The new coach of A-league team John van’t Schip (right) takes questions from the media in Melbourne, Monday, Oct. 12, 2009. Dutchman van’t Schip has been appointed coach of Melbourne Heart team whose syndicate hopes to gain entry to the Soccer A-League. AAP Image/Julian Smith
The sight of Clint Bolton in a Melbourne Heart polo shirt in the week he wore the gloves for Sydney FC as they began their finals campaign didn’t go down too well with Sydney fans and football purists. But it will go down as a significant moment for Melbourne’s second franchise.
It was the moment they finally ramped up the pressure and started making some serious waves in the media.
The timing of the announcement was impeccable, just as Sydney FC had defeated Melbourne Victory for the Premiership Plate and were heading south to face the Victory in the first match of the finals.
Yes, it may have been far from ideal for Sydney FC, fueling the loyalty debate in the wake of ‘Mrdja-gate’ (although, it must be said, you sense Bolton’s frustrations with his negotiations with Sydney made it easier for him to slip on the Heart shirt at such a time), but it’s exactly the sort of publicity Heart needs to generate.
When I spoke to Heart CEO Scott Munn following the announcement of the clubs name and logo, he said the club would hold off on announcing new signings til the end of the season in respect to players currently in the heat of battle with their current clubs.
Bolton’s announcement signals a change of tack from Heart – a much-needed change of tack.
As a new franchise, especially one with Heart’s predicament of competing with and differentiating from the Melbourne Victory, they need to be creating waves; forcing themselves into the public consciousness.
They need to keep this upward trajectory of traction going.
Bolton’s Sydney FC teammate John Aloisi is another heavily linked with Heart, and the fact that the club released a press release to the media hosing down rumours that he had already signed was a positive sign in itself as it kept the story in the news.
This is what clubs must do: cater to the media, feed them stories and keep their name in the backpage of newspapers through any means.
Obviously, boldness and brashness aren’t the only ingredients to a new franchise’s success. If it were, Gold Coast United wouldn’t have handed the league the lowest ever finals crowd with a deplorable 4,000 fans turning up for their elimination final.
But Heart have, encouragingly, outlined community engagement programs, run in association with major sponsor Westpac, with the club even hiring a general manager to work specifically with the community.
These are positive signs coming from the Heart.
Meanwhile, Sydney Rovers, who will become the 12th A-League franchise when they debut a season later than the Heart, have also been making news with the colours and design of their intended strip hitting the web.
The striking similarity between the Rovers strip design and colours and that of the St Kilda Saints AFL club has raised some eyebrows.
The colours do have a connection to Sydney’s football history in the western regions of Sydney, particularly with Blacktown City, but the resemblance is uncanny. Whether it will force a rethink of the design remains to be seen, particularly with the Heart going for a similar look, with red and white stripes the likely design for the Melbournians.
But while the St Kilda lookalike strip was widely being debated, the most interesting fact surrounding the Rovers remains the absence of ‘West’ or ‘Western’ in the name.
By sticking with just Sydney, Rovers are undoubtedly widening the net for its fanbase, hoping to catch some from Sydney FC’s.
As witnessed by the healthy crowd for the NAB Cup clash between the Sydney Swans and Carlton, the area isn’t the desolate ghost town for non-NRL codes that many have predicted.
How the Rovers position themselves in the west of Sydney will be as fascinating to watch as how the Heart can build a fanbase in the shadow of the Melbourne Victory.
Towser
Guest
The Heart are certainly digging in with this new signing. Be prepared for many more pathetic puns such as mine from the media. http://au.fourfourtwo.com/news/123289,heart-boss-digs-up-a-worm.aspx Looks decent though.
MV Dave
Guest
Yes with a 30,000 crowd and a 1-0 win to the Big V :)
Simmo
Guest
There was a glimpse of the future on ESPN this morning. Olympiacos hosted Bordeaux in the UCL. Red and white stripes v Navy Blue with a V.
Dogz R Barkn
Roar Guru
Hearts as the preferred nickname will ultimately stick - make no mistake.
