The HUGE failure that prompted the A-League to strike a $10m deal to sell their grand final to Sydney

A lack of subscriptions to Paramount+ by A-League fans is the reason why the next three years’ grand final will be staged in Sydney, it has been reported.

A $200 million, five-year broadcast deal was signed last season with Network 10 and Paramount+ – but a key clause in the deal revealed that a certain number of subscriptions to A-League coverage on Paramount+ was an essential part.

Once those targets were not met, the flow-on effect meant that less money flowed to the A-League and its clubs, leading Australian Professional Leagues CEO Danny Townsend to strike a deal worth at least £10m with Destination NSW had to pursue US dollars, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

When Townsend announced the deal on Monday, many football fans, players and clubs were blindsided.

The backlash has been intense, with Melbourne City and Melbourne Victory supporters planning to walk out of this weekend’s derby at AAMI Park in protest.

A lack of subscriptions to Paramount+ by A-League fans is why the next three years’ grand final will be staged in Sydney – APL boss Danny Townsend was fighting for a new deal he secured with Destination NSW

Adelaide United skipper Craig Goodwin appeared in a video promoting the deal with Destination NSW after the decision, but did not support the result

Sydney FC’s main supporters group The Cove have announced they will not attend this Saturday’s game against the Central Coast Mariners while their fans in Gosford on the NSW central coast boycott matches of the finals for the next three seasons will.

Brisbane fans have also pledged to stage a protest on December 23 when they host the Wanderers at Kayo Stadium in Redcliffe – and Melbourne Victory chairman Anthony Di Pietro stepped in this week after the grand final was announced in Sydney as Director of the APL back.

However, not all clubs were against the deal with Destination NSW.

Western Sydney Wanderers chairman Paul Lederer, who also chairs the APL board, acknowledged that it is facing the commercial reality of Australian football and praised Townsend for thinking outside the box.

“We have just experienced two of the worst years in football history due to the effects of the global pandemic,” Lederer said in a statement this week.

“This unprecedented global event (Covid-19) has impacted our community as a whole and decimated the livelihoods of professional football clubs.

“This major final agreement is a necessary step to ensure our game has a sustainable future.

Broadcaster Lucy Zelic has blasted the A-League, saying they have “sold their soul” by taking $10m from the NSW Government to allow Sydney to host the competition’s men’s and women’s grand final by 2025

Adelaide United and Brisbane fans (both teams pictured) will need to pay for airfare and accommodation to see the grand final in Sydney if their teams are in the decider for at least the next three years

“The APL board’s decision benefits all clubs in the league.”

Adelaide United skipper Craig Goodwin appeared in a video promoting the three-year deal with Destination NSW after the decision – but did not support the result.

“When they were filming I was asked two questions and I refused to answer one of them,” the Qatar Socceroos star told Channel 10.

“The other question was what a grand final can do for Australian players.

“The question (which I refused to answer) was, ‘Why do you support this initiative by the APL and DNSW?’ and I didn’t want to answer that question because I didn’t support it.

“I don’t think it’s in the best interests of the fans.”

Socceroos star Craig Goodwin has criticized the decision to hold the Grand Final in Sydney until at least 2025

A grand A-League final in Sydney (both teams pictured) would be a promoter’s dream – but selling a port city decider between two interstate teams won’t be easy for a competition already struggling with crowds be

Fans are concerned about empty rows of seats at the grand final when no Sydney teams are taking part (pictured the crowd at last Saturday’s clash between Western Sydney Wanderers and Wellington Phoenix in Wollongong).

For many football fans across the country, their anger with the APL was the lack of guidance.

Since the start of the A-League in 2005, clubs have had to earn the right to host the grand final based on their performance in the finals series.

Mimicking the NRL (Sydney) and AFL (Melbourne) Grand Final models has robbed the competition of one of its most compelling selling points.

Proof of this is that many capital cities host the A-League Grand Final including Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Sydney and Brisbane.

Newcastle, north of Sydney, hosted the 2018 decider with almost 30,000 spectators, which was almost at capacity.