Countdown to the FFA Cup: Round 32 preview
All of the noise this week has been about the finals of the Euros and the Copa America, but in the background, unnoticed by…
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A LONG time Chelsea supporter, an original AUFC fan, member and season ticket holder. Life member of Salisbury Utd, past player, ref, coach and administrator. Yep been there done that.
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All of the noise this week has been about the finals of the Euros and the Copa America, but in the background, unnoticed by…
For many within the football family, the concept of a full pyramid is essential for our sport to be considered a success and worthy…
Mid, that too has been running through my mind from when it was first made known.
It is all well and good the FA or FIFA or the APL or anyone else handing out a life ban, but when a person pops up to a ticket window on match day and asks for two tickets, who is to know if these tickets are not given to a person or persons who is currently banned? When those same two tickets are scanned at the turnstiles, who is asking if the holder is currently serving a ban of some description?
In truth no one, it is like having your driving license banned but you continue to drive, it is only a problem if you recommit an offence and you get caught. Further penalties then apply. I suspect.
We can thank Original Style Melbourne for ruining away days
A good read Mike, thank you. Only ever been to a few away games, it isn’t cheap to travel within Australia.
The one that stands out to me was an early one when as an AUFC fan I took my son to his first away game to visit Victory when they were playing in the parklands somewhere in Melbourne. Truly, that was a scary experience for an old fella like me, the number of times I could have gotten into a fight, I lost count, all because I was wearing an AUFC shirt. My son was visiting from the UK at the time and in his 30s he too was amazed by the vicious nature of the atmosphere. That left me knowing I would never visit them again, ever.
The tribalism of our sport is great and the best people to express that are our young testosterone-driven young men and women. Having stated that, their need to rebel and just strike out at authority, any authority, has to be curtailed as we teach them to direct it in a meaningful way. A way to help their sport not hinder it. Finding that way is the magic silver bullet the sport needs. The youth are our lifeblood and future, both males and females, how are we going to help them direct their energies in the right direction?
We can thank Original Style Melbourne for ruining away days
You are so right. Just listen to the few of us who in the past have pointed out the East Coast bias. Only to be told it must be an ‘Adelaide thing’ or something in the water over here.
All I really want is for the many NSW and Vic teams to endure for one or more seasons the absolute ‘shi*e’ we have to put up with, then get told we are just plain wrong. We know the truth even if those on the East Coast refuse to acknowledge it.
Does the A-League now just favour teams in Sydney and Melbourne?
Yes, then you are right, the first season of the then new A League.
The only way the APL will learn is by fans voting with their feet
2006 we finished 2nd on the ladder behind Victory. 45pts – to our 33pts. In the GF that year they kicked our backsides 6-0.
In the first season 2005, we won the league but got knocked out in the Prelim by CCM who went on but got defeated by the Bling in the GF.
The only way the APL will learn is by fans voting with their feet
Gee thanks for bringing up such a nightmare for us.
But to be honest, Victory was the stand-out team that season. They finished top so should have hosted the GF which they did.
No arguments.
I have a feeling that, that GF has gone down in folklore and in 100 years time people will still bring it up, much like the 1923 ‘White Horse’ Cup Final at Wembley.
The only way the APL will learn is by fans voting with their feet
Yes 60 million, IMO is nowhere near enough for 3 years. Just because you are scratching for some dollars doesn’t mean you should sell yourself short. By selling off your biggest gem for chicken feed confirms what everybody else thinks, that you consider yourself worthless.
Yes, our owner did sign off at first and then ran away from it once the ‘excreta hit the oscillator’ and I have not read on any of the Adelaide fan sites where people have stated they were cancelling their club membership, or their Paramount subscription. [we paid for ours up front] so that is a pointless exercise by anyone to cancel. The clubs have our money. As far as sponsors go, some will run for the hills if it gets too noisy, but there may be some who see the fans as an important asset to be associated with. Give and take, or swings and roundabouts.
From memory, the head of Paramount did suggest to us all that she believed it would take 3 to 5 years to gain a foothold into the market. We are 18 months into that time frame so they are not expecting any great returns until after 5 years.
As for taking Government money, I am all for it, but I know when public funds are handed out they come with ‘strings’ attached. As none of us is aware of the details of the agreement it is us fans who are going to be expected to ‘bail’ the APL out come Grand-Final time. So the APL needs to know that we, the fans, or most of us, are far from happy and that this isn’t a good deal unless they got a truckload of money and not a piddling 15 or 20 million.
So, as you can tell from my ‘rant’ I support Mike’s opinion piece. We the fans need the APL to know how we are feeling, They appear to insulate themselves from us, so how else do we get their attention, how else do we say to them, “GUYS You F**Ked up” unless you got a mountain of money this is not a good deal. AND no 20 million isn’t even a small hill let alone a mountain.
But I appreciate your position Garry and respect it, but we will have to agree to disagree.
