Australian football (aka soccer) takes place between a league of 11 clubs in the 'A' League. Unfortunately as it's a relatively new competition there is no space for a Canberra team and despite efforts to get a bid off the ground there's no sign of it happening any time soon. Canberra is a rugby town and that's pretty much it.
Last week the town played host to a franchised A League game in the form of Central Coast Mariners (a Sydney team) v Perth Glory. It was a bit of one-paced afair and the Mariners who showed more attacking spirit throughout the game, rightly ended the night as 2-1 winners.
The match wasn't won until the 89th minute when the Perth goalkeeper misjudged a long ball which bounced high over his head (I didn't think the Canberra turf could be so bouncey!). The ball fell to a Mariners substitute who passed to the busy Matt Simon to score.
The match was notable(!) in that it attracted 5,139 spectators (the lowest for an A League fixture this season) and it was the crowd numbers as much as the game on view, that probably condemns Canberra to a few more years without football. The FFA (Football Federation Australia) had earlier said that they would look unfavourably on an attendance below 5,000. In the end another 139 packed into the quarter full ground.
It was a fairly warm night, but despite this the dullness of the game meant that my mind wandered back to chilly Wolves away games in Blighty. Suddenly those distant nights spent huddled on in a rainy Fratton Park, Craven Cottage or Elm park terrace with the rain lashing my face, having handed over most of my week's salary as admission, didn't seem so bad.
If you want to read a match report then click here
Last week the town played host to a franchised A League game in the form of Central Coast Mariners (a Sydney team) v Perth Glory. It was a bit of one-paced afair and the Mariners who showed more attacking spirit throughout the game, rightly ended the night as 2-1 winners.
The match wasn't won until the 89th minute when the Perth goalkeeper misjudged a long ball which bounced high over his head (I didn't think the Canberra turf could be so bouncey!). The ball fell to a Mariners substitute who passed to the busy Matt Simon to score.
The match was notable(!) in that it attracted 5,139 spectators (the lowest for an A League fixture this season) and it was the crowd numbers as much as the game on view, that probably condemns Canberra to a few more years without football. The FFA (Football Federation Australia) had earlier said that they would look unfavourably on an attendance below 5,000. In the end another 139 packed into the quarter full ground.
It was a fairly warm night, but despite this the dullness of the game meant that my mind wandered back to chilly Wolves away games in Blighty. Suddenly those distant nights spent huddled on in a rainy Fratton Park, Craven Cottage or Elm park terrace with the rain lashing my face, having handed over most of my week's salary as admission, didn't seem so bad.
If you want to read a match report then click here
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