A-League: Sydney FC, Macarthur Bulls, Wanderers, Mariners, Jets - where they rank with fans
Sydney FC, Macarthur Bulls, Western Sydney Wanderers, Central Coast Mariners, the Newcastle Jets. Where do these A-League clubs rank with NSW fans?
Sport
Don't miss out on the headlines from Sport. Followed categories will be added to My News.
In football circles championships success, a storeyed history and luring fans at an early age is the secret to success with supporters.
It is why Sydney FC sits atop the fan favourites list heading into the 2021/22 A-League season.
Sydney FC is the most supported club in NSW and the country according to new research by Roy Morgan. And that support is growing.
Despite a Covid affected competitions, rejigging of draws and constant changes, Sydney FC’s fan base grew a mighty 32.2% over the last year.
The club, which has won five championships, now has 640,000 supporters.
Academy training program, holidays clinic, school outreach program and skills clinics - these are all crucial components in the success of Sydney FC nabbing youngsters as fans.
Also helping is the club having seven development officers in associations in Canterbury Bankstown, the Sutherland Shire, south coast, St George, the northern suburbs, eastern suburbs and Manly and seeing around 30,000 kids a year in their programs.
“We set upon an extensive community engagement strategy two years ago with a five to ten year vision and it’s pleasing to see the work we’ve done is already paying off,’’ said Sydney FC Chief Executive Officer Dave Townsend.
“Our seven Community Development Officers spend a large amount of quality time engaging with more than 25,000 kids in our schools and training programs across NSW each year.
“Our digital content and marketing teams have also done an excellent job engaging with more people than ever before on our digital channels and that will become even more important when the season starts.”
Sydney FC is also the only NSW club in the top six.
Melbourne Victory actually added more supporters to their fan base in the last year with a 46% increase but are second on the ladder with 632,000.
Brisbane Roar are third with 559,000, followed by Adelaide United with 449,000, Perth Glory with 434,000 and Melbourne City FC with 249,000.
Melbourne City’s supporter base grew 50.9% on a year ago as they charged towards their first A-League title with their win over Sydney FC in the season decider.
The Western Sydney Wanderers sit in seventh place, with a 14.4 increase leaving them with 230,000 supporters
The Newcastle Jets are next with 200,000, followed by the Mariners with 154,000.
Impressively, the A-League’s newest club, Macarthur FC, picked up 84,000 supporters in their first season to be ranked in 10th place, ahead of Wellington Phoenix with 42,000 and Western United with 41,000.
Read more from AMANDA LULHAM HERE
Originally published as A-League: Sydney FC, Macarthur Bulls, Wanderers, Mariners, Jets - where they rank with fans
Full rankings: AFL Draft’s top 60 prospects listed and scouted
The 2024 AFL Draft is just over a month away, and to get you ready for the arrival of footy’s next generation, our draft experts CHRIS CAVANAGH and DAN BATTEN rank every prospect.
Splashdown! Day of disaster for Aussies in women’s America’s Cup
The women’s America’s Cup dream of an Australian crew is over after just two days of racing, a disastrous touchdown, a broken start penalty and erratic conditions. How it played out.