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The timing is crucial – Football Federation Australia has unleashed the most expensive marketing campaign for the A-League since its debut campaign in 2005.
The ‘We Are Football’ effort, which has been running on social media and digital media for the past few weeks, was officially launched on Sunday, and it couldn’t come at a better time.
As the NRL season wound down, I could see prominent ‘We Are Football’ flags flying along Sydney’s Cleveland Street yesterday.
It was proud, it was a statement (particularly in a rugby league area), and it was promising.
The FFA is holding a major PR event today, where at the Sydney Football Stadium all football fans are invited to be a part of. All the A-League clubs will be represented at the event, along with the Socceroos and Matildas teams.
The key wording here is all football fans are welcome, as the A-League aims to become more inclusive to get more bums on seats
The FFA’s TV ad is running on free-to-air, which is vitally important, and all of the A-League clubs will have newly designed websites.
Considering the A-League has been behind the eightball when it comes to digital mediums compared to the other codes, this is another good move.
There is also new smartphone apps covering the A-League and Socceroos to launch this month.
It’s clear that the A-League has had its best promotional build-up to a season since the first year of the competition in 2005. With the launch date pushed back until after the NRL and AFL finals, and with the return of Harry Kewell and Brett Emerton, the FFA is primed for a big A-League season. And it desperately needs one.
With attendances dropping in 2010-2011, the axing of the North Queensland Fury and a failed World Cup bid, the A-League really needs a bumper year. No-one at the FFA will admit it, but they dropped the ball with the A-League in the past 12 months or so.
The World Cup bid not only took up a ton of money, it took a lot of time and effort away from the A-League. It was a vibrant example that the A-League needs its own separate management from the FFA, but considering the sport’s delicate finances at the moment, that seems a few years away.
With Kewell being mobbed at Melbourne airport, big crowds attending pre-season friendlies and a marketing initiative that may somewhat help mend divisions within the game, the signs are good that year seven of the A-League will be one to savour.
There have been many false dawns in Australian football, too many to mention. We will have to wait and see if this is another one, or if it is a major step forward for the A-League.
The next key move is to get a FFA Cup up and running as soon as possible. Get the prominent State League clubs involved – the Marconis, Sydney Uniteds and South Melbournes, so that the mantra of inclusiveness really has some bite to it. The FFA Cup, and a new TV deal that shows at least one A-League game per round live on free-to-air, will ensure the competition’s future and the growth of the game.
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