FFA Cup Final showed why Hindmarsh Stadium is still a special place for football
TUESDAY’S rocking full house for the FFA Cup Final showed again what a special place Coopers Stadium is and why it should be upgraded to remain the home of soccer in South Australia.
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I CAN’T write about anything else this week other than the FFA Cup Final victory by the Reds last Tuesday night.
My tipping so far this season has been atrocious but I’m glad I got this one right. And I’m even more glad I was there to watch it live.
It took me back 15 years and a couple of weeks, to be exact, to United’s first ever game at Hindmarsh.
The place just had that same feel about it and strangely enough on the night, I bumped into a few people closely associated with that first Reds game who I hadn’t seen for quite a while.
One of the reports I read the next day described Coopers Stadium as a “boutique” stadium, which I don’t believe does it service.
It is much more unique than boutique — it genuinely is one of a kind. There isn’t another football venue like it in the country.
In the past I campaigned against the renovation of Adelaide Oval in favour of a new stadium that was more football friendly.
That had as much to do with the game getting fair, proper and rightful recognition as much as the city’s need for a new venue.
The new multi-purpose stadium never happened and maybe that’s not a bad thing after all. And the fair and proper bit still needs to be resolved, too.
But the beauty of the Hindmarsh venue is its inate history. On a personal level, I played my first game there a tad over 50 years ago. I won my first serious trophy there and played my first Socceroos game there.
There is just so much football DNA in that ground. Yes, it is steeped in history but as importantly, it has tradition — football tradition. There’s decades of it and that’s what makes it so special, so unique.
It is a real, purpose-built football stadium and, though its footprint may have changed over the years, it is not a multi-sport hybrid corrupted by code sharing.
That’s why the atmosphere there is so good. It’s why players love playing there and media types love working there — because it has a soul.
So now it is time to consider an upgrade. There’s a Women’s World Cup up for grabs in the near future and an upgraded Coopers has to be part of it. I’ve seen a few political types from both sides of the fence at the last few games professing their appreciation of the game so maybe it’s time to see some money where the mouths are.
The game itself was also pretty special.
It was everything a cup final should be, played with ferocious intent, full of drama and a couple of spectacular goals.
The punters couldn’t have asked for more. You get out what you put in and the new owners deserve some success for their efforts.
So does Marco Kurz and his charges. He is a character in the old mould and wears his heart on his sleeve, as evidenced by the passion he displays on the bench.
The team is well organised and as I’ve said on a number of occasions, they are good to watch.
It looked for a while there that the Reds were always the so-called bridesmaid, but getting that win on Tuesday should only galvanise them to go on with it.
That mission starts today against the Mariners. It’s always good to win, but it’s better winning always.