Biggest game at Parramatta Stadium

[post_hoc]

On Saturday night Western Sydney Wanderers are playing the first leg of the Asian Champions League against Al Hilal at Parramatta Stafium. This is without doubt the biggest game ever played at Parramatta stadium, works wide reach of this game is 90 million people. Not saying that will be the audience but the potential. The city of Parramatta has never witnessed something this big. As far as I know it is a sell out, I don't believe and more tickets are available, so going to be a noisy and thrilling affair. Wanderers are only the second Australian team to make the final so this is a rare opportunity, I'm going to be there, singing and urging my team on. First priority a clean sheet, 2 goals for us would be a good position before going toe Saudi Arabia next week for return leg, 60,000 odd stadium, raucous crowd as well.

Cmon you Wanderers

[King-Eliagh]

The nrl is broadcast o/s too. Parra stadiums seen shotloads of bigger games than the soccer. In fact many of the eels games get moved outta parra stadium because it's too small to hold what the crowd would be.

nice try hoc

[AFLcrap1]

Look at me Look at me .
Poor widdle sokka
Look at me Look at me.

Any guesses on the TV viewing audience in Syd....my guess .about 50k.
About 120 k AUST wide.

LOL.

[leagueiscrap]

Look at me Look at me .
Poor widdle sokka
Look at me Look at me.

Any guesses on the TV viewing audience in Syd....my guess .about 50k.
About 120 k AUST wide.

LOL.

imaginary TV figures
backed up by the NRL's inability to fill a ground
out side of SOO and the GF, its tumbleweeds blowing through the stadium, in the nations largest State

[ParraEelsNRL]

Not imaginary when they have the afl winning, are they you derp?

Oh btw, let me know when the sokka lot manage to crack 20k.

[post_hoc]

20,000 what?

TV Audience reach 90 million

Likely TV Audience 10-20 million

Sold Out game, Owner of Al Hilal Saudi Royal Family.

The Wanderers have never played a bigger game, and Parramatta Stadium has never seen a bigger game

All Facts.

[post_hoc]

from the SMH today

Sydney Wanderers have done what no pollie has done
Date
October 24, 2014 - 12:15AM
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Michael Visontay
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The Wanderers have combined instant success on the field with extraordinary support off it.
The Wanderers have combined instant success on the field with extraordinary support off it. Photo: Getty Images
Gough would have been proud but for once he can't take the credit. In two short years, Western Sydney Wanderers Football Club have created something that decades of urban planning, government policy and arts handouts have failed to achieve. They have given western Sydney a coherent identity, a status that has unified the communities "out there" into a standard-bearer for Australian sport and community spirit. Even more, they have made it cool.

As the Wanderers prepare to play the first leg of their Asian Club championship final against Saudi club Al-Hilal on Saturday night, it's clear that the fledgling club's impact has gone way beyond the football field.

Long described as the geographical and demographic heartland of Sydney, the suburbs radiating out from Parramatta have laboured under cultural snobbery from the old world of north, east and inner Sydney: no water views, boring architecture, five degrees hotter in summer and colder in winter.

Even as the quality and diversity of food and entertainment has belatedly been recognised, still the "western suburbs" has persisted in Sydney's psychic map as an amorphous sprawl defined by what it's not – close to the city – rather than what it is.

Gough Whitlam, the Prime Minister whose seat of Werriwa was in Cabramatta, who championed multi-culturalism and diversity, would not have imagined sport as the magic formula for his old constituency. He was more of an arts man. Whitlam was right to focus on culture, he just focused on the wrong sort of culture.

For all the provision of arts centres, sporting facilities, shifting of government departments, the creation of a university, the western suburbs of Sydney have generally laboured under a geographic tag rather than cultural spirit. Despite the tradition of rugby league clubs such as Parramatta, Penrith, Canterbury-Bankstown and Wests, they have all in one way or another been more about the club than "Western Sydney".

But the Wanderers, conceived in haste by Football Federation Australia, have combined instant success on the field with extraordinary support off it. More than that, they stand for something, a cause. To paraphrase from James Joyce, they have "forged in the smithy of their football souls, the uncreated conscience of their place".

That identity is drawn from a classic middle-class melting pot: diverse ethnicity, immigrant and local families, lots of mothers and young women, well behaved and passionate. The dish has been cooked for years. Now it has a name.

The Wanderers' football is not glitzy or glamorous: they play a modest, solid brand of football built on defensive discipline, grinding the opposition down, applying pressure and snatching chances. Many of their players come from western Sydney, which matters a lot. In two years, with two grand finals under their belt, and the chance to be best club in all of Asia, they stand for triumph against the odds and a sense of players truly representing their own heartland.

The result is an extraordinary supporters' culture: membership is so strong that it's hard to get a casual ticket to their home matches. The fans' chanting is inventive and, dare I say it, cool: their signature Poznan gesture, in which fans turn their back on the pitch, link arms and jump up and down, occurs in the 80th minute of every match to mark the year, 1880, when the first football match was played in western Sydney. It is the envy of other fans, and Sydney FC supporters mimicked it during their team's derby victory last Saturday night.

