Commissioner Nick Garcia is hoping the inaugural A-League Unite Round can be a line in the sand for the competition to rebuild relationships with its strained supporter base after a turbulent 12-month period.
Unite Round was unveiled in October to help the Australian Professional Leagues wriggle out of the disastrous decision to sell grand-final hosting rights to Destination NSW which prompted a supporter backlash headlined by the ugly Melbourne derby pitch invasion.
All 12 ALM and ALW teams played in Sydney from Friday through to Sunday with a purported attendance of 47,425.
By contrast, last season’s ALM and ALW grand finals drew a total of 36,042 supporters.
Garcia said the short lead-in to the event was a factor in the turnout but hinted that it showed the APL still had work to get fans back onside.
“So much of it is about fan habit, and at two months' notice that’s hard if you’re coming from Wellington or Perth,” Garcia said.
“We always knew it'd be really tough on crowds in year one and I think where we've landed is not bad.
“I would like to think fan relationships are improving. We’ve clearly got some way to go but this is going to take time to (repair).
“The product is good, we’re seeing exciting football but we’ve got to re-engage the fans.”
Garcia said he was open to alternatives to increase the event’s popularity in the future but there are some obvious quick fixes that needed to be addressed.
Tickets weren’t included for members and there were limited activations and concessions outside the three venues - Allianz Stadium, CommBank Stadium and Leichhardt Oval.
One possible solution could be moving the event to earlier in the season when the weather is cooler.
But Garcia appears less open to splitting the men’s and women’s rounds apart and playing different events on separate weekends.
“I think we’d look at everything but we have a really unique position in Australia, bringing everyone together in one city on one weekend,” Garcia said.
“There's a lot of learning to see who's travelled, what our crossovers have been and then we can make informed decisions.
“We’re going to look at when it happens in the season, maybe earlier in the season potentially.
"But am I happy with where we are now? Yes, in the context of the longer plan."
Garcia said initial feedback from Destination NSW, who have another year left on their three-year deal with the APL, was positive.
“They’ve got a lot more interstate travel than at the grand final,” he said.
“I think for DNSW and us, it was all about getting the building blocks; can we put the tournament on? Will the clubs get behind it? Will fans come?
“I think the answer is a resounding yes.”
