How good was it to see the Red and Black Bloc back in party mode on Saturday night? There is something so wonderful about seeing a packed A-League ground in Parramatta.
If we wanted a reminder of what a big-match atmosphere looks like in the A-League, we got it when the Western Sydney Wanderers put Melbourne Victory to the sword.
Romeo Castelen was in eye-catching form, but then so too were the red-and-black-clad faithful massed in all four corners of Pirtek Stadium.
“So much for being scared to go,” Fox Sports commentator Simon Hill so deftly put it, and the big crowd on hand helped propel their hometown heroes to an impressive 2-0 win.
That was the good news. Elsewhere it was business as usual, as smallish crowds and sterile atmospheres greeted the other four matches of the round.
Yes, the football on the pitch is vitally important – as the purists in these parts always contend. But we’re doing the A-League a disservice if we don’t admit that attendances could and should be a lot larger.
A few weeks ago I got into a Twitter tete-a-tete with some Wellington fans who either misunderstood or chose to ignore the fairly simple premise I proposed to them.
If the Phoenix wanted to guarantee their place in the A-League, I reasoned, why didn’t they set out to attract 30,000 fans to every home game?
Most of the fans blasted me for my supposed ignorance, pointing out that in terms of population, Wellington hold their own. That may be true, but in defending the Phoenix’s traditionally small crowds instead of focusing on trying to improve them, those same fans overlooked a couple of key points.
Firstly, Wellington’s highest ever home attendance saw some 32,000 fans pile into Westpac Stadium. Secondly, more than 30,000 fans once turned out to see a friendly against Los Angeles Galaxy.
In other words, the appetite for football in the city exists. So why isn’t Wellington locally and Football Federation Australia more broadly doing more to get those same fans back into A-League games?
The post script is that casual football fans in this part of the world tend to turn out for two things – finals football and superstars like David Beckham.
And while the finals will always pack them in, the lack of genuine marquees is hurting the bottom line at almost every club.
Meanwhile, FFA chief executive David Gallop is fond of claiming the A-League needs to fish where the fishes are, but perhaps it’s time he started mouthing another aphorism.
How about putting some sense back into the phrase ‘common sense’?
Not only is the plan to cannibalise the support of the two Sydney-based teams by introducing another Sydney club one of the dumbest ideas the FFA has recently come up with, they’ve already got two football-ready markets in Canberra and Wollongong raring to go.
But as we saw with the 4.15pm kick-off in Cairns on Saturday afternoon, common sense around head office appears to be in short supply.
I don’t for a second believe it’s Fox Sports setting the agenda – they’ve already proved they’re amenable to matches being rescheduled – and it’s the FFA who signs off on the fixture list in the first place.
Nevertheless we have round after round of ill-considered scheduling, leaving the same teams playing the same opponents at virtually the same times over and over, with nary a spot of promotional marketing in sight!
What’s an A-League fan to do in the face of such maladministration?
The short answer is, turn up. And bring your friends. Tell them to bring their friends too.
Because in a competition that runs out of sync with the local leagues that make football the most popular participatory sport in Australia, turning up en masse and waiting for administrators to play catch-up is the first means towards a necessary end – attracting bigger crowds to the A-League.
Peter Cotton
Guest
Couldn't agree more Buddy. Staring us in the face, but it appears that very few wish to know. Reality check required.
Barry
Guest
There is no way that this Ausy Rules are more skill full you must be joking aye, with football you have to use your feet not your hands say no more, any one can pick up a ball with your hands you whatch people that havr not kicked a ball before I dare you!!! Nzer
Buddy
Guest
Could be something to do with the quality of the product on offer...look no further!
Justin Thighm
Roar Guru
Who says kids do what their parents tell them. The kids (and their mates) decide which sport they play, not their mums. Kids love football and so do a lot of their friends. That's why it is the most popular game in the world, not because their mum's force them play it. Grow up.
Justin Thighm
Roar Guru
What sort of statement is that. All surveys are based on predicting behaviour from sampling. All ratings are just estimates from sampling. They don't knock on everybody in the world's door and sit down with them and record what they watch. Biggest difference is OzTAM select their sample and only sample people at home, so the results are heavily biased against the people who do not watch much commercial TV or watch sport outside of their house. OzTAM is owned by the commercial TV stations. Roy Morgan research is independently owned and run, so they include other venues and viewing habits, not just homes, like pubs, clubs etc., so it is less biased. Use the stats to your own advantage.
