I caught a glimpse of the Australian A-League soccer schedule when I was couchsurfing with Ben in Brisbane. I had noticed Sydney FC had a home game around the time I'd be there so I picked a flight from Cairns that would give me a fighting chance to see it live.
After checking into Original Backpackers in the King's Cross area of Sydney, I decided to hurry my way over to Aussie Stadium for the match. I waited in a special events bus queue that got me to the stadium (adjacent to the cricket grounds), and then another 20 minutes under the blazing sun to get tickets (about $25 USD).
My seating area was general admission which worked out fine even though I was late. Sydney scored within the 10-minute mark. Melbourne answered back, and a tit-for-tat resulted in a 2-2 tie. Sydney had already clinched a playoff spot (there are only 8 teams in the 3-year old league, with the top 4 going to the semifinals). The skill level was comparable to Major League Soccer, though the crowd was much larger. They had a regular season record 33,000 in attendance.
The Sydney fans covered the entire section behind the goal in the photo above. Melbourne had a smaller, though quite vocal, showing at the opposite end. Every time a goal was scored, signal flares and smoke bombs were lit. The security would then jump into the stands and remove the flares. Sydney supporters had some big flags, and most were dressed in their team's light blue jersey. It reminded me of going to DC United games at home.
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Kango Suz says
February 1, 2008 at 4:39 pmWay cool. When abroad there’s just nothing like a soccer game. Seems like the universal pastime!
Hey, a shout out- my blog is finally getting going over at startgo.com. Check it out if you’ve a chance! Mostly preping for travel type stuff, you know, but still exciting!
-Kango Suz
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Kango Suz says
February 1, 2008 at 9:39 pmWay cool. When abroad there’s just nothing like a soccer game. Seems like the universal pastime!
Hey, a shout out- my blog is finally getting going over at startgo.com. Check it out if you’ve a chance! Mostly preping for travel type stuff, you know, but still exciting!
-Kango Suz
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Karl says
July 17, 2008 at 9:22 amYou think 33,000 is big. Melbourne Victory got 50,333 for our home game against Sydney. Melbourne Fans are loud, and known for there atmosphere. You want an atmosphere, COme to Melbourne and see the Big City Derby. Always big crowds and loud atmosphere!
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Karl says
July 17, 2008 at 4:22 amYou think 33,000 is big. Melbourne Victory got 50,333 for our home game against Sydney. Melbourne Fans are loud, and known for there atmosphere. You want an atmosphere, COme to Melbourne and see the Big City Derby. Always big crowds and loud atmosphere!
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Jann Numkena says
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