It is the force behind "the fibros against the silvertails" and underlines the cultural difference between rugby union and rugby league. According to Professor David Rowe of the institute of Culture and Society at the University of Western Sydney, this rhetoric now fuels the rivalry between Sydney FC and Western Sydney Wanderers. Bloc party: The Wanderers' fans have quickly earned a reputation as the most vibrant and boisterous in the league. Credit:Brendan Esposito "It draws on a well-established narrative; some people who feel born to rule and others who have to fight against it," Professor Rowe said. "The split that is happening in football in particular draws on a longer history within the city in general ... This has become the instant narrative for these two teams, one of which is very new but has created the rivalry and given it its impact. It's one part marketing but it's one part cultural." Irrespective of how valid cultural differences are in contemporary society, the perceptions are strong. The sentiments of the city's affluence had some influence on the blueprint of Sydney FC. The A-League's historic glamour club bears the most iconic landmark on its badge, and is based near the centre of town in a sign of a desire shared with the ambitions of the harbour city. They sought Gianluca Villa, Roy Hodgson and Ari Haan as their first coach and Roberto Baggio and Rivaldo as marquees, eventually settling for Pierre Littbarski and Dwight Yorke. Their early tag of "Bling FC" was unwanted, but it reflected the perceived attitude of the city.

"We wanted to be the Manchester United or Juventus of Australian football – not in terms of size, style or pretensions but in terms of how they polarised football fans; adored and defended by their own, disliked and attacked by the opposition," Sydney's first chairman Walter Bugno said. "We wanted to become a brand and we wanted to symbolise all that is exciting about the great city that Sydney is." By contrast, the Wanderers aimed to be Australia's biggest community club. Former chairman Lyall Gorman wanted the fans to feel a sense of ownership of their football team. "The objective was always to create a club that was by the people and for the people," he said. Fans shaped the club through seven public forums held across the western Sydney region. In perhaps the most multicultural region on earth, uniting the various groups was as clever as it was necessary. "That passion was already there, it was about building a set of values that bring those [cultures] together as one," Gorman said ."There were three fundamentals people of the west wanted from us: be competitive, stand up for us and make us proud."