It was a night that made Australias rival sporting codes sit up and listen.As 61,880 spectators poured through the turnstiles at ANZ Stadium on Saturday, the A-League set up the optimal spingboard for a thriving 12th season.The crowd set a record for any competitive football match in Australia, comfortably eclipsing the 55,436 that watched Melbourne Victory beat Adelaide United in the 2006-07 grand final at Etihad Stadium.Tellingly, it also trumped last months AFL qualifying final derby between the Sydney Swans and GWS Giants (60,222) and Julys rugby league State of Origin III (61,267).Football Federation Australia would not have dared envision such progress when the A-League started in 2005.Indeed, the four-year rivalry between Sydney FC and Western Sydney should be starkly immature compared to counterparts in Europe and South America often charged by more than a century of antipathy.Yet the electric atmosphere at a normally lifeless Olympic Park would have held its own anywhere in the world.The hostility between Sydneys foundation glamour club and its bitter cross-city rival has mushroomed since 2012, when FFA tapped into the breeding ground of football passion in the citys west.The sight of the Wanderers active supporter group, the Red and Black Bloc, brandishing a massive tifo and trading chants with Sydneys The Cove makes for good TV.And its what gives the governing body added value as it negotiates a crucial new broadcast deal that will provide the fiscal fuel to further grow the Australian round-ball game.New Sky Blues defender Michael Zullo compared his first Sydney derby to his experience playing in Holland for FC Utrecht.It was world class on all fronts, Zullo said.We really dont give enough credit to what the A-League has become and what weve built in this country.We should be incredibly proud of what weve done.Our fans are just as passionate as any of the fans Ive played in front of overseas.The one that sticks out to me was our derby match when I played for Utrecht against Ajax - and thats got 100 years of history behind it.Yet tonight was just as fierce. 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Hall of Fame coach Tony Dungy was part of South Floridas pitch to the Big 12 and former major league first baseman Tino Martinez also went to bat for the Bulls.The Big 12 concluded a week of meetings Friday in North Texas with the 11 schools vying to join the conference. USF, Cincinnati and Rice made the final presentations, according to three people with knowledge of the meetings who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.The people spoke on condition of anonymity because the conference was keeping its meetings confidential.According to a person familiar with USFs pitch, Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik was part of the five-person team, led by university president Judy Genshaft, the school sent to Texas.USFs presentation included a video with Dungy, the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Indianapolis Colts coach, and Martinez, a Tampa native, endorsing the Bulls, the person said.I think the Big 12 would be surprised to know how many people in the Tampa area are really behind the USF Bulls, Dungy said, according to an excerpt provided to the AP.dddddddddddd There are so many sports fans here that just love the university and love to see college athletics.Dungys son, Eric, played football for USF in 2014.USF is definitely ready, said Martinez, who played 16 seasons in the majors with Seattle, the New York Yankees, St. Louis and Tampa Bay.USF plays its home games in Raymond James Stadium, home of the Buccaneers and the site of this seasons College Football Playoff championship game.The Big 12 is also considering Air Force, BYU, Central Florida, Colorado State, Connecticut, Houston, SMU and Tulane. The conference has not committed to expansion, but Commissioner Bob Bowlsby has said it is exploring the possibility of adding two or four new members to the 10-team league.There has been no timetable set for the Big 12 to make a decision, but the conferences university presidents are scheduled for a regular meeting Oct. 19.--Follow Ralph Russo at www.Twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP ' ' '