A-League bosses prepared to review fan bans as part of drive to boost active supporter groups
A suite of measures to re-engage active supporter groups and reignite the atmosphere at grounds is a key focus of A-League bosses this season.
Packed houses and a reignited atmosphere are the focus of A-League bosses as the clubs race to ensure their first season of independence turns the tide of falling crowds and viewers.
A suite of measures to re-engage the active supporter groups who energised the A-League in the Wanderers’ early years will unfold in coming weeks — including a willingness to review the bans of a handful of those supporters hit with multiple-year penalties but who have sought a “second chance”.
Stream every game of The FFA Cup Round of 16 LIVE & Anytime on KAYO SPORTS. Get your 14 day free trial & start streaming instantly >
With the draw for the new season finally released, barely two months before it kicks off, club owners have taken control of the competition’s management and strategy even before the legal separation from Football Federation Australia is complete.
Alongside key games being scheduled for smaller venues to drive atmosphere at games, attracting greater numbers in active groups including the Red and Black Bloc and The Cove is seen as essential to garnering wider interest in the competition.
Discussions over fan behaviour with police at assistant commissioner level have been described as productive, and a conference of supporter marshals from all the major fans groups will be held later this month to find common ground.
It’s understood that a small number of the fans given lengthy bans from all A-League games — all of whom have served substantial proportions of what are often five and 10-year penalties — could have the opportunity to petition for the suspensions to be lifted effectively on probation, a process that is said to have received conditional support from police and stadiums.
The measures are part of a broad swath of activity designed to reverse several years of decline in crowd and TV numbers, with the release of the fixture list the first concrete symbol of the league’s independence.
The season will kick off on October 11 with Sydney FC away to Adelaide, followed a day later by Western Sydney’s emotional return to Parramatta — taking on Central Coast at BankWest Stadium, in a repeat of the club’s first ever game seven years ago.
A derby against Sydney FC will follow in Round 3, with the Wanderers buoyed by victory at Perth in the FFA Cup on Wednesday night in believing their form on the pitch will attract substantial crowds to their new home.
Kick off times have been moved earlier across the board to address concerns over families being able to attend, and every club has been tasked with improving the “matchday experience”.
To complement that, games have been scheduled at smaller venues in some cases — such as a derby at Jubilee Stadium and Brisbane taking three games to Dolphin Stadium in Redcliffe.
The fiendishly complicated draw involves at least one bye every round, every team playing the others twice but in some cases three times and no international breaks.
All those measures are temporary until Macarthur United enter in 2020-21, and the clubs’ intention is to move quickly from 12 teams to 14 and have a straightforward, European-style, home-and-away fixture list.
THE BIG SIX
Round 3: Western Sydney Wanderers v Sydney FC
Saturday 26 October 2019, Bankwest Stadium
Round 6: Sydney FC v Melbourne Victory
Saturday 16 November 2019, Netstrata Jubilee Stadium
Round 18: Sydney FC v Western Sydney Wanderers
Saturday 8 February 2020, Netstrata Jubilee Stadium
Round 23: Sydney FC v Perth Glory
Saturday 14 March 2020, Netstrata Jubilee Stadium
Round 24: Western Sydney Wanderers v Sydney FC
Saturday 21 March 2020, Bankwest Stadium
Round 27: Western Sydney Wanderers v Melbourne Victory
Saturday 11 April 2020, BankWest Stadium
Bulls star to appeal ban length
An A-League star will fight the length of ban for an offensive gesture that a judiciary ruled was made towards a referee.
Auckland test excites United young gun
Having shocked the A-League earlier this season with a 4-0 thrashing of Auckland FC, Western United get another chance to beat the competition leaders on Saturday.