Full credit to SFC they dominated the league last season - but in all honesty due to COVID, SFC dominance, the way it ended without fans and the simple fact the AL is dry as f**k when one team runs away with the competition.  It does feel like the AL has been gone for a long time....normally the season commences when the AFL/NRL season ends. 

Although I constantly rip into the leagues poor structure and the FFA i do find myself missing the domestic competition. In the end of the day I love watching the EPL but outside of Manchester United i dont got the commitment to watch anyone else (unless that are at a socially acceptable time). The AL gives me football I can watch all weekend if im not up to much and having a small baby these days and being in lockdown (Victoria) for 6 months has made me 'miss' the AL and with the kick off still 9 weeks away it just feels crap not having the league back by now..... 

I know with the reduced sal cap and lack of foreign players the competition will probably be ass next season but i honestly cant wait to have it back.... 


Anyone else feeling the same? 

Yes. Can’t wait. 

I feel more connected to the a league then any other league and I’ve had to many good home and away experiences to stop watching now. 

Yes!
If only so the off-season whinge threads will decline. I would love to read about football rather than league structure and endlessly spinning the chocolate wheel of blame.

Every off season I couldn’t wait for the restart. This is the first year where I genuinely don’t care. Probably due the to fact my team won’t be have many if any home games.

No, I’d already walked away from it and cancelled my Foxtel subscription after the las Canberra rejection. I used to take my family for a couple of trips to Melbourne and Sydney each season to watch matches then just thought stuff it, the bastards don’t want my city so they can all get stuffed. I just follow Aussies abroad now and the Socceroos.

Who's your team, and why the lack of home games??

I think majority of people are wanting a Canberra team hopefully we get it soon 

Unfortunately I think Canberra will be worse than CCM: small crowds in a too big stadium. 

Yes can’t wait and if the Phoenix play out of Wollongong this year I will get to see my team in my home town, Adelaide in Wollongong!

This is totally unfair. Canberra has persistently had well-funded applications for the A-League and was knocked down purely because Foxtel wanted more Sydney/Melbourne teams and Gallop had a misguided "fish where the fish are" approach (for some reason a viewer in the two major cities is worth more than a viewer in smaller towns). I can't imagine they would be any worse than Western United, and they won't be cannibalising any existing team's support. Canberra-Queanbeyan has a pop. of nearly 500k, and the catchment has more when you add in surrounding towns (Goulburn, Yass, Cooma, Wagga).

Bruce Stadium is an open, wind-swept bowl in the middle of nowhere, but the ACT govt has plans to build a more intimate stadium in Civic, which will be easier to get to for fans and offer more protection from the elements. Forsyth Barr in Dunedin has been spoken of as a direct inspiration.

The only competition is from the Raiders and the Brumbies, but there are big question marks over Super Rugby right now. And grassroots football in the ACT is in a healthy state, with the NPL comp reasonably popular in the community.

It will probably be similar to the Jets: not financially massive but well loved in the community and capable of bringing in large crowds in good seasons.

I dare say i am partly responsible for the spinning wheel im sorry. There isnt much else to talk about in Australian football atm without the National team playing ....

No big transfer, pre-season friendlies etc

I think if there wasn’t bullshit screwing up our game we would be talking about npl teams,npl players to look out for, marquees to get excited about even ACL 

Over the last week or so, with preseason matches getting scheduled and playing out of Dolphin, I have started to get excited again. Yes, I miss the Aleague. We were spoiled with 'a game a day' last season.

Just an irrelevant observation - I do not think SFC ran away with the comp as much as it looked like they would pre-covid. That Nix game against them with the unexpected referee decisions could have made it a two horse race with a 6 point table effect. Nix would have had to get lucky and work at it but they could have stopped SFC taking the title until the last game or two.

:) Sounds like the Canberrans are the new NSL bitters of Australian Football. hahahahahha Welcome to the non-desirables club. hahahahahahahahah

I don’t think it is unfair - they planned to play out of a 20k stadium and would likely draw 5k crowds. 

Also Canberra simply fell short on the cash. That’s a fact