A-League games in Canberra this season

Im not sure if you guys noticed it but in the recently released A-League draw the Central Coast Mariners have two fixtures away from Blue Tounge at a yet to be announced venue.

Ive heard on the roumor mill that this is due to refurbishments at the Gosford Stadium. As the Mariners have close links to capital football and Belconnen United I feel that the mysterious 'yet to be confirmed' venue could well be Canberra Stadium.

Watch this space.

Yea I was thinking about that. Just possibly!

oh yeah! sounds like a real possibility.

If they play in Canberra I don't think the crowd will be that big!

yeah probably 10K or something

I dont want to see central coast play in Canberra, i think it will be bad for the Canberra a-league bid and i don't think anyone would go. Im sick of seeing other teams play in Canberra and i really want a Canberra team!!

thom_canberra wrote: i think it will be bad for the Canberra a-league bid

how? the 12th spot is decided in june and the a-league season starts in August.

The decision for the venue will be made before that though, then the organisers will think its like a second home for central coast and that Canberra dosent need a team

thom_canberra wrote:The decision for the venue will be made before that though, then the organisers will think its like a second home for central coast and that Canberra dosent need a team

You would hope that wouldn't be the case, especially if people turned up in green to show they support (or will support) Canberra

The Central Coast have played here previously (pulling in 7 thousand). The Jets played here last year getting around 8 I think.

yeah it was the CCM vs jets game that filled half the stadium's inner bowl. 8K.

I really think that if we get accepted the game could draw a decent crowd around 12K. but if not there will be no hype about a canberra team so people won't even bother.

I think that it will be really good for us to get more than 10k in both because that will be really helpfull for the bid.

I think you guys may see a crowd higher than what you saw the last time A-League clubs played here - because this match will be an actual A-League fixture, as opposed to a 'pre-season friendly' as the others essentially were. You also may see more travelling fans, especially from the Central Coast, because of this fact.

So yeah, something like 10-12k would be quite reasonable and actually quite similar, if not slightly better, than the crowds Central Coast have been getting at Bluetongue, in recent times (8-10k they tend to draw).

I don't think those fixtures would impact negatively. It will help keep up interest in the league and might help carry over the Canberra A-League fervour, if you guys are the 12th team by then or not.

Because if you aren't #12, you will certainly be #13, when we expand to 14 teams, come 2011/12 or 2012/13. And if your city is hosting A-League fixtures later this year, earlier next year, then that may time well for added impetus for the next lot of expansion, a decision that could come as early as the following season, like June 2010, or the season after, June 2011. If it's the latter, and CC's crowds do draw over 10k in 10/11, then you'd likely see a couple more fixtures the following season anyway, which helps to sustain the momentum and evidence for the FFA, of the interest in the game, here.

Australia U/20's vs Middlesborough in doubt..

Same with Sydney FC v Middlesborough

All the Mariners' fans up here on the coast feel that this fixture movement is a real slap in the face to us actually because we weren't told about it by the club, it was the FFA who released it in their draw.