2015 Asian Cup to Aust, but not Adelaide!

[jimbo]

The 2022 World Cup bid wounds are still raw but Football Federation Australia is set to ease the pain slightly by securing the 2015 Asian Cup next week.

An uncontested bidder for the tournament, Australia is expected to be rubber stamped as host when the Asian Football Confederation executive committee meets in Doha next week before to the kick-off of the 2011 tournament.

And amid concerns about Australian football's future following the failed bid for the 2022 World Cup, FFA are adamant hosting the Asian Cup will provide the game with a significant shot in the arm.

"It's without doubt the largest football event in Asia, if not one of the largest sporting events outside the World Cup and the Olympics," FFA chief executive Ben Buckley said.

"Whilst it may not have the same international profile right around the world, it certainly reaches a huge audience throughout Asia and even the rest of the World.

"It will expose the game to more people both here in Australia and internationally.

"The cumulative television audience for television audience in 2004 was 740 million people and it's anticipated that the 2015 Asian Cup will be the most watched AFC Asian Cup in history."

Securing the tournament should be a mere formality for Australia's bid team, but Buckley said the final presentation would focus on promoting the country's proven record of hosting major sporting events and ability to "enhance the status of the Asian Cup".

The tournament, to be held in January 2015, will feature the 16 top teams in Asia with matches to be played at four or five selected venues.

Those will be chosen out of an initial eight stadiums put forward by Australia's bid team - Sydney's ANZ Stadium, Sydney Football Stadium and Parramatta Stadium, Melbourne's Etihad Stadium and AAMI Park, Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium, Gold Coast's Skilled Park and Canberra Stadium.

Among the biggest challenges facing organisers will be the summer heat, though the scale of the problem pales in comparison with Qatar's predicament of hosting the 2022 World Cup in June-July.

"Clearly it (January) is the hottest period in Australia and we expect to play most of the games in the late afternoon, early evening to minimise the heat factor with players and spectators," Buckley said.

"I think Australian sport fans are pretty used to coming out in summer conditions for major sports events."

While acknowledging the Asian Cup would not present the same lucrative opportunities of hosting a World Cup, Buckey said it would be "financially beneficial" if managed effectively.

FFA is targeting an aggregate attendance of between 300,000 and 500,000 over the game's 24 matches and hopes to employ similar marketing methods to those used at the 2003 Rugby World Cup to attract crowds to matches between some of the lower-ranked teams.

"The Rugby World Cup had some very effective programs where they got very substantial attendances for some of the lower interest matches and they turned out to be great events," he said.

Buckley said it was too early to say if hosting a successful Asian Cup could boost Australia's chances of hosting a World Cup down the track.

The AFC is expected to announce the 2015 Asian Cup hosts on Wednesday night AEDT

[guti]

Welcome to five months ago

[seanason]

Welcome to ten months ago

[We Done Ya]

In all honesty, unless the socceroos played in adelaide there would probably be only 5-8k people that would go to a game here in this town for two asian teams, even if they were big ones like Japan or korea.

[seanason]

In all honesty, unless the socceroos played in adelaide there would probably be only 5-8k people that would go to a game here in this town for two asian teams, even if they were big ones like Japan or korea.

Doubt it.

Nippon would have 1k travelling supporters. It would be big on all of the exchange students here, and a lot of people from interstate would come.

And i think it will be the same for most other cities - we wont be filling stadia for North Korea vs. Jordan games. We would be better off playing them at say Marconi.

[Red-4-Life]

Its an excuse to go on a 2 week long holiday and watch some footbal!!!

I'll be making the trips interstate to watch the Socceroos games with mates.

[UNITEDCITY]

How does Gold coast earn a GIG and Canberra???

Adelaide will pull bigger than those two places, even Perth would.


The eastern Australia cup!!!!

SA and WA get screwed again.

We only bring on average 10,000 to the games every week, and came secound in the asian cup club championships.

Thanks FFA

[the_gun]

no surprise tbh... perth no games either.