I say all of the above as a committed Sydney FC fan. I saw the Sky Blues win their first grand final in 2006, and again in 2010. I go to every home game with my son. I screamed when Sydney won the derby last Saturday. And yet, and yet … as my friends and I looked at the sea of red and black, absorbed the din of their chanting and sea of scarves held proudly above their heads, we could not but marvel at how they had unleashed an irresistible force. The Wanderers have transformed much more than football culture. They have given flesh and blood to something that used to be only an idea.



Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/sydney-wa ... z3H1rS0cDC

[post_hoc]

Parramatta unlikely venue for more ACL matches
Date
October 23, 2014 - 10:00PM
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Michael Cockerill
Michael Cockerill
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Spiritual home: Labinot Haliti salutes the crowd at Pirtek Stadium in March this year.
Spiritual home: Labinot Haliti salutes the crowd at Pirtek Stadium in March this year. Photo: Brendan Esposito
The biggest match of any code ever hosted by Pirtek Stadium might also be the last Asian Champions League match played at Parramatta.

Like many, I'm still staggered that the final of the ACL is being played at a ground in which only 18,500 tickets can be sold. Like many, I also have my reservations about ANZ Stadium, but in this instance it was the right venue for a match which could have – conceivably – pulled in 50,000 fans. Now, of course, we'll never know.

Western Sydney Wanderers insisted on Parramatta partly because of the wishes of their coach, Tony Popovic, and partly because the majority of their fans wanted it there. Even though many of those members have ended up missing out on seats because their entitlement (four tickets each) was about three-times the available capacity.

But the bigger picture here is that the ACL final will showcase just how inadequate Parramatta is as a major events stadium. And how the planned $29 million upgrade won't paper over those cracks. Both the Wanderers and Parramatta Eels had hoped to get an investment four-times that – a renovation which would have increased capacity to about 32,000 – but a change of state government has changed everything.

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The new Liberal government has a new stadium policy, and while there is an acknowledgement western Sydney is crying out for a major-events stadium, Parramatta is now fighting with Penrith and perhaps a new site in Blacktown for the lifeblood of public funding. You'd imagine the fact that Parramatta has two major tenants might work in its favour, but there are powerful lobbyists at work elsewhere – not least James Packer's push for Penrith. Whether Parramatta will ever get the upgrade it needs to host major events therefore remains uncertain.

As it stands, there are serious doubts whether the Asian Football Confederation will sanction Parramatta as an ACL venue beyond the final. Why this matters is that the Wanderers will be playing in the ACL again next year – with their first matches in late February. The only venue in Sydney which is fully AFC-compliant is Homebush, but 10,000 fans inside ANZ Stadium for an ACL group match doesn't have the same appeal as five-times that number for the final. Nonetheless that's the scenario facing the Wanderers in 2015, particularly if they lose out to the Eels in terms of the timing of the building works at Parramatta.

In theory, the Wanderers should again be able to host ACL games after the upgrade is completed, but Asian football doesn't always work like that. The AFC only reluctantly gave Parramatta an exemption this year, and if the Al Hilal entourage, which includes members of the Saudi royal family, don't enjoy their game-day experience in the final then prepare for the backlash. The AFC, now dominated politically by west Asia, care more about their VIPs than anything else.

In the meantime there's frustration the chance for Western Sydney Wanderers to test their potential has been wasted. ANZ Stadium wanted the game, and had committed to being ready despite a monster truck event last weekend. Like many, I wonder just how big the Wanderers juggernaut can become, and the biggest game in their short history – and apart from the FIFA Club World Cup the biggest game they can possibly play – was the perfect opportunity.

Ultimately the real story here is about football taking control of its venues. Frank Lowy believes that the cost of real estate in Australia makes building football-specific venues a pipedream. I prefer to believe where there's a will, there's a way. Until the Americans began building their own stadiums, Major League Soccer was in dire trouble. Getting the full benefit of match-day revenue has liberated the MLS, and one day it will be among the most important leagues in the world.

It may be that private investors will need to share the burden if A-League clubs are to follow the same path, but there is a precedent here. Look at the NSL, and all those clubs who built their grounds from scratch. With private money, on private land. It might cost a lot more to do the same today, but the principle remains the same.

[post_hoc]

This article from the Daily Telegraph goes a long way to saying what i have been. Just how big this game is, not only for the Wanderers but the whole of Western Sydney

Big payday in order for Wanderers if they win Asian Champions League final
TOM SMITHIES FOOTBALL EDITOR THE DAILY TELEGRAPH OCTOBER 23, 2014 10:57PM SHARE


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Bayliss' A-League and ACL preview
Bayliss' A-League and ACL preview
Can the Wanderers conquer Asia?Can the Wanderers conquer Asia?
Bayliss' A-League and ACL previewCan the Wanderers conquer Asia?
IT’S the two-legged final that could crown the Wanderers as kings of Asia – and unlock the door to a multi-million-dollar payday for the A-League’s newest club.

