How two years on the road will help define Sydney FC's identity
The chants Sydney FC fans will direct towards Western Sydney Wanderers' supporters at the last derby to be played at Allianz Stadium on Sunday will be shaped by what they believe the club stands for.
For many, that belief is based on interpretation, predominantly forged by the three major flashpoint eras of the club's 13-year history.
The first was their advent: the "Bling" of Dwight Yorke as marquee, World Cup winner Pierre Littbarski as coach and actor Anthony La Paglia among the directors. Frequent appearances in the social pages fuelled that reputation, perpetuated by the acquisition of the likes of Juninho and John Aloisi, and ending with the signing of Alessandro Del Piero in 2012. For many of those fans, Sydney FC represented the aspirations of the city despite inconsistent and often underwhelming on-field results.
The local derby always brings out the best in players and fans.
The local derby always brings out the best in players and fans.
Photo: AAP
That image came to a crossroads with the introduction of the Wanderers in 2012, who provided Sydney FC with a different identity based on "otherisation". Then followed the Graham Arnold era of success and stability, during which Sydney FC have been utterly dominant on the field while enjoying a period of unrivalled financial security. However, poor crowds during this period suggest they have struggled to find the same public cut-through.
This season, attendances have dropped 14 per-cent across the A-League. Sydney FC sit 11 points clear at the top of the table but their crowds are down by about seven per cent. Scheduling took a toll but there is no hiding the message that on-field results alone are not enough of an appeal in this city, requiring the club to strengthen its footprint.
"If you ask what Sydney FC meant as a brand in this city, in the past it was a brand that was detached. In the future, it will be a brand that represents the whole city," Sydney FC chief executive Danny Townsend said.
Sunday's derby will be unusual in that there could be 10,000 empty seats at Allianz Stadium come kick-off. The Sky Blues' likely starting team will contain as few as two players from the city, and none that have progressed through the club's youth ranks.
For a club that has sat on top of the biggest base of registered players in the country for 13 years, the lack of representation of that 228,000-strong nursery appears to have diluted its appeal to the community. Tellingly, just two players in the current Socceroos set-up came through Sydney FC as youngsters, indicative of its short-coming as a development club for its community.
When they return to a new stadium in Moore Park in two years, that won't be the case.
"There was no elite pathway five years ago for players to end up at Sydney FC. The whole point of the investment we've made in the academy is to change that," Townsend said. "The investment we've had around our academy is to make sure we represent Sydney to bring talent through."
Already their academies have shown progress. Their National Youth League team has reached three of the past five finals and is the only A-League youth side competing in the top division of the National Premier League NSW.
The most significant step, however, is tapping into the grassroots with a tangible program. Beginning this year, Sydney established a partnership with its 10 closest football associations to run Skills Acquisition Programs for their under 9s through to under 12s, providing higher-quality sessions for juniors while laying the seeds of its first genuine youth catchment.
But for all the success of its academies, the club is constrained by a nomadic existence. Youth training grounds are in Bella Vista, while matches are played in Leichhardt. The A-League squad's base is at Macquarie University despite the club's offices being some 20 kilometres away in Moore Park. In a sign of the club's evolution, that has prompted a change in their spending habits. Sydney's largest cheques were previously reserved for high-profile players - now they're being put towards a permanent home.
"We're currently exploring two or three excellent sites to build this state of the art facility which will house our A-League team, W-League team, youth academy and our administration," chairman Scott Barlow said.
That land won't come cheap but Barlow - a property developer by day - believes the cost of returning to a new stadium in Moore Park without a stake in the ground will be greater.
"Our whole club will be under the one roof and the opportunity to create an even stronger culture of one 'Sydney FC Family'. These plans are progressing quickly and we hope to say more on this in the coming month or two," he said.
The trophies that have sat in the club's offices will be on display at headquarters where the youngest academy players will walk past every day, hoping to become the club's next icons. Just as importantly, those trophies will decorate a clubhouse where its members congregate.
In its history, Sydney has sought to brings fans to it, often through short-term yet expensive player signings. Now, Sydney will spend the next two seasons going out to its supporters. That starts with their three home venues for that period, one located at their spiritual home precinct and two others in their biggest membership bases.
"The SCG will be our home where we will play our big, marquee matches and by maintaining a presence at Moore Park our fans will get to see our new stadium take shape as it comes out of the ground. We will also play some games at Kogarah Oval," Barlow said. "Thirdly, we will take some fixtures to Leichhardt Oval."
To combat travel obstacles, the club will provide free transport. At each of the 10 football associations the club has partnered with, decorated buses will run from local fields to stadiums. In terms of Leichhardt, Sydney FC are exploring running ferries to the historic venue.
"I think the supporter bus programs will be really unique and sets us apart. It takes the pain out of coming to Sydney FC games," Townsend said.
When Sydney FC return to Moore Park, they hope it won't just be with a greater knowledge of what they represent, but more of those who represent them.
"Sydney FC needs swagger, that’s aspirational, we have to be arrogant but not ignorant and going into the community doesn't mean we detach from that," Townsend said. "We have to bring people on the journey with us and entice them to be a part of it because everyone wants to be a part of something great."
Dominic Bossi is a football reporter with The Sydney Morning Herald.
https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/sport/soccer/how-two-years-on-the-road-will-help-define-sydney-fc-s-identity-20180223-p4z1gz.html