Flip a coin. Some years we do (last season, next season as a reflexive reaction after they have to move this Big Blue); some years we don’t (most others). Whatever they decide, you can rely on whatever decision made being short-term and ill-thought out.
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Yeah, pretty sure last year was the first season to observe it after a fair bit of pressure from the A-League clubs (and GA himself).
Given that he A-League is becoming a more and more relevant league for socceroos to play in, it makes no sense not to observe the breaks. It’s also really bad marketing - you’re basically discounting your own product by indicating that the league is micky-mouse and therefore would never be impacted by an international window.
Add to that, with the absolutely tiny window they gave themselves to market the HAL (5 days between NRL GF and our game in Adelaide) they could’ve instead used the Socceroos playing on home soil as something of a football season opener. Pump up the HAL starting while people are taking note of the NT and mentally switching to summer sports.
Exactly. I understand that doing up the draw would be challenging, but surely someone like O’Rourke could set down the key parameters to work within, with one of the criteria being that international breaks have to be observed.
There was zero aleague mentions/advertising in Canberra, gave a vibe of pettyness by the ffa
It’s not just the Socceroos. Most of the junior national teams also play or have camps during these window so the natural successors to the players called up to the senior national team are also generally unavailable.
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Big Blue delayed by a day to allow for internationals to return.
Is now on Sunday November 17 at 630. It also sensibly becomes a double-header with the WL:
The downside is that it’s 630pm on a Sunday, which is shite when you have kids.
It’s shite when you don’t have kids too. (bit more shite when you do 
)
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It’s shite when you don’t live in Sydney and now you can’t attend a Blue Ribbon game.
If only we had some sort of mechanism to separate International Games and domestic leagues.
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Missed during the Xmas hustle, but a few days ago they announced fixture changes to assist us with scheduling around ACL commitments.
Round 20 away to CCM has been moved back a day to Sunday 23/02 at 6pm (because we’re away to Yokohama the preceding Wednesday).
Round 28 at home to Jets has been brought forward 2 days to Thursday 16/04 at 7pm (because we’re away to the final qualifier, likely SIPG, the following Tuesday).
Makes sense, can’t be helped etc, but the Thursday night game will be shitty. That’s unfortunately the week after Easter so not the night before a public holiday, and also clashes with Eagles Of Death Metal. Bugger. 
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Fuck the champions league.
two more games I could get to I can’t get to now.
Two games I was gonna take the kids to that I can’t now either. Sucks.