Slightly off topic but the A League have been pretty clever to schedule the Grand final this weekend. During the Rep weekend. Heaps of media coverage. League better watch its back especially in the West. The wanderers are building a decent following.
Merch Ideas/Question to those in the know
- Thread starter Art Vandelay
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BlackWhiteBlue
Jaws
**** soccer. Newcastle Jets used to be popular, noone gives a **** about them now.
Mark my words the Wanderers will take over the West.... they already have. 45,000 seat stadium sold out in 26 minutes, There are no jerseys left in Sydney to buy. Just saying the NRL should be worried. people on here can get all macho about league etc but its ignorant to just ignore it. oh and the a league have names and individual numbers on the back....
League will always be number 1 in Sydney but it has to be a concern
dylan the villian
Jaws
Yep can't stick your head in the sand and pretend the wanderers ain't a big deal, they will change major sport in Sydney bigtime, I come from country league territory and it's all the talk back home, many people going down for the games. Look house they sell out games in hours as the shire said above! Panthers 3500 members, WSW how many? Lol. Don't be scared. But know they will be huge in Sydney for years to come!
SharksMichael
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It's all off the back of one season. They weren't pulling the crowds at the start of the season when they couldn't score a goal. If they hadn't of gone on that 10 match winning streak I doubt they get consistent sell out crowds and create a "home" atmosphere at an away game in Newcastle. Plus, they're owned by the FFA, seems like a massive conspiracy that they've done so well in the first season with such little time to form a side.
the Wanderers are kind of a big deal. like when they were playing a few weeks ago there were signs on the M4 warning people of traffic congestion that day from 5pm til midnight because of the soccer. this is the main road between western sydney and the city yet they expect heavier traffic when there is a soccer game than when hoards of people are driving to work. weird.
the only thing that can save league from here is a) the eradication of the bogan stigma associated with league and b) the ****head wanna-be Green Street Hooligans somehow manage to take over and make Wanderers game such an unpleasant place for families to go that they start bringing their kids back to the league.
the only thing that can save league from here is a) the eradication of the bogan stigma associated with league and b) the ****head wanna-be Green Street Hooligans somehow manage to take over and make Wanderers game such an unpleasant place for families to go that they start bringing their kids back to the league.
Gibs
Great White
You also need to look at the supply of teams in sydney in general, NRL Fans are spoilt for choice with 8 sydney teams, soccer fans only 2
BlackWhiteBlue
Jaws
I dont care about the west. Soccers the national sport of the folk of western sydney. Let em have it
BlackWhiteBlue
Jaws
hence why relocation talks always surface
yeah the west is the heartland so its expected wanderers are going to be popular. Their success has just fast forwarded what probably would have occurred anyway. But if you have been to a game you would understand that their supporter base is more interesting than the game itself half the time. people and families are going to games for the atmosphere more than the game itself. From the pressbox where i am its evident the interaction in the crowd gets everyone excited and into the game itself, personally it think its something league should look at to make the game more enticing to families and younger fans.
even the NBL has used this approach, go to a Kings game and you will see half the time its more about fan interaction and free giveaways and constant games getting the kids involved.
even the NBL has used this approach, go to a Kings game and you will see half the time its more about fan interaction and free giveaways and constant games getting the kids involved.
and so is the case with soccer all around the world.
it's all good though. it's not like the Wanderers are poaching potential Sharks supporters.
interesting point: i was teaching at a school in Blacktown one day earlier this term and we had a couple of Wanderers turn up to do a bit of soccer with the kids. They billed themselves to the students as 'the team for all us battlers out west. Sydney FC, that's for all those rich people in the eastern suburbs and the city. we don't like them, we represent the battlers'.
Now apart from the fact that the dude saying this was obviously some kind of 'western oriental gentleman' who was probably from a lovely family who dealt mostly in cash through their highly successful pizza shop and as such own several properties in the cheap yet undesirable western burbs, i found it interesting that this is how the players would bill themselves to impressionable teenagers. i also wondered whether this was the kind of thing they did on the reg because i feel that inciting such contempt and an us vs them attitude in young people (particularly at the kind of school i'm talking about here) could potentially be creating problems for their game over the coming years.
just my thoughts.
DeathMoth you're spot on about the strugglers/battlers vs latte sipping &*$# .... Ask any of the wanderer fans and thats exactly what they will say and hats off to the A-league short term for that approach cause it sure as hell works, the rivalry is intense and exciting but you are right in the sense that it could problems in the future but at the same time im sure they would rather have that problem than a problem of no rivalry and no supporters.
