Wellinton, Oct 4: Alessandro Del Piero's ability to revitalize the A-League and breathe more life into Australian football will get its first test on Saturday, incongruously, in New Zealand.
The ex-Juventus and Italy star, now 37, will travel with the Sydney FC squad for its season-opening match against the Wellington Phoenix in what may be an early and revealing test of the box office buzz which local officials hope the league's most expensive and high-profile signing will generate.
Del Piero's potential A-League debut has already boosted ticket sales in Wellington, New Zealand — the A-League's only offshore outpost — where professional soccer has a precarious foothold. But that may only translate on Saturday into a walkup crowd of about 14,000, a faint hint of the crowds he has played for at Europe's great venues.
