The Hyundai A-League

Xavi6

So I finally went to an A-League game today and it was a cracker. Perth Glory drew 2-2 with last year's winners Newcastle Jets thanks to a last minute Eugene Dadi penalty. The game had everything - 4 goals, 2 red cards, a post match brawl and a penalty that had to be taken after a Glory player encroached into the box. Here's some footage of the equaliser that I took -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6o9CGTihms

Anyway, my reason for this thread is that I noticed a lot of similarities with the League of Ireland.

The standard is not too different. Some technically gifted players and it's quite physical, but you also have some absolute shite. Really good atmosphere (there were 8,000 there today) and the 'diehards' would be just as involved as the hardcores back home. Ticket prices are reasonable at $25-$30 for top tickets and $12-$18 for concessions. The weather was mid to late 20s in the evening so it was great for a game and there was a real family feel to the occassion.

In many respects it was like being at Tolka or Dalyer for a big game. The locals are starting to get more involved, and the fact that it is summer football like back home helps with this.

Anyway, just wanted to share my experience of what is a vastly improving league. Might have to make going to games a regular thing.

CHD

They did a real big re-structuring of the league over last few years didn't they?

There FA helping them out and all. We won't succeed over here til that happend.

A-League seems to be a great example of how things can be done in countrys like Ireland.But with the amount of people over there it must make it easier.

Xavi6

CHD wrote: »

They did a real big re-structuring of the league over last few years didn't they?

Yeah pretty much started from scratch again. The league is going to expand from 10 to 12 teams in the next couple of years.

There FA helping them out and all. We won't succeed over here til that happend.

Yep it's certainly a blueprint to take on board.

A-League seems to be a great example of how things can be done in countrys like Ireland.But with the amount of people over there it must make it easier.

It does and it doesn't.

It does in the sense that there is a bigger market to tap.

It doesn't because, for example, there were pretty much zero away fans at the game. The country is just too big to follow your club around. It's not like an hour drive to Longford or a few hours to Cork. It would cost a few hundred in flights, plus accomodation etc. That makes it difficult for fans to interact with each other.

Overall they are doing very well and attendences are increasing. Grass roots programmes have gotten excellent so the standard of young players is improving.

whatawaster

When i was over there i went to a Sydney FC game, and my thinking at the time was that the only big difference between that and the Eircom League was the facilities and the overall presentation and professionalism of it all.

It was just so much more marketable than the game we have here.

_blank_

Xvai, I'm shocked that it's taken you this long to get to a game :eek:

Here's my thread about it from 2005.

Xavi6

Des wrote: »

Xvai, I'm shocked that it's taken you this long to get to a game :eek:

It's a disgrace to be honest. The reason I haven't gone is because for 7 months of the year Sundays are taken up by my own football and the A-League is during my off season when I've got other stuff planned. I'm gonna try go to a few more now though.

Here's my thread about it from 2005.

Lol 'seansouth'. There's a blast from the past!

glenjamin

Its a bit like the MLS in the sense that they got some decent name pros to come and play once they were near the end of their career. Its things like that which is boosting the name of these leagues.

MLS gets David Beckham, A-League gets Juninho, Eircom league gets Carlton Palmer!

godtabh

Xavi6 wrote: »

Anyway, my reason for this thread is that I noticed a lot of similarities with the League of Ireland.

That’s what I thought when I went to see a MSL game a couple of years ago. The main differences were there was about 20000 people there (in an 80000 seater stadium!) and the players seemed a lot fitter

Unless you are in a majorly developed league like in England, Spain or Italy I would say they are all very similar standard

x in the city

That 'dadi' lad travelled far, he used play for good auld tranmere rovers, good to see he is still alive and kickin..:P

Xavi6

Lol yeah he's turned into a real fans' favourite. The chants of 'Dadi Cool' and 'Who's your Dadi?' are endless!

x in the city

my mate supports tranmere, in the boozer one afternoon and dadi pops up as a scorer for rovers, so I let out a belt of 'whose your dadiiiiiiiii'


coolest name around tbh

One Cold Hand

Yeah I was at a Melbourne - Adelaide (top 2 teams) game in September. The standard of football wasn't brilliant, but it was pretty entertaining affair overall. (Xavi, you might remember Ney Fabiano getting sent off for spitting at some Adelaide player?) Good atmosphere too, some diehard fans of both teams at the game.

Also the Asian Champions League final is this Wednesday. Adelaide playing some Japanese team. Reckon it could be interesting enough.

edit:
Quote from Des' original thread:
'The defending in the league as a whole is shocking'
This is the thing that shocked me too. Terrible defending for the whole game. Don't know how it finished 1-0.

Xavi6

Adelaide are 3-0 down from the first leg. Can't see them getting anything from it.

The defending is woeful. Some of the mistakes yesterday were absolutely disgraceful and pretty much all four goals could have been avoided.

The Jets keeper Ante Covic put on the worst display of kicking I have ever seen from a professional footballer.

One Cold Hand

Xavi6 wrote: »

Adelaide are 3-0 down from the first leg. Can't see them getting anything from it.

Ah crap I forgot to even check that. I just saw an add for it on TV yesterday. May not be that intersting so!

WhiteWashMan

im going to try and get to a melbourne victory game at some stage, but working saturdays and sundays its hard, so will have to see what I can do about an evening game or something.

Benedict XVI

So this system were they disbanded the old league and started a new 'franchise' one from scratch seems to be working....hummm might work here in Eire too ?

Xavi6

Benedict XVI wrote: »

So this system were they disbanded the old league and started a new 'franchise' one from scratch seems to be working....hummm might work here in Eire too ?

Perth Glory, Adelaide and Newcastle are original teams. The rest aren't 'franchises' as such as they were born directly out of the old clubs (except Wellington Phoenix).

Benedict XVI

Xavi6 wrote: »

Perth Glory, Adelaide and Newcastle are original teams. The rest aren't 'franchises' as such as they were born directly out of the old clubs (except Wellington Phoenix).

Do you know what the attitude of the 'true fans' of the old clubs is towards the new clubs ?

Did they embrace them or have they been shunned

Xavi6

Benedict XVI wrote: »

Do you know what the attitude of the 'true fans' of the old clubs is towards the new clubs ?

Did they embrace them or have they been shunned

All those clubs were losing money heavily and needed some serious investment to survive. The redevelopment was the lesser of two evils.