We should be thankful we had any football to watch at all on Boxing Day given the spate of COVID-related postponements, yet Macarthur FC’s ticket prices continue to raise eyebrows.
It’s hard not to sympathise with the Australian Professional Leagues and the clubs affected by a raft of COVID postponements, with Perth Glory almost missing Christmas entirely after finding themselves stranded in Brisbane last week.
Glory’s clash with Brisbane Roar in Redcliffe on December 18 was postponed after Pacifique Niyongabire was diagnosed with COVID-19, forcing the entire 35-person travelling party into quarantine as the club struggled to get back into Western Australia.
Ultimately the Glory players completed seven days in quarantine in Brisbane before they were allowed to return home on a charter flight to complete the remainder of their 14-day quarantine stint at home in Perth.
And Glory’s struggles to make it back to their home state was a reminder of just how difficult it is to schedule a transnational competition like the A-Leagues in a country where COVID-19 restrictions differ from state to state.
But quite why Macarthur FC continue to charge some of the highest ticket prices in the A-Leagues is a bit of a mystery.
Despite what certain critics say, the business case for adding the Bulls seems solid enough.
The south-western suburbs are one of the fastest-growing regions of Sydney and by refusing to base themselves out of Campbelltown permanently, NRL club the Wests Tigers have made it clear they don’t view themselves as representatives of the region.
The Bulls are also close enough to the Western Sydney Wanderers to market themselves as genuine local rivals, yet far enough away from Parramatta to build their own fan-base.
(Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
But building a regular match-going fan-base is hard to do given how much Macarthur charge casual fans to attend a game at Campbelltown Stadium.
With the Bulls closing general admission ticket sales well in advance of the game, the cheapest adult casual ticket on game day cost fans $45, plus a $5.70 booking fee.
Away fans were slugged the same price for the privilege of sitting in the corner of the eastern stand, while those wanting an elevated view in one of the few seats undercover were charged a staggering $65 plus booking fee for a ‘platinum plus’ ticket in the western grandstand.
All this despite the Bulls supposedly paying a peppercorn rent to Campbelltown City Council to rent the stadium.
It comes on the back of Macarthur chief executive Sam Krslovic blaming Central Coast Mariners fans for not being “proactive enough” to secure a 10 per cent discount on the cost of entry into their recent game at BlueBet Stadium – a discount which Mariners membership and ticketing manager Iain Shand later claimed didn’t exist.
Krslovic is perhaps better known as a former president of National Soccer League stalwarts Sydney United, and his attitude towards A-Leagues fans certainly comes across as more old-school than orthodox.
The decision to place the club’s active supporter group in the corner of Campbelltown Stadium – and charge accordingly – means that unlike city rivals Sydney FC and Western Sydney Wanderers, the Bulls never run out to a raucous home end behind one goal.
There’s no denying that Krslovic and chairman Gino Marra know their way around Australian football, and on the pitch, the Bulls have assembled one of the most formidable squads in the league.
But it’s hard to understand their ticketing strategy.
There wasn’t a huge crowd in the stands last night – although given the latest COVID-19 outbreak across the city that’s probably understandable – but it was the away fans who went home happy after Sydney FC strolled to a comfortable 3-0 win.
Melbourne Victory, meanwhile, downed Western United 3-1 in a clash in which the visitors provided some decent travelling support.
Which all begs the question of why the A-Leagues even exist. Is it just so a couple of well-connected businessmen can run a football club any way they see fit?
Or is it, as we have long assumed, for the fans?
Say it as it is
Roar Rookie
There is a term called de ethnicise coined by the soccer boss of the day in the mid 90s to target and get rid of any ethnic clubs or basically almost all of the top giants of the game and be replaced by anglo ones. Ones that werent yet born. Of course the government helped ethnic cleanse these teams from the top tier and made up new clubs. So all the clubs from the top to the bottom have ceased to be able to play in the top tier because of this racist ruling. What happened after 2003 is irrelevant. Soccer girls doing nudes! Thats clutching at straws? There were many calenders of nudes raising money for things. Girls sports were just starting out in the mainstream. Afl didnt even have girls playing in the afl. If the nsl teams had money from the government they would have had much more success. Soccer australia basically shot itself in the foot. The competition like the afl could not have done a better job at destroying any success this game might have had.
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
The only two types of clubs I see at the top are those who were traditionally a big club and those who got sugar daddies. You get excited from winning a title, that the major reason to celebrate. Thats why people watch, the odd misery guts that watches relegation battles wow thats going to really increase the bottom line. The A-league grand finals outrate the best regular season matches by a factor of 3-5. Yet the argument its not in done in Europe is used to say to get rid of it. Surely if the justification is TV ratings the proven ratings winner is the finals series versus the pie in the sky theory. Can you show proof where in Europe relegation battles rate highly.
Wes
Guest
Does that include those watching in paramount. I tend to stick with paramount rather than watch the match on free to air.
Robert Pettit
Guest
ALM and ALW need to return to a winter competition, that is running from March to November. I have watched summer football over many seasons and believe that it has run its course. As the two most recent ALM seasons have demonstrated football in the cooler months is a better spectacle; more intense and faster paced. Returning to the cooler months also synchronises ALW and ALM seasons with that of most AFC member nations and respective inter country club competitions. This shift has the potential to improve ALM (and in due course ALW) teams chances of progression and ultimately success.