[seanason]

Why kick up a stink about it now?

We knew about it ten months ago - no-one said much.

It re-surfaced five months ago - some people on here said a few things but in the end nothing much was done.


Someone should have taken the argument to "The Soccer Premier" ten months ago while the WC bid was still on the agenda. Hell, if we pushed hard enough we could have had a new stadium if we convinced the government it would get used for 2015 and 2022. We have a large asian migrant background with a growing arab population to boot. Teams like China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam and India would sell out Hindmarsh easily and we could have used this to push for something to be done.

[guti]

How does Gold coast earn a GIG and Canberra???

Adelaide will pull bigger than those two places, even Perth would.


The eastern Australia cup!!!!

SA and WA get screwed again.

We only bring on average 10,000 to the games every week, and came secound in the asian cup club championships.

Thanks FFA

Travel costs, times, and distances. East Coast Cup makes sense, especially for a 16 team competition.

[the_gun]

flight to melb.... $25

[Hinderz]

man if they were worried about the heat on the east coast, its a good thing they didnt bring it to Adelaide 40Degree +

[Blotto]

flight to melb.... $25

[DOC]

its pretty obvious, we didn't get screwed, we just have no good stadiums

[the_gun]

^^ this

[UNITEDCITY]

Adelaide oval was pretty dam decent the other night, the new stand was awesome

[seanason]

its pretty obvious, we didn't get screwed, we just have no good stadiums

To host Asian Cup Games? Bollocks.

Qatar has 6k and 8k stadiums hosting games.

As said, if you think Jordan vs. North Korea needs to be played at the SFS then you are having a right old laugh.

[DOC]

its pretty obvious, we didn't get screwed, we just have no good stadiums

To host Asian Cup Games? Bollocks.

Qatar has 6k and 8k stadiums hosting games.

As said, if you think Jordan vs. North Korea needs to be played at the SFS then you are having a right old laugh.

maybe hindmarsh but the didn't put it in the bid, afc do not like adelaide oval and aami, and have not sccepted them as approved stadiums, hence why all acl games are played at hindmarsh

[seanason]

Hindmarsh would be perfect for it.

Wont be a huge load of empty seats that make the FFA look bad / will give us good atmosphere.

You'd think if the venue was fine for the 08 ACL Final 2nd leg, it would be up to Asian Cup standards.

[Kramd]

Hindmarsh would be perfect for it.

Wont be a huge load of empty seats that make the FFA look bad / will give us good atmosphere.

You'd think if the venue was fine for the 08 ACL Final 2nd leg, it would be up to Asian Cup standards.

+1
It was also good enough for 2000 Olympics games. Would have to be a better option than Canberra.

[ozzie owl]

Does the FFA seriously believe we need all stadiums to hold 25,000 plus for all the Asian Cup games. Imagine the crowd at Suncorp for Bahrain v Irag look worse than a Roar v Wellington game. Surely its better to have some boutique grounds for the lower profile games will look better on TV and more atmosphere.

[Knight7]

Looking at the crowds in Doha, all you really need is a small shed and a few bottles of warm water

Must be really embarrassing for the AFC and FIFA to see such tiny crowds

[ozzie owl]

I think the football coummunity , The FFSA and the SA government need to get a petition to be sent to the FFA outlining our disgust at the treatment in omitting Adelaide from the Asian Cup.

[DOC]

I think the football coummunity , The FFSA and the SA government need to get a petition to be sent to the FFA outlining our disgust at the treatment in omitting Adelaide from the Asian Cup.

wont work, as its obviously FFA sending a message saying get your shit sorted in reference to stadiums

[Stitch This]

wont work, as its obviously FFA sending a message saying get your cabernet sorted in reference to stadiums

And that applies to Perth too?

[DOC]

wont work, as its obviously FFA sending a message saying get your cabernet sorted in reference to stadiums

And that applies to Perth too?

would assume so as well as their new stadium has dragged on as well