Steve
Guest
Like all surveys (particularly the ones Fuss spouts on Roy Morgan's viewership), they are based on claimed behaviour rather than actual behaviour. Look carefully at methodology, questionnaire and sample size, which granted can be very hard if companies are not up front. Therefore, treat results with a grain of salt.
Justin Thighm
Roar Guru
Ticket prices have gone up about 20% in Sydney this season for similar seats as last season and is definitely impacting decisions to go to the game, especially groups and families. They have taken away group discounts and family tickets for the more popular games too.
Justin Thighm
Roar Guru
Foxtel determine the playing schedule, not the FFA and they want all games live. That's why we have games played in Perth and Cairns in nearly 40'C heatwave conditions.
Justin Thighm
Roar Guru
The FFA have limited funds an are only part of the problem. The A-League clubs are supposed to spend time and money promoting their club locally as well. To be fair, football clubs and the FFA don't have as much money to spend on marketing. The AFL and NRL Marketing and Media departments alone employ more people than the whole workforce of the FFA and A-League clubs combined.
Tom
Guest
That is such a terrible (and negative) attitude. You need to read my post again and open your brain and think. You are the one telling me that my entirely obvious strategy for promoting a football club doesn't work, well we have tried it, that is what we are doing and it does work. Everything I talked about is exactly what the jets are doing, the jets who have been atrocious yet still have over 10,000 members including fantastic active support. If the team was any good we would double that. The real answer to how does that a-league get more fans to games, is to copy Newcastle...and build your club including the use of promotions that stay true to your values (for the jets i think its the ones i listed). I'm interested, do you disagree with the values i listed? do you have a different list? what sort of club do you want the jets to be? or do you think values aren't important in a club? Should we just willy nilly do whatever idea appeals to us at the time, after all how do we know if we don't try? Is that your position? How about getting strippers to a game, im sure that will bring in a few people? How about playing cool loud music throughout the entire game. should we just give it a go and assume there will be no longer term consequence of betraying what we stand for?
Punter
Guest
Oh I can see the irony!!! The BBL is far more harmful to traditional cricket then exhibition matches are to the A-League.
Mister Football
Roar Guru
Tom I don't really understand the point you're trying to make. Why are you bringing up the world cup from 2006 and what exactly has that got to do with the A-League? We're discussing the A-League right? That survey I refer to has been conducted every year for the last 10 years - so that's some pretty decent, consistent numbers over a longish period we have, and in the end, I was using the numbers to show that it's easier to maintain memberships from a larger pool of supporters than it is to maintain memberships from a shallower pool of supporters. Or do you disagree? Fair enough if you want to disagree, but at least talk to the specific point being made in the context of the thread's subject. But to go babbling on about the 2006 world cup....seriously?
AR
Guest
First, I didn't make an issue of it - Fussball did. (but I'm sure he's ever grateful your sprinted to his rescue again). Second, I never dismissed the Euro club exhibition games as one-off events...though they probably are by definition. I was there for Real Madrid and it was a huge financial success. But I *do* believe that those games are marginal at best, and harmful at worst, for the local ALeague competiton. So again, please, stop misquoting me. Third, and this is really my point, why bag the BBL just because you don't happen to like it? Isn't this exactly what ALeague fans complain about when people bag the ALeague? Maybe you cannot see the absurd irony in that?
AR
Guest
That's quite true. A reality of having 10 Vic clubs. Still, it's an impressive number.
Punter
Guest
Yes Sydneysider, I think the point FUIL put across makes a lot of sense. If BBL is the main cricket, well, ummmmm..... Not sure why AR made an issue of it.
Sydneysider
Guest
"I guess if any A-League fan needs a lesson in humility the last group of fans any sporting code anywhere would look to for how to be humble are Australian Rules fans" Agreed. FUIL doesn't help football with his one-eyed rants but all football codes have their code warriors.
Sydneysider
Guest
Spot on Punter. It's all well and good for T20 to get big crowds, but do cricket fans truly want T20 to be the main form of the game? Actually, it is the main money maker for the ICC and other cricket boards around the world..... yet it's like a carnival where no one cares who wins. That's not a bad thing but FUIL has a point.
Qantas & SBS support Australian Football
Guest
Agree Tom
Ian
Guest
I wonder how many 'home' games in Melbourne for the many Melbourne based AFL clubs are filled up with fans of the opposing Melbourne based club who don't really have to travel to be an 'away' fan.
Ian
Guest
Perhaps you can get your herd of cats to sit in the seats of 40% of members who don't turn up to some games? They may not buy any merchandise or food and drink but the bays will appear full.