Few years ago I watched a FFA Cup game at the bar on Fitzroy Island off Cairns on the Great Barrier Reef.
Few days later watched a Sydney game in the Yungaburra Pub in the Atherton Tablelands west of Cairns.
I suspect I was the only person to want to watch A-League in either pub.
Yeah, totally get that. I wasnāt trying to take the NRL off any of the main screens, just literally trying to get one screen with the A-League on it. I was actually talking to someone in the leagues club who was keen to watch it too (he was a Jetās fan). Iāve had the same experience in Sydney plenty of times too.
FWIW, the Hunter is a football heartland, if anything, it was long THE football heartland of Australia going back to the early 20th century, before being overshadowed by Sydney and Melbourne with the arrival of the post war European migrants.
eg: Socceroos Greats - Where are they now: Kevin O'Neill | The World Game
https://www.socceroos.com.au/news/newcastles-rich-socceroo-history
The Newcastle Herald is the only daily I have seen in Australia that gives our game - and their local club - a fair go,
Was about to sayā¦ if the Hunter isnāt a football stronghold, then where is in Australia?
Moore Park 
Now that we have the 10 Network/Viacom deal for the A League, hopefully we will soon here about a new naming rights sponsor for the comp. And then, because good things come in threes ā¦ ta dum ā¦ hopefully we will see a weekly David Squires piece on our league once again. (He was the main reason I took a subscription to the Guardian.)
Now the League has its new structure, I wonder if there are less restrictions on the type of sponsor we could attract previous. No booze or companies that were competitors to the FFAs sponsors etc
The Heineken A League has a nice ring to it
As much as I donāt mind alcohol/gambling sponsors, can see too many people getting their knickers in a twist over it. The only beer sponsorships I can remember were Coopers for Adelaide, which I thought was awesome for them, and Brisbane had Hahn Super Dry on the back of their shorts a few years back. Wouldnāt mind if Sydney got on board with a local brewery like Young Henrys, or even 4 Pines or something like them. Would hate to see something like the VB A-League or the Carlton Dry A-League
In the early days of the A-League there was Ballantines Scotch.
I remember the outcry when we got The Star as our main sponsors. Most of the complaints from memory were pretty petty. Donāt mind if companies like Bet365, or Sportsbet or any other gambling company wants to sponsor the A-League or a club, but wouldnāt want them as league naming rights. Mind you, Iām sure the Sportsbet marketing gurus would come up with some hilarious promotions.
The flip side of that is that I wouldāve bought the current shirt if The Star werenāt the sponsor.
I understand the commercial reality the club has to operate in, but fucked if Iām going to advertise those parasites for free.
Its not for freeā¦ you pay for the privilege
You can buy the shirt without the sponsorship on the front I think. Itās a tickable box at checkout or something.
I bought a home shirt this month with no star logo.
You need to tick a box to get the sponsor logo.
This is excellent intel. Thanks for the heads up.
I am just sick and tired of the inane online betting app adds. Any thing but please.
The Shaquile OāNeal one is almost ok.
My two boys have shirts with the star on them. They have no idea what the star is but know that they are wearing Sydney fc shirts like their favourite players
A very long time ago they had a promotion of sorts at the Olympic before a Sydney FC match & RSA was essentially out the window that day. Me & a mate drank 8 each in a hour of those scotch/coke mixers that tasted like the ācokeā was black & gold cola & the scotch was triple filtered through dirt. DGAF though because it was free & along with a few beers & shots all I remember is being numb heading across the road to the stadium. In a little while I headed to a less trafficked part of the SFS to puke my guts out & the puddle I created looked like my guts had turned itself inside out. To this day I donāt remember who we played or who won.
Alcohol sponsorship. Yay !!!
I worked at Sydney United in the mid to late nineties and Johnny Walker was the NSL sponsor.
I remember a preseason tournament game where a sixteen year old Jason Culina was given a bottle for being the player of the match and all subsequent promotion had him the Johnny Walker Player of the Match.
I remember when I was 15 being presented with a pewter mug for 100games with the rugby club I was with.
All we used to get at my club for getting a man of the match award was a $10 voucher to use at the club canteen.
No free booze, but free sausage bacon and egg roll and a can of coke. Went home feeling like Iād been named FIFA player of the year, with a runny egg stain down the jersey to boot!