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A-League Melbourne Grand Final fans
Last week, The Roar contributor Midfielder wrote an article about how the A-League can learn from MLS. I’ve been meaning to do an article about this for awhile, as I believe the A-League can learn some important lessons there.
Much like the A-League, MLS had a great start followed by a period where it really struggled, to the point it almost went broke, to becoming a viable domestic competition. They still have their issues but it’s in a far better shape today than it was even five years ago.
Whilst MLS operates in a different business environment to Australia, the A-League can still look to MLS and embrace some things which can help improve the league. Here is what I believe they can do:
1. Embrace the past.
MLS has learnt that the past counts a lot for the future. The addition of Seattle, Vancouver, Portland and Montreal has added a great and passionate fanbase to the league.
The pacific northwest teams have a long history dating back to the old NASL days. Unlike other NASL clubs, which folded and ceased operations, they all hung around in other minor leagues, which kept the game burning on. MLS today is far better off with them in the league.
This is why MLS is hoping that the New York Cosmos can be the 20th franchise. Even though they haven’t kicked a ball in anger since 1984, the most storied name in American soccer history will still add to MLS’s appeal.
Passion and history counts a lot for a sport.
2. Embrace ethnic support.
MLS is actively pursuing it, especially from the soccer loving Latino community. I’d like to quote some numbers from this article:
“MLS attracts a relatively significant Latino contingent. It leads all major leagues with a fanbase that is 23 per cent Hispanic, compared with 14 per cent for the NBA and 12 per cent for Major League Baseball, according to 2010 data from Scarborough Sports Marketing.”
MLS also has a Spanish version of their website. If MLS can attract all the Latino fans in the USA, it would be a pretty powerful league one day.
Clubs have also reached out to different ethnic groups. The New York Red Bulls hosted their first Croatian heritage night on June 10 at Red Bull Arena, and the San Jose Earthquakes will be hosting an Italian night on July 20 at Buck Shaw Stadium.
North of the border in Canada, the Vancouver Whitecaps have targeted a different ethnic group. Vancouver has a large Chinese and Indian population and in light of this, the Whitecaps front office has organised broadcasts of one game in Cantonese, another game in Punjabi and will broadcast a game in Mandarin all on OMNI BC, which is a multicultural TV station based in Vancouver.
It’s good to see MLS and its clubs reaching out to these fans.
3. Website and apps.
Someone needs to seriously update the A-League website. Contrast it to mlssoccer.com.
One of the things I like about it is that a few minutes after a game is finished, you can find match highlights already in place. They also show highlights of goals throughout matches.
MLS also has a smart phone app. It’s just as good as the website – you can watch highlights of games and follow your favourite team from your phone, which is something all sports organisations should really be doing by now.
Their shopping website is also top-notch. MLSgear.com is an easy to use website and uses twitter to notify its followers of any new products.
4. Matchday live.
Initially MLS had to pay to be on TV, nowadays ESPN and Fox Soccer Channel show a nationally televised game per week and MLS clubs usually have a TV contract within their local market, because of this not everyone in the USA can view all MLS games. This is where Matchday live comes in.
Matchday live allows supporters to view games online outside of their local market for a fee. This feature used to be available to overseas subscribers, but unfortunately is not anymore, which is a shame.
Not every soccer fan in Australia wants or can afford FOXTEL. They need an alternative so that they can still watch games. A Matchday live application is just the ticket, in my opinion.
5. ‘Soccer Night in America’.
Launched this year by the Fox Soccer Channel, ‘Soccer Night in America’ is a play on the more famous ‘Football Night in America’ and ‘Hockey Night in Canada’.
According to the Fox Soccer Channel website, “SOCCER NIGHT IN AMERICA delivers those matches in a slick new package. Re-designed, state-of-the-art graphics headline the new look, and along with the addition of super slow-motion camera technology, it creates a production style that draws FOX Soccer much closer to the world-renowned standards set by FOX Sports.”
I like the idea of a ‘Soccer Night in Australia’. It would give fans a sense of ownership of a particular night throughout the A-League season.
I believe these are a few things the A-League could look at and adopt from MLS.
I will do another article in the future on MLS including how expansion and soccer specific stadiums helped transform the league.
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