SharksMichael
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You're right DeathMoth. Speak to most WSW supporters and they'll tell you that they see SFC as just a team for the East and that Sydney acts as a glamour club. Well to me, Sydney is a city that will always be blue and has to live up to, a certain extent, a glamour attitude because they are in the biggest market in Australia. If WSW want to paint themselves the "battlers", that's fine, but you can't just assume that they are all "battlers". It's fine though, most of their supporters used to be Sydney fans anyway.
About atmosphere at A-League games. That IMO is one thing the A-League has over the NRL. The active support, crowd chanting really creates a sense of tribalism. I went to a Sydney game at Kogarah a year or so back and the atmosphere the Cove created that day was amazing. It was a great game anyway, but the 12,000 sounded like 20,000. NRL does have its moments but most of what is said at the footy is mainly just yelling at players/refs.
About atmosphere at A-League games. That IMO is one thing the A-League has over the NRL. The active support, crowd chanting really creates a sense of tribalism. I went to a Sydney game at Kogarah a year or so back and the atmosphere the Cove created that day was amazing. It was a great game anyway, but the 12,000 sounded like 20,000. NRL does have its moments but most of what is said at the footy is mainly just yelling at players/refs.
well obviously they don't care if the riot squad needs to turn up to every game, the league and the club are making money, that's their intention.
we will wait to see how it pans out over the coming seasons. we all know what kind of ********s get involved with these factions and i'm sure we're yet to see how low they can go.
a bit of rivalry is great for any game; look at the Sharks v Dragons clashes. they're all-time, Shark Park packed, every time. that's a good rivalry. there's no 'hooliganism' (for want of a better word) though. the NRL can benefit greatly by promoting friendly rivalries even more so than they currently do.
To be honest half of the stuff has been over exaggerated, sure there is always going to be the few teenager douchebags that got that extra step but i've been to quite a few of their games and even the one where "apparently' the fotty chick was abused, It was one of the few times i was embarrassed to be part of the journalist/media section, i couldn't believe what was said the next day in the papers.
there's always gunna be exaggerations however what I've made pretty clear (so i thought) in my posts, is that while it isn't out of control at this point, this does have the potential to spiral somewhat out of control. now it's obviously not going to wind up like the Premier league or whatever, those fans are influenced by decades and decades of buffoonery in a country that for decades has been a pretty ****ing depressing place. my mates all come back from England and Europe with stories of how ****ing crazy the games are over there. there absolutely must be people who want to live out those fantasies here in Australia. hopefully they don't succeed because it's a bit weird to be honest.
however, as with most things, the influence of popular culture can make things happen faster than they normally would. impressionable teens would very likely be watching Green Street Hooligans, The Firm etc and thinking "**** yeah, let's get some crew together and bash some ****s on the way to the game"...hell, even without soccer there are large numbers of cock heads with that mentality already doing **** like that out west. the last thing any sport would want is to attract that crowd and allow your game to become a vehicle for that ****.
so you know, for the safety of the general public, I do hope the Wanderers and A League do have plans to make sure that sort of crap doesn't seep into their game and we can be thankful that after 100 or so years of league in this country, we've never really had any major incidents. and ********s, lose the flairs; it's gay.
also ^^^^^ this guy is with the media.... LET'S GET 'IM!!!
Haha technically i can be called part of the media but my jobs abit different than writing in papers. but hey this technicality gets me media passes to sporting events so i cant complain.
But i agree there is potential for it to go ugly if they really start embracing hooliganism. Just lucky atm that the diehard fans still support the premier league (NSW top divsion) teams rather than the A-league
But i agree there is potential for it to go ugly if they really start embracing hooliganism. Just lucky atm that the diehard fans still support the premier league (NSW top divsion) teams rather than the A-league
BlackWhiteBlue
Jaws
in other hooligan news: BlackWhiteBlue vs some **** in the carpark at the Sharks v Raiders game
Ill wear a raiders jersey so it doesnt bring the sharks bad press
Anyone eyeing off one of these bad boys?
http://www.sharksstore.com.au/epage...U/?ObjectPath=/Shops/sharksstore/Products/545
Saw a Raiders one in their league shop the other day, and they actually don't look too bad. All though you'll be struggling to fit more then a 6-pack with ice in it. Can't really see anyone throwing a gorilla at it.
http://www.sharksstore.com.au/epage...U/?ObjectPath=/Shops/sharksstore/Products/545
Saw a Raiders one in their league shop the other day, and they actually don't look too bad. All though you'll be struggling to fit more then a 6-pack with ice in it. Can't really see anyone throwing a gorilla at it.