ELIM FINAL #1-ADELAIDE UNITED V BRISBANE ROAR

Sep 24, 2008
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FRIDAY @ ADELAIDE OVAL. 7.30pm KICK EST
 
Sep 11, 2003
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A couple of e-mails I sent to the FFA:


Hi FFA,

I would like to extend my appreciation for your decision to schedule the final between Adelaide United and the Brisbane Roar at the Adelaide Oval. It is a truly wonderful decision which provides just reward for Adelaide United and the home final they have earnt over the course of the 27 game season. Where else would we like to play it other than our traditional and spiritual home? The fortress! The cauldron! Adelaide Oval! It provides fantastic viewing for our loyal fans as it’s purpose built for soccer with the best seats only 400 metres away from the action, much better than Hindmarsh where you’re right on top of the play. Who would want that?! It’s not like the spectacle and being able to see action is important to patrons paying $55 for a seat…..

And the playing surface…. Perfect for football. I still remember how brilliant it was for the game against the Melbourne Victory earlier in the season. It was like watching a game played on a field littered with speed humps, the speed the ball travelled was something to behold and really encouraged the clubs involved to play an attractive, possession based game of football. Who cares about the playing surface though, right? It’s not like that’s important.

Also who cares about the fantastic atmosphere generated at Hindmarsh when the game can be played at a library with 20,000 spare seats. Really, it truly is an inspired decision! Thankyou so so much for rewarding our right to a home final by giving us a final at a neutral venue that the fans and club both don’t want. Why should we play the final we earnt at our home ground? Why should we be given the advantage that we earnt over the course of the 27 game season!!? That’s silly talk, isn’t it? We earnt it? Who cares, we’re just Adelaide United….

David Gallop, you are a fair, fair man. I assume as Sydney Football Stadium has less capacity than Stadium Australia – that the Semi Final between Sydney and Adelaide/Brisbane will be moved there. It’s only fair. Granted the city with the biggest population struggles to get 10,000 people to their games on a good day but as we all know the FFA doesn’t favour Sydney…

The FFA is a sad, pathetic, money hungry, fairness deprived joke. And the head of the FFA has to be held to account and the loyal fans of Adelaide United and its members, as well as the club deserve an apology. You have absolutely shafted Adelaide and their fans who are all unwavering in their desire for the game to be played at Hindmarsh. Thanks for treating our club and its loyal fans with contempt. Football isn’t just about maximising revenue for your organisation, it is about fairness to the clubs and fans who support the game. This is a fact which is evidently lost on you.

We earnt the right for this game to be played at home, which means Hindmarsh. Hindmarsh. Hindmarsh. I also must’ve imagined CCM playing finals at Gosford and Western Sydney playing finals at Pirtek…. It must be my imagination playing tricks as surely you wouldn’t treat an Adelaide based club different from a Sydney based club?

Oh well. I suppose the main cause for consolation is that if we do win, we know we’ll also be playing Sydney on a neutral venue which has a greater capacity than their usual home venue. At least we know the same rules will apply to them. Why wouldn’t they?

I just want to use this opportunity as I write this last sentence to say thank you one more time. I know this e-mail won’t extend further than the reception desk who will just click ‘delete’ without forwarding fan feedback and dissatisfaction to the appropriate person, but I feel compelled to write this even with that considered as I am disgusted with the treatment of my club.

Regards,

Adelaide United Member and apparently a member of the ‘Football Federation Australia’ family (really feels like it)
 
Sep 11, 2003
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Second E-Mail:

Hi,

I genuinely appreciate the time you have taken to respond, even if some of it reads like a press release. Adelaide Oval might have a bigger capacity than Hindmarsh but there have been examples in the past where the league hasn’t moved finals to bigger venues when the smaller ‘boutique’ venues were preferred. There needs to be consistency otherwise clubs can and rightfully should question the integrity of the decision making process in the league.

However, at the end of the day Adelaide United has over 9,000 members, people who pay good money every season to watch their team and when a ridiculous majority of these members are appalled with the decision, you have to question whether attempted profit maximisation is more important than appeasing loyal fans. Does the league not care about satisfying A-League club members? I have paid $55 ($58 when you add on the booking fee) for a seat at the game, still loyal to my club but disgusted with the fact I’ll be watching it from a distant location at a stadium which is NOT and NEVER WILL BE a football venue. You can quote the capacity all you like if you have been to a game at the Adelaide Oval you would be in agreement that is not an ideal (or even a good) venue to watch an A-League match.

