The Hyundai A-League continued its phenomenal season when the one millionth fan for the 2013/14 campaign came through the turnstiles in record time overnight.
The Hyundai A-League continued its phenomenal start to season nine when the one millionth fan for the 2013/14 campaign came through the turnstiles in record time overnight.
The magical mark was broken at nib Stadium where Perth Glory hosted Brisbane Roar as part of a double-header to open Round 15.
The aggregate ground attendance for the season now stands at 1,007,169 fans, which represents the shortest amount of time the Hyundai A-League has taken to reach seven figures.
In the first game on Friday night Melbourne Heart avoided the ignominy of setting a record 20-game winless run by beating Newcastle Jets 3-1 in front of their home fans.
The match celebrated the Heart’s 100th league match and they were able to overcome a Jets opener, with Iain Ramsay leveling and Mate Dugandzic adding a brace to take all three points.
In the evening’s other match up Brisbane Roar were reduced to 10 men for the second week in a row, following the first half dismissal of striker Besart Berisha.
The Roar managed to claim a 0-0 draw against Glory in the west but the result means the Wanderers, Victory and Mariners can all make up ground on the league leaders in the race for the Premiership.
Earlier in the week Football Federation CEO David Gallop applauded the achievements of all the clubs in the Hyundai A-League and thanked the fans for continuing to power football in Australia.
“To reach the 1,000,000th fan for the 2013/14 season in round 15 is another indication of the strength of the Hyundai A-League,” Gallop said. “This growth comes off the back of a record-breaking 2012/13 season for the Hyundai A-League and shows that football is finding a place in the Australian sporting landscape.
“The mainstream Australian public continues to embrace the competition all around Australia and New Zealand with increases in attendance and membership in all of the five key states, NSW, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia as well as Wellington in New Zealand.
“The Hyundai A-League continues to grow with every key performance indicator up on last year, which in itself was a record season for the competition. Average TV audience is up 31%, average attendance has grown by 8% and there has been a 35% increase in club memberships.
Round 15 action continues tonight when Melbourne Victory travel to Wellington to play the Phoenix, while the Sky Blues host the Mariners as part of another double-header.
Adelaide United will be hoping to continue their season revival when they welcome the Wanderers on Sunday to complete the record-breaking round.
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