For the new Western Sydney football club to become the success that the FFA hope it will be, the governing body have to get one thing right, engagement.
Not only do they have to reach out to new and old fans alike, and touch them, but they have to love them, nurture them, give them a reason to draw a connection to the club, and then keep giving.
To paraphrase and re-engineer a famous John F Kennedy quote, this is not about what the FFA can get out of the western suburbs, but rather what they can give the western suburbs.
Not just now, or next season, but for the next 50 or 100 years.
The concept of engagement is not one the FFA have had a great deal of success with, to be frank.
Indeed, for the most part, they have left a trail of disenfranchised stakeholders across the land, from some former NSL supporters, to the folk of North Queensland and the Gold Coast, to those in Canberra, Wollongong, Tasmania and just about anywhere else you care to name.
Out there, among the football communities, there isn’t a great deal of goodwill left for an organisation that has struggled to make ends meet since the honeymoon period immediately post qualification for Germany 2006.
In many ways, the governing body is banking much on its latest project.
Which is why it’s imperative they find the right people to pull west Sydney together.
Those people not only need to be passionate and knowledgeable about the game, but they need to understand the people and the areas that make up the west.
From Campbelltown, Liverpool and Fairfield in the south, to Mount Druitt, St Marys, Blacktown and Penrith in the west, to Bankstown and Auburn in the inner west, to the Hills in the north, Sydney’s west is a sprawling mass of little boroughs, dotted and connected by a maze of M’s.
From the M5 that connects the south-east to Liverpool and Campbelltown, to the M4 that runs from the inner west in Concord to Penrith and beyond, to the M2 that runs through the north west, connecting the Hills region, Sydney’s west is vast.
As someone who was born and has lived, played and coached in western Sydney, and still does, I know just how fractured and wide the game spreads.
Each district, or association, is a world of its own.
Connecting the football people that line these suburbs, giving them a reason to get to Parramatta, Homebush, Campbelltown or Penrith every fortnight, remains the big challenge.
It will take a job perhaps bigger than the development of the M7, that road on the outskirts of Sydney that links the north-west with the south-west.
In most of those districts, from Cambelltown in the south, to Penrith in the west, to Parramatta in the central west, there remains a deep passion for the local brand of football, rugby league.
With free-to-air TV and saturation coverage in the biggest selling daily tabloid, where there are 12 rugby league journalists to football’s one, this only makes the job harder.
The FFA, in undertaking the project to get a western Sydney team into the competition by October, need to get out on these roads and touch every part of the west.
Not once. Forever.
It can’t be a simple tip-and-run. It has to be a deep relationship, built over time, full of give and take.
This is a discerning audience, many of whom know and understand the game. They can sniff out a “sell” or an inferior product from a mile away.
Particularly in the ethnic areas, among the South Americans, Croatians, Italians, Assyrians and Serbians of Fairfield, or the Turks in and around Auburn, folks that arrived here with the game already in the heart, the quality of the football is likely to mean much.
But in a crowded entertainment market, with much competition for the weekend spend, including from rugby league, it’s more than just the football that will help engage.
In Bossley Park, for example, an area with a shifting demographic, full of younger families, with English now the dominant language at home, providing the family with affordable entertainment, and getting them away from other commitments, remains the key.
Getting the “soccer mums” on board would help in a big way.
Whereas the NSL appealed to the first generation of post war immigrants, and mainly the men, who had little else, now their sons and daughters are married, with children, a busy social life, and choices.
Which is why any form of engagement has to be real and involve good people, on the ground, able to relate to the world out west.
Engagement isn’t as simply as setting up a Twitter or Facebook account, tools some across the west are unlikely to have used.
Indeed, a large percentage of the players I’ve played with, across various associations, and even in the state leagues, have combined their football with work on a construction site.
For some, computers just aren’t a part of their daily routine. A cut-price digital marketing push is unlikely to resonate.
Nor will sticking players exclusively in Westfield’s five western suburbs centres do the job.
That would exclude such key areas as Bossley Park, Bankstown, Castle Hill and Campbelltown, where the Frank Lowy empire doesn’t reign.
This is not a time to cross-sell. Frankly, the punters are sick of those games.
The coming months are a time to get the players out to every shopping centre, school, football club and association.
It’s a time to make sure players aren’t wasting valuable engagement time beating each other up on Playstation.
It’s a time to make sure every young registered player, be they from the Southern Districts, Granville, Blacktown, Bankstown, Nepean, Macarthur or Churches associations, has a free pass to attend.
