The average Aussie couldn’t care less about politics or football’s inferiority complex, they want to be entertained.
Therefore the best way to sell the A-League and W-League is to promote the entertainment value. Classy goals, acrobatic goalkeeping, fancy foot-skills, clever movement and, of course, tribalism.
A simple model to follow is to attract the average person who doesn’t necessarily have football DNA. Get them in the gate or watching on TV and then let them get caught up in the emotion and passion that will keep them coming back.
While football has a role to play in fighting social injustices, that political agenda cannot be the main narrative when talking about our sport.
Football people need to stop whingeing about how the AFL, NRL or cricket get better funding. It’s football’s own fault this happens – we can’t even get our own house in order yet we want everyone else to support us? Bit rich to expect that.
Let’s focus on bringing fun back to football rather than the never-ending cynicism of people with their own agendas.
Tonight marks the first western Sydney derby between Western Sydney Wanderers and Macarthur FC. BankWest Stadium will be split between the red and black, and the black, gold and white; the super-club from the west and the new kids on the block.
The thrills and spills of a local derby are just what the game needs to whet the appetite of fans.
Daniel Georgievski flying down the wing with his ponytail lagging closely behind, then letting an opponent and referee know what he thinks is what the game needs. Youngsters Lachlan Rose and Tate Russell trying to outsmart and outdo each other with speed and skill will be absorbing to watch.
The tough challenges, as well as the inevitable calls for penalties or red cards will create tremendous theatre.
The A-League has never lacked entertainment. The 2019-20 season averaged nearly three goals a game, while 2018-19 had over three goals per game. This was higher than all of the major European leagues.
Shoddy defending and more attacking is what we need. The fans will respond. We want them to focus their attention on the pitch, limiting the trouble in the terraces.
We want the active fans to sing, dance and make plenty of noise. We want to see the colour and flavour of the different ethnicities that make our game so special.
(Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
The 2020-21 season is crucial. If we can sell the game to broadcasters and sponsors we can go somewhere close to recording the $50 million the game has lost over the past 12 months.
Women’s football also has a great chance to sell itself in the coming three years.
Last season saw nearly 900,000 people tune in on TV to the W-League, which is a wonderful foundation to build on.
The 2023 World Cup is going to be the biggest even in Australia since the 2000 Sydney Olympics. The world is coming and we have a chance to capitalise on the hype.
Let’s show them a lethal Courtney Nevin cross into the box, a sublime pass from Kyra Cooney-Cross through the middle, a thunderous strike from Remy Siemsen or a brilliant palm around the post from Annalee Grove.
The average fan doesn’t want to hear about a lack of equal pay or the fact there are only a handful of woman coaches or how the uniforms aren’t comfortable. That is for the administrators to worry about.
When selling women’s football, fans want something that excites them. They want to read about the heroes of the game and to see their footballing and athletic ability.
Despite the social media hype, the average person with disposable income is looking for fun. They aren’t worried about the inequalities of the world, they look to sport to be entertained so they can escape their everyday worries.
Once we get these fans attracted, we can naturally beat the inequalities that exist. We can get more money into the game and thus pay players more, develop women coaches, provide better facilities, appropriate equipment and better timeslots.
This is the season we can finally move our game forward. COVID-19 has created a tremendous appetite for live sport, with people looking for entertainment and fun.
Let’s take advantage and use football to give them what they want.
Justin Mahon
Roar Rookie
We can do more than one thing at a time. We can seek to improve the game we love in all its key aspects, men, women, youth, calendar, national teams etc... AND seek to ensure football isn't treated like a second class citizen by government. Just because there is more football can be doing to improve this itself, it doesn't mean these concerns are not appropriate and people should 'shut up, sit down and watch the football'. Lets hope the now broke FFA can extract itself entirely from A-League concerns and focus on the long lost of complex and expensive problems - including institutional discrimination against the game and its community in government.
chrisc
Guest
so...the more points/goals scored in a sport - the more entertaining? They need to widen the football goals by 30 meters and do away with the keepers.
NoMates
Guest
Just look at Wellington, there based in Wollongong where they will get 1-2k crowds with NSW based teams playing them at WIN stadium but crowds will drop like flys when they play any other team so maybe crowds of 600 people or less to watch one of the better A-League sides.
