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Central Coast Mariners players (L to R) Tom Pendeljak, Matthew Simon and John Hutchinson sit dejected after loosing 0-1 to the Newcastle Jets in the A-League Grand Final in Sydney on Saturday, Feb. 24, 2008. AAP Image/Paul Miller
Everyone invested in making the A-League a success is looking for the ‘magic bullet’ that will translate the success of the national team and the enormous grassroots participation rates in football into bums on seats for the A-League.
So why isn’t there higher crowds at A-League games?
There is no sense of ownership or buy-in from the fans for the domestic league. And the mums, dads and kids who flock to local football grounds every weekend do not feel an association to their A-League club.
They don’t feel they belong or are invested in their A-League club’s success.
The FFA and the A-League clubs themselves have not done a good job in marketing the league or inspiring loyalty. Expensive ads do little to engage the fans.
And email seems to be the communication tool of choice – anyone who has anything to do with a local football club will have received lots of emails promoting the A-League.
Problem is, few people read them – they’re too busy with life, and very few that do are inspired to take up a membership.
On top of which, there is a significant number of parents that don’t have access to a computer or don’t use one.
There is no magic bullet. A-League clubs must get their hands dirty and get their brand in peoples faces, take their message to the streets, the shopping malls, the schools and the local clubs.
They need to open their gates to fans and local clubs, invite them to training sessions, matchday functions. Get the grassroots football community involved in decision making, invite volunteers to be part of committees and project groups.
The ways that A-League clubs can engage the grassroots football community are endless.
A-League clubs that do engage the fans, local clubs and schools, will find that people will volunteer their time to create blogs, cheers squads, coin chants, write to newspapers and demand air-time on radio and TV because they feel passionate and engaged.
The fans will create the culture if the A-League clubs give them a voice and allow them to be stakeholders in the club’s success. And they’ll buy a membership year on year and watch their team because it’s ‘theirs’.
If not, expect the mums and dads to turn up to their local football ground every weekend to watch their kids play and then go home to watch the AFL or NRL or EPL.
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