A Day at the Showgrounds

Ventured down to the Claremont Royal Agricultural Showgrounds on a very cloudy, wet and dark Sunday afternoon to watch Claremont play Peel in the Western Australian Football League round 6 fixture.

Peel Thunder were never in the contest against Claremont but it wasn't an entirely one sided affair. However Claremont defeated Peel by 28 points.

Must admit the Showgrounds remind me of better days. Days well before my time on this earth let alone even my father's time also. The venues look tired, dilapidated, dated, impractical, tacky and rather disjointed. Sadly the food was all but a distant faded memory like the Claremont Oval across the road from the Showgrounds. The burger was even worse than Cockburn's. It was basically puree that was frozen and then thawed. The salad was revolting and I think the bread was the only thing that saved it. I removed the top of the burger and just ate the patty with the bottom burger bun and threw out the rest. For 8 dollars it wasn't worth that but that is the reasonable going rate for burgers around grounds so no complains on price.

Chips were soggy and bland. Copious amounts of salt saved it but still was awful. The hot dog was the only thing that was decent. Beers were very affordable with Carlton Draught for 5 dollars for a 375 mL can. Cool drinks were the standard 2.50.

Claremont Showgrounds really needs to lift its game here. The food on offer was appalling.

Anzac Day Friday Night Football

Anzac Day is a date to remember the sacrifice our servicemen gave back in the First World War and subsequent conflicts to the present day. However besides all the seriousness of the day Football West like so many other sporting associations around the country held a match at E&D Litis Stadium in Mount Hawthorn.

Floreat Athena played host to Perth Glory for the final fixture of round 7 of the National Premier Leagues Western Australia Conference on a rather crisp and cool night.
Floreat were never in this contest to be honest and at moments they could have stolen a goal or two against the run of play; it was all Perth Glory throughout the match.
Perth were cool under pressure from Floreat, pressure from a rather physical and careless Floreat side that were on many occasions lucky to not get a player sent off or a few more yellow cards throughout the match.

Perth ended up being rather comfortable 5-0 winners, although where Floreat lost convincingly on the park they never fail at the canteen and bar side of things.

Floreat had once again put on a good show for their chips, nicely salted and not overly soggy or tasteless. Vinegar, sauces and more salt were as always provided for fans to make additions if they felt it was suitable. Chips were priced at 4 dollars and a large cup was worth the price tag. Their hot dogs were nothing overly special but were very tasty and hit the spot for someone who wanted something a bit more light than their bigger ticket items. Again similarly priced and no complaints with the quality matching the price asked.

Now dont shoot the messenger here but they make at Litis a mean kebab, shame I heard the bad news about no cheese with my kebab with the lot. That would have made it an incredibly tasty kebab but none the less the rest of the ingredients and egg made it worth it. Meat was cooked beautifully off the meat rack there and the lettuce, tomato and onion were fresh. This was priced at 9 dollars and for its size, quality and taste i think it was worth it. Dare i say it is better than many of the reputable kebab places around Perth.

Beers and soft drinks were at an affordable prices. Although on the night i was not drinking cool drink was at 2 dollars 50 and beers were around the 6 to seven mark I believe.

Although Floreat once again flat-lined on the park they never do so behind the bar or the canteen. As always a top notch effort from one of the 'big five' of the NPLWAU canteens. I would like to show my appreciation to the staff who tirelessly worked throughout the game a very big thank you and will hopefully be visiting again soon.

Cup Football - Same Same

Decided to venture to Dalmatinac Park to watch some Coolridge Cup football. Perth SC taking on hosts Cockburn City on a cool and at times chilly afternoon on the Easter Monday.

Cockburn were in control the entire game and should have taken their chances which came thick and fast. Perth could have pinched a few goals when they pushed up but Cockburn ran out convincing winners.

As for food, well same old same old really. I was tempted to virtually copy paste this section from my last visit to Dalmatinac.

Burger was again a mixed bag. The meat clearly was frozen and then when in the burger was lifeless with the flavours of the salt, egg, pepper, lettuce, bacon, bread and sauce shutting out the taste of the patty. although for 8.50 for a burger that was despite the patty fresh and those components tasty with a soft drink was decent. The size of the burger was great too I must mention that to the viewers at home despite the slight shortfall it was worthy of my dollars. Hate using over-used and popularised internet terminology but the bacon clearly saved this burger.

Chips were soggy but when salted were pretty good. Good serving although the clearly old and burnt batch of chips were at the bottom. Worth the money? Yeah for the amount you get the serving size were the saving point about it.

