The Sky Blues have enjoyed average home crowds of approximately 16,000 over the past two seasons, with 12,512 Members signed up in 2016/17.

Sydney averaged 11,861 fans per home game in 2011/12, before the arrival of marquee Alessandro Del Piero, which boosted average attendances to 18,637 and 18,632 during his time in the harbor city.

The club has to a large extent sustained that attendance growth since Del Piero’s exit and Townsend is optimistic there’s more to come.

“I think it’s only the beginning,” Townsend said.

“If you look at the history of the club, it’s stamped its authority on the league.

“Both on and off the pitch, the crowd growth, the Membership growth, it’s there for everyone to see.

“The potential for the sport in this country and this city is immense. I believe there’s a huge amount of opportunity ahead of us.

“Notwithstanding where we are today has been a huge achievement and one when I left these shores 15 years I didn’t think was possible.

“Take nothing away from where we are but there’s still a lot more to come. It’s exciting.”

Townsend was involved in Australian football during the late National Soccer League (NSL) days as a player with Parramatta Power and Sydney United.

The Sydney native has spent the past decade and a half overseas in a number of high-profile sports administration roles.

And he’s been amazed by the growth of the A-League from afar, in comparison to the NSL.

“It’s chalk and cheese,” Townsend said. “As an ex-player you look at it and wish you were playing now.

“It’s fantastic the way the game has come along but there’s a lot to be done.

“This club is ambitious. One of the things which attracted me to this club is a unified board who are extremely passionate about being successful, not just in Sydney but Australia and Asia, which is a really unique opportunity.”