A-League’s Big Wednesday proves a big hit

Official release from Football Federation Australia

The Big Wednesday 12-hour marathon of football yesterday has proved to be a big hit among fans on the terraces and at home.

For the first time the Hyundai A-League staged a full round of five matches back-to-back across two nations, cities 5,000 kilometres apart, three timezones and an array of daytime, twilight and evening kick off times.

“Big Wednesday was designed to give fans some top-quality football in mid-week at the end of the festive season when most people are still on holidays,” said Head of Hyundai A-League Lyall Gorman.

“Based on a comparison with last season’s mid-week numbers, the attendances and TV audiences have been outstanding. I congratulate the clubs and our broadcast partner Fox Sports for making the day such a success.”

- The Big Wednesday marathon average attendance was 32.4% up on the comparative mid-week fixtures from Season 6 in 2010/11

- The Big Wednesday marathon average TV audience was 30.5% up on the comparative mid-week fixtures from Season 6 in 2010/11

The Big Wednesday matches produced 23 goals at an average of 4.6 goals per game, making it the 2nd highest goals aggregate for a round and the 7th highest goals average for a round in A-League history.

“It wasn’t just the number of goals that caught the eye, but the quality on show and the quite unpredictable results,” said Gorman.

“We are at the half-way mark and the A-League ladder tells the story of how close and interesting the competition is this season.

“The Premiership, the Top Six and the dreaded wooden spoon are all very much in play, so we can expect some fascinating action for the rest of the regular season.”

 
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