On December 12th last year, I was categorically told that the Dolan Warren Awards night on June 1 2023 and the A-League Grand Final to be contested two days later would be supported by other football-related events and activities organised by Australian Professional Leagues.
It was reported that the A-Leagues would be showcased as never before and that, according to New South Wales Minister for Tourism Ben Franklin, “tens of thousands of football fans” would flock to Sydney to be a part of the festivities.
Apparently, the objective was to create a week leading into the deciding fixture that was similar to those seen in other sports, where the contest itself is just the culmination of a week-long event.
APL boss Danny Townsend stated that the decision to lock in the A-League deciders in both the men’s and women’s competitions for the next three seasons in Sydney was inextricably linked to the planned celebrations.
“Because we have certainty about which city will be hosting the final from a long way out, we are able to build a ‘Festival of Football’ around these major events,” Townsend said.
Whilst there is some logic in being able to plan more precisely thanks to knowing the location of an event well in advance, the average football fan in Australia called bullshit on his claim and rightly so.
The bullshit was confirmed when Townsend added that with fans now able to watch their teams play football throughout the home-and-away season at their local venues and then travel interstate for a “showpiece event at a set location,” they would now “get the best of both worlds.”
Danny Townsend (Photo by Mark Evans/Getty Images)
Seriously? No matter how many times you read the above, it is simply nonsense. Townsend should apologise for insulting our intelligence with such inane language.
As it stands, a Friday night A-League Grand Final Party wedged between the awards and the actual match appears to be the full extent of the additional events for people to enjoy. It will feature five-a-side football, food, “pumping music” and potentially an A-League celebrity or two in the midst.
What was first slated as a full week of events that would bring in “$26 million of visitor expenditure into NSW,” a number used to justify APL’s original decision, now appears to be a VIP only awards night, a free party in the Moore Park Entertainment quarter and the match itself.
A rather rudimentary search for flights and accommodation first thing Monday morning provided a snapshot as to what travelling fans would be up for should they decide to make the trip to Sydney.
Return flights would set a Melburnian back a minimum of around $150 and the best rate on accommodation through the A-League’s official hotel partner was $180 per night at Sydney airport.
Melbourne City members may be able to do a little better, if the promised travel packages and discounted rates have in fact become a reality and the appropriate codes have now been received.
Three nights’ accommodation with airfares looks like setting the average punter back around $700, with transfers, food and incidentals certain to elevate the cost for an individual traveller well north of $1000.
Unsurprisingly to no one, there is no festival and seemingly very little celebration.
What there will be, is a game of football between Melbourne City and Central Coast Mariners at 7:45pm on June 3rd, with the vast majority of attendees emanating from Sydney or Mariners loyalists who have travelled an hour down the freeway.
I doubt even one of them will be here for any additional events, even if they existed, and considering Melbourne City’s average home ground attendance of 6677 across the course of the season and the just over 9000 that attended Friday night’s semi-final against Sydney FC, people will clearly not be flocking from Melbourne.
In reality, a small group of City fans will fly up for a night or two and most Mariners fans will enjoy the evening and drive back to the Central Coast the same day, ready to great the team on Sunday in celebration or commiseration.
There is no festival, no All-Star game in the lead-up, no mention of potential live sites, no VIPs and no guarantee the stadium will even be full come June 3.
For that, the APL should be ashamed and we should all feel hoodwinked.
Grem
Roar Rookie
We do know of a code that lays down the welcome mat, and then when they’ve got them inside … (let’s not talk about it - shhh)!
Grem
Roar Rookie
That sounds like the voice AFL used to get their stadium in Hobart that many locals don’t want.
AR
Roar Rookie
Yep - I agree that its a good example of what form different clubs can take within the one competition. Big vs small, rich vs poor. The problem City will always have in Melbourne, is that a big, rich, foreign-owned club can only stoke the passions so much. A small section of City fans may be passionate, but they're closer to being customers. Mariners on the other hand - pure community, pure grassroots - the difference is the soul of a real club vs the mega-riches of a global franchise.
At work
Roar Rookie
Can you point out what reason there's been a lack of indigenous representation at the higher level of mens football? There's been plenty at the women's level... Don't really get your point about not rolling out the welcome mat, football is easily the most multicultural amongst all teams sports in Australia.
