Socceroos star Craig Goodwin and Matildas forward Remy Siemsen have joined the growing chorus of fans who are publicly criticising the A-Leagues' decision to sell off their grand final hosting rights to Sydney for the next three years.
Goodwin and Siemsen, two of the highest-profile players in the A-League Men and A-League Women, were both featured in the announcement video produced by the Australian Professional Leagues (APL) to promote the deal struck with Destination NSW for a reported eight-figure sum.
However, both have since taken to social media to air their opposition to the move, with Goodwin — whose starring role for Australia at the World Cup in Qatar made him a poster-boy for the returning ALM — the most critical of the lot.
"I may be in the video for the A-League Men choice to host Grand Finals in Sydney, but I do not support it," the Adelaide United winger wrote on Twitter.
"I am a player, but I am also a fan.
"The fans are the most valuable thing in football and as we have seen from the support throughout the country for the Socceroos at the World Cup, they are the ones that create the atmosphere and culture, and what makes the game great.
"Like many fans around the country [...] I too am disappointed in this decision."
Goodwin's statement was echoed by Matildas and Sydney FC striker Remy Siemsen, as well as a handful of other A-Leagues players across various social media platforms.
The decision has all but halted the positive momentum generated by the Socceroos' exciting World Cup run, and re-opened old wounds between Australian football's decision-makers and its primary stakeholders: the fans.
Indeed, every active fan group across the ALM and ALW has since released a statement — either individually or collectively — opposing the move, with the two major fan groups of Melbourne Victory and Melbourne City, who are due to face each other in the men's Melbourne derby this Saturday, planning to stage a protest walkout in the 20th minute.
The A-Leagues have historically granted grand final hosting rights to whichever team finishes highest in the regular season and makes it through the knock-out rounds.
This unique format has seen the decider taken to all five major Australian cities in its 18-year history, with several of the league's all-time highest-attended games occurring outside of Sydney.
However, the APL's decision brings the leagues in line with rival codes like the AFL and NRL, which have traditionally played their own grand finals in the same city every season.
Speaking to ABC News Breakfast on Tuesday, APL chief executive and former Sydney FC boss Danny Townsend said the overwhelmingly negative reaction from fans — who ABC understands were consulted over a year ago when the decision was made — took them by surprise.
"We understand the fans are emotional about this and are passionate about the grand final structure we've had over the first 18 years of the league, that's totally understandable and expected," he said.
"The magnitude of it, I must say, was probably more than we expected. We'd hate fans to walk out of their clubs. This is a league decision, our clubs were complicit in that decision, but ultimately it was all designed to drive the game forward.
"We genuinely believe a "Festival of Football" in Australia, a week on the calendar where football fans can celebrate our game in one city, is something that will continue to grow the game into the future.
"We certainly don't want to see walkouts, but I'm sure we'll work with our fans over the next couple of days to try and help them better understand the rationale behind our decision."
However, despite Townsend's comments that the decision was unanimous, in the last 24 hours key figures such as Perth Glory owner Tony Sage and Roar chairman Christopher Fong have revealed that they were unaware of Monday's announcement, and had instead expected clubs to vote on the proposal this Thursday.
When asked about this apparent fracture, Townsend said the decision had been the result of a months-long process, and that he instead wanted to focus on the positives.
"This negotiation has taken twelve months with the government, so it's not something that was thought up last week — it's been an ongoing consideration for the league over many months," he said.
"I won't speak for individuals and how they've perceived things in social media and other settings. I think we've got to focus on the positives here and why we think this is the right thing for the game."
As for the leagues' own players speaking out against the decision?
"That's disappointing, but ultimately those two players have done a lot for the game. [Goodwin] had an amazing World Cup and did a great job for the Socceroos, and is entitled to his opinion, as with Remy.
"I think, if you take a step back, the players aren't the ones who need to make these decisions.
"The leaders of the game need to stand behind these things because we're not doing them for our own self-interest, we're doing them because we believe it's the right thing for the game and its sustainability into the future."
