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We’ve all been pre-occupied with Australia’s World Cup Qualifiers, participation in the EAFF East Asia Cup, Confederations Cup, A-League All Stars vs Manchester United, Melbourne Victory vs Liverpool …
But the 2013-14 A-League has been creeping up fast and is only 73 days away from what many may predict to be another stellar season in which records could be toppled yet again.
As the A-League season approaches, clubs are ensuring everything is done both on and off the field to build on what was the most successful season in 2012-2013.
Record subscription television viewing, attendances and club memberships were a testament to the hard work each club had implemented season after season to ensure the growth of football in Australia continued it’s upward trend.
With the addition of broadcast partners SBS, television viewing via free-to-air will provide extra exposure the A-League and football has craved for some time. And with Fox Sports continuing their amazing live coverage of the A-League, subscriptions for Foxtel could also see increases thanks to the extra exposure Australian football is being afforded.
As pre-season fixtures are in full swing, off the field, club directors, employees and volunteers are trying to once again ensure community based programs and interaction with fans. The importance in doing so allows each club to expose their brand in the most efficient and cost effective way.
2012-13 season recorded the highest number of memberships across the whole of the League and another aim during the off-season has been to continue fan engagement not only threw community based programs but also social media.
With Twitter and Facebook being the largest formats for social-media, A-League clubs have identified this as a key area to engage with the fans and promote the club with much more ease.
When fans struggle to find the news regarding their clubs during the off-season, social-media comes in to provide transfers, signings, developments and other key aspects that they need to know about.
Twitter, like Facebook, has exploded onto the scene and any passionate footballer wishing to find out the latest updates on their club has Twitter at their very fingertips.
What makes Twitter such a hit is the enormous strides in hand-held technology. Hand held devices such as Ipads, Iphones, FoxtelGo, Ipods and smart phones allow you to go anywhere you like while still ensuring you able to access social media with the click of a button.
The clubs are utilising this as an extremely smart and resourceful way to stay in touch with their fans 24/7. On Twitter, hashtags (#) are used to engage in a trend or topic of discussion that allows fans to remain connected.
A-League clubs are initiating that form of engagement by launching membership campaigns encompassing hashtags of #StandWithsUs, #SydneyIsSkyBlue, #HeartBelieve, #LikeNoOther, #COYR10years and others.
It feels intuitive, creative and enticing for A-League fans alike.
Just these # alone used by Newcastle Jets, Sydney FC, Melbourne Heart, Melbourne Victory and Adelaide United respectively are so creative that fans continue to share, tweet, talk about it and want to be part of it.
The opinion in this article has been justified thanks to contact made with Adelaide United’s Chief Financial Officer, Ben Pahl.
Kellett_1992: Why are memberships so important and what positives do they bring to an A-League club?
Ben Pahl: “Membership is crucial to all clubs for a number of reasons. Firstly, the support they give the club week in week out, secondly the income generated from their membership and thirdly the more members you have the more likely companies will be willing to support the club with sponsorship.”
Kellett_1992: What is your current membership total? Have you set a target for this season?
Ben Pahl: “Currently we sit at 3400 members. We have a history of hovering around 5000 members depending on how we have performed in the previous season however we have set a very ambitious target of 10,000 this year. Although this may seem unrealistic we have some strategies in place to try and reach the target.”
Kellett_1992: How do you plan to reach this target?
Ben Pahl: “By becoming more active with social media we plan to increase our presence and hopefully start to engage those fans who come along to a few games but perhaps don’t join up as members.”
Kellett_1992: How have you made memberships more appealing for fans and what incentives are there for fans to join up?
Ben Pahl: “We are looking to add more flexible packages to give people better options that suit their level of interest and are also offering incentives for people to join.”
“We have set the target at 10,000 and will only get there with the support of our signed up members and their ability to get their friends and family to join with them.”
“As a reward we are offering $10,000 to a member if we reach the target. We are also offering match day offers such as a random member winning the match ball each home game and a random member being upgraded to a corporate box each week. Unfortunately we do not have the budget to do much paid advertising so we need to be smarter about how we increase our membership base.”
“We feel we have made a good start given we are still some 2+ months out from the first game but there is plenty of work to be done!”
Kellett_1992: Thank you very much for your time.
Ben Pahl: “Hope this helps, kindest regards.”
This has highlighted the importance of memberships and what they mean to each A-League club. Ben Pahl speaks not only for the betterment of his club but every other.
It should be noted that even if you aren’t a member but still turn up to A-League matches, your support is still valued, but that won’t stop A-League clubs from trying to convert you into members.
With technology moving forward and becoming more advanced, the importance of social-media for not only A-League clubs but also the fans, will provide a new avenue for interaction and exposure. The importance cannot be underestimated.
With 73 days to go until the start of the A-League season, here is the list of each club and how their membership numbers are fairing.
Western Sydney Wanderers – 14,000 #GoWanderers #weareone2013
Melbourne Victory – 12,766 #LikeNoOther
Newcastle Jets – 7,000 #StandWithUs
Adelaide United – 3,500 #COYR10years
Sydney FC – 3,022 #SydneyIsSkyBlue
Brisbane Roar – 3,000 #GoRoar
Central Coast Mariners – 3,000 #GoMariners
Melbourne Heart – 2,917 #HeartBelieve
Wellington Phoenix – 2,226 #4k4Nix
Perth Glory – No membership numbers have been provided.
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