So, did the 'big 3' succeed?

Big three .... but Shinji Ono is the last man standing in the finals. Source: William West / AAP

It was the transfer pursuit that recalibrated the A-League and pushed the name of Sydney FC to a global audience.

But no one knew six months ago with absolute confidence what the effect of signing Alessandro Del Piero would be, and whether the astronomical sums involved would generate returns commensurate with that outlay.

While it's arguable that the immediate impact was as a catalyst to help bring Emile Heskey to Newcastle and Shinji Ono to Western Sydney, the results at the end of the regular season of having the three marquee stars have been spectacular.

TV viewing figures and crowd levels have risen substantially, merchandise supplies are in some cases unable to meet demand, and the amount of media coverage of the league is at a record high.

Sceptics might suggest that for a combined outlay of more than $5 million the return should be generous.

"But right across the board, we're very happy with our revenue lines," said Sydney FC chairman Scott Barlow. "Which is why we're so happy that Alessandro will be here for a second season."

TV VIEWING

Football Federation Australia had already signed a new deal for next season and beyond before this one was half over, but the last season of the expiring contract with Fox Sports has produced figures not seen before.

Across the league the average per game was 80,000 viewers, an increase of 22 per cent. But drill down into the figures and the effect of having a marquee is demonstrable.

Sydney FC, Newcastle and Western Sydney, the teams with the highest-profile marquees, are three of the top four sides for cumulative audience over the season.

For Sydney the individual figures are extraordinary - the Sky Blues accounted for 42 per cent of the league's entire audience, more than doubling their market share, with an average per game a fraction under 100,000 viewers.

Not only that, the figures took them past bitter rivals Melbourne Victory as the most-watched team, and this in a season when they spent almost the entire year in the bottom half of the table.

ELIMINATION FINAL 1, FRIDAY APRIL 5:

Melbourne Victory v Perth Glory, Etihad Stadium 7:30pm EDT

ELIMINATION FINAL 2, SUNDAY APRIL 7:

Adelaide United v Brisbane Roar, Hindmarsh Stadium 5:00pm EST

SEMI-FINAL 1, FRIDAY APRIL 12:

Western Sydney Wanderers v Lowest-ranked elimination finals winner, Parramatta Stadium 7:30pm EST

SEMI-FINAL 2, SUNDAY APRIL 14:

Central Coast Mariners v Highest-ranked elimination finals winner, Bluetongue Stadium 5:00pm EST

GRAND FINAL, SUNDAY APRIL 21:

Winner Semi-Final 1 v Winner Semi-Final 2, Venue TBC, 4:00pm EST

CROWDS

"This is one of the key metrics for us, and we have averaged more than 18,500, the highest for the regular season by some margin," Barlow said. "It takes us past many competitors in other codes and positions us as one of the top teams for crowds in Sydney."

The effect of Del Piero was felt right across the league, with every single side reporting attendances way above their season average for the other nine teams when the Italian superstar came to town.

In some cases the rise on that average is startling - 90 per cent for Brisbane Roar in their first game against Sydney this season, 73 per cent for Wellington in the opening game of the season and 52 per cent for Melbourne Heart.

Heskey helped to drive a 10 per cent rise in Newcastle's home attendances on last year, again with a team that after round nine didn't reach the top four.

AWARENESS

Sports research consultancy Repucom produced various headline figures during the season to demonstrate the individual pull of the marquees and the overall effect they created for the league.

Sydney FC major sponsor Webjet's media exposure for the month of September - when Del Piero signed and arrived here - was over eight times the average for the same period last year.

By January, a Repucom survey had found that football and cricket in Australia were at the same level for market share of the sought-after segment known to marketers as "avid" fans - the most committed, in the 18-34 age group.

MERCHANDISE

While clubs are unwilling to publicise specific figures in the battle with other clubs and codes, Barlow was happy to give a contextual quantitative amount for Sydney this year.

"Commercially this has been an excellent season, we've sold as much merchandise as we had in the past three years combined," Barlow said.

"Added to that, our revenue from corporate hospitality and hospitality streams has been at record levels."

Western Sydney struggled to keep up with demand for merchandise, due in part to the speed with which the club was established but also to a striking desire among fans to sport club colours.

Though Wanderers chairman Lyall Gorman was at pains to note that "we don't do separate measurement of memorabilia, membership, merchandise, attendance and the like around any individual player as a part of our club's culture," he conceded that "in relation to the individual player cards we sell at match day, Shinji's has been the highest seller by some degree.

"There is also currently very heightened interest from Japanese-owned companies to enter into sponsorship partnerships with us and we are also exploring the possibility of post-season games in Japan."

THE FUTURE

All three marquees will return next season, after it was revealed on Friday that Heskey had agreed to a new deal to complete the set.

"First and foremost we signed Alessandro to benefit Sydney FC, but we were mindful of what it would do for the league as a whole," Barlow said. "The other marquees have done that too, and I'd encourage all A-League clubs in a position to add to that trend. We're very happy with the results of a substantial investment. The right player, here for the right reasons, can have a major impact on and off the field." 

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