Just part of the crowd that turned up at Launceston's Aurora Stadium.

A-League © A-League

The decision to take many of the Hyundai A-League Pre-Season Cup matches to regional centres around Australia looks to be winner after Launceston and the Gold Coast both saw crowds in excess of 6,000 watch matches played in their respective cities.

On Saturday night at a very wet and wild Carrara Stadium on the Gold Coast, just over 7,000 fans witnessed the match between Queensland Roar and reigning Hyundai A-League premiers Sydney FC. In Launceston, just over 6,800 were thoroughly entertained by the match between Melbourne Victory and Adelaide United.

The terrific response from the fans has been welcomed by Football Federation Australia officials and has so far justified the decision to take the game out to the people that wouldn’t otherwise get the chance to see matches.

“We are extremely delighted and encouraged by the response of fans on the Gold Coast and in Launceston,” said FFA Head of Operations Mr Matt Carroll.

“We still have some way to go in the Pre-Season Cup, but if this response can be replicated in other centres like Canberra and Wollongong, then we will have gone a long way to achieving our objective in taking these games to regional Australia.”

Taking the games regional is seen as the best way to improve the profile of the Hyundai A-League, clubs and the players and continue the momentum built up by the Socceroos from the World Cup.

“The more we are seen by people in areas that are not directly part of the A-League clubs traditional supporter base, the more interest is created for all interested parties concerned.

“We are a new competition and it will take time to build up support, but say in five years time, we want every football player in the country to be able to identify with a, if not all, clubs in the A-League and have a favourite club within the Hyundai A-League,” Carroll added.

Next weekend will see three more games go regional, while Perth Glory is taking their game against Melbourne Victory out to Dorrien Gardens in West Perth.

Central Coast Mariners will go to Orange in central western NSW, where they will play Adelaide, both winners from the opening game of the Pre-Season Cup. Fans should see a highly competitive match, with the winner almost guaranteed a place in the semi finals.

Sydney FC are taking their first home match of the Pre-Season Cup against Newcastle Jets, to the nations capital Canberra, while Queensland Roar is playing the New Zealand Knights in
Maroochydore on the Sunshine Coast.

Other centres to host Hyundai A-League matches are Port Macquarie (Rd 3 - Newcastle v Queensland), Tamworth (Bonus Rd – Newcastle v Melbourne), Wollongong (Bonus Rd – Sydney v Perth) and Toowoomba (Bonus Rd – Queensland v Central Coast).

This year’s Pre-Season format will see each team play four rounds, before entering the play-offs and then the final weekend, which will decide each teams ranking from 1st to 8th.