With life bans, World Cup draws, Copa America finals and transfer dealings across Europe and beyond attracting most of the football media’s attention, it can be all too easy to forget that the 2011-12 A-League season is getting closer.
With a new season comes new hope that the publicity and promotion of the A-League will be an improvement over the last couple of seasons.
The A-League’s recent efforts have suffered due to overlaps with the September finals of the NRL and AFL and some less than stellar decisions being made by the marketing department.
A part of this package will be the coverage provided by Fox Sports and an article on 21 July discussed an interesting development.
It was reported that the FFA, A-League and Foxsports were making plans for A-League referees to be miked up for TV viewers for next season.
The article stated “…supporters’ understanding is greatly increased by hearing officials spell out their reasons for a decision, with respect for referees increased. Soccer officials hope that this will translate into their game, and encourage better behaviour among players aware they could be within range of a microphone.”
But there is another reason besides wanting to improve the behaviour of players and enhancing the understanding of decision-making which is hinted at in the article.
“Football Federation Australia is adamant it wants to press ahead with [the] move to bring the game into line with the other three codes.”
As a nation of sports consumers, Australians have grown accustomed to particular sports being covered a particular way. When watching familiar sports being covered by an overseas network, it can be a jarring experience to see the same sport presented in a different way.
Sports coverage is continually evolving and in some sports, Australian broadcasters are at the forefront of creating and delivering new content to viewers.
There is a certain familiarity that is created by having the same group of voices, camera angles and style of presentation associated with a particular sport. And Australians know what they like.
This is why is latest development should be seen as a positive development. By seeking to ‘recreate’ certain aspects of the coverage of other sports and translating them into football, the FFA is looking to create an overall product which has a familiar feel to it.
Whilst the on-field action will always differentiate football from the other codes, Australians have become used to officials being miked up and hearing them talking to players. This has proven to be a quite effective method in bringing viewers closer to the game and makes for a better product for television.
Growing football in Australia will require grabbing the attention of the channel surfing non-fan and holding it long enough for them to get interested.
Part of this is having an attractive product on the field, but another part involves the coverage being presented in a way which the viewers can easily relate to.
Fans of football may cry foul of any move to take coverage away from the traditional model that can be seen during events like the World Cup or the EPL because that is what they have become accustomed to, but any move which helps Australian viewers engage with the local game should be put forward.
The proposal to mike up referees fits in with an idea I expressed in a previous article where the administrators of the A League could offer themselves up as a guinea pig league where exactly this type of idea could trialled.
By bringing certain aspects of the coverage offered in other sports to the A-League, Fox Sports and the FFA may succeed in getting those Australians who don’t mind football but want a viewing experience which has a more Australian feel to it.
I’m reminded of a scene from the Eddie Murphy movie, Coming to America, where the owner of a fast food restaurant called McDowell’s explains the difference between his restaurant’s Big Mick and McDonald’s Big Mac: “They both contain two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles and onions. But they [McDonald’s] use a sesame seed bun. My buns have no seeds.”
If it’s done right, sometimes associating your product with one which is already established and successful can be a very good thing.
Jon
Guest
I enjoyed the two seasons I had with the Fury for good reason - it was not NRL. Ground announcers at the stadium were drowned out by the F-Troop and security gaurds left scratching thier heads at 40-year-old Fury supporters disobeying their commands to 'sit down' (so that the person who was also standing behind me could see)???. Football has a niche audience in Australia. By making it the same as other sports I may as well just go to an AFL game. On another point - I enjoyed the womens' World Cup as the ref swallowed the whistle and let the play go on. By 'miking them up' there is an expectation that they become part of the game - which they should not be. Let the boys and girls play...
Deadman
Guest
Miking up the refs, Using Hawk-eye for goal line and offside decisions is long over due for the sport and dramatically improves the perceived professionalism of the sport. Anything that enhances the TV/Streaming viewing experience is surely a good thing, how can any one be against this? Luddites just die already.
Mr Celery
Guest
Do we have the right people running our football? This comment you would expect from someone who has the very narrow AFL\NRL view of football: "“Football Federation Australia is adamant it wants to press ahead with [the] move to bring the game into line with the other three codes.” Anyone with a true football background would say: "Football Federation Australia is adamant it wants to press ahead with [the] move to bring the game into line with the international football and FIFA. Other codes? What are they?"
David Heidelberg
Guest
No coincedence that they waited until Muscat retired to try this.
