It was great to witness the cohesion displayed by the fan representatives during the last weeks to achieve a better, fairer banning process alongside the FFA. Hopefully this isn’t a flimsy band-aid approach for the game we love, but the start of a greater relationship between Stephen Lowy, David Gallop and the fans of football in Australia.

46,988 fans saw the action over the weekend thanks largely to the sold old Wanderland crowd and a solid showing in Newcastle. With the boycott over the A-League should still slightly concerned with the lack of people turning up to watch our beautiful game. Whilst aware Brisbane took the game to Carins last week and Victory and Sydney both played away we must all agree the game is far from healthy at the moment.

The fan boycott may be over but there are plenty of improvements to be made if the A-League is to reach the potential we all know it can. An agreement on the banning process is just the start of improving the league, but we must know it’s a long road ahead for football fans and we all must help partake in the journey. Football needs a big hug in this country, and the fans need to be the ones prepared to outstretch their arms and embrace the game we love.

Over the next month it will become all too apparent of how far the game has fallen in the standings of Australian sport. The next instalment of the Big Bash starts and the Australian Open is just around the corner. Whilst I am a fan of many sports and believe football can co-exist we cannot continue to bury our heads in the sand and keep telling ourselves the A-League is in a healthy condition.

The Big Bash season provides the perfect summer television sport and the crash bash nature provides entertainment on an evening basis for sports fans across Australia. Unlike football, T20 is a far better sport to watch from your lounge room and the channel 10 ratings will reflect this once again. Mid January the world’s best tennis players converge on Melbourne and provide us with a great fortnight of sport. Thousands of fans will be watching tennis and cricket this summer, but how many will be watching football?

The lack of marketing is staggering from those who run the game and whilst the bailout of the Newcastle Jets would’ve dented any perceived budget the league it simply isn’t good enough. The scheduling of Thursday night football in November and December was yet another poor idea from the league that didn’t take into consideration the fans who attend week in, week out.

Football is played midweek throughout the world but this is more to do with fixture congestion, and not by choice. The decision from the A-League and Fox Sports to play Thursday night football in a non school holiday period typifies the current regime. During the off season the FFA must engage with fans to solve the many problems in the game that still exist.

As fans we must be patient for the many problems to be fixed, but also remind those who run our game of the problems that exist.

Don’t be surprised if football falls further down the pecking order this summer, but keep in mind most problems cannot be addressed overnight or even during the season. Next off season will be the most important in the leagues history and as fans we should keep up this united front to support the beautiful game we love.

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