Heart have only cracked 10k in the A-League twice (excluding derbies): One was their first ever game, the other was the double header with the VPL GF.

The 3rd will surely be when Del Piero visits again?

Outside of those 2 games the largest is 8k according to wikipedia and a few in the 7k range...it surprises me how not 1 game has ever at least reached 9k:lol:

A South fan criticising Heart crowds :lol:

Not criticism, purely facts, i've even attended a lot of those Heart games. It is surprising that crowds never seem to rise beyond 7k regardless of day, time or opposition over 3 yrs.

Heart had 10k v Wellington at the start of the season.

If they can average 7k outside of derbies that's a fair return. Much better than the old days when 5k was considered a good crowd.

If we accept your argument that Melbourne should only have two teams, then we must accept that the A-League's growth will be severely hindered heading into the future. If we want a 1st and 2nd division with promotion and relegation then these extra teams will need to come from somewhere. Melbourne, with almost 20% of Australia's population will have to support more teams in order to realise this.

They have not proven anything.

Are you claiming the FFA can produce a WSW style franchise in any part of Australia?

I guess you're having a laugh which is fine on a public forum.

Now to the facts, the FFA is looking for a buyer for WSW and currently have ZERO takers. This shouldn't be surprising as like any aleague franchise, the phrase "money pit" goes hand in hand with a license.

Results are the key to any team and that is fundamentally what WSW has gotten correct. They are also in a football "heartland" so to speak with many traditional clubs and mammoth junior participation.

The fact it took 8 years to get a club in this area, if anything, points to the incompetency of the FFA.

The league has a ready made team in South Melbourne that could strengthen its position on many fronts including TV rights (due to more games). Financially the club has a superb stadium deal, good football infrastructure and is perhaps the most historic club in the nation.

It also generates a lot of animosity which is always a good sign of a club that will generate good away crowds and ratings as it has a stigma of a "team we must beat".

Perhaps the admission of South Melbourne is one of the biggest "no brainers" in the FFA's reign however I guess no-one has the guts to stand up to Dictator Lowy and make this change a reality.


Edited by southfan: 2/2/2013 05:52:22 PM

Hahaha. I think sometimes I underestimate how debauched from reality South fans are.

Can FFA do a WSW in ANY part of Australia?? Obviously not, can they do it in a city of four million and Australia's second largest? I'd say yes, and would have a better chance of success than some Greek club representing a few thousand Greeks that no non Greek person gives a shit about.

As for West Sydney, it might have taken them 8 years but lets not forget the administrators of the old NSL couldn't found a team in Sydney ever. That we now have two mainstram Sydney teams and two Melbourne teams despite just 8 years ago football being on its deathbed is something to applaud, it's amazing after all the success of the WSW South fans choose to hate on FFA and criticise every good thing they do. Pure jealousy.

As for "South generate lots of animosity therefore would sell out MCG" what a dumb ass comment. South are a small club these days and most modern A league fans wouldn't know who South are or remember. South fans like to big note themselves sometimes by calling themselves great and thinking their inclusion will revolutionise the league, but the reality is they would struggle to fill their own stadium let alone opposition ones. South were only 'pretty good' by lowly NSL standards, when football was played on cow paddocks and crowds of 5k were considered outstanding. Now that we have proper big sexy clubs like Sydney FC, Victory and WSW South just don't measure up in any way, shape or form.

Finally that South are "ready-made" is lunacy.

You have

a) no plan
b) no money
c) no stadium that meets A league requirements
d) no chance of breaking into the broader community
e) no loyal fanbase
f) no professional roster

Ready made my ass. Maybe when South starts doing something and converting all their words and hype into action maybe people will take notice and you wont sound so ridiculous.

I'm watching the Heart Victory derby and scratching my head as to how people think Lakeside would generate a better atmosphere.:?

Edited by rusty: 2/2/2013 08:01:06 PM

Etihad has a batter atmosphere than lakeside (that's saying something).

You can create a great atmosphere at any venue, fwiw the best atmosphere i've seen this season is from wanderers fans at parra stadium..which has a slightly higher capacity then Lakeside.

a) yes they do
b) one of the few clubs in the country making a profit
c) minor touch ups at best to make it hal level
d)says you
e)yeh we do, arent i loyal?
f) duhh we are in the vpl, you want to turn a team pro in a state league? no even vfl clubs are pro!

Its not a matter of being ready, the club could join the league next season with ease...we wouldnt need a cent out of the ffa, the issue is the club isnt wanted! thats the only thing that matters here.

Edited by southmelb: 2/2/2013 11:13:23 PM

Hate to say it but Heart felt like an interstate team tonight, apart from a small following on the near camera side the stadium was pretty much blue, looks like Victory snapped up almost all the GA tickets for this one.

Born in England, to English parents. If I go back another generation I can get Welsh and South African blood too. No Greek. Sorry, but I give a shit. Go figure.

If I can, I'm pretty sure others can.

It certainly was dominated by MV fans tonight, but given that it was their home match and the seasons each team has had, it's pretty much expected.