The only way the APL will learn is by fans voting with their feet
Garry,
I am an AUFC member and season ticket holder, if we finish top and make the GF I EXPECT it to be played in Adelaide. If the reason they sold the GFs to NSW was purely for the money, then they sold us short, three times that amount would be cheap, in my opinion.
As for walking out during a game, it is more of a visual statement than anything else, after all the tickets have been bought and paid for. The club won’t lose any finances. We the fans have no voice in the sport any longer, so the only way we can be ‘heard’ is by making a dramatic statement. Getting up and walking out at a specific point sends a clear message. I am all for it.
To even suggest that Mike is less than professional by sharing his opinions, is neither correct nor warranted.
The only way the APL will learn is by fans voting with their feet
First of all, I am not surprised that the GF has been sold to the highest bidder. That is of course if the GF for the next 3 years was actually an open tender. I am not certain it was.
Assuming that the host stadium in recent years got a windfall when the GF was played and let’s assume the host stadium picked up a cool million dollars [doubtful] from said GF after expenses. So the NSW government has said to the APL we will give you 3 million for the GF for the next 3 years. Chicken feed I say.
Having already been told it is an 8-figure sum that will change hands I am hoping the APL have said we want 99 million dollars for the next 3 years, in which case I say well done. BUT if it is only 10 million then I say you have sold the game short. Shame on you.
When the CEO comes face to face with the fans, I hope that we show him a lot more respect than he has shown us, the fans.
We have just heard that a mass walkout is planned for an upcoming weekend round of fixtures, I won’t subject my club to that, but if I find they have agreed to it and we are only getting 10 million for relocating to Sydney, then it is my club who I will vent my anger at.
'Killed the A-League', 'treated with contempt': Fans' fury as Grand Finals sold to Sydney
I just love it when everyone wipes AUFC off.
BRI vs MCY – 0-1,
NEW vs PER 2-1,
MVC vs WSW 0-0,
WEL vs CCM 3-1,
MAC vs ADL 0-1,
WUN vs SYD 1-1 SFC,
The Roar's A-League tips and predictions: Round 2
I’m not sure whether you are serious or taking the micky?
'Football is for all': FA react to 'rank fascist bulls--t' that marred Australia Cup final, threaten sanctions for Sydney United
Thanks Stuart a good article.
I’ve had a brief run through of the comments and i am somewhat surprised by the lack of conversation about the upcoming NSD.
Before this game kicked off, I would have thought that Sydney United 58 would have been a shoe-in for a spot in the NSD. Those decisions are still 9 months away. The FA will have had some time to ponder how to fix this issue well before the time, mid next year, comes around to announce the successful clubs for the NSD. I would not be at all surprised if said club misses the cut for the NSD and I would not be at all surprised either if it is followed up by threats of legal action. Such is their belief that every decision that goes against them is based on the decision makers being racists. [ironic hey].
Having been around during the whole time of the NSL, I have seen the best and worse of behavior from various communities attending NSL matches, which is why I am vehemently opposed to any community club gaining access to the top tier of football in Australia. They have shown us all why they need to be excluded, not included.
'Sick to the stomach': Night of utter shame as Welcome to Country booed and fans display Nazi salutes
@Striker – I wouldn’t call 1300 a great crowd and if they get a spot in the NSD they will need a lot more than that. A Sunday afternoon match, on a reasonably nice day, should have been upwards of 3000. Maybe they only have 1300 die-hard supporters?
Magic of the Cup: A-League champions bow out at hands of second-tier Sydney United
Thanks Wes, I do respect your point of view. I’m not sure the NSD sides are going to suddenly unearth all these hidden gems of players, that the A-League sides haven’t given a chance to. I am certain those pundits out there now saying the A-League clubs are not giving chances to local players etc, and there are only 12 professional clubs so not enough spaces for these types of players.
I think that the cream rises to the top. If a player is good enough they will be picked up by an A-League club. All of the A-Leagues have people out there looking at who is around and as soon as a player starts to stand out, I am 100% certain that all the A-League clubs run a ruler over them. The number of times I heard in the Sydney Croatia vs Western Utd game about the number of players in the Sydney team that had A-League exposure, well that to me proves that many players do get a chance and are found wanting for some reason.
Sydney FC, Macarthur through to Australia Cup quarter-finals
@Wes – To be honest the distance between the various grades is a lot greater than you might have seen last night.
All of the NPL sides are match hardened and some may be weary after their current season. While all of the A-League clubs are just coming together in their pre-season.
I suggest that once the A-League sides have had a few games under their belt any of the NPL sides won’t get within a bull’s roar of them. Yes the NSD will be interesting but will it be any better than any other NPL games we can go and watch now, if we choose to.
Sydney FC, Macarthur through to Australia Cup quarter-finals
And that is the point I’m making BT, the players have got it good at the expense of junior players.
The class system within Australian football's youth development needs a thorough review
maybe these semi-pro players can split the gate takings after every match as their match fee?
The class system within Australian football's youth development needs a thorough review
@ Buddy – One sentence caught my eye.
The NPL clubs argued vehemently against allowing A-League clubs in NSW to have youth teams as they were not going to charge players and therefore had a better chance of securing the best talent..
