The Sydney Morning Herald reports that only 30,849 fans attended the five matches played last weekend, the second-lowest average crowd for a round in the A-League's five-year history. Football Federation Australia last weekend officially submitted its bid to host the 2018 or 2022 World Cup.
Denying that the poor domestic league crowds could hurt the World Cup bid, A-League chief executive Archie Fraser said: ''I don't think it will hurt it too much because if you look at the quality of the games, some of the goals and the competitiveness of the league, we're in good shape."
''I've given up trying to forecast crowds but one thing we can say is we're now coming into a time where we think we're going to get some great crowds coming through as the competitive [end] of the league heats up.
''It's been a challenge with an expanding league and a new finals format, but we're confident that with the league being so even, interest will be there right through.''
