You can barely make your way around the internet these days without stumbling over a revelation of a marquee signing to one Australian organisation or another.
Some crazy South Korean pop star has a breakout track where he dances like he’s riding a horse? Quick, let’s get him to bust out Gangnam Style on a dance music festival touring the nation’s racecourses.
Posh Spice was spotted looking at the Lonely Planet guide for Australia over an Orange Mocha Frappuccino in Beverly Hills? Quick, let’s get Becks down to the A-League to kick a few set shots for the masses.
Some cricketer from somewhere overseas wants to meet up with some bird he met last time he toured Australia? Quick, let’s sign him up to play one match for some franchise no one’s heard of, in a comp no one will remember a single ball of by the time it rolls around again next summer.
Someone from any international incarnation of The Voice wants to tour? Bugger the marquee signings, just let Channel Nine know so they can wrap an NRL game around it. Any game, and fast.
Australia is a long way away from the rest of the world, so having bright, shiny things from across the seas doing their thing on our doorstep is exciting. What else could explain Nickelback routinely selling out arena shows here?
Famous international sports stars have made their way down under before – the Sheffield Shield hosted the likes of Ian Botham and Michael Holding in the 1980s, while Ellery Hanley’s stints in the NSWRL were just short of legendary – but nothing quite compares to the summer of love Australian sports fans are currently experiencing.
Is the money being thrown at Alessandro Del Piero, the Saviour of Sydney FC, actually worth it? Undoubtedly.
The club known as the Bling have been all over the media for months, but reality is starting to set back in – and with the club currently rooted to the bottom of the ladder, the banks of empty seats at the SFS are starting to look a little more like regular service as the fairweathers drop off.
So what does a marquee player mean to me as a sports fan? Probably quite a bit, if I’d been in any position to enjoy supporting one over the past decade.
My beloved Canberra Raiders haven’t had anyone even remotely close to marquee status since Laurie Daley (a local hero, admittedly) hung up the mouthguard in 2000, the Brisbane Roar’s is routinely upstaged by a teammate who’s one of the most despised players/haircuts in the comp, and the Brisbane Bullets aren’t even running around at the moment.
Still, the way things are going you just have to wonder where this madness will end.
Hulk Hogan making a comeback for the Melbourne Storm as they roll into the 2013 finals?
The Melbourne Heart signing Bret ‘Hitman’ Hart for their fixtures either side of Valentine’s Day?
The GWS Giants getting so desperate to put bums on seats that they sign up ‘Marky’ Mark Wahlberg for the forward pocket – purely for the marketing benefits of being able to rename The Star casino’s flashy new nightclub Marky Mark’s Marquee while he’s in town?
It’s so ridiculous that it just might work.
Titus
Guest
So what, we're back to NRL levels, the team needs a coach and a philosophy.......just sayin'
Kris Swales
Expert
13k at Sydney vs Adelaide last night. Just sayin'...
jbinnie
Guest
Peter & Fussball - Now the grey cells are working.As I suggested a few days ago in another article it may be an idea for the FFA to get involved and help direct "extra special" marquees towards clubs that are having "attendance" problems. This would not be easy but the evidence is overwhelming that it could work. jb.
Neuen
Roar Rookie
You must remember that big name (or too slow for bigger leagues guy) is what going to attract fans to stadiums.. Americans did this successfully in their league and it should be only good for Australian football.
Kris Swales
Expert
Sorry mate, will get to that once I've solved Pi to the last decimal place.
Kris Swales
Expert
Best creative crowd counters in the NRL!
Towser
Guest
Reason-attendances according to the article.
TC
Guest
That's a really interesting perspective. We are all fond of equating support with success, whereas this study is suggesting that the correlation works the other way. I would reconcile the viewpoints this way. Over the short term, clubs will experience upswings and downswings depending on how they are faring in any one season. But this is the crucial point: that upswing or downswing will be around a core base of support, and more than likely, the larger that core base of support, the more likely success will follow. In a very mature league, such as the Premier League, the well supported teams have such entrenched support that they would have to spend decades in League 1 and/or 2 before it whithered away. Also, where you start with a blank canvas, then one can expect that in those early years (and decades), it's a case of the availability of resources driving the success rather than the other way round. In the A-League, we can expect that as time goes on, the larger teams (with bigger support) will achieve the greater success, while teams like Heart and the Mariners will make up the numbers. This will become especially evident as the cap becomes loosened a bit in future years, and perhaps even disappears entirely. TC
whiskeymac
Guest
Not sure why MH are destined to struggle - they may have an Atletico strip but there wasn't much in the article to suggest a large city cant have 2 big clubs (Chelsea, Spurs, Arsenal in London; the two Manchester and Merseyside teams)
Towser
Guest
Just on those figures(jb/PW) was reading an interesting article regarding attendances & their influence on a clubs success in England. Evidence suggests that a large fanbase is a prerequisite for long-term success in England. http://www.footballeconomy.com/content/football-attendances-and-success So despite a salary cap in Australia it would seem that Melbourne Victory is destined for long term success, but Melbourne Heart isn't . If Sydney FC get their act together coach wise ,keep recruiting Del Piero standard marquees & keep attracting attendances to match Victory,these 2 clubs should be the most succesful long term. The Roar hopefully will not be far behind. Attendance =moolah=success,will be interesting to see the way it plays out in Australia long term.