To me, therein lies the problem. NPL clubs need to charge these fees to stay afloat. The question then has to be asked why?
The class system within Australian football's youth development needs a thorough review
Stuart, good article mate. These sorts of discussion points should be posted in every club room, every change room of every football club in Australia.
State Officials and club officials should hang their heads in shame. They won’t of course, because it is always somebody else who has caused this. The FA or the State Associations, or most likely in NSW the district Associations.
Ownership of the problem has to start at the club level, it is the clubs themselves who have to say no to the fees being demanded by the sport. I can hear it all now, if the clubs did that then there would be no full-time employees for the sport and the whole system would collapse.
The money required to run the sport has to come from somewhere. At the moment it is the parents and players at the junior level actually funding the development pathways, and their kickback is my son or daughter gets a guernsey.
It is the system that needs to be reformed. Slowly, step by step.
For a start, can some NPL club official tell us, why senior players get paid so much, and how much money do they bring into the sport?
The class system within Australian football's youth development needs a thorough review
@ Garry – The concept of a one-off final match will always be open to the criticism of the best team of the tournament didn’t win the match. However, I will always argue that on the day the best team will always win. You can throw your stats out the window about how much possession a team has or shots on goal, or how attractive they play the game. If they don’t score more goals than the other side, they weren’t good enough.
The game can be cruel at times.
The 2026 World Cup format: How it works and what it means for the Socceroos
@Waz – Well said. Those who believe it won’t work don’t understand just how important it is to nations that don’t make it.
The cream will rise to the top. The best football-playing country in the world will win the World Cup.
The 2026 World Cup format: How it works and what it means for the Socceroos
@Chris – Can I tackle these 4 points step by step? I do this when having a beer with my mates who end up telling me, “It just will”
1/ It will join the whole football pyramid. I.e every club in Australia will have the opportunity to play at the apex. – Every club in Australia can join the ALM now or when the two new spots come available. They will just need the money to do it. As they would if they won promotion. From my experience, nearly every club in Australia already feels they are part of the football family, apart from 3 or 4 clubs in both Sydney and Melbourne, the rest are happy with the status quo.
2/ Supporters will have hope that their team could someday play in the top league. Having watched some Cup games, I’m not sure these supporters are that keen. They don’t seem to want to support their club in a cup run.
3/ Every game in the A-League season will have meaning. Teams will be looking up just as passionately as looking down at the table if relegation is a possibility. Crowds and ratings naturally will increase given the importance of every game. Now this is the only valid point of the four. There is nothing more ‘meaty’ than a foot-of-the-table clash that says to a footballer you lose this game and you lose your wage packet. But maybe the Australian way of setting up a league format might be the way of the future.
4/ Player opportunities open up. More clubs, more opportunities. More money in the whole system because there are more “actors” in the whole scheme of things.
The cream always rises to the top. Good players get found no matter where they play or who they play for. Not sure where the ‘more money’ comes from? The Australia Cup gives players at the NPL level an opportunity to show their talent, some do get a squad position most don’t because the gap between a semi-pro club and a professional club is too great. FYI the proposed NSD is still going to be semi-pro.
J-League: Can the A-League men learn from it, or is it out of our reach?
The ‘Weevil’ as you call it may be the ‘safety valve for keeping the whole football scene alive. So often we have heard that the ‘Licence Fee’ is damaging and this is said by many people of different generations, different footballing backgrounds and different purposes in their football clubs life.
But no one has come up with a good or sound reason to eliminate it.
Many on here who have solid footballing backgrounds, who have served the game well at various levels over many decades, will tell me that PR is the only true way to save the game. Yet when asked to explain their argument in detail, they just say ‘Because it will’.
My argument against automatic PR into the ALM is based on many clubs’ history in the game. Clubs’ promotion into the ALM [IMO] must be built on more than just one season’s performance on the park. They must have a solid financial background, long-term strategies, and a full complement of teams and be committed to them all equally. I just don’t believe any NPL clubs from any state can say that. But I have an open mind and willing be to be proved wrong.
What needs to happen, is to get the NSD up and running, then a third tier nationally, [National Third Division (NTD)]and have them moving back and forth in PR. Underpinning those 3 structures should be each state’s NPL clubs, and then each state champion plays off for a place in the NTD. All of this will take a lot of money from the FA, not the APL, who in time should run the top 3 divisions. This then MUST be duplicated for the women’s game and in time the youth.
That is the way I think the game would grow.
Would having all this in place create more mainstream media, I very much doubt it. It would scare the pants off of a lot of sports because no other sporting code could possibly duplicate it.
J-League: Can the A-League men learn from it, or is it out of our reach?
I don’t get too enthused with these early matches, although it was good to see Modbury Jets from SA second tier, smash the WA mid-table top-tier club.
It is always fun, watching the lower levels.
Australia Cup Round of 32: A win for Channel 10 and football fans
Thanks Cam, keep those stats coming.
We can thank Original Style Melbourne for ruining away days