A League Is 5.55600 Kilometres

By Alasdair McClintock on May 20, 2015 in Other

It is fair to say that football is booming in this country. Hot on the heels of Asian Cup success and an encouraging (though ultimately fruitless) appearance at the World Cup, Australia has gone beyond flirting coyly with the Socceroos across the bar; rather, we are letting them ply us full of drinks as their hands wander dangerously high up our thighs.

With May highlighted by the A-League finals kicking off, the conclusion of the Premier League season and the ‘Harry-Kane’ hitting town, things are going to get positively fever pitch over the next few weeks. Throw in the fact that Sydney FC look like going as deep into the final six as most of us can only hope to with a carton of beer and the NRL might just be regretting charging such ridiculous amounts for State of Origin tickets.

The big question remains, though, are any of us apart from the diehards actually watching? I think it is fair to say that most of us watched the odd Asian Cup game, but how many local sports fans are sitting down in front of the television on a Friday night and turning on SBS instead of Channel 9? Even with the inane bickering of Rabs and Gus, the lure of League has continually proven too strong for me.

I attempted to change my habits earlier in the year, but your standard A-League fixture, while certainly improving, has yet to reach to the point where I actually consider it entertaining. In the past my football diet has been made up of nothing but Premier League and it is very difficult to devour a Roar versus Wanderers game after growing up on Spurs versus Arsenal derbies. It’s like they are playing in slow motion.

In saying that, nil-all draws are part and parcel of football, and perhaps it is the lack of any true attachment to a team that is stymying my participation. Officially I am a Brisbane Roar fan, but to be honest I couldn’t care less whether they win or lose on any given weekend. I give their result a cursory glance on a Monday morning and that’s about it. It truly amazes me that Wanderers fans can be so passionate about a team only a few years old, but I guess there’s not too much to be excited about out west. I also think that some of those blokes just wanted an excuse to act like aggressive dickheads and have already been banned from the NRL.

This is all observation, not criticism, and I could be entirely alone in feeling this way. The game is certainly heading in the right direction, I just wonder if many of my generation are too far gone to really get into it. Whatever the case may be, I am going to put my hesitations aside and go football crazy this month. If you see me running naked down Bondi Road painted blue with two flares in my hands on May 17, it’ll be safe to say that Sydney has won and I’ve jumped on the bandwagon.