Whether we like it or not, football runs fourth in Australia when it comes to professional sports – behind AFL, rugby league and cricket. The battle for relevancy is real.
Just look at how hard the A-League has to battle just to get column inches and TV time, or how the Socceroos’ must-win playoff against Honduras may not sell out.
This isn’t Europe or South America, where the game just sells itself. It needs more.
Our local on-field product is good – better than good in some cases – but in Australia, it seems that just isn’t enough.
The fact is gimmicks work here. Just look at what happens every time a genuine marquee is signed – it’s a gimmick, but it works.
The second part of the equation is our blatant disregard for anything that happens north of the Timor Sea. I’m the first to criticise our attitude towards Asia, and our view of it being a money pit to be exploited, but it’s an untapped goldmine that we are ignoring.
Just look at how well the AFL has positioned itself with its now-annual match in Shanghai, turning the match into one giant trade mission and turning that into cold, hard cash – both from companies in China and from governments here. It’s no coincidence Malcolm Turnbull took the visiting Chinese premier to an AFL match earlier this year.
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All Star matches in Asia fit the culture perfectly. In the early years of the J.League they were an annual affair, and more recently involved matches between the J.League and K-League. It’s the case too in Southeast Asia, where visiting teams from Europe often face off against different All Stars teams.
Create an annual or biannual tournament – played at the end of the A-League season, falling then almost in the middle of leagues on this side of Asia – involving the A-League, Chinese Super League, J.League, and Southeast Asian All Stars.
Play three games across the week against each of the other teams and work with the respective leagues to develop the tournament into something worthwhile, involve a big marketing partner and have a sponsor put up prize money.
But importantly, make it an event people want to watch, and one they want to attend.
With the booming interest in the CSL, imagine seeing the likes of Oscar, Hulk, Ezequiel Lavezzi, Alexandre Pato and co. all on one team against the likes of Besart Berisha, Milos Ninkovic and Diego Castro. It’s salivating to think about.
Rotate the hosting between the four regions – meaning a nation would only host it once every four to eight years, ensuring it doesn’t become repetitious – and turn it into a trade mission to which governments attach themselves.
This is where football has a natural advantage over every other sport and it’s one we need to exploit.
Just as importantly, it would be an opportunity for A-League clubs to broaden their own reach into Asia, building relationships with potential sponsors, sister clubs and expanding scouting networks. With the plus-one rule soon to come into effect, improving these connections is more important than ever.
The AFC Champions League is a great competition, but sadly one Australians haven’t embraced in our 11 years of participation. This can be an entry point to Asian football for Aussie fans, showcasing the very best of football in our region, and becoming a showpiece event – something we are sorely lacking.
It might be gimmicky, but so what? If football is ever going to challenge the other sports, we need to be brave and think outside the box.
So bring back the All Stars!
Matsu
Guest
This comment actually should serve as a major wake-up call. About six years back, Australia was invited to participate as one of the four teams taking part in the East Asian Cup. Its been a while but iirc North Korea had been behaving badly and was barred from the competition late in the day, so Australia was invited to step in to the vacated spot. The competition went very well (even though Oz struggled a bit, they got a good run-out). For those who are unaware, the EAFC includes Japan, the Koreas, China, Mongolia, Guam, and not much else. Guam, Mongolia and NK regularly vie for the fourth spot with Japan, S Korea and China being automatic entrants. Due to both timing (usually December or January, when Euro leagues are still in action) and location, the participants are almost always domestic league stars. Following Australia's enthusiastic participation, Japan proposed (and China and S.Korea expressed modest support for the proposal) that Australia join the EAFC. This would give them a near-certain spot in the competition, every two years. What happened? You tell me. The proposal was rejected out of hand by FFA. Ive yet to hear a convincing explanation for why . . . .