Hot-dog was plain with just bread and sausage and rather unceremoniously covered with sauce which leaked everywhere but a little over-priced for such an offering. Was cooked well and for a cool afternoon on the hill, did hit that spot.

While It is never fair to criticise the canteen staff who tirelessly work for the visiting home and away fans I must say the taking of orders and the organisation of this is somewhat of a complete mess. So many people standing around confused and not sure who is next and who is served and who is waiting. Least with Floreat, Bayswater, Perth and Stirling you have a clear idea what is what and where you are in the process.

Congratulations Cockburn and hopefully they put in a performance like that again in their next Coolridge Cup match. One step closer to the Football Federation of Australia Cup!

League Favourites 'Spoil' Stirling's Special Day

Clash of the 'heavyweights' in the 2014 National Premier Leagues Western Australia Conference took place on a rather sad news with young star Dylan Tombides passing away from cancer earlier that morning Perth time. A minute of applause to remember Dylan was a rather fitting tribute to a young man with so much potential to only to leave us in his prime.

I must say a minute of applause is a great way to celebrate someone's life with us than to be silent and be glum. I am sure our loved ones would never want us to be sad like that but to think of the great times spent with them and keep their memory alive.

After the fitting tribute was completed the game was underway. Stirling were in some great positions during the match. Pushing deep and getting into space in the attacking penalty space. However the missed chances proved to be the difference as Bayswater capitalised and had the game in their hands. A rather dubious penalty was awarded during the match to open the scoring for Bayswater with Stirling pegging it back to 1-1 but Bayswater have been so dominant so far this season and finished the game 4-1.

Stirling always put on a good show when it comes to food. One of my favourites in what I call "the big five" for food and drink as well as football on offer. The usual offerings of olives and feta at the bar makes a nice touch as always and to keep your appetite up and thirsty for a beverage of course!

While the tease of some more traditional eats were in store for me at half time I was rather famished so i bought a ham and cheese sandwich at the canteen. I have avoided this on their menu for years. For obvious reasons. You don't go to Macedonia park for a ham and cheese sandwich! You have to have their Stirling burger with the works or chips instead! Although I was pleasantly surprised when I unwrapped the paper to reveal the sandwich in question.

Nice, crispy and golden toasted bread which was buttered on both sides with lots of cheese, ham and tomato bringing back the memories of my grandmother's way of making these humble 'Aussie treats' for us as children. Not sure why the ham wasn't cut properly but no matter i ate it all in one go so cutting it in half was pointless. for 4 dollars I say that is spot on all round.

One thing I would like to see come back to NPL grounds are their old roots, especially in their cuisine. I was treated to Zelnik, burek, chevapi, spicy sausages and pecivo. Although a special occasion I would love to purchase these delights in the future. Would be great for ALL NPL sides to get back to their roots and really make their corner or the Perth 'universe' unique again.

Once again Stirling never fails to let me down and look forward in another return to Macedonia Park.

The Opinion Bar - The Nation Where Football Stands Still

Australian football fans often scoff at the suggestion of successful football culture in North America. Comparisons between the two nations suggest the game in Australia may be able to learn something. Perhaps the Americans should be laughing at us?

Major League Soccer was formed in 1993 as part of a FIFA obligation that the United States creates a national league after winning the rights to host the 1994 FIFA World Cup. The ethos at the start of the competition was bright, attacking, sharp and star studded brand of football and the original franchises reflected this ethos. This was carried out through signings of Campos, Valderrama, Etcheverry and McBride and creation of loud and exciting franchise names with shirts to match.

While MLS tapped into, adopted and continued the NASL attitude in branding and “unconventional” rules, the A-League was to be a deliberate break from its predecessor having learnt the mistakes of the National Soccer League and become a better run competition with broader support bases for its franchises.

With the unexpected performances of the Australian national side in the 2006 Fifa World Cup in Germany the A-League was in a very strong and healthy position by its third season. The supporters and administrators believed the competition was only going onward and upwards.

The A-League’s core message to supporters was a successful old Australian one: State versus State and or City versus City. The Football Federation of Australia under the leadership of John O’Neill tapped into the tribal nature of the supporter the sport is so brilliant generating. This was essentially what the MLS had been missing until recent seasons of expansion and re-branding which has rapidly transformed the competition from a “Mickey Mouse League” into a more respected one.

Then why did the A-League go from a winning formula to essentially an NSL model of an unstable environment? Well the obvious first answer has been the departure of O’Neill and the introduction of severely incompetent people from Australian “rules” football. The new personnel in the FFA truly know either very little or no concept of football culture. This inexperience has been costly as it has offended older supporters who have been part of the old structure and the failed bid for the 2022 world cup that was branded as a pathetic, cringe worthy and predictable tourism advertisement ware classic examples of the national body out of touch with the supporters.