In saying that though, there were quite a few MH fans scattered around. The MH active support were doing a good job during the game too.

Edited by heart_fan: 3/2/2013 12:06:12 AM

Was still nowhere as pathetic as the turnout to clarendon corner at the Soufs vs Vicktree game at Lakeside and this was a Soufs home game too.

But they don't, and that's all that matters.

this......

or this........

i think the atmosphere at Etihad may just top Lakeside here

Guys

It is painfully obvious that the victory fans are the reason why we have a derby in this state
Mh fans represented 15% = approximately 6k which is where they are at - at the moment
Personally i don't think they will get much bigger if the MH fans will not come out for a game like this - even the curious ones
There were another 10&k tickets up for grabs - where were the Hart fans?
I think they have peaked
Celebrating a very modest incremental growth this season is typical of their intent

If it was smfc v MV ,today there would have been 50k

Rust - just curious - why would you have an urge to post on this thread during the derby.

If anything it signals how dominant and one sided this city is - if anything if the MH shake a leg this derby will erode

Even the tv could not hide how 1 sided the attendance was

Interesting how the cameraman scans a whole end when the tv shows the victory fans and zooms in to 30 ugly mugs when he shows the Heart fans --- and they are very young

Why don't the heart attract many families - most of their fans seems to be under 23 years old?

Legit question



Edited by chris: 3/2/2013 12:53:15 AM

a) no they don't
b) my local suburban club makes a profit, that doesn't make it a viable entry for the A league
c) get fucked. Cement seating is so 1980's, we have these things called seats these days.
d) says the broader community
e) you're not really a 'fanbase'
f) south would perhaps meet none of strict A league entry benchmarks. If you think an ameteur backyard job like South would get in with ease you are truly deluded.

I posted the sames images earlier in the thread and believe it or not the South fan was trying to convince me the atmosphere at Lakeside was better. Crazy fuckers ey?

having a big night on the turps chris? or have you just lost the ability to formulate a sentence?

the mind boggles ](*,) ](*,) ](*,) ](*,)

6k is about what a South v Knights dery would've attracted... at Bob Jane!

Funny how you guys always argue you can't compare apples with oranges yet Perth and Adelaide had no problems pulling crowds.

Seemed like the majority of Heart fans were sitting behind the cameras. They never fully zoomed out so we could see the true extent of the Heart support, so I don't have much to say about that without any hard data to comment on.

Why would I have an urge to post? That's a difficult question to answer Chris, I have to admit I am fascinated by the South mindset, you guys are a lot like Mundine, knocked out and still think you're world champions.

Actually it is south that told the Hearts to get fucked ......... Twice
They wanted to set up administration at lakeside =!get fucked
They wanted to explore a relationship with smfc = ! Get fucked

Hope their sister club relationship with the oakleigh cannons is working out for them

It is smfc that will not dilute its brand

Might make him our number 1 ticket holder this year

Aha!

At last count we were down to 13 but obviously there are still 14 (Rusty + 13 other) individuals within the Australian landscape who have an Australian Football Ethnic Complex.

This syndrome renders the carrier to be in a constant state of cult-like belief and so intense in its onset and eventual capture of the individual that even world class psychological assistance, medication and hypnosis have not been able to successfully cure this state.

Now..

A) Have you attended an AGM in recent years, if so how many? The club is currently re-building admistration base, a new cafeteria/bistro area and a futsal court to enhance its youth development program which is over subscribed.
B) Have you attended an AGM in recent years? If so how many? The club announced a profit this year. Collectively, aleague clubs are scheduled to once again lose 25-30million this season.
C) Lakeside stadium just had a $60 million renovation. No technicality that you mention would prevent this stadium being used in the aleague if it were the base of an existing or new club.
D) Incorrect. 15 years ago 1/4 of membership base was from non traditional support. 15 years later, the Greek community of Australia is fully assimilated into Australian culture with the 4th and 5th generation and mixed marriages the norm. In fact I have no doubt that many Australians with Greek Heritage are more Australian than Rusty.
E) If there was no loyal fan base you would not see the club in the current position of strength it currently finds itself in. Your point should be re-worded along the lines of the following: "Many sellouts including people like myself (Rusty)".
F) Why would a semi professional club playing in a semi professional league have a professional roster? So we may not have a professional roster but we have WORLD CLASS INFRASTRUCTURE and facilities and in all honesty, VPL players of late are flooding the aleague so IMO, the difference in standard predominantly relates to fitness.

Hope you enjoyed your plastic derby. I guess the atmosphere must be similar to certain South American and European derbies where the opposition set of supporters (usually the away team) do not attend (for reasons relating to safety).

Edited by southfan: 3/2/2013 01:10:10 AM

a) Wow! that cafe will really help a 7-year-old kick a football!
b) That still doesn't say anything for SMFC
And this "plastic derby" business... You expect SMFC to come in and turn the Melbourne Derby into a game where away fans can't go due to safety reasons? I really don't think this is the sort of model the FFA would be looking for