I’ve written previously on my struggle to get totally involved with the A-League. I promise I don’t want to diss our domestic league. Firstly, I don’t support any of the clubs, and tend towards not following the league as closely as I would like. Secondly, I often find it hard going from watching the Champions League to sitting through Central Coast v Newcastle Jets – yes I sound like a Euro-snob, and yes, that was probably one of the worst fixtures to pick!Therefore, in conjunction with a growing desire to further understand our domestic competition, the enthralling finale to the end of the regular season and the beginning of the finals is beginning to entice me. To have so many teams vying for the Premiers’ Plate (an awful name) is a credit to how the league has grown. I’m not where I want to be yet, but I’m getting there, here’s a couple of observations so far.
I’m undecided whether there should be a finals series or not. It feels rather non-traditional when compared to the global footballing landscape. Would it really have stopped ‘regular’ Australians from watching football, just because none of our other major sporting codes have a first-past-the-post championship? I think us dumb Aussies could’ve worked it out, especially seeing as it’s, you know, a sport.
Who it really seems to confuse is the Asian Confederation, where the Premiers and then the Grand Final winners qualify for the Asian Champions League. Then I read Philip Micallef’s take on it, and maybe it’s just not that big of a deal, so long as the quality of football continues to improve.
There appears to be a real lack of agreement between the governing body and the fans on a number of issues (understatement alert). What it seems to come down to is something that is oft-forgotten: the A-League is only into it’s twelfth season. The fans don’t want it to go back the bad old days, and that’s understandable. The FFA seem to have an attitude towards the fans that they’ve ‘never had it so good’. That’s understandable, they’re probably right. But never should the fans be taken for granted, as they love the sport that drives the revenue that grows the sport for more fans to enjoy.
Again, the A-League is only 12 seasons young. The issues that often crop up, feel like they are growing pains, not long lasting stains. So long have Australian football fans been kicked from goalpost to goalpost, they don’t want to be hurt again. Both sides can be better, but they’ve been in tumultous relationships before, they don’t trust each other. Bit by bit, the trust may return, and each party will have to be open to each other, but it’s going to be a rough ride along the way.
As one starting to renew my knowledge of the A-League, I cannot wait to get behind A-League finals series. I don’t support a team yet. Presently, I feel the most affiliated with Melbourne City, mainly because of Aaron Mooy and Bruno Fornaroli. I sound like a real fairweather fan, but I live in Sydney anyway, so I can’t support a team from Melbourne (especially one backed by the City Football Group).
Whatever the finals series brings, let’s use the most cringeworthy sporting cliche of all time and make sure “the game is the real winner”.
The Dirtbag 