![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theasiangame.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/AAMI-PARK-1.png?resize=1024%2C683&ssl=1\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nFast forward a decade and the A-League is in a vastly different position, with crowds and interest down all across the league. There are myriad reasons as to why, but the one place where it has had the biggest impact is in Melbourne, with a staggering 51% drop in attendances this season compared to a decade prior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Compare that with a smaller 17% drop in Sydney, and the question has to be asked – does the A-League have a \u2018Melbourne Problem\u2019?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How the mighty have fallen<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
There was a time when the A-League was effectively being propped up by the success of Melbourne Victory, which in the early years of the nascent league became an on and off-field juggernaut.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Two championships in the opening four seasons, sell-out crowds at the 55,000-capacity Docklands stadium and household stars in the form of Archie Thompson and Kevin Muscat; Victory managed to penetrate the sporting bubble in the AFL crazed city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Backed by the power of the News Corp media empire, which at the time had the television rights through their Fox Sports pay-TV arm, it wasn\u2019t ridiculous to claim that Victory were at times bigger than some of the Australian Rules clubs that dominate the city\u2019s sporting landscape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When the Victorian state government planned a new 20,000-capacity rectangular stadium to house the two Rugby codes and football, the success of Victory as a club saw capacity expanded to 30,000 such was the power of the fledgling club.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe stadium this Saturday night was built off the sweat and the dedication of Melbourne Victory fans, anyone who knows their history knows this,\u201d dedicated Victory member Dave Srhoj said on the For Vucks Sake<\/em> fan podcast this week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe work that was done with Government to make this stadium what it is today was because of Melbourne Victory fans. And I want everyone to remember that, and understand that and know that because we share this f**king ground with (Melbourne City), but it\u2019s not theirs, it\u2019s f**king ours.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Provocative as that may be, it is historically accurate. In fact, there were those that argued that the 30,000 capacity was still too small for the mega-club that Victory was projected to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s far from the case now, with Victory\u2019s average crowd this season dropping to a paltry 12,778. How the mighty have fallen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere\u2019s no question that people are enticed to new and shiny things \u2013 and Australian sport has had a glut of them in recent decades: think Big Bash, Super Rugby and A-League,\u201d former leading journalist-turned football executive, Sebastian Hassett, explained to The Asian Game<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThey\u2019ve lost some of their sheen over time, as always happens. What you\u2019d hope is a core of regular supporters make it a habit to attend each week, because that\u2019s what makes professional sport sustainable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cUnfortunately, a myriad of proverbial \u2018stones in the boat\u2019 has really weighed down the popularity of the A-League. It\u2019s not one singular issue, it\u2019s a multitude, stacked on top of each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He continued: \u201cThe pandemic had a disproportionate effect on Melbourne, whilst the economic crunch has really sharpened discretionary spending in a very crowded market. If people are going to spend, they want something that\u2019s a top-tier experience or deeply meaningful, ideally both.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe erosion of trust from the (now-reversed) decision to move the grand final to Sydney is often cited as a breaking point among previously rusted-on supporters, while the subsequent fallout from the protest turned off plenty of potential fans \u2013 many of who were ready to embrace the sport after the Socceroos\u2019 2022 World Cup exploits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat recriminations of that week, and the ongoing challenge about what is the \u2018right\u2019 level of active support, are still being felt today.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s the events of that fateful day back in 2022 that have done untold damage, according to Tony Ising, one of the original founders of the club in the early 2000s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere are many incidents – but we all know that there is one in particular,\u201d he told The Asian Game<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe Christmas Derby pitch invasion is one of the most disgusting events in the history of Australian sport. I don\u2019t think we can overstate the impact that had on rank and file fans. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s a difficult position for the club, because we all want to retain the amazing atmosphere active support brings. But I don\u2019t think the club has been tough enough to eliminate the cancerous elements from the terrace. Who defines the values and culture of the club? Unfortunately, the club has lost control of this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe way we\u2019re perceived by members, fans and the broader community has been polluted by literal criminals in the stands. This devastating brand damage wouldn\u2019t be tolerated in any other business. I can\u2019t fathom why we allow it to stand here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s an issue Victory still grapples with today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Only this season the club was embroiled in another controversy around its active support when a small number chose to boycott the club\u2019s annual Pride Game, celebrating the LGBTIQ+ community, instead