, but necessary. In a perfect world things could of been done differently, your way maybe, but I am certain there would of been people out there complaining about that as well.
Robert Brooks
Guest
There is no reason for A-League games to be held at the SCG. The suggestion of a second NZ team based in Auckland is a sound idea. Canberra is unsuitable for an A-League team. The population is less than the Central Coast and many Canberrans go away for the weekend to the South coast and to see relos. The following stadium Coopers, Central Coast, MRS, and any similar are ideal for the A-League. My contention is that the A-League must continue from October to late March. There is no code of football to compete at that time. To be in competition with league, union and rules and the State based Football comps for media attention is foolish.
Winter A League is Awesome
Guest
https://www.foxsports.com.au/football/socceroos/socceroos-squad-2021-australia-world-cup-qualifiers-vs-nepal-taiwan-jordan-kuwait-dates-when-how-to-watch-a-league/news-story/a7393299e7c583e8b34e2f0343bf262e
BringBackTheNSL
Guest
I’ve enjoyed the standard of a-league this year. Been to a few games and went to the recent syd derby at Bankwest with the kids, absolutely loved it, top night. My kids were begging me to go to the scg, I said boys they call it the scg for a reason. I didn’t want to ruin their a-league experience. I would never go watch a soccer or rugby league match at that ground, yuk.. cricket or AFL no dramas..
Para+Ten ISUZU Subway support Australian Football
Roar Rookie
Yes, I agree, the real supporters are more important than the Corporate support. However, this was only one game for the season which was played at the SCG maintaining a footprint in the area. The corporates, give financial support, which goes a long way to help paying for football academies and producing future club starlets.
Christo the Daddyo
Roar Rookie
Except that plenty of A league clubs have chosen to play on ovals despite having the option of rectangular stadiums. Sydney FC, all Vic teams, etc
Winter A League is Awesome
Guest
Its not grass and soil that covers a cricket pitch. Think how hard a cricket ball is because of the cricket strip and than make footballers run on it. By the way Cricket is probably the only summer team sport that is played outdoors and for some reason people want A League to play at the same time.