Its been a tricky season. started with 50% capacity, with more stringent COVID rules than footy. Then the COVID outbreak in Sydney over Xmas coincided with the start of the season and threw the fixture upside down (they should have relocated the Sydney based teams).
Literally not one game has been played on its original fixture. In some rounds, we only knew the fixture 7-10 days in advance. And in typical Peak A-League fashion, they communicated it horribly.
But we are not the only league that suffered with crowds. Its just a sign of the times. I’m sure we’ll return to the 10,000+ average next season. The new TV deal comes with a lot more promotion. People will know when the season starts and when the games are on.
It’s a shame no one has seen any games, because on the park, it has never been better. Exciting open play and a tight run to the finals.
As for Victory, apart from being horrific on the park, I think the biggest issue has been the new membership structure. It was good in theory because we didn’t know if we were able to go to games at the time. But when you have to buy a ticket for every home game… it’s a disincentive to go when you’re not doing well. If we get to a point in the future where we sell out AAMI park every week, this ticketing structure will work very well. But we will have to go back to the traditional structure next season.
I’m also tipping it’ll take Victory a few years to get back to its historical 20,000 average. the club is still on the nose to many fans. It’s a terribly run club at the moment. What we are going through now… many people saw this coming years ago. I’m sure we’ll see a spike in performance on the park with Popa coming in next season, but the off-field issues are still there and isn’t an overnight fix.