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Football will continue its free-to-air expansion after the FFA announced this morning that the A-League All Stars’ clash with Manchester United and Melbourne Victory’s game against Liverpool in July will both be broadcast on Channel Seven.
The matches, which will be played on July 20 and July 24 respectively, have attracted a massive level of demand through ticket sales, with both matches being sold out.
The Australian reported that Kerry Stokes’ Seven West Media paid close to $1 million for the domestic rights, outbidding interest from Channel Ten after A-League broadcaster Fox Sports opted to pass on bidding for the rights to the two-game package.
David Gallop, who announced the deal on Channel Seven’s Sunrise program this morning, said the deal was another sign of football moving into the mainstream.
“These are huge events on the sporting calendar and we’re delighted Seven will be our partner in bringing top-class football action to all Australians on free to air television,” said Gallop.
“Manchester United and Liverpool have millions of followers in Australia, but just as many fans will get behind the All Stars and Victory as they showcase the A-League on the world stage.”
While the deal should provide the FFA with the exposure that they’re looking for, football fans with memories that stretch back to NSL days might not be as enthusiastic about the deal.
In 1998 Channel Seven signed a ten-year contract with Soccer Australia to broadcast the NSL on its new pay-TV sports channel, C7, before relegating the coverage to highlights packages shown during late-night, midweek timeslots at one point and eventually dropped the NSL altogether within four years.
There’s no risk of a similiar move occurring for the two upcoming friendlies, but that’s not to say that football will be taking precedence on the channel.
For the A-League All Stars match against Manchester United, to be played on Saturday 20 July, already Channel Seven have indicated that the game will be played on auxiliary channel 7Mate, with AFL to be broadcast on the main channel.
Regardless of past history, the move can only be seen as a positive for Gallop and the FFA, who continue with their clever strategy of keeping the A-League relevant during the off-season, with the A-League draw announced only two days ago.
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