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Everyone knows that to get more attention, you need to be seen more and seen more often. Particularly if you can make an appearance on a ratings winner, some flavour-of-the-month TV show.
If you live in Sydney, you would be getting pretty used to the increasing volume of AFL promotion. There seems to be no sports section or program lately that fails to mention how the Greater Western Sydney Giants AFL team are getting bigger, better, fitter and faster, and isn’t that great news for Sydney?
But, have you ever wondered what it takes to keep a big, beefy AFL footballer at peak performance?
Just ask the contestants of the Junior Master Chef Top 8 and they’ll be able to tell you, thanks to their Sydney Swans Challenge, where the keen young gastronomes had to cook up a storm to feed the ravenous Sydney Swans AFL team “hungry for success.”
A whole episode of the high rating Master Chef spin-off, dedicated to the Sydney Swans, now that would be worth something to help promote AFL in Sydney, wouldn’t it?
We’ve even had Ryan O’Keefe on Celebrity Master Chef telling us that he is a professional AFL footballer for the Sydney Swans. His signature dish is spaghetti bolognese, because AFL players need lots of fresh, healthy food and carbohydrates for energy.
Thanks for the advice Ryan, as the AFL clocks up more reality TV show mileage.
And speaking of AFL promotion on Master Chef, who could have forgotten the opening night of the blockbuster Master Chef Series 3 this year, that also featured an AFL player. Not any old AFL player either mind you, this was a female AFL player who plays for the Australian women’s’ AFL side, who also happen to be the female world champions of AFL, and what an achievement that is too.
The wizard of Australian home loans, Mark Bouris, could not contain his unbridled joy as he recently announced to his television audience that he has not one but two former AFL legends on his Celebrity Apprentice Australia reality TV show.
The show features former Sydney Swan Warwick Capper, and he is joined by former Hawthorn player Shane Crawford. They not only give themselves a shot at fame and glory by becoming the next Celebrity Apprentice Australia champion, but also do their humble bit to help promote the great old game of AFL.
The AFL even tried to launch its own reality TV show. AFL Game Development manager Dave Matthews outlined an ambitious plan to run draft testing try-outs in several US cities as part of a reality TV project dubbed ‘American Footy Star.’ Matthews is hopeful many clubs will send recruiters to the American draft camps, and the league’s newest club, Greater Western Sydney, said it would most likely attend.
The reality TV program is the brainchild of Los Angeles-based former football agent Miro Gladovic, but has been enthusiastically backed by the AFL. A pilot episode has been filmed with appearances from Geelong’s Jimmy Bartel, Australian Institute of Sport coach Jason McCartney, and Hawthorn legend Robert Dipierdomenico.
McCartney and Dipierdomenico will help run the testing days, which are slated for Dallas, Los Angeles and Miami, with plans to add another in New York or Boston.
Dipierdomenico is also taking part in yet another reality TV show featuring an AFL player. It’s a Biggest Loser style program hosted by Kate Ceberano called ‘Excess Baggage’, which is set to run later in 2012.
Dipper is introduced as the former Hawthorn AFL legend whose physical and emotional baggage is holding him back, and he’s ready to reclaim his life. Travelling far across this country, and deep within himself, he will discover the secrets to shedding life’s excess baggage. Or so we’re told.
Maybe he’ll even get fit enough to resurrect his AFL career and try out for the GWS Giants.
It’s no coincidence that so many reality TV shows lately are featuring “AFL legends” as their “celebrities”. Get used to it, because there’s going to be more of it.
It’s all part of the AFL’s grand marketing plan to assimilate AFL into the daily lives of people outside of Victoria, where AFL is still not that popular.
It’s not just about introducing another couple of new AFL teams north of the Murray, it’s all about trying to make AFL a part of New South Wales and Queensland way of life, so that one day AFL will totally dominate the Australian sporting landscape.
That’s Demetriou’s grand plan, and his marketing department have got plenty more tricks up their sleeves, and hundreds of millions of dollars to spend on it.
Who’s in your ultimate team? Pick the best team and compete with other fans for daily prizes on Draftstars. For the best odds on the game try out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Think. Is this a bet you really want to place? Set a deposit limit.