Ideas to boost A-League interest?

[davidbloop]

I'd like to hear the thoughts from people in what they think will boost the public interest in the A-League and football in general in this country. It's no secret that football seems to get the short end of the stick in media and is portrayed as poorly as possible by AFL and NRL loving journos but football is still managing to keep a hold on the market in this country.

Unfortunately though it seems like it's barely managing to make any noise and was wondering what people think would help boost the appeal of the A-League.


Personally I think putting it on free to air tv would do great wonders. I understand people being worried that attendance figures will drop but looking at the big picture, if you create more fans then more will come. Even if you have most of your fans sitting at home doing nothing towards attendance, I still think that having it on FTV would still boost numbers and wouldn't do anything to hurt.

[shinAUFC]

Give people an incentive to come, advertise the crap out of the league.

If i did not have the internet, i would not have a clue as to what happening in the league.

This league will boom if FFA can find the cash, i think this much is pretty clear

[davidbloop]

well i noticed during the end of the 2010 world cup there were all the fan-made ads, did that seem to help attendance?

[Nash]

the FFA has to put some serious effort into the marketing of this league. the Fan Made campaign, as far as i've seen, is basically non-existant. i haven't seen one ad for it on FTV. we need to focus on that general public market.

i completely agree that the A-League needs to feature on FTV in some shape or form, whether that be one match, all matches or a highlights show. at least something to reach the general public that aren't going out of their way to find Australian football. the league has also improved greatly, and still people claim it's a shit league and scrutinize it harshly imo. hard for their opinions to change without seeing any of the action.

i also think we need to get more players out to schools and shopping malls etc. get the clubs and players interacting with the communities they represent. get kids to want to go to matches, which gives Dad's great excuses to hit up the football too lol.

[flavze]

cheaper tickets.

[Steelinho]

Monster trucks.


Everyone loves monster trucks!

Only problem is we'll have to shift every game to SUNDAY! SUNDAY! SUNDAY!


A lot of clubs are now starting to do more community/shopping centre appearances, particularly Sydney and Brisbane. Brisbane, especially, are driving hard at the fans and trying to collect as many of them as possible. Sydney, for a long time, were focusing just on their current members, but have only recently turned to recruiting newcomers.


What I find amusing/interesting/disappointing is that while a lot of people have said, "Adelaide are now playing well and winning games, it is bringing more people through the gates," the opposite is actually true so far. Of course, we haven't had home games against Sydney and Melbourne yet and, because these will be played at Adelaide Oval, which draws a larger attendance anyway, it will be blown way out and we'll probably see a bigger attendance in the end. But so far, it's not the case.

[Stuckey]

cheaper tickets.

Compared with other national sport the A-league is very cheap.

I think making it more attractive for families to go to games eg. free tickets for under 12s would be great.

I think the A-league needs to also "advertise" is other forms of media eg.

Having some of the more attractive players appear in women's mags.
Players appearing men's mags: Zoo, FHM, GQ etc.
Regular interviews on all types of radio stations: 5AA, Triple M, Fresh, SAFM etc.
Getting clubs to put their names on more products eg. I went to the brickworks the other day and at a petshop there you could buy a hurmit crab shell with your favourite AFL teams colours!

One thing that i find other sports do that seems to work for them is those one times of the year that everyone focuses on that sport eg.
Tennis - The Australian Open
AFL/NRL - Grand Final day
Horse Racing - Melbourne Cup
NFL - Super Bowl
I think the A-league needs a big day like these to get the average punter interested.

[General Ashnak]

The number 1 thing is to advertise it. They have no market penetration because they have no market awareness.

[davidbloop]

what about this FFA cup they're talking about. Do you think having local clubs vs A-League clubs might get more people from the local teams interested in the league?

I also think the free under 12's is a great idea, Gold Coast was doing that for a while I believe, but definately families would be more likely to go if instead of purchasing 5 tickets or so they could just purchase the tickets for the parents, I could see that boosting numbers a lot.

Seeing the Adelaide United stickers on cars everywhere I think helps, if only in a small way. I see them all over the place and if other people see that as well it might start getting engrained into their minds haha.