Punter
Roar Rookie
Exactly, these 2 clubs are showing the way for the rest of the competition & in a big way. Melb City has build a strong infrastructure, they have spent money (they have loads of it) & you can see the best foreigners, the Aussies & the best young players coming thru, just a shame Melbourne doesn't get behind them, they have a great football team & now up to others to follow. CCM, with less money, has build up via community connection, they have given lots of youth a go & very shrewd foreign signings, Cummings, Tullio & Kaltek. Plus a very smart & passionate coach. Adelaide United are also very much in this mold & the others will do well to copy. These two has given us the template.
chris1
Roar Rookie
Grem as has been stated earlier, racism is a problem in many sports across the world. In Australia, nowhere does it manifest itself more than in AFL. It's endemic across coaches, players, administrators, commentators and the fans. Yes there are examples of it in league, football and union but AFL stands out as the beacon in this country for racist behaviour.
chris1
Roar Rookie
That's right leeches and parasites. Everyone knows this.
chris1
Roar Rookie
Never layed out the welcome mat? What are you talking about? Do you have examples of not laying out the welcome mat?
Grem
Roar Rookie
Big difference between booing players out of the game and recommending separations and terminations as compared to not having the finances to subsidise people to play the game.
AR
Roar Rookie
"I believe the main reason for that (indigenous Australians not playing football) is the higher costs of playing football." Um...is this the same guy finger-wagging about racism?
Grem
Roar Rookie
Not sure that is correct - football would probably have the greatest and most diverse amount of cultures and they all seem welcome. We have plenty of players of African background and they are certainly welcomed (of course there have been some dumb comments from some dumb spectators towards them). I can’t imagine one group not being welcomed. We’ve had First Nations Socceroos and captains of The Socceroos - so they have risen to the top, but more would be great.
Grem
Roar Rookie
And there are programs, such as the John Moriarty program that identify and help players go further. Jada Wyman (A Leagues W) is an example. Adam Goodes is also involved in an Indigenous Advisory Board to attract more players.
Sport all rounder
Roar Rookie
@Grem ……..Costs ? Maybe but I doubt that is the reason, football has never laid out the welcome mat for the First Nations sports people.
Grem
Roar Rookie
Not enough and I have always written that. I believe the main reason for that is the higher costs of playing football. Football has the most participants of all our codes and not much in the way of finances to help juniors play by subsidising them. It’s a situation that needs to be fixed. With more First Nations players our Socceroos would be even more competitive.
Sport all rounder
Roar Rookie
Grem, how many indigenous players does the ALeague have? My observation is that they are not even part of football’s agenda. Never has been or will be. Be very careful how you categorise racism and don’t throw darts given football has dismissed our indigenous people.
Para+Ten ISUZU Subway support Australian Football
Roar Rookie
Looking to the future Grem and Chris, if the Socceroo stadium was up now, built in Canberra we could have hosted this match in the national capital and also invited the Chinese national football team to Australia for a friendly. A mini 3-match international tournament. How is it that the Aussie Pollies are so blind to the political possibilities of these international football fixtures taking place in our national capital? Oh wait, they have the grand idea to build a $700m Hobart Stadium that will only hold 3k more than the AFL Launceston Oval in Tasmania, which will be idle for most of the year.
AR
Roar Rookie
"Rather than aping what the AFL and NRL do with their grand finals played in the one city, the APL should be taking the grand final to (nearly) every city in Australia." I completely agree with this, and it's a key reason why so many were incensed at the APL selling the GF in the first place. There is no "home" of the sport here, like the MCG or Wembley or Twickenham, so tour it around the country. It's easily the most effective way to build a following for the competition year on year.
AR
Roar Rookie
"If you are a fan, you go see your team. It doesn’t matter what country or what sport." Exactly. That's sport. To borrow Nick's local example, from 2004-2007 there were no Melbourne teams in the grand final, yet the MCG still had 100,000 to each of those 4 GFs, largely filled by travelling interstate fans.
AR
Roar Rookie
I agree. As far as a sporting narrative goes, this is a dream final for the APL.
AR
Roar Rookie
Leeches? Every single stadium used by soccer in Australia is 100% government funded (with the exception of Marvel). More than $2B of government money was spent on rectangular stadia in the past 2 years in Sydney alone. But yes, we can certainly agree that all sporting bodies could learn from the AFL when it comes to securing funding for infrastructure that a sport needs. Often the best place to start is to say: 'here's $15M, here's $xM from another entity, and here's our plan that fills the stadium to at least 50% capacity for X no. of games during the season; now please chip in the rest.' Usually works better than (in Veruca Salt voice): 'But I want a new stadium now!'