Marshall
Guest
The Heart name is actually growing on me, although I tend to say Hearts.
Rellum
Roar Guru
It's just pro-evo mate. Don't get too excited :)
Marshall
Guest
Good work Rellum. I'm always impressed by people who can do such graphics. I still struggle with email.
James
Guest
I like the stripes home one. I think that's what the Heart are going for. It's Rovers who need to change.
Rellum
Roar Guru
This was my great effort for the heart forums. Stripes for home, sash for away http://i48.tinypic.com/2910zew.jpg
cruyff turn
Roar Rookie
The River Plate home shirt would be cool. The sash design is different to any other A-League shirt. I also think the Ajax strip could work, with a big red stripe going down the middle of a white shirt. http://m.blog.hu/aj/ajaxportal/image/ajax_shirt0809_home.JPG
Midfielder
Guest
The name is hopeless ....so I hope the rest is OK.. Like Who is the Queen of ... There playing with no ... ..... the size of a pea I could go on....
Tifosi
Guest
Melbourne Heart should use the River Plate template for a shirt http://www.argentina4export.com/images/river_plate.jpg A diagnol stripe is recognisable to Melbourne fans so it would be a good fit. Just dont use their away version though http://www.onionbag.com/temp/river-negra2008.jpg 3/4 of melbourne will never support you !!
Cpaaa 2018
Guest
i love it AL, Good work. Sau Paulo it looks fantastic. Hope the Rovers take note.
Marshall
Guest
Four big positives for Heart: - They launch post WC when there is bandwagon support and huge interest in the game. - It is Melbourne. Big sporting base, huge support for Victory and football in general. - New stadium. People will be just as keen for new stadium as Hearts debut. - They seem to be building a culture around the coach and youth development.
Marshall
Guest
He did. That article is a bit old. Although he won't be playing, Dukes will be working for the club as an assistant or supervisor.
MV Dave
Guest
Although a 5 yr MV supporter, but more importantly an Oz football supporter, l wish MH all the best. l hope they have a strong team and cant wait for the 1st Derby next season. Their admin seems to think they can get 7,000 members in the first year (MV had 7,500 in the 1st yr). The success or failure of the new team will be judged by events off the field as much as on. In this sense they have made a good start with Westpac a major sponsor as well as some good early on field signings. They have the luxury of a brand new football stadium to play in and plenty of football fans who will be willing to give them a go. At this stage prospects are looking good for the newest HAL club.
Dogz R Barkn
Roar Guru
It is interesting that both the Hearts and Rovers will wear strips that are not all that different in colours or design. That alone might be a good reason for the Rovers to tweak their designs, perhaps look at hoops with more black.
Rellum
Roar Guru
I think the heart are doing most things right, they have been ramping the announcements up recently, appearing on SEN, revealing a strong sponsor and signing a good list of players. In the modern world, if you release information to early, it gets discussed and forgotten about very quickly. They have to keep dripping the info right up until kick off on derby day. Lazy journalists looking for an easy story is no reason to release information. Everybody knows that the Heart will be wearing red and white stripes. I am pretty sure the Heart is paying no attention what so ever to what the Rovers are doing with their strip, and why should they.
gurudoright
Guest
I think everyone is on the same track but I would really like to see the rovers wear something similar to Pohang steelers http://images.google.com.au/imgres?imgurl=http://www.soccerphile.com/soccerphile/news/korean-soccer/im/kor_pohang_kit1_05.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.soccerphile.com/soccerphile/news/korean-soccer/review-2005.html&usg=__jQpBTLztWsOhPoBxJsfJghHKrjc=&h=200&w=160&sz=6&hl=en&start=33&itbs=1&tbnid=YebchtnrDQlogM:&tbnh=104&tbnw=83&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dpohang%2Bsteelers%26start%3D20%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26gbv%3D2%26ndsp%3D20%26tbs%3Disch:1
Dogz R Barkn
Roar Guru
I thought Viduka had denied these reports.