#67 – 80,000 Fans for Chelsea v Tottenham… So Why Not the A-League? (feat. Danny Graystone)

<p>In this episode of Green &amp; Gold FC, Graham and Alex are joined by Danny Graystone to unpack FIFA’s reported plan to sell a stake in future World Cup profits, Australia Cup cupsets and the challenge of turning football’s big moments into lasting support for the game.</p><p>The discussion begins with Gianni Infantino, FIFA’s proposed private investment model and the fierce pushback from UEFA and other football bodies. The panel also debates a possible 64-team World Cup, what it could mean for the value of qualification and whether football risks oversaturating its biggest tournament.</p><p>The conversation then turns to a huge Australia Cup round, with Queensland Lions, South Melbourne, Sydney United and Preston Lions all producing major results. Graham, Alex and Danny ask whether NPL clubs are improving, A-League clubs are slipping, or whether the gap is finally beginning to close.</p><p>From there, they preview the Round of 16, including Lions FC against Melbourne City, Sydney United versus APIA Leichhardt, Macarthur against SD Raiders and the remaining Australia Cup clashes.</p><p>There is also a look at the winter festival of football, 80,000-plus crowds for Premier League friendlies, and why Australian football repeatedly fails to convert that attention into stronger A-League crowds and memberships.</p><p>Finally, the panel run through the latest Aussies abroad news, including Marcus Younis, Lucas Herrington, Cammy Devlin, Patrick Beach and Paul Okon-Engstler, as well as the reports surrounding Cristian Volpato.</p><p>A wide-ranging episode on FIFA, the Australia Cup, NPL ambition, A-League marketing and the next generation of Socceroos.</p><p><strong>Join the discussion:</strong> <a href="https://greenandgoldfc.com" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠greenandgoldfc.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠</a></p><p><strong>Follow on X: </strong><a href="https://x.com/fcgreenandgold" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@fcgreenandgold⁠</a></p>