A-Leagues ‘drinks breaks’ for ads are a killjoy but so is the football they interrupt

When does keeping a low profile transition into being forgotten? How much are supporters willing to endure? Can you promote your way into a good product? After a week in which it felt like several tipping points were reached at once, these appear to be the metaphysical predicaments confronting the A-Leagues and its handlers, the Australian Professional Leagues.

On Wednesday, the latest symbolic reminder of said malaise was delivered in Sydney’s west at a stadium devoid of fans, colour or atmosphere for Western Sydney Wanderers’ 2-0 A-League Men win over Melbourne Victory. In previous years, this fixture was a bewitching spectacle which consumed supporters and neutrals alike and drove the 22 men on the field to strive for more. But mid-week, two of the league’s most well-supported clubs could attract only 4,231 fans to attend a contest reports described as an “ordeal”. The Wanderers are bad right now, but not that bad.

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Only once has the A-Leagues cracked more than 20,000 fans at a game this season and of the teams with actual sample size, only Victory is averaging more than 10,000. Victory games in Melbourne, in fact, make up five of the seven to have lured more than 10,000. Television ratings, even after the behemoth that is the Australian Open has moved on, have been middling to poor. The streaming experience on Paramount+, where most games are shown, is crude to the point where an international viewer watching on YouTube is getting a better experience than someone paying for the service in Australia. Grace periods are a thing but have limits.

Of course, to critique in good faith, acknowledgements must be made. Inheriting a league that was fragile even before