A-League set for finals marketing campaign

The A-League faces another major relevancy test on Saturday night when the once cut-through Sydney derby competes for eyeballs.

Already enduring a downturn in attendances, viewerships and interest, alarm bells rang across the code when last weekend's Big Blue drew just 25,000 viewers on subscription channel Fox Sports.

Newcastle's clash with Western Sydney earlier that - two teams unlikely to make the finals - drew just 10,000 people on Fox Sports.

The woeful figures, some of the worst ever registered in the competition's 14-year history, saw the domestic competition drop below Super Rugby and surfing's Quiksilver Pro.

The domestic soccer competition has always been out-ranked by AFL and NRL, but this year it has been left in the shade by Supercars, which peaked on the weekend with 199,000 viewers for racing at Symmons Plains in Tasmania.

Those figures do not include free-to-air viewers, which grow the number watching Saturday night matches - but also worsen the gulf between the A-League and the rest.

FFA chiefs hope for an upswing when the finals begin in three weeks time, and will launch a finals marketing campaign for a final flourish to the season.

They also point to changing consumption of sport - including Kayo Sports and the soccer-specific MyFootballLive app - which would add tens of thousands of viewers to each match.

FFA also claim attendances are "steady", despite the nomadic seasons of Sydney and Western Sydney and Melbourne City falling off a cliff.

After claiming just 5012 people at their 4-1 defeat of Brisbane Roar last week, City believe a crowd of at least 7,000 should attend Saturday's match with Adelaide United.

Premiers-in-waiting Perth Glory and boaters Wellington Phoenix have at least recorded upswings in crowds during the 2018.19 season.