[shinAUFC]

Look at AU for example, there is not a plethora of media attention for the club, but what it does it it maximises, plus the odd radio add before games etc, this is in an AFL mad city. and it works, just imagine if the advertising department didnt run on an oily rag!

The product is not bad, I know this because every single person i have brought to a game has come back, converted and always ask when the next game is.

I for one also think we as supportors and a "community" can do alot aswell, word of mouth goes along way, well set up forums like these, fan made clothing ( red army scarves, Viva flores shirts etc) ,

"because of a piss ant town" fan magazine which i hope the concept will be picked up by someone soon so we can see more issues.

[Stuckey]

I agree with the product. Everyone of my friends i have taken to a game has wanted to go again. They alway comment on how unique that atmosphere is compared with other sports.

I think the A-league should get a members referal system going where if a new club member mentions the person that got them into coming to games that member receives a % off their membership.

[David Votoupal]

The quality is as good as ever. But the issues attracting crowds varies from city to city. Adelaide United and Melbourne Victory continue to be the best-supported clubs, although MV have lost a chunk of support resulting from the entrance of the Heart.

Marketing has been unacceptably poor. But the FFA must also determine what sort of clientele it wants to attract.

[Max Power]

I actually think the Adelaide Oval games are a good idea. They will bring in people who normally wouldn't bother.

The trouble being the atmosphere at Hindmarsh is usually 100x better and the view is a lot better.

[Stuckey]

I actually think the Adelaide Oval games are a good idea. They will bring in people who normally wouldn't bother.

The trouble being the atmosphere at Hindmarsh is usually 100x better and the view is a lot better.

That really sums up the AO situation. Great for big crowds, crap for regular fans.

In other news

The A-League's $2.75 million salary cap is a recipe for financial ruin, an ex-club chairman says.
Basil Scarsella was one of the key powerbrokers in the birth of Adelaide United in 2003 before the final season of NSL kicked off.
After the nation's failed 2022 FIFA World Cup bid last week and the pending demise of North Queensland Fury next season, Scarsella voiced his concern on the future of the domestic game.
"From a distance, my view is the players are getting way, way overpaid compared with what the standard they're playing at," said Scarsella, the London-based chief executive of UK Power Networks.
"The A-League is not viable as it is. If you're expecting someone to tip in a couple of million dollars every year to run Adelaide United that's not going to happen.
"With the A-League they have to cut the cloth to suit. Reduce players' wages to the levels that the clubs become viable.
"That's the only way I think the league will survive . . . otherwise it's not going to survive.
"You've got to look for what the clubs earn. They must run it as a business."
In 2003, Adelaide United had attracted a pre-salary cap roster made up mainly of South Australian-bred players playing for the "People's Team." An impressive average of 13,117 fans turned up for the 14 matches at Hindmarsh Stadium including four sell-outs that season.
Most of Adelaide's original players were contracted part-time with some earning $100 per game as a base wage and a $250 win bonus, the extreme bottom end of the financial spectrum considering that some current Super League players command more than $600 a match.
Former MK I players Carl Veart, Ross Aloisi and Aurelio Vidmar were understood to be the club's only full time players in its only NSL season under its then coach John Kosmina.
The club also ensured that it embraced the wider community, by training at suburban clubs during the evening at least once a week in an effort to grow its fan base.
Scarsella said basing the club on community values was one of the major reasons why many became instant fans of Adelaide when the then NSL was on the brink of death.
"Adelaide United should be run as a South Australian club," he said.
"And you have got to have some South Australians players.
"You have to have a close association with the clubs, you've got to have a close association with the people that have been involved with the game for a long time.
"It's no good saying 'We want to be associated with the clubs' but then when it comes to giving the clubs anything you want to take but not give."

I can see when he is coming from and i think a lot of people would get behind a SA club to match it with other clubs in Asia it just won't work.

[General Ashnak]

Well the new owners are extending the olive branch aren't they. They invited all the Super League clubs to a meeting this week as far as i know, also the members commitee is long overdue.