Nemesis
Guest
@Punter Simply brilliant! Game Set Match You've smashed that poser off the court... egg (ball) all over his smarmy face
Midfielder
Guest
Punter We have both been on this site almost from the get go.... since the change in ownership and the change in senior editorial staff IMO from a Football perspective this site has gone backwards. Its no longer as important as it used to be, but I find the general quality nay story lines of articles submitted and then published shows a lack of understanding of Football in Australia.... The best proof I have is FFA are in a civil war with clubs, the PFA etc and then there is the state teams .... I have sent a few articles in on this issue, never published I am sure others have as well as its the biggest talking point in Australian Football today and even the paid journalist hardly talk about it. But we push on ...
punter
Guest
I'm with you Midfielder, the mods are way over the top.
punter
Guest
Article: Allstars A-league side playing other Asian powerhouse leagues. AR: yeah despite many AFL fans making absurd claims, wants proof that these idiots exist, otherwise calls one of the top posters on the football Roar tab for not telling the truth. Double post.
punter
Guest
Article: Allstars A-league side playing other Asian powerhouse leagues. AR: yeah despite many AFL fans making absurd claims, wants proof that these idiots exist, otherwise calls one of the top posters on the football Roar tab a liar.
AR
Guest
"The net will reasonably quickly dispel many say AFL insane beliefs held by some i.e. AFL players are so good they could walk into any team of any code in the world and be a star." What I think he means is: "Some people claim AFL players could transfer to any other team in any other code and immediately be a star player." Show me one - just one - idiot who has made this absurd claim and I'll concede you are not a liar.
c
Guest
a big ✔️ to Lucky Eddie
chris
Guest
Spruce you come across as a whiney small minded individual who delights in highlighting anything negative about football. Someone should write an article about individuals like yourself (and others on here) who come here day after day with their pearls of wisdom and yet have never been to a game. Maybe in a medical journal? For me, I coach, play, attend and watch football. Its in my blood. So if you want to keep coming onto this tab with your whiny attitude then good luck to you. Im going to defend the game to the best of my ability against people like you.
chris
Guest
Totally agree Spruce about the dictator "forcing" football onto his minions. He could quite easily have chosen AFL after the outrageously successful invasion of the sport into China. But strangely he went for football.
northerner
Guest
All stars is a very different concept than having major international league events. I don't see it being much of a drawcard myself.
Lionheart
Guest
it is good news but I'm not sure what's new in this. They signed a deal a year or so back and have been working on the fields for a couple of months. I'm really thrilled to see that grass Aloisi's standing on, thought it was still at the clearing stage. There's a few fields, one a replica in size of Suncorp. Maybe the $9 mil is new, I'm thinking it is but I don't know. I understand that all teams will train here, and NYL and W League will play here, and A League pre-season. The new academy I think is going to stay at their current facility at Kelvin Grove. Admin will also be here. It's a great line in the sand for Roar - let's hope the future plan sometime includes a 20K stadium - wouldn't that be nice?
Liam Salter
Roar Guru
Nem, most of that is fair. I agree, largely. But not one person in this thread has been "diminishing the sporting culture of any such nation". Also, on a sort of seperate topic, where in Germany did you live/work. There's a good chance I'll be doing an exchange there next year and was curious if you had any thoughts. Could be thoughts about the sporting culture, if you wanted to stay on topic!
Sam
Guest
Imagine being invited to a dinner party....... and Nemesis was there. Long Night!!!!!
Nemesis
Guest
@Docker 1) If you asked me what I thought of sports participation rates in Kyrgyzstan, I'd say I don't know & I wouldn't be ignorant & diminish the sporting culture of that nation. That's the difference between the bogan Aussie & the Aussie who is respectful of other cultures 2) I never said knowing people who lived/worked overseas was special. Disnick said he'd never knew anyone who lived/worked in Japan & Germany & I found that extremely strange since the majority of people I know have lived/worked overseas.