When I hear from a friend who is assistant principal at a Islamic high school in Auburn, or from another friend who is a PE teacher at a public high school in Greystanes (the same school Joel Chianese went through), or my wife, who teaches at a Catholic primary school in Bossley Park, that the players have visited, then we’ll know they’re on the way to engaging properly.
When the players start visiting the many clubs, big and small, ethnic or otherwise, that make up the above-mentioned associations, then we’ll know they’re on the right track.
When the FFA runs free football clinics, along with the other codes, as part of Sydney Olympic Park’s school holidays program, then we’ll know they’re building a community.
When the western Sydney club sends its players to Stocklands in Merrylands and Bossley Park, we’ll know they care beyond the commercial arrangements with Westfield.
When the FFA encourages families to attend games by coming up with the most affordable pricing structure in the market, and sustaining it, then you know they truly care about the people of the west.
Sydney FC, in the first season, did give people an incentive to attend, often promoting discounted tickets in the Sydney Morning Herald.
Then, in the second season, with the club in debt, Lowy tightened things.
As an exercise in engagement it was a disaster, burning the very people the club had worked so hard to attract in the first place.
Lowy and his FFA need to show they have learnt the lessons.
This is a long term commitment, and the FFA must show the stomach and support to see it through.
The news that they will hold their first fan engagement forum out at Mounties in Mt Pritchard on Thursday night is just the start of this massive project.
Over the coming months and years, the FFA needs to replicate this a thousand times over, leaving no stone unturned.
Anything less would be a complete sell out to the west, and the game can ill-afford that.
This is my 200th column for The Roar since publishing my first almost three years ago, and I just wanted to take the opportunity thank you all for your ongoing interest and contributions to the football discourse down under.
Tony Tannous
Expert
Thanks all for the kind words and sharing your thoughts here on how to get Western Sydney going. Be sure the peeps close to the project are keeping a close eye on this
Tony Tannous
Expert
Thanks Cat
Brendo
Guest
Well done Tony, another great article. Still the best football analyst in Aus I think a lot of people mix up community engagement and club engagement. People throw around terms like "extending the Olive branch to the old NSL clubs" and other such rubbish as part of engaging the community. This completely ignores the fact that these old NSL clubs like Olympic and Marconi see a West Sydney side as a direct competior and have no interest in engaging with them. Its people that West Sydney have to engage with. There are lots of ways for them to engage with the fans Advertising Forums Community/Members Days Football Clinics School Visits Discounted Tickets Football Presence at Races/Festivals/Suburaban Fairs etc Of course club engagement should not be ignored but should be aimed at a different level. These should focus on Win/Win commerical agreements that reward the other club as well (ie preseason matches or joint fundraising intiatives). Although I doubt the old NSL clubs will be that keen I am sure there are clubs in the area that would jump at a chance to partner with a A-league side.
Matt_D
Guest
Great article Tony, I was wondering what this elusive 'community engagement' was going to be. I dearly hope they make a success out of it, I'll be on the terraces. More new football than old soccer but I reckon they'll try to tick 'all of the above' anyhow.
Patrick Angel
Roar Guru
Booked my spot, get in if you want to go, there are limited spots.
Bondy
Guest
Great post I.C.A.
Stevo
Roar Rookie
Tinkler is doing a Clive Palmer and stamping his feet until he gets more cash from FFA. Spare a thought for the supporters, players and others who have "tied" themselves to the club and now this. http://www.theage.com.au/sport/soccer/tinkler-cannot-hand-back-licence-says-ben-buckley-20120410-1wlyd.html
Qantas supports Australian Football
Guest
PeterK, nothing asked? Craig Foster gave him a dozen questions in one go. That Berti replied saying that's a lot of questions to answer... No it was Berti who had nothing to say that was of a positive nature..
Brett McKay
Expert
Tony, does Western Sydney now extend to Newcastle? (congrats on the milestone, too!!)
Qantas supports Australian Football
Guest
Berti Mariani was/is a legend at Marconi soccer club, with Italian heritage as a player and coach now on the board I think.. I guess MelbCro was right---the ethnic clubs will not support the WS concept unless it is one of the established ethnic teams that is invited into the HAL and we know what that means---well I do--one in all in...
Whites
Guest
I suspect 95% of the blame lies with the FFA. Tinkler's invested $12m into the Jets over the last 18 months with $5m of that an acquisition fee to the FFA.
Kasey
Guest
fingers on both hands, my toes as well. What damage will it do to the support base even if it is, cruelly exposing as this does the vulnerability of the fans to one mans whims and mood swings:(
ItsCalled AussieRules
Roar Rookie
All we need now is Sage to pull out Glory after next week. FFA has a bit of work to do.