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
I'm not sure how many Ale Del Piero shirts have been sold by SydneyFC, but I know they sold out of stock before ADP had arrived. Shirts retail price - with name & number is ~A$150. I'm guessing the club makes 1/3rd profit? In 2007 - the 1st year he played in the MLS - LA Galaxy sold 300,000 "David Beckham" shirts! There's more - much much more - to signing a football superstar than just "bums on seats". Add sponsorship, merchandise sales, increased brand awareness - local & abroad; media coverage
ChrisW
Guest
Anyone forgetting the massive increase in TV ratings which continue to go up?? Robbie Fowler was a bit passed it, but the marquees this season have been well worth it and they're justified, they are not Usaine bolt playing football/soccer they are top notch players. There is also a few other marquees being thrown around at the moment, Drogba, Riquelme and of course Beckham. The NBL should also look at marquees because like soccer/football they have a huge bunch to choose from . As long as a marquee is better then what we currently have here im all for it, and there is nothing wrong with it. If A-league was the best football league in the world and we signed these players, then i would be worried. So you cant really compare A-league marquees to AFL and NRL marquees.
Peter Wilson
Roar Guru
Wait there's more . . . SFCs average home attendance has gone from 11K last season to 26.5K this seaon so far – and they are last on the table. That’s more than double. Let’s say additional 10K over the season x 13 home games @ $30 each = $3.9M Plus additional 6K season memberships Shirt sales have increased by 30k so far and climbing @ $160 each = $4.8M And all this (and more) for a $2M per year outlay. And lets not count the extra fans at away games, increased merchandise sales, extra food and drinks, big boost in the A-League’s media attention in Australia and around the world, more overseas players wanting to come to the A-League and so on
Titus
Guest
As a Raiders fan you would think he was quite at home with empty seats.
Punter
Guest
Haha, exactly!!!!
jbinnie
Guest
Strange that none of the commenters have tried putting a figure on this marquee exercise Last season Sydey had a "largest home gate" of 18,180 v Victory, & an average gate over 14 matches of 11,838. Assuming an average entry of $35 their "top" gate brought in $ 636,000. Using the same entry fee,$35 their average gate brought in $414,330, or $5,801,000 for the season. Now let us do the same calculation considering the ADP effect This season the "top" gate so far is 35,449 and if we assume that $35 entry this earns income of $1,241,000 It is early days but after 3 matches a total of 79,108 have witnessed a game this earning income of $2,769,000 That gives a differential after 1 game of $ 605,000. While it is a bit harder to work out what the average gate will be over 14 matches let us assume it drops the same , in the same time frame, as last year , ie 13% . That would give them an average home crowd of 23,000. Going back to our base calculation the 14 game attendance would be 322,000 at $35 giving a return of $11,270,000 From these rough calculations it would appear a marquee player of some distinction is not a bad gamble for it would appear that ADP could earn enough extra gate income in one season to nearly pay out his reported contractual figure for 2 seasons.Most treasurers would be happy with that. Of course if the team started winning a totally different picture could emerge. Let us hope. jb
FootyWiffaJ
Guest
I still don't think you've explained how Nickelback sell out arenas. I think that will forever remain a mystery.
Peter Wilson
Roar Guru
Slight rise in attendance? SFCs average home attendance has gone from 11K last season to 26.5K this seaon so far - and they are last on the table. That's more than double. Let's say additional 10K over the season x 13 home games @ $30 each = $3.9M Plus additional 6K season memberships Shirt sales have increased by 30k so far and climbing @ $160 each = $4.8M And all this (and more) for a $2M per year outlay. And lets not count the extra fans at away games, increased merchandise sales, extra food and drinks, big boost in the A-League's media attention in Australia and around the world, more overseas players wanting to come to the A-League and so on How can you then say ADP hasn't benefitted SFC, the FFA and the A-League? If Beckham does come to the A-League he will probably generate the same benefits in just 10 weeks.
Michael
Guest
Drogba and Heskey! Wow, I can see it!
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
12 months ago, rival A-League fans mistakenly thought Harry wanted a share of any potential increased revenue from away games and they were livid - "NO WAY" they screamed and shouted. Note: this was NOT part of Harry's deal with MVFC, but just jealous rival fans not doing proper research & getting upset because they dislike Harry. So, NO, I don't think the home team should give anything to the away team that has a marquee. When any big team (ManU, Barca, Bayern, etc.) travels away, the home team gets bigger crowds ... United doesn't ask for a share of the revenue.