The FFA needs to strongly consider what the fans want. That is what being part of a ‘family’ is all about – if everyone in the family (as in club members, which is what you branch us under) wants to go to KFC and only the FFA executives want to go to McDonald,s is it really fair that we all end up with cheeseburgers and cheap toys? So I would advise if the A-League wants to promote their members as being part of a ‘family’, then the consultative process should be exactly that and not driven by a totalitarian decision making process. Hardly a ‘family’…… The club wanted Hindmarsh. The clubs members wanted Hindmarsh. The A-League didn’t.

But the key in all this is one fact: Adelaide over the course of the 27 game season earnt a home final. That was the fruit of our labours over the course of the season. And while we toiled and fought and finished the season in 3rd spot, earning a Week 1 home final in the process we were given a game at a neutral venue. That is not fair and the FFA has proven he has one standard for Sydney based clubs and another when it comes to an Adelaide based club.

Listening to fans is more important than profit maximisation at the expense of fan satisfaction.

Thankyou for taking the time to respond.

Regards,
 
Oct 15, 2009
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Second E-Mail:

Hi,

I genuinely appreciate the time you have taken to respond, even if some of it reads like a press release. Adelaide Oval might have a bigger capacity than Hindmarsh but there have been examples in the past where the league hasn’t moved finals to bigger venues when the smaller ‘boutique’ venues were preferred. There needs to be consistency otherwise clubs can and rightfully should question the integrity of the decision making process in the league.

However, at the end of the day Adelaide United has over 9,000 members, people who pay good money every season to watch their team and when a ridiculous majority of these members are appalled with the decision, you have to question whether attempted profit maximisation is more important than appeasing loyal fans. Does the league not care about satisfying A-League club members? I have paid $55 ($58 when you add on the booking fee) for a seat at the game, still loyal to my club but disgusted with the fact I’ll be watching it from a distant location at a stadium which is NOT and NEVER WILL BE a football venue. You can quote the capacity all you like if you have been to a game at the Adelaide Oval you would be in agreement that is not an ideal (or even a good) venue to watch an A-League match.

The FFA needs to strongly consider what the fans want. That is what being part of a ‘family’ is all about – if everyone in the family (as in club members, which is what you branch us under) wants to go to KFC and only the FFA executives want to go to McDonald,s is it really fair that we all end up with cheeseburgers and cheap toys? So I would advise if the A-League wants to promote their members as being part of a ‘family’, then the consultative process should be exactly that and not driven by a totalitarian decision making process. Hardly a ‘family’…… The club wanted Hindmarsh. The clubs members wanted Hindmarsh. The A-League didn’t.

But the key in all this is one fact: Adelaide over the course of the 27 game season earnt a home final. That was the fruit of our labours over the course of the season. And while we toiled and fought and finished the season in 3rd spot, earning a Week 1 home final in the process we were given a game at a neutral venue. That is not fair and the FFA has proven he has one standard for Sydney based clubs and another when it comes to an Adelaide based club.

Listening to fans is more important than profit maximisation at the expense of fan satisfaction.

Thankyou for taking the time to respond.

Regards,
Did they actually reply to the first email? Hahaha that's classic.
 

Fruity33

Senior List
May 9, 2013
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Yeah was a short response that was scripted and read like a press release. They said they wanted to give as many fans as possible a chance to see the game.

Any idea on how ticket sales are going? A full Hindmarsh vs a half full Adelaide Oval wins everytime IMO, but that's too logical for the FFA.

I'm wanting Wellington to beat City so we (Victory) don't have to play at Etihad...
 
Sep 11, 2003
38,266
9,193
Slovenia
AFL Club
Richmond
Other Teams
Liverpool
Any idea on how ticket sales are going? A full Hindmarsh vs a half full Adelaide Oval wins everytime IMO, but that's too logical for the FFA.

I'm wanting Wellington to beat City so we (Victory) don't have to play at Etihad...
I saw an article today saying they were 'expecting' 25,000
 

brucetiki

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Nov 7, 2002
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Why the hell would Fox Sports be showing an unofficial (and what appears to be a somewhat militant) supporter group where the members are covering their faces. It's pretty clear why they're at the at game, and for the Fox Sports commentator to merely say, 'it's not that cold in Adelaide' is quite naive.

On another note, looks like the crowd is only pushing about 10k. This could be quite an embarrassing night for the FFA if they get less than 15k tonight.
 

hey shorty

Cancelled
30k Posts 10k Posts TheBrownDog
Jun 15, 2005
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Can say there would be lucky to be 10K here. So much for the best thing for the sport.

As for Bruce, he is injured........ again.
 

SloaneysDanger

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Feb 26, 2014
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McGowan is a moron. He had the ball in-front of him and decided to turn around and try to pass it back to Galekovic. How dumb can one be?
 
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