travelling to watch the club\u2019s youth team play in the National Premier Leagues and shouting homophobic profanities throughout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDuring our NPL Round 8 fixture in Shepparton, extreme anti-social behaviour was displayed, including homophobic slurs, which are not reflective of our values, and is completely unacceptable,\u201d Melbourne Victory managing director, Caroline Carnegie, said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis means, we are again in a position where a small group of people attending Melbourne Victory fixtures have engaged in conduct which does not truly reflect the Melbourne Victory supporter base, disrespects the culture, vision and values we have all worked hard to build, and actively damages the Club and its reputation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere is no place at Melbourne Victory for individuals who show a clear disregard for supporting our teams, the culture we have worked hard to build, or the inclusive environment we are committed to fostering.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n While it remains in Victory\u2019s hands to dictate their own future in that regard, there are, according to Ising, some factors outside the club\u2019s immediate control such as dysfunction within the league\u2019s administration and a changing media landscape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe A-League doesn\u2019t have a Melbourne problem as much as it has an A-League problem,\u201d Ising said, \u201cand much of that problem is self-inflicted.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe A-League clubs collectively need to shoulder much of the responsibility here. You can pinpoint the start of the decline back to 2018 when the clubs wrestled control of the league from the FFA. Not only did they run the game\u2019s primary benefactor out of town, the APL has proven largely inept at managing the league.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe scandalous waste of money on developing the KEEPUP digital platform really illustrated this, and then the harebrained decision to move the Grand Final to Sydney .<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis just goes to show how much we benefitted from a coordinated and united approach to grow the game back then.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnother important issue is the global change in media consumption habits. The fragmentation of the digital media landscape is such a big factor. Back when we were establishing our identity we forged partnerships with major media outlets who were partners in growing the game. I don\u2019t see relationships like those to the same extent these days.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s a sentiment echoed by Hassett, a former journalist who understands the media landscape better than most.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCoverage in the newspapers has shrunk dramatically, while free-to-air radio, television and digital coverage is scant,\u201d he explained. \u201cIn a city that gorges on sport, and has predictable consumption routines, A-League content is notable for how difficult it is to find. By contrast, rival sports have created points of daily and weekly engagement on all platforms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMuch of football\u2019s coverage is back where it was 20 years ago \u2013 less focus on the play, more focus on the existential questions of governance and direction. As fascinating and important as that is, it doesn\u2019t speak to the root cause of football\u2019s appeal: the match itself and the rhythms of a season.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Despite their alarming decline, they still remain the city\u2019s foremost professional football club as both Melbourne City and Western United struggle even harder to attract a crowd. Diminished as it may be, the Melbourne Victory brand still has value in Melbourne, as evidenced by the grand final selling out in little more than 24 hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMelbourne Victory means something in this league,\u201d Shroj continued on the For Vucks Sake<\/em> podcast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt is the emblem of professional football in this city. The adults in the room in the state of Victoria know this, they understand this. The kids out there know this, because they see the (Melbourne City) kits and just see the same as CFG in other parts of the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis is why, despite some success that they\u2019ve had, despite the biggest spend off the park they have, with their global reach, this is why they\u2019ve not made an impact in this city. They\u2019ve not grown, they\u2019ve not added value. They mean nothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe are Melbourne. We are this city. Full stop.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s a general rule of thumb that the more successful a team is, the larger their crowds will grow. It\u2019s the bandwagon effect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yet, the opposite is true for Melbourne City, who were formed as Melbourne Heart in 2009 and taken over by the City Football Group in 2014, changing their name and identity to match that of their parent club, Manchester City.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Their red and white colours became \u2018City Blue\u2019, while their badge was redesigned to mirror that of the mothership in Manchester.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While sustained success took time to develop, this weekend\u2019s Grand Final will be their fifth in the past six seasons. They have become, on-field at least, an A-League powerhouse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the stands, however, it\u2019s a different story. This season their average is just over 6000 – their worst ever, outside of the COVID impacted seasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Why, for a club that is so successful, have they failed to grow their fan base? According to longtime fan and foundation member, Aidan Watts-Fawkes, there is one underlying reason.