Liam Salter
Roar Guru
"And, therein lies the problem with so many Aussies – totally ignorant about other cultures & life in other countries, but never embarrassed to express their ignorance again & again." Nem, that's rubbish. Australians are among the most travelled people in the world. Yes, some are completely ignorant, but that's unfair to label Australians generally as ignorant. Besides, Caspar was honest in saying he hadn't lived in those two nations. That's not ignorance, that's just simply not knowing. If I asked you what you thought of sports participation rates in Kyrgyzstan, and you didn't know, you wouldn't be ignorant in the slightest. You just wouldn't know. And that would be okay. Also, knowing people who lived or worked in other countries isn't as special as you're making it out to be. I've lived in another country in my childhood. Hell, I was overseas for the first time as a five-month-old. And will be overseas for an extended period of time (providing all goes well) next year for uni. My dad has done, in recent years, months-long work in other nations. Multiple direct family members live and work in Europe. Are my connections impressing you, yet? ;)
Midfielder
Guest
Great news
Midfielder
Guest
Mods for the love of Mary can you tell me a word, phase, that sent this to you. Double post guys sorry Where to start and keep it small and readable. Got interested in this thread and read all posts which is unusual for me. Some posters I ignore normally. Want to briefly comment on Rick’s posts… first to congratulate him on well written and well prepared posts that in many ways are logical… I will go one step further and say quite business like in the logic used. However deep down in my soul, and even deeper down in my business smarts [however weak or strong they are] my belief is Rick your astute observations are based on out dated models and business norms today. The AFL & NRL have relied on their control of the media, first and obviously the net breaks this control. The net will reasonably quickly dispel many say AFL insane beliefs held by some i.e. AFL players are so good they could walk into any team of any code in the world and be a star. The other issue is egames major codes have developed…. Gridirons Madon and FIFA’s FIFA game swap year to year which is the biggest selling but FIFA’s game is very popular with kids and is another area uncontrollable by either the AFL & NRL . So as I see it the AFL in the Southern States is in what marketers call the mature stage in that it difficult to see it getting bigger and due to increasing competition will lose market share… and their hope is in the Northern States it will gain more than it losses in the Southern States. Trying to be brief my belief as I have posted before that human behavioural models are what has mass movement of people… meaning your time frame as I see it is way way way too long. Another factor is the models being used in business today have essentially been developed by Baby Boomers… The next models are being developed by the Millennials and they are doing things differently much like the Boomers did when they took over. No offence Rick, I simply have a totally different set of business models to the ones you use, which get a difference conclusion.
Midfielder
Guest
Where to start and keep it small and readable. Got interested in this thread and read all posts which is unusual for me. Some posters I ignore normally. Want to briefly comment on Rick’s posts… first to congratulate him on well written and well prepared posts that in many ways are logical… I will go one step further and say quite business like in the logic used. However deep down in my soul, and even deeper down in my business smarts [however weak or strong they are] my belief is Rick your astute observations are based on out dated models and business norms today. The AFL & NRL have relied on their control of the media, first and obviously the net breaks this control. The net will reasonably quickly dispel many say AFL insane beliefs held by some i.e. AFL players are so good they could walk into any team of any code in the world and be a star. The other issue is egames major codes have developed…. Gridirons Madon and FIFA’s FIFA game swap year to year which is the biggest selling but FIFA’s game is very popular with kids and is another area uncontrollable by either the AFL & NRL . So as I see it the AFL in the Southern States is in what marketers call the mature stage in that it difficult to see it getting bigger and due to increasing competition will lose market share… and their hope is in the Northern States it will gain more than it losses in the Southern States. Trying to be brief my belief as I have posted before that human behavioural models are what has mass movement of people… meaning your time frame as I see it is way way way too long. Another factor is the models being used in business today have essentially been developed by Baby Boomers… The next models are being developed by the Millennials and they are doing things differently much like the Boomers did when they took over. No offence Rick, I simply have a totally different set of business models to the ones you use, which get a difference conclusion.
Nemesis
Guest
Excellent news coming out of Brisbane "City of Logan Mayor Luke Smith said Logan City Council has committed $9 million to redevelop Logan Metro Sports Park, in Heritage Park, the new home and training facility of Queensland’s only Hyundai A-League team." Full story: https://www.a-league.com.au/news/roar-unveil-plans-new-training-base