Sydney FC CEO Mark Aubrey has set an attendance aim of 10-15,000 for the club’s first-ever AFC Asian Champions League game at the new Allianz Stadium on Wednesday night.
The Sky Blues host Bangkok United in the first leg of the Round of 16 in the AFC Champions League (ACL) Two on Wednesday night, having shifted the fixture from Netstrata Jubilee Stadium to Allianz Stadium considering the significance of the event.
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It’s just the second time Sydney FC has made the knockout phase of an ACL campaign; eager to build off the incredible scenes of Saturday’s Sydney Derby – in which the Sky Blues came from 3-1 down to draw 3-3 in front of 32,741 fans at Allianz Stadium – club CEO Aubrey has urged fans to turn out in high numbers to watch their side look to gain the ascendancy over Bangkok in the two-legged Round of 16 tie.
“We want as many (fans) as possible,” Aubrey said.
“We’ll be coming off the Derby, and we’re offering incentives for Derby attendees to come along to the game, because the two games are so close together.
“We need to paint this stadium as Sky Blue as possible. We want to be taking as big advantage to Bangkok (as) we can. It’d be great to get 10,000 (to) 15,000-plus into the stadium here to cheer our boys on. It’s a hugely important clash.”
The club has offered all Sydney members and ticket holders from Saturday’s derby the opportunity to buy general admission and Cove tickets for just $10, as well as a 30% off offer on other ticket categories.
“It’s only the second time in the history of the club that we’ve made the knockout phases of a major Asian tournament, so that’s incredibly important for us,” Aubrey said.
“But equally, Bangkok United is a tough team. They’re very well funded. They’re well-drilled. They topped their group in Asian Champions League Two this year. They topped their group in Asian Champions League last year, and only lost out to eventual finalists Yokohama.
“So it’s going to be a tough game, and we want to give ourselves the best chance with the best support possible. And it felt like that should be home here at Sydney Football Stadium. It’s incredibly important.”
“We do want to grow our brand,” he continued.
“We do want to grow our audiences throughout the region and beyond Australia, and more so than that, our fans should be treating it no differently to a UEFA Champions League game or a Europa League game or an A League Final.
“It’s a knockout final. We need the support of our fans to give us the best possible chance to progress. So it’s incredibly important.”
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Sydney FC finished second in Group E behind Sanfrecce Hiroshima in the ACL Two group stage to set up the clash with Bankgok, who topped Group G with four wins, one draw and one loss from six group stage games.
Formerly managed by now-Melbourne City head coach Aurelio Vidmar, Bangkok sit second in the Thai Premier League as they head into Sydney for Wednesday’s ACL Two clash.
The fixture could see new Sydney FC signing Alex Grant make his club debut after joining the club in early February following a four-year stint in Asia. The 31-year-old reached the 2021 AFC Champions League final whilst at South Korean giants Pohang Steelers and played close to 100 games at the club across both the ACL and K League 1.
Speaking ahead of Wednesday night’s fixture, Grant joined Sydney head coach Ufuk Talay in echoing club CEO Aubrey’s urge to fans to show out in strong numbers and will their side on in a significant continental fixture.
“There’s quality throughout the competition, there’s quality throughout our league and it surprises me that Aussie teams haven’t done as well in recent years… we’ve got an opportunity now, where we can go and win it, that’s what we want to do and the boys are confident.
“These competitions should attract good crowds. We don’t always get that here in Australia, but we need to get that reach out there and get people watching. The game at the weekend obviously drew people in as well.”
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Talay added: “I think it’s very important. The support against Wanderers on the weekend was immense, and even that last 15 minutes where I think the crowd were urging the boys to keep pushing, I think that plays a massive role .
“So hopefully tomorrow evening we get good support again.”
Tickets are now on sale to the general public ahead of kick-off at 7pm AEDT on Wednesday night.
MATCH DETAILS
Sydney FC v Bangkok United – ACL Two
Date: Wednesday, February 12
Venue: Allianz Stadium
Kick-off: 7pm AEDT
Tickets: Available here
Broadcast: Live and FREE on 10 Play