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe issue of low crowds and the club not gaining traction with fans isn’t because folks don’t grasp our identity, it’s because that identity doesn’t speak to them,\u201d he told The Asian Game<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI reckon this issue is two-fold. First, Manchester City as a club and brand doesn’t resonate in Australia as much as CFG HQ want to believe is the case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe’ve grown up on Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal. Arguably, Real Madrid and Barcelona ‘grab’ the football fan more than Manchester City. Why would a Liverpool fan looking for an A-League club to follow pick Melbourne City?<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe second reason, and I reckon this is far more pivotal, is that Melburnians want to feel that their club is for them, that it represents them. Melbourne is progressive, grassroots, rebellious, different, unique. I’d perhaps stop short of saying grungy and punk, but you can see what I’m getting at.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe city thrives on not being like Sydney (or anywhere else). This can be seen through a social lens and a political lens, but also a sporting lens. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhy would ‘Manchester City Lite FC’ resonate when football fans want something of their own? Hindsight is 20\/20, but the major flaw in CFG’s thinking during the takeover was that we’d be captivated by being an arm of Manchester City. The opposite has proven true.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He continued: “Perhaps a story for another day, but I found that sense of being represented in Melbourne Heart. Certainly felt more ‘Melbourne’.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “The Heart-Victory divide felt stronger and more tribal. CFG should’ve harnessed that, kept us in red and white, built the identity around being ‘Melbourne’ (and not ‘Manchester Lite’). Not everyone agrees but I’d love us to wear the stripes again as the home kit.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n The new Melbourne City era started with so much promise back in 2014\/15. David Villa was signed on a short guest stint, with rumours that Frank Lampard would also be on his way, although that never eventuated for a number of reasons. A new era of marquee signings looked to be on the horizon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Close to 16,000 turned up for Villa\u2019s first game, a 1-1 draw with Newcastle Jets in which he scored the equaliser, while 13,000 turned up two weeks later for what turned out to be his last game in Melbourne as his guest stint, which was meant to be ten games, was abruptly cut short.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is those early days of promise, Hassett says, that set expectations they have never been able to meet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIn many ways, Melbourne City have been a hugely successful project,\u201d Hassett, a former Football Victoria executive, explained. \u201cThey\u2019ve won championships across both men and women, produced numerous Socceroos and have the state\u2019s best junior setup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThey\u2019ve built an excellent training facility at Casey Fields, with a mini-stadium soon incoming. It\u2019s an excellent production line and their development staff may not get the credit they deserve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI think the perception of them failing is because they were expected to be a mini-me of Manchester City, and the early arrivals of David Villa, Damian Duff, Tim Cahill and Bruno Fornaroli seemed to indicate they were going to be star-studded brand that played whirlwind football, just like their parent club.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cUnfortunately, the hopes of a \u2018super club\u2019 annually importing big stars and exciting managers never materialised \u2013 even their own supporters concede the club is yet to chisel out a solid identity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Watts-Fawkes, however, is unconvinced football fans in Melbourne would throw their support behind a \u2018super club\u2019 strategy without something more meaningful underpinning it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMarquee talent and Socceroos might get a few folks through the gates, but that’s not why <\/em>you want them through the gate,\u201d he said. \u201cYou want them there because they’ve bought into the club and its ethos, because they feel compelled to be pitchside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe club needs to build its core fan base, rather than relying on the next global star to add a few thousand to the crowd each week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd beyond that, I feel Melburnians would see through that. ‘Bling’ is a very Sydney trait, that’s not the Melbourne character at all, so becoming ‘Bling FC’ won’t solve our issues in the long term.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The debate in recent years has turned into one around location, with Melbourne City setting up their new training and administration in Melbourne\u2019s south-east, with many calling for the club to make the move full-time, commit to building a new stadium in Dandenong and creating a geographical identity around one of the biggest multicultural areas in Melbourne.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCity has resisted calls to become the club of Melbourne\u2019s south-east, saying they don\u2019t want to abandon the original fan base, many of who live in the inner north and formed in the early days of Melbourne Heart,\u201d Hassett said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIn some ways, the administration probably hoped the club would organically find its place as a non-geographic, non-denomination club that would attract people with good football, as Victory once did. But one gets the feeling that no matter how many trophies City win, their popularity will remain capped until those trophies are won on behalf of a definitive region.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n On this, Watts-Fawkes agrees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe didn’t have enough of a point of difference to Victory to start with, and now being ‘Manchester City Lite’ is holding us back,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe absolutely need to build an identity in a suburb (that’s easy to get to for people not in that suburb) and get out of AAMI Park. We need to start representing a community, rather than being ‘not Melbourne Victory’ or ‘Manchester City Lite’.