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Revived Gold Coast a catalyst for ‘united’ success

8th March, 2012
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Roar Guru
8th March, 2012
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1551 Reads

It’s been a hectic period for Football Federation Australia, the A-League, and notably, besieged outfit Gold Coast United.

Wild commentary from outspoken mining magnate Clive Palmer has unfortunately overshadowed the football on the pitch, prior to an exciting finale for the home and away A-League campaign.

The billionaire businessman, whose ill-mannered, obtuse and impudence towards the game, administrators and fans caused uproar throughout the football community, ultimately gave FFA little choice but to revoke his A-League licence – to the delight of the small but fervent Gold Coast followers.

Palmer contested the decision in the Supreme Court of Brisbane, however his request for an injunction against the termination of his A-League licence was dismissed, leaving the governing body in charge of the competition’s cellar-dweller for the remaining four fixtures.

While Palmer is a much maligned figure on the Gold Coast, his vast fortune did provide football with a team in Australia’s domestic competition. Now, with the boorish magnate no longer connected with the Surfers Paradise club, the club’s future remains precarious.

Last week at a Melbourne Heart business luncheon, FFA chairman Frank Lowy described Gold Coast as a ‘spectacular failure’ to engage and connect with its local community. Since its foundation in 2009, the club has failed to correspond with the local schools, junior clubs and promote what should have been a vibrant brand in one of Australia’s fastest growing economies – an area that is anticipated to tip 700,000 residents by 2021.

When the club’s hierarchy illustrates little concern for its market, nor its new breed of supporters, then it certainly gives the public a negative impression. Unfortunately, its egotistic style of management – capping the crowds to 5000 at the gates, minimal community engagement and its somewhat arrogant and provocative manner of administration – alienated a colossal proportion of its potential target market.

When establishing a sporting organisation, the primary objectives are to create an energetic vibe around the club, promote the brand in a positive light and importantly make the local community feel as though it’s their club – hoping for fans to forge a potent emotional connection with their newly adopted alliance.

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Evidently, this hasn’t occurred. Dwindling crowds have proceeded through Gold Coast’s three-year tenure in the A-League. There has been a poor relationship between the club and the FFA, with the club’s hierarchy barely lifting a finger to counter its problems.

FFA is yet to reveal whether it will seek new investors for next season and persevere with a franchise in south-east Queensland. With all the commotion engulfed on the Gold Coast, is there really a viable market for football, in the short to medium-term future at the very least?

In a nutshell, yes.

Under Palmer’s rule, Gold Coast United was manifestly disconnected from the community. It wasn’t a club for the people, or the city. Sooner or later, Palmer and his team of associates were always going to crash and burn.

Although, version two of the Gold Coast can be true to its name and ‘unite’ the people throughout the community. If new investors can be found – with a new community based model implemented – a new style of management adopted and a sound strategic plan instilled, then there is hope.

If the AFL can be a ripe success on the Gold Coast – a region traditionally overshadowed by the NRL – then there’s justification for football to follow in its footsteps. In Gold Coast Suns’ inaugural campaign last year, it welcomed 11,000 members, with an average home attendance of around 20,000. Bear in mind, the Suns triumphed on only three occasions, rooted to the bottom of the ladder.

These statistics verify how an astute business plan and a willingness to reach out to the community can convey the utmost success.

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FFA chief executive Ben Buckley has made no secret about the governing body’s desire to have a strong 10-team competition in the A-League next season.

Whether that involves Gold Coast United, or a Western Sydney outfit – an area the FFA is desperate to exploit – remains unknown at present.

If the A-League were to contract to a nine-team league in 2012-13, then it could certainly have enormous ramifications on the upcoming TV rights agreement, which is due to expire at the conclusion of the next campaign.

In 2006, FFA signed an exclusive seven-year agreement with Fox Sports, receiving approximately $18 million per annum. The length of the contract was often criticised, however it guaranteed the financial grounding for the sport, live matches and a first-class broadcast package.

Buckley, a protagonist in the AFL’s 2007-2011 television deal, worth $780 million – an extraordinary figure at the time – is expected to warrant sums of $30-35 million per year for the new football TV deal, which could also comprise a free-to-air component – an immense market, boasting 70 percent of television’s reach, a constituent neglected since the A-League’s inauguration.

While Western Sydney is the palpable choice for expansion, the process needs to be manufactured in a careful and thorough manner. Lessons must be learned from the Sydney Rovers’ experiment – a bid lead by businessman Ian Rowden.

The proposed club received a provisional licence in 2009 to join the A-League, planning to enter the competition in conjunction with Melbourne Heart in 2010-11.

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However, financial difficulties ultimately proved to be an impediment it couldn’t overcome, having delayed its entry for another season before the FFA finally closed the curtain on the club.

Assuming that the money is there, a seven-month period doesn’t allow for a constructive analysis on a Western Sydney venture. A market so important, it mustn’t be rushed. The four rules of the marketing mix – product, price, place and promotion – must be carefully analysed to target the western market in the most productive manner possible.

After witnessing North Queensland Fury fold in traumatic circumstances last year – effectively hindering football’s development in the Townsville region – the A-League can ill-afford for another expansion franchise to go under in as many years. The integrity of the competition is at stake, as well as a big cut of the TV rights’ pie.

A quick fix solution – displacing Gold Coast for a Western Sydney team – isn’t the key to unlocking the golden charm for the FFA.

Western Sydney is an integral market for the FFA, although it shouldn’t be used to underpin the death of Gold Coast United. The governing body must allow the glitter strip club to seek new investment, construct a viable ownership model and fulfil the potential that was thwarted by the incoherent Palmer production.

Courtesy of Goal Weekly. Follow Robbie on Twitter @RobertDiFabio.

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