Victory over Saudi side Al-Hilal in the Asian Champions League final will be worth $3.5 million, but could present the opportunity to double that, thanks to the prestige involved.

Experts say it could establish the club as a magnet for Asian companies seeking entry into Australia, while for the Wanderers players there is the immediate lure to share in $750,000 for winning the ACL – and target hundreds of thousands of dollars more before the end of 2014.

Can the Wanderers conquer Asia?
Can the Wanderers conquer Asia?
But to unlock the serious riches, Western Sydney must get past one of the powerhouses of West Asian football, run by Saudi royalty and featuring South American and Asian stars.
Winning the ACL is worth $1.5 million, with $750,000 going to the runners-up. But immediately the winner qualifies for December’s Club World Cup in Morocco and earns a minimum $1 million in the process.

There are millions of dollars more in prizemoney up for grabs at the CWC, with the winner taking home another $4 million and the third-placed team another $1.5 million.

Under the terms of the A-League’s deal with the players’ union, every member of the squad for the whole ACL campaign will share pro rata in 50 per cent of the winnings if Western Sydney are crowned champions, and 40 per cent of the runners-up pot if they lose the final.

But experts say Western Sydney would be able to leverage significant wider opportunities to earn another $1 million.


Al-Hilal hiding ahead of Asian Champions League final
Al-Hilal hiding ahead of Asian Champions League final
As part of that, it’s believed that all of the existing sponsorship deals contain bonus clauses that are activated the higher the Wanderers have gone in the ACL – it’s estimated to be worth an extra $200,000 if they win the final.

Merchandising opportunities will attract a premium too, as Asian companies seek ways of doing business with the club.

It’s believed that NRMA are already renewing their long-term shirt sponsorship for the A-League, but front of shirt deals will be struck for next year’s ACL – and possibly this year’s CWC.

On one level Western Sydney are effectively running at capacity – their memberships are capped, they have no immediate sponsorships left to sell, and their corporate facilities at Pirtek Stadium are already swamped.

“But the real opportunity comes as a brand in Asia,” said John Poulakakis, veteran brand consultant and adviser to the players union.

“Winning the ACL would make the Wanderers attractive to companies, especially in China, who want to develop their brand in Australia.’’

Wanderers CEO John Tsatsimas admitted that commercially “it’s a unique opportunity and one we have to grasp with both hands”, whatever the result in the final.

THE BIG EARN


*ACL winner: $1.5 million

*Runners-up: $750,000

*Club World Cup prizemoney: $1m-$5m.

*Existing sponsorship bonuses: $200,000

*CWC sponsorships, new merchandising and commercial opportunities as ACL champions: $800,000

*Invitational tournaments, possibility of hosting visiting teams: $0.5m-$2m

*Players take 50 per cent of prize money if Wanderers win ACL, or 40 pre cent if they are runners-up.

HOW IT COMPARES


NRL

*Potential for a club to pocket $770,000 over the season

*Winner of the pre-season Auckland Nines gets $370,000

*The NRL grand final winners take home $400,000

AFL


*A club can potentially earn $1.21 million

*Pre-season NAB Cup is worth $210,000

*Winning the AFL grand final is worth $1 million

Super Rugby

*No prize money for winning the title, but throughout the finals series the home team keeps all ticketing and gate revenue.

*The Waratahs are estimated to have pocketed close to $1m for hosting both a semi-final and the final

[ParraEelsNRL]

Why are you repeating something your little mate got beat up with a few weeks ago?

[post_hoc]

how does one get beat up over facts? Are you denying those figures? Big call. But happy to see where you think that journalist is wrong

[ParraEelsNRL]

I posted along with a few others what each code got a few weeks back, stop going over old ground all the time.

[Raiderdave]

20,000 what?

TV Audience reach 90 million

Likely TV Audience 10-20 million

Sold Out game, Owner of Al Hilal Saudi Royal Family.

The Wanderers have never played a bigger game, and Parramatta Stadium has never seen a bigger game

All Facts.

:_<>

All facts eh

Heres a fact
Of the..
10 to 20 million worldwide tv audience

If 100, 000 of that lot are here in Australia
It will be a miracle

The tele tubbies will be watched by more aussies :_<>
Hows those facts for ya ?

[post_hoc]

Big call claiming a journalist is wrong, without evidence. He laid out the facts and you deny it with nothing. Sorry don't believe you

Why you so obsessed with only Sydney or Australian viewers. That's your problem not mine. I follow a world game, if you are small fry that's for you work out not me

My team will be playing in front of a massive audience. Something you'd team never will

Happy days oh happy days

[Raiderdave]

Big call claiming a journalist is wrong, without evidence. He laid out the facts and you deny it with nothing. Sorry don't believe you

Why you so obsessed with only Sydney or Australian viewers. That's your problem not mine. I follow a world game, if you are small fry that's for you work out not me

My team will be playing in front of a massive audience. Something you'd team never will

Happy days oh happy days

Your team will b outrated by cartoons in.. MY .. country you fuckwit :_<>

Thats all I see or hear
Or all I care about

Sooker
A minnow in Oz..