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe need to get to the point where people need a reason not<\/em> to go, because they can’t fathom missing a Friday night under lights down the road from where they live.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFor me, this is one hundred percent Dandenong. Casey [where their training facility is based] is an outpost, (and) so far from anywhere. The housing density nearby is low, there’s barely any public transport, and it’d reinforce the notion that we’re irrelevant in the Melbourne sporting landscape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cA stadium nearby Dandenong station would become a drawcard for the whole south-east. The population is there, and it’s close enough to the city by train. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere’s a compelling proposition for a Dandenong-based City that better embraces all the things that made people so invested in Heart and everything it stood for.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Can the A-League every return to the halcyon days of a decade ago? Can Melbourne Victory return to the powerhouse it once was with average crowds of 25,000? Can Melbourne City carve out an identity that resonates with enough people to build their fan base?<\/p>\n\n\n\n These are the questions that the clubs and the league must grapple with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The speed with which this weekend\u2019s Grand Final sold out – in a little over 24 hours – shows that an appetite still exists in Melbourne. The battle is getting them to turn up week in, week out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But, says Hassett, the Grand Final offers an opportunity to start that process of rehabilitation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou couldn\u2019t ask for a better way to jump-start interest in the competition again,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019d have genuinely looked at taking the match to an even bigger venue, especially with no AFL games in Melbourne on Saturday and Sunday. This would have been an all-time record crowd.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt has all the ingredients to be one of the great all-time Australian football matches, and with the amount of people who are asking me for tickets, I\u2019d dare say the city\u2019s interest is the highest it\u2019s been for an A-League match in more than a decade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019ll be on the clubs themselves to seize the moment if they want the momentum to flow forward to next season and beyond. Both sides have lots of young talent, with some genuinely skilful stars who can dazzle on a weekly basis. If the match lives up the billing, it could well be the catalyst for the entire A-League to be revived \u2013 and not just in Melbourne.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n While Ising agrees the Melbourne Derby Grand Final offers an opportunity, in order to grasp it, he says, there needs to be a mindset shift to go with it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI think the club, like the league as a whole, is fixated on retention rather than growth,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd that\u2019s entirely understandable as we struggle post-COVID.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut I\u2019d encourage the club and the league to keep looking forward and re-embrace a start-up mentality. I feel we lost a lot of momentum back in 2011 when FFA adopted a rear-view mirror attitude and seemed more intent on appeasing historical factions within the game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe focus was on the Australia Cup and proposals for promotion and relegation. I think they took their collective eyes off the ball, leaving the A-League to stagnate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI do think that the recent announcement of Tony Bloom taking a share in (Melbourne Victory) is a massive opportunity. I think we can re-examine our identity, our values and ensure the club resets as we approach the next 20 years.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Cast your mind back to the last time Melbourne Victory played an A-League Grand Final at AAMI Park. The season was 2014\/15 and the game was between two of the league\u2019s biggest rivals, Melbourne Victory and Sydney FC, just as it will be this Saturday night when the first ever Melbourne Derby Grand Final is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5022,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_gspb_post_css":"#gspb_row-id-gsbp-6422369{justify-content:space-between;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;display:flex;flex-wrap:wrap;background-size:cover;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-image:url(https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/AAMI-PARK-4.png)}#gspb_row-id-gsbp-6422369>.gspb_row__content{display:flex;justify-content:space-between;margin:0 auto;width:100%;flex-wrap:wrap}.gspb_row{position:relative}div[id^=gspb_col-id]{box-sizing:border-box;position:relative;padding:var(--gs-row-column-padding, 15px min(3vw, 20px))}body.gspb-bodyfront #gspb_row-id-gsbp-6422369>.gspb_row__content{width:var(--theme-container-width, 1200px);max-width:var(--theme-normal-container-max-width, 1200px)}#gspb_row-id-gsbp-6422369:hover{background-size:cover}#gspb_col-id-gsbp-792a0c6.gspb_row__col--12{width:100%}@media (max-width:689.98px){#gspb_col-id-gsbp-792a0c6.gspb_row__col--12{width:100%}}","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[169,131,514],"class_list":["post-5027","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","tag-a-league","tag-australia","tag-club-football"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theasiangame.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/AAMI-PARK-3.png?resize=1024%2C683&ssl=1\")
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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nCity without a home<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe Future<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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