From this season’s first kick-off in August 2006 to the climax of the Grand Final on 18 February, the Hyundai A-League will hold a total of 90 football fixtures.

At every one of these, thousands of fans, decked out in their kits, roll through the turnstiles eager to watch their team and maybe enjoy a beer and pie. They’ll discover if their favourite player is starting with the announcement of the teams, and they may even read the match report in the paper the next day.

Ensuring all these fans enjoy their day is a sizeable task. The clubs and grounds around the Hyundai A-League employ a range of full-time and casual staff to make sure everything runs as smoothly as a Kevin Muscat penalty.

This weekend, The Full90 pays tribute to those whose efforts are helping establish the Hyundai A-League as one of Australia’s most compelling sporting attractions. We visited Bluetongue Central Coast Stadium, home of the Mariners, during the round 16 visit of Perth Glory to meet some of these people.



“Would you like to buy a shirt?”
Heather – Merchandise
Bluetongue Central Coast Stadium is dotted with merchandise tents that are a regular stop for the keenest of fans. The Mariners’ yellow crowd suggests business has been strong this year.

“We sell everything: hats, stubby holders, jerseys, jackets, singlets, t-shirts, towels, everything,” says Heather.

Heather is young, bubbly, enthusiastic and not embarrassed to say she’s good at her job!! “I’m excellent!” she laughs. “If someone’s buying a jersey, I might also suggest the shorts or a badge to make sure they’re plastered in yellow from top to bottom!”

Team flags are the most popular items at Heather’s stall, alongside big inflatable balls. Heather estimates she sells about 30 or 40 flags every match.

But it’s not always smooth sailing. “A Sydney FC fan accidently pulled out our power when he was having a cigarette,” she recalls. “That was pretty stressful. All the power went dead and we were trying to do EFTPOS transactions and it all turned off.”

Local football rivalry turned commercial sabotage? “I don’t know, I think he was just stupid!” The rivalry lives on!