MLS also suffered from this situation and with a leadership change in 1999 saw the removal of rules to standardise the game and to re-brand the league and the franchises to further connect with new and existing fans into the global football community. Since the 2002 world cup the attendance and TV viewership have been very healthy and brought in a lot of interest and investment to strengthen the league.

MLS operates under a single-entity structure in which teams are centrally controlled and owned by the league. This ensures to keep costs under control; revenues are shared throughout the league. The league’s cost-controlling measures have attracted new ownership that have injected more money into the league, improving it and focusing the league's resources on fewer clubs. Examples include the Anschutz Entertainment Group’s sale of the MetroStars to Red Bull. Part of the plan developing the league meant having multiple clubs owned by a single owner was a necessity in the first 10 years of MLS, but now that the league appears to be on the brink of overall profitability and has significant expansion plans.

Then why after the fourth season has the A-League nose-dived? For starters Buckley and his team have played a hand in this through lack of cultural awareness. Instruments, Banners and Flags have been banned over the course of six seasons to create a sterile and “family friendly” environment. Restrictive sponsorship and the corporate world not interested in a product that is killing itself is essentially a bad investment. This in turn have forced clubs to fold or rattle the beggars bowl to stay afloat. Supporter groups are being muzzled and sanitised have turned supporters away. The FFA even attempted to ban fans who swore in chants through threatened evictions and to get people to turn them in has caused fan dissatisfaction.

Having watched football in four continents and attending many MLS games the atmosphere and match day experience reminds you of a very small sample of “established” football culture from around the world. This compared to the A-League is massive as you feel like you are going to another subway franchise, only each store has different names and colours.

To think that an FA cup would improve things would be foolish as yes; it would contribute and better link the state league clubs with the A-League but the soulless nature of them would still continue.

For many years we have laughed at MLS where it is us who are the laughing stock, for they are the true reformers who have grabbed it and embraced it where we have a national body that have shown constant signs of uncertainty that have allowed us to drift back to square one.

Sunday Football and the Plan B

Ventured to watch some Sunday football. It was Sunday Cup football and drove to Challenger Reserve to see South Perth United against Hamersley Rovers only to be left disappointed that there were no food or drink facilities. Not even an eski with a few drinks to buy like North Perth United have done at Woodville Reserve a few times last season.

Decided to leave the match only after a few minutes and head down to the Victoria Park Hotel to watch all things football and enjoy a good meal and few drinks. Victoria Park Hotel is a good place to spend a few hours and they have good meals on offer and a nice selection of drinks that are not stupidly over priced.

Rather short entry this time but when there is nothing on offer you cannot do much with it.

Friday Night Football. The Oval Ball Version

Decided to head on down to Fremantle Oval to watch some Western Australian Football League (WAFL) to see South Fremantle play East Perth. The game was rather lop sided with East Perth completely controlling the game from kick off to the final whistle. Crowd was rather quiet with few East Perth fans travelling down to see the demolition.

Food at Fremantle oval was very affordable, very much like NPLWAU matches. Bratwursts were 8 dollars and drink was 2 dollars. The bratwurst was delicious and piping hot, excellent for a rather cool evening watching football. Chips were rather bland and soggy but not even chicken salt or salt could save those. They were 5 dollars for a cup. They had Vienna sausages at 7 dollars but opted not to go for that choice.

With food being rather decent alcohol and non alcoholic prices are not too bad. If you are a South Fremantle member drinks are very good with 6 dollar pints but with prices around the 8 dollar mark it is by far better than 'high end' pubs in Perth which charge far too much.

Ice-creams were good value with a 'hedgehog' which is an ice-cream with a flake dipped in chocolate and covered with nuts being five dollars. normal ice-cream being 3 dollars and just a flake or just chocolate being 4 dollars. Very delicious and really hits the spot after a pint and bratwurst.

Despite the prices I opted to head around the corner to the Sail and Anchor Pub which is about 300 metres away from the ground. I tried a scrumpy custard apple cider for 8 dollars and i have to tell you it was the best cider i have had for a while. Custard apples are delicious so to have a cider out of these just made it that more refreshing. Nice smooth taste with no gritty savage bite for an after taste.

Would I suggest a visit to Fremantle Oval? Well the food is good and drinks are good. Plus on the weekends pubs like the Sail and Anchor are pretty good for post matches or just for entertainment extend your stay in Fremantle. Always nice to head out Fremantle way from time to time.