On a cold and wet Monday evening in Macquarie Park, Sydney FC hosted the first members’ forum of CEO Mark Aubrey and coach Ufuk Talay’s reign, and it was a huge success. Having originally scheduled the meeting for their new headquarters at Sky Park, the level of interest saw the club move the venue to a nearby conference centre on the other side of Talavera Road, and a steady stream of long-standing members were in place by the somewhat early 6pm start as the rain continued to tumble and the evening traffic brought Epping Road to a standstill. Fans had questions, the club had answers, and the dialogue was open.
The vision for the future of Sydney FC, the key principles for the club philosophy, the player recruitment strategy and even the playing style were shared with the fans, who could not fail to be impressed by the openness of the discussion and the insight into what the club is striving to achieve in the most challenging of conditions. What felt like club secrets were shared with their most ardent fanbase, head of player management Alex Baumjohann proudly listing the signings that have been made preseason, with Rhys Youlley, Paul Okon-Engstler, Marcel Tisserand, Al-Hassan Toure and Akol Akon all incoming and with further plans to bring in a much-needed top-class striker.
While women’s head coach Ante Juric was absent due to illness, it was also noted that there had been plenty of incomings for the women’s squad, and with the players due to report for pre-season in mid-September, the squad was all but complete. The remaining loose ends of Tori Tumeth, currently in the midst of a major trophy chase with the Australia Under 23s in Vietnam, and long-servant Princess Ibini who may end up overseas, were close to being tidied up.
With the input of the members present, the conversation was steered towards more edgy topics. What was happening with Douglas Costa? Where does Leo Sena fit in? And, as has already been reported on social media, the narrative changed almost mid-sentence regarding Sena, the conclusion arrived at that he would not be back for another season, despite his positive performances at the start of last season. At least we know. Baumjohann fielded a question regarding Thomas Muller, who chose Canada over Australia despite being a former colleague of the Sydney FC man, but it was closer than many people realise. The Costa situation is delicate, and with no details as to what exactly the issue is, it was revealed that he simply couldn’t leave Brazil right now, despite wanting to rejoin the squad for pre-season; we could be down to no Brazilians by the time the opening game comes around.
Talking of opening games, the club reinforced the desire that Western United win their appeal and line up in the A-League this season. Without their fate being known for some time yet, it was unlikely that we would be able to have a release of the season’s fixtures. The reach of Sydney FC and the A-League in general into Asia was discussed as a broader subject; the friendly that Western Sydney Wanderers played in Indonesia recently was originally slated as a Sydney FC initiative, but the club decided against it to keep the focus on the Australia Cup, an important competition that brings an Asian Champions League 2 berth. Seems to have worked so far. Also a hot topic, the TV deal was discussed at length, with the current deal in its final season, and the national teams up for renewal in two years. The idea of combining the two products into one was discussed as a potential best-case scenario for everyone.
Pre-prepared questions from the members were displayed, but the lively audience had covered most of the subjects. A very insightful question asked Uffie about his coaching style on gameday, which gave the members present a look inside the mind of our coach as he prepares for a game, his thought processes throughout the ninety minutes, and then the post-game reaction and analysis of games. Our head coach accepting the role of the fall guy if results don’t go our way, it was also pointed out that the club philosophy would override any coaching style, an encouraging viewpoint for those listening intently.
A solid two-hour session left most of those present with a renewed optimism for the season. Despite his gameday persona, Uffie was open and honest, Alex Baumjohann gave us valuable insight into what we are looking for from players, and CEO Mark Aubrey, an excellent orator, made sure that the audience knew what the club was trying to achieve. With the academy producing over sixty A-League players over the years, the machine was working, and with the club being able now to benefit from transfer funds from sales and from sell-on fees, the financial position of the club was healthy.
Paraphrasing most of the content so as not to reveal too much, this was a most welcome addition to the member experience. With MC Dave Warriner managing the audience input to perfection, this was the sort of interaction between club and fans that builds trust and generates confidence; despite some curly subjects such as Max Burgess and the ongoing Allianz Stadium saga being difficult content to hear, the overarching feeling of togetherness was palpable from this Sydney FC member’s forum. Well done to the club for making this possible, and we all look forward to Saturday’s hot contest with the reigning Premiers with excitement and expectation.
See you at Kogarah, everyone’s favourite Sydney FC venue.