That contract could instead be spun off into a “Magic Round”,in which a full weekend of fixtures in the men’s and women’s A-League would be played in NSW,with grand final hosting rights to return to the team that earns it – a tradition in domestic football stretching back to the National Soccer League.
While the sources have cautioned that nothing has been finalised yet,if an agreement is reached it will signal the end of one of the most tumultuous chapters in the A-Leagues’ history.
The decision to sell the grand finals to Sydney,via Destination NSW,was announced in the days after the Socceroos’ inspiring run to the round of 16 at last year’s World Cup in Qatar.
Instead of harnessing the Socceroos’ momentum,the domestic game was plunged into immediate chaos,with players and clubs speaking out against the APL,former Melbourne Victory chairman Anthony Di Pietro stepping down from the APL board,and active fan groups announcing a boycott of matches.
Some Melbourne Victory supporters were so incensed they invaded the AAMI Park pitch in December’s derby against Melbourne City,with the man who threw a bucket of sand at goalkeeper Tom Glover jailed for three months.
The APL,which wasmotivated primarily by financial considerations in selling the grand final to Sydney,was taken aback by the ferocity of the backlash from all corners of the football community,with fans broadly rejecting the premise that the deal was the start of a “new tradition” for the game in Australia.