Rodger King
Roar Rookie
FYI - bogan [ boh-guhn ] ???? High School Level noun Northern Maine and Canadian (chiefly Maritimes and Northern New Brunswick). a backwater, usually narrow and tranquil. any narrow stretch of water. Maybe you should do some further research on the language you choose to use.
Robert Pettit
Guest
Lakeside Stadium is completely inappropriate venue for a football team as the crowd is separated from the field by a running track and assorted athletic infrastructure such as a jumping pit. Very or even impossible to generate an atmosphere as demonstrated in the FFA Cup when South Melbourne played City.
Robert Pettit
Guest
P/R has other major benefits. It encourages/forces clubs to improve overall administration including fan engagement and marketing to the surrounding community as well as bread and butter matters such as infrastructure, coaching and scouting. The bottom ALM team should be automatically relegated with the second last playing off (home and away) with the second placed "NPL" team. This would generate excitement amongst respective fan bases and potentially be a winner on TV et al.
Blood Dragon
Roar Rookie
Regarding Paramatta Power I would not be opposed to clubs from bigger codes owing New A-League Clubs or NSD clubs like how the AFL and NRL have done with Netball in recent years
Rodger King
Roar Rookie
So you want to talk about the history of football since 2003. Fair enough, lets do that then shall we! I suggest you know your history first before you start to lecture others on it. 1. The old NSL was a wonderful ground breaking initiative in 1977. It paved the way for a national club sport to be introduced to Australian society. Before then each state did their own thing. 2. By the turn of the century, after a roller coaster ride of changes, infighting, 'ethnic' clashes the old NSL was bereft of ideas for producing a functioning national league competition. 3. Soccer Australia was broke, or so close to it they couldn't fund away games for our national teams. You weren't around when the Matilda's had to produce a calendar of semi-naked players to provide funds for their team. That my young friend is still a blight on the whole game in this country. 4. The governance of the whole sport was broken. The infighting between state federations was rife. The sport was going nowhere. 5. The Federal government provided funds on the condition that Frank Lowy took control of the sport. 6. The A league came about when most of the old NSL clubs were only pulling in less than 2000 people per game, with the exception of Perth Glory, Adelaide United and Parramatta Power, all of which you now describe as 'bogan' clubs. 7. The first CEO after the formation of the FFA was O'Neil, who had a wealth of experience as a sports administrator but no knowledge of our game. 8. The criteria for obtaining an A League license was open to everyone to apply. Including the old NSL clubs. Because they didn't meet the criteria, you are blaming every other club that does. I can go on but feel I would be wasting my breath, you need to remember an old saying, "There are none so blind, than those who will not see."
Lionheart
Roar Rookie
heard you the first time
Ac
Guest
Yes aggregate between 6pm to midnight. But with a share so small and a large chunk is a league feature TEN are in trouble. Few watching few paying to advertise.
Blood Dragon
Roar Rookie
Footballs problem in Australia is that its very Sydney Centric the reality of a NSD will be already existing NPL clubs from Sydney and Melbourne maybe with a Token Brisbane club and Wollongong Wolves as the token regional club
Ben of Phnom Penh
Roar Guru
Our most recent colleague may have had a rather stressful festive season and is indulging in a digital catharsis. It would appear facts and grammar have been discarded in equal measure.
A-League Fan
Guest
Mate just enjoy the holidays. You don't need to be this angry over something that is here to stay. What's your solution? Close everything down today? Why if people are buying clubs for around $15M with more on the way?
Blood Dragon
Roar Rookie
Roar were an Ethnic Club when they entered the A-League
David Mohr
Roar Rookie
A good argument for a second division is the ability to engage a community that hasn't got a team = more young people playing the game. Not many Tasmanians cared about the NBL until this year - they give us a team this year and bang! huge interest and sell out games in Hobart. Tasmania, Gold Coast, Wollongong, Geelong, Cairns, Sunshine Coast, Townsville, Ballarat, Coffs Harbour, Mackay - plenty of regional areas that would engage with football through a second division. Could these places compete at A League level? Burnley does in the premier league with a population of 70k.
Blood Dragon
Roar Rookie
Gold Coast United have a solid chance with Jordan Gardner Backing them but there not Ethnic enough for "Say it as it is" plus they didn't play in the NSL so that wont make "Say it as it is" happy and its unlikely the APL will add more teams in Sydney or Melbourne in the A-League
Blood Dragon
Roar Rookie
I'm guessing your a Bitter Old man from either Western Sydney or Melbourne who has about 10 years tops before you drop dead
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
So the A-league would have been better off without Melbourne Victory this season. That would have solved all the issues simple . The Newcastle jets as well being relegated, two of the best teams would have been relegated last season. Only the thickest euro wannabee purist sees promo/releg as solving any issues in itself. The reality is most succesfull clubs in Europe stay at the top of the table because the opposition get so badly knocked around by promo / releg merry go around that it increases their dominance.
stu
Guest
Waz.....a couple of comments on this. 1. I feel it realistic that the early years 'better crowds' were largely made up of generic sports fans and now we are seeing 'football' fans only turning up. 2. I have kicked back a few times on this constant perceived relationship between soccer participation rate and the potential to get them to games. I think the relationship has been answered, my belief is that the vast majority of those who play the game as a pass time are your generic sports fans, we have seen them at the games and they have made the decision that they would rather spend their money elsewhere.