With #SummerFootball in full swing, we take a Christmas Eve look at the history of summer football in the Hyundai A-League
With #SummerFootball in full swing, we take a Christmas Eve look at the history of summer football in the Hyundai A-League.
Prior to this season, 107 matches had been played across the traditional Christmas and New Year summer football period.
Of these 107 matches, 22 were draws and a total of 317 goals were scored.
It is the season for giving and the players certainly gave the fans goals for Christmas. The highest amount of goals in a single game is seven, achieved three times.
In 2007/08 Central Coast Mariners went down 5-2 at home to Melbourne Victory on New Years Eve 2007. In 2011/12, Wellington Phoenix smashed Newcastle Jets 5-2 at Westpac Stadium on December 23, whilst just last season, Western Sydney Wanderers put Adelaide United away 6-1 at Pirtek Stadium on December 21.
This doesn-t take into account the rescheduled Central Coast Mariners v Sydney FC match that was won 5-4 by the Sky Blues on December 22, 2007. After a waterlogged Bluetongue Stadium saw the postponement of the original fixture, this match was parachuted into summer football legend.
The largest summer football crowd in the Hyundai A-League is 27,344, for a nil-all draw Big Blue between Melbourne Victory and Sydney FC at Etihad Stadium on December 19, 2009.
Concidentally, the four largest summer football crowds have all been in Melbourne, two at AAMI Park for Melbourne Derbys and another at Etihad Stadium for another Big Blue, this on December 27, 2008, where Melbourne Victory prevailed 3-2.
The fifth largest summer football crowd was at the iconic Adelaide Oval in late December 2007, when a Brendon Santalab screamer lit up the fixture as Sydney FC won 3-1.
So of the five largest summer football crowds, two have been Melbourne Derbys, two are Big Blues and the other a long-standing rivalry between Adelaide and Sydney FC at one of Australia-s most recognisable grounds.
Coincidentally, it is Adelaide United that has played the most summer football matches: they-ve played 25 winning nine, drawing five and losing 11.
Brisbane Roar and Melbourne Victory have the most summer football wins, with 11, closely followed by Central Coast Mariners (nine).
Newcastle Jets has the worst summer football record, having lost 13 matches in this period. Sydney FC and Adelaide have lost 11 each. Although still in their infancy, Western Sydney Wanderers are yet to lose a summer football fixture.
Melbourne Victory are the most successful goal scorers in summer football, with 42 goals in 23 fixtures. Whilst they may be the summer football Santa, Central Coast Mariners are the Grinch, giving away only 28 goals in 24 summer football fixtures.
With a spectacular start to summer football this season, these records are waiting to be broken.
Keep up with all the #SummerFootball action by following our active news feed, featuring 16 Hyundai A-League matches in 17 days and all the best bits from social media.
