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Wanderers prevail against Melbourne City
Western Sydney has taken a giant step towards the A-League Premiers Plate after holding on for a 4-3 win against Melbourne City.
PT1M29S 620 349Football Federation Australia has moved to lock in ANZ Stadium for this year's A-League grand final should the Western Sydney Wanderers continue their impressive run and earn the right to host the decider.
It's a move that would almost certainly smash the record for the largest crowd at a domestic football game in Australia (55,436), with the FFA deep in discussions with ANZ Stadium about hosting the grand final on Sunday, May 1, as well as a potential blockbuster semi-final a week earlier.
The Wanderers are on top of the A-League table and the highest-ranked team at the end of the regular season has the right to the home ground for the grand final.
Loud and active: The Wanderers fans are set for matches at ANZ Stadium. Photo: Jonathan Carroll
With Pirtek Stadium to be demolished in September, the Wanderers are on the lookout for a new home for at least the next two seasons and are believed to be eyeing a move to Sydney Olympic Park for their big-drawing matches.
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Wanderers fans have traditionally been opposed to playing matches at the Olympic venue, however this year's grand final could be the first of many games the red and black play at ANZ Stadium.
It is understood ANZ Stadium is the favoured venue among Wanderers members, who were sent a survey to help decide between Pepper Stadium (Penrith), Campbelltown Sports Stadium, Belmore Sportsground, Leichhardt Oval, Spotless Stadium and ANZ Stadium as the temporary home ground.
A Sydney derby match that attracts a crowd in excess of 70,000 could be worth up to $1 million a match for the Wanderers, while other venues don't have enough seats to accommodate the club's 18,000 members let alone provide the corporate facilities available at ANZ Stadium.
Despite prior reluctance from the Wanderers to move blockbuster Sydney derby or Asian Champions League matches to ANZ Stadium, they won't have a say this time given the FFA have authority over venue assignment for the finals series.
There are two NRL matches schedule at ANZ Stadium in the lead-up to the A-League grand final (Rabbitohs v Tigers on Thursday night and the Eels v Bulldogs on Friday night) however it won't prevent the FFA from booking the venue.
It is hoped a grand final featuring the Wanderers at ANZ Stadium would eclipse the domestic crowd record set in 2007 when 55,436 fans piled into Etihad Stadium for the grand final between Melbourne Victory and Adelaide United.
The Wanderers hosted a grand final in their inaugural season at Allianz Stadium ��� the home ground of cross-town rivals Sydney FC ��� falling at the final hurdle against the Central Coast Mariners in front of a crowd of 42,102.
More than 10,000 Wanderers fans then travelled to Brisbane for the heartbreaking grand final loss to the Roar at Suncorp Stadium the following year, setting the benchmark in club football in regards to away attendance.
The FFA have pencilled in ANZ Stadium for this year's grand final and won't have to worry about clashing with other sports for the use of the venue given the weekend has been left clear in the chance the Wanderers host the grand final.
There's also the strong possibility the FFA would look at playing a semi-final there the week before, but it's likely to have to see Sydney FC or the well-supported Melbourne Victory squaring off against the Wanderers in order to justify moving away from Pirtek Stadium.
The NRL has a match scheduled at ANZ Stadium on April 23 between Canterbury and the Gold Coast Titans, allowing the FFA to schedule a Friday night or Sunday afternoon semi-final if required.