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Opinion

The only way to beat the Eurosnobs is by supporting the A-Leagues

17th July, 2022
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17th July, 2022
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The Winter Festival of Football has so far proved hugely entertaining, even if the latest assortment of high-profile friendlies has raised the same legitimate questions we hear every time.

There’s no better illustration of the razor-thin margins that continue to bedevil Australian football than Brisbane Roar substitute Jez Lofthouse missing an open goal in the final minute of the defeat to Leeds United on Thursday night.

Score, and the game finishes locked at 2-2 – a result that would have made it so much easier to remind the usual cadre of online critics that the standard of the A-League Men’s competition is nowhere near as bad as they insist.

Miss, as the otherwise effective Lofthouse did, and Leeds United walk away with a 2-1 victory that was as heavily anticipated as it was quickly forgotten.

These are no-win fixtures for A-League sides, who trudge out as the supporting cast to a main act that rolls into town and lines its pockets, before the whole circus moves on to the next city.

These games aren’t about football, they’re about tourism – which is why our state governments are falling over themselves to help bankroll the increasingly frequent visits of English Premier League sides.

They couldn’t care less about the spectacle – Aston Villa’s 1-0 win over Leeds United on Sunday took place on a threadbare Suncorp Stadium pitch that had already hosted the Wallabies and State of Origin earlier in the week – so long as hotels are booked and the stands are somewhat full.

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And there’s nothing wrong with enjoying these games for the entertainment they provide.

Most of us grew up watching English football long before the A-Leagues even existed, so why shouldn’t we tune in or buy a ticket when one of these visiting sides pitches up on our sunny shores?

I got stuck into the red wines and had a wonderful time winding up all the EPL diehards on Twitter on Friday night, as Chris Ikonomidis opened the scoring for Melbourne Victory at the MCG, before Manchester United’s class shone through in a hugely predictable 4-1 win.

That’s arguably another taboo topic – the fact that for many supporters of these teams with global fan bases, aggressively defending their chosen team on social media is the only real connection they have to a side they may never realistically get a chance to see in the flesh.

And I can relate to their passion, because in a past life, I too was a dedicated Manchester United supporter.

I simply realised as soon as the A-League kicked off, that if I wanted to watch football on a regular basis at a reasonable hour, I had a perfectly adequate reason for doing so right here in my own backyard.

And while it’s always tempting to point the finger at state governments who stubbornly refuse to support the local game, or fire up the Twitter account to fling a few barbs at some startled folks who’ve never encountered a contrarian before, there’s a much more effective way to prove a point.

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It’s by supporting the A-Leagues.

Club memberships are now on sale and with the fixture list scheduled for release any day now, it’s time to start pencilling in those interstate trips.

John Aloisi hoists the A-League trophy

A-League sides need more fan support. (Photo by Vince Caligiuri/Getty Images)

And for those of us in the Sunshine State, it wouldn’t hurt to turn up to Suncorp Stadium in decent numbers when the Matildas and Socceroos pay a belated visit to Brisbane in September as well.

Because the only way to prove to the powers-that-be that our own football is worth backing is by visibly supporting it ourselves.

It’s all well and good to sit here raging against the machine on the internet, but the only thing broadcast executives and stadium operators care about are viewing figures and the number of seats filled.

I’ll be watching the rest of the Winter Festival of Football with interest.

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The games have been fun, the coverage has been great and our A-League sides have once again proved they’re more than capable of matching it with England’s best.

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