ItsCalled AussieRules
Roar Rookie
Well written article as usual, but more from the heart than the head this time. I don't agree that the new West Sydney Club is dependent on the old NSL clubs to survive. The old ethnic clubs are dying out and they have probably a handful of die hard supporters that continue to go to State League games. They are not going to jump ship and support an A-League club, they are probably the least likely to do so. Where did Sydney FC's 10K members come from? It wasn't from old ethnic NSL clubs from the eastern suburbs or inner city - no, they are mainly new converts. The west Sydney club needs to tap in to the new breed of sports fans who must see entertainment and value for money and then some connection with the team. There must be no visual or apparent connection to the old NSL clubs or ethnic tribes or it will fail and the media will crucify it. Its an enormous task and fraught with danger, especially with the theatrical sports fans of Sydney who will fill ANZ to see Beckham, but turn their noses up at Emmerton and Kewell. The AFL threw millions at marketing the GWS AFL team as western Sydney, but in the end it was relatively unsuccessful and they had to throw their net even wider to Queanbeyan and Canberra to get any fans. Most of the people of Western Sydney have no connection to AFL, no matter how much money you throw at them or how much you talk to them. The difference is that west Sydney has lots of people who play or watch football or their kids or brothers and sisters have played it or watched it. They would love to see it thrive and would take pride in any success, but need to have a good reason to go along to games. Market the team as a western Sydney team and no crap marketing names, just call them something like the Tigers and give them black, gold and white stripes and a big roaring tiger logo. Give every junior footballer who has paid his registration with a local football club a 3 game membership, redeemable with at least one paying adult. Advertise in local newspapers. Hire local professional cheerleaders to start a fan club, have a travelling circus fan day at various locations Visit local football clubs and have celebrity games with ex Socceroos stars and local celebrities who have kicked a ball around. The possibilities are endless, but lets face it, the finances and resources are limited. Everything won't happen overnight and not in 5 months. Lyall Gorman is going to head up the new team in the short term and if he can get 10K members to a sleepy little central coastal area, with one twentieth the population and registered footballers, then I have every confidence he can get the West Sydney FC team up and running in the short term on a shoestring budget and the sniff of Tim Cahill's after shave.
Kasey
Guest
Absolutely typical of this sport that it happens after a scintillating weekend of football. Foot, gunshot wound, football once again : ( Not impressed Mr Tinkler.
Kasey
Guest
My measure of success for WSFC is set at a solid 7,000 average(discounting derby numbers) during the inaugural season to then build up towards 12,000 in the next 3 years. In Melbourne the football market has grown from just over 140,000 per season when it was only MVC in the HAL to last seasons 400,000. SFC drew 166,052 last season. When all NSW teams are grouped together, the number grows to 450,000. I would expect that a successful WSFC team will grow he SydneyFC+WSFC number to 320,000 within 3 seasons. That would of course cement the greater Sydney region as the centre of the football universe for this country, much like the NSL days when the majority of clubs came from NSW. But if the population centre of this country is Sydney then I guess it makes sense that the majority of teams will centre around Sydney.
Kasey
Guest
What was Mariani's role at the old SocAus? his name sounds very familiar. vested interestsin WS not succeeding?
stam
Roar Rookie
Well this will be interesting...
Whites
Guest
Fingers crossed it's a very public negotiating tactic.
Kasey
Guest
This is a similar feeling to my introduction to AUFC. For years Adelaide City and West Adelaide had been unable to bring in the myriad of Anglo/Celtic Soccer fans in Adelaide. The Arrival of AUFC in 2003 changed all that. In an instant I knew 'this' was the team for me. I was far from alone. One thing that seems to dip beneath the radar in the endless discussions about old Soccer and new football’s business plan is that the new league has been watched by over 9 million fans (regular season figures only) This is an incredible number and makes you wonder what all of these fans did during the NSL era for their football fix. I occasionally wet to an Adelaide City game, but never really felt that it was my team. I expect there is a group of people out there in Western Sydney who have been similarly un-impressed by the NSL clubs and Sydney FC just thinking…this finally is ‘my’ club. I really hope so. It is these people who become die hards and turn up rain, hail or shine. Who buy merch and take away trips to provide support to their team in hostile territory. If there are enough of them, they will ensure the new team is a success and perhaps like moths to a naked flame, will draw in those only curious but not quite yet thinking this is ‘my’ team.