BrisbaneBhoy
Guest
I just wished the FFA stopped trying to please/convert the "general sports fan"/the NRL and AFL fans and just concentrate on winning over the football fans in this country. It seems like all of their thoughts are around what would non football fans like, rather then what would the football public like. By focusing on the "others" and not looking at the people who already like football in this country, the FFA and A-League will always struggle as they are trying to convert people who are not interested and at the same time pushing those who are interested away.
Bondy
Guest
I agree with fusball, I think the F.F.A. are on the right track to suggest new things but i cant imagine any football supporter who would want to go down the track of N.R.L. or Gridirion with refs miked up .
kopite
Guest
Just watching Matthew Breeze is excrutiating enough. To have to listen to him too............Aaaaarrrrgh!!!!
nordozzz
Roar Guru
i hope so too, also with individual kit suppliers those guys will be keen to have that front of shirt spot ... consistent with their other strips elsewhere in the world. Should be good to see what extent of range of products they come out with, and how they incorporate A-L clubs and players into their marketing. "... ALL IN" and all that!
asanchez
Roar Guru
I think we'll see the A-league logos on the sleeves in the not too distant future, and it makes sense. The only reason they're not on the sleeves at the moment, is because every club needs as many sponsors as they can get, especially at the moment where finances are tight in our game, and the sleeves do provide value for smaller sponsors. Once the logos go on the sleeves, I'm sure the FFA won't be paying the clubs anything for that. So it's balancing act, but hopefully in the few years it can be sorted out, as the logo looks horrible on the front and a bit AFL-like.
Thomas
Guest
The FFA has tried too hard to make the A-League look like other codes, ie AFL, NRL... It just doesnt work to try and make football more like the AFL or NRL competitions which apparently represent Australia's complete sporting spectrum. I have no idea what the Fox Sports coverage will do to make it look more like the two copycat codes but so far its coverage hasn't been too bad for a new competition and considering SBS wouldn't touch it, there has been good involvement since its inception. I just hope they dont mess with it too much to make it look less like football. FFA try to make A-League jerseys like AFL/NRL with the league logo on the other side of the kit and it just doesn't work for football, and if Super Rugby has their league logo on sleeve as well why dont we copy that version of Aus sporting representation? HAL should have sleeve logos like EPL, SPL, J. League, MLS and every other football competition in world. Heres a Roar article on topic, http://www.theroar.com.au/2011/01/18/free-up-shirt-design-in-the-a-league/
Nathan of Perth
Guest
Oh the jokes aren't for the audience, just a common technique to keep rapport with players so they feel less inclined to question why you're awarding free kicks against them... As for whether a match official is seen but not heard, unfortunately that's 90% up to the players!
Nathan of Perth
Guest
The idea of being miked up whilst I'm talking to players would scare the bejeezus out of me. There would have to be an option to cut the feed when consulting with an AR, because when they need to very frankly evaluate an incident, you really don't want supporters to hear that!
asanchez
Roar Guru
I like the way the FFA are at least thinking outside the square and coming up with new ideas. It clearly shows they are putting some thought behind the relaunch of next season. But I don't think this is a good idea, and FIFA won't allow it. I'd rather they start showing replays at the grounds rather than being able to listen to the referee. We don't née to bring to be brought into line with other sports this way.
nordozzz
Roar Guru
+1000 ... FFA keen to "bring us into line" with other sports ... kill me now, please! :)
Midfielder
Guest
Great days ahead.... Have a read of this thread from the Mariners forum ... its the A to Z of Australian Football http://ccmfans.net/board/index.php/topic/4570-a-z-of-australian-football/
Futbanous
Guest
Agree seen but not heard aways best for an official. Then we as fans concentrate on the players & the match.
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
If the FFA surveyed HAL fans, I wonder how many would ask for this? I certainly cringe at the idea of referees in football being miked up for TV viewers. By giving match officials "an on-field voice", football runs the risk of creating match officials, who think they need to become a part of the game rather then merely an independent observer adjudicating the LOTG. It's nauseating to listen to match officials in other sports getting chummy with players and addressing players by their nicknames, orr trying to make jokes on the field b/c they know the TV audience is listening, or, in the worst example of "microphone abuse" some match officials have been caught sledging players they don't like! Football is all about the 2 teams of 11 players and the ball. The referees are merely independent bystanders/observers, who are there to passively enforce the LOTG IF - and ONLY if - players transgress the LOTG. As far as I'm concerned, the best games are the ones where the match official is seen but never heard.
James
Guest
Didn't FIFA already rule this out? http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/fifa-deaf-to-idea-of-on-field-audio/story-e6frexni-1226102990945