The A-League launching pad

Blast off. The Hyundai A-League is all systems go and ready to enter the stratosphere. Or so they say.

No helicopters this year. Credit: Ultimate A-League

The league launched yesterday in Australia's two biggest cities, Melbourne and Parramatta - fine, Sydney - to a large media contingent. It's an obvious step up from last season's beginning where numbers were made up largely of fans and helicopters. There was only one 'copter but I thought it worth noting.

Melbourne kicks off the actual football on Friday with the derby that has provided ample promotional material for Football Federation Australia. AAMI Park is a beautiful home for the game in Melbourne and it also looks great in black and white.

Phoenix host the Bling in Welly at the Cake Tin on Saturday. That sentence would seem bizarre to anyone who isn't as excited as we are for the A-League's eighth installment. But to those of us who live and breathe the "We Are Football" mantra it makes perfect sense.

Later that evening the Wanderers will be comprehensively beaten by the Mariners. I predict five nil.

On Sunday eleven thousand Jets members will witness an Adelaide United in full ACL form. That's a different to A-League form though, as Champions Brisbane found out last year.

Then the Grand Final rematch. In Perth this time. Frak, that's going to be the highlight of the week in amongst a very bright A-League launch.

To infinity and beyond.