The Ball Bobbled
Roar Rookie
Well as for cricket, fans love to see wild swings hoikong a ball for a six - in egg ball codes they just like to see goals no matter how they are scored, as evidenced in AFL when a mark is taken metres out from the posts - impossible to miss scoring but the crowd goes wild when the ball is hoofed through. I doubt the average non football joe would worry a lot about understanding fine details of the game as long as they see goals scored.
Lionheart
Roar Rookie
Thanks JB. So pleased those Aloisi days are behind us - and it really hurt the way he and his brother wiped Broich from the club. We all wish we had another one, but that's next year. We were easily top 4 last season JB, slow start under Fowler excepted. Striker's an issue, but let's face it, even Liverpool with their multiple millions up front struggle to score, often. I'm a fan JB, I support Brisbane Roar. I'm not here to boo them because they don't have Thomas Broich in midfield. I'm here to support them in the hope that Riku Danzaki or one of our youngsters, home grown, Akhbari or Kim or one of the others will become our next Broich. Take away our local pathway and I may as well support Sydney FC. Take away hope JB, and I may as well go fishing.
Grem
Roar Rookie
Agree - love reading the insightful comments from many of the people on here. Happy new year to all the football people on The Roar
Grem
Roar Rookie
Name one country that has taken up AFL and Australia doesn't count.
jbinnie
Guest
Lionheart - You are writing with your heart and have to be admired for your loyalty to the game and your team but surely you too must recognise that the Roar team of today just does not measure up to the Roar team of recent yesteryear. Have you ever wondered why Postecoglu managed to build a team around some average players, but in combining them with a few outstanding (to our game) imports like Theo, Adnan, Berisha ,and Broich ,he also adapted a tactic never having been seen here before (possession football) and in doing so, set a fire under our game, setting a standard that the fans almost unanimously demanded be continued. Has that happened? I' ll leave that to you to think about but you have to be honest with yourself and admit that this Roar team is not in the same class as the GF winners. The real fans who follow Roar must be wondering why they have come off the "top four" position they used to consider as being theirs, and like fans the world over they will vote "with their feet" unless improvement is made. Goals have been scarce for the last few seasons and apparently has not been noticed by the club management, but to win games goals are needed and like it or lump it, the average fans want to see goals scored by their favourite team. Cheers jb
c
Roar Rookie
I'd like to see the statistics setting out the amounts invested in our game relative to the other major games and as a ratio of the participation in each code over the last 10 to 20 years
Lionheart
Roar Rookie
They supported both our WC bids, well. And the Asia Cup (some States & national), and development through sports academies (AIS and most States), but we've lacked support generally for facilities. We really don't have anything owned or run by the game beyond a suburban park. My impression is that the State and National bodies have left facilities in the hands of the clubs but seem to recognise that now and are pursuing the matter with vigor. Good luck to them - we need to get behind them and let our politicians know at every opportunity, that we need our own facilities.
c
Roar Rookie
i think it's more complicated than that i think that there is generally a natural aversion to investing in our game as many of the decision makers have a natural aversion to our game and thus a natural preference with investing to their preferred game as they naturally do
chris
Guest
Nick these nit wits that come on here (including the author) with their pearls of wisdom. They follow sports (AFL, cricket) that only a handful of countries in the world have taken up. Say no more. Another comical article.
Buddy
Roar Rookie
Very physical approach to the game. Jovanovic ignored every piece of advice relating to social distancing as he had his arms wrapped around every player he was designated to mark. Funny incident in the second half when Troisi pre-emptied the arm wrap move and gave him a good thump going backwards sending them both to the turf and a yellow card for Troisi. I’d love to see that aspect of the game disappear though. I don’t understand why referees just don’t penalise the “cuddling” that goes on. I can’t find anything in the rules that suggests it is ok and a legal tactic!
Waz
Roar Rookie
Because Football Administrator’s are only good at shooting themselves in the foot?
Grem
Roar Rookie
Great points The A League is a good competition that is worth following. I have enjoyed all 3 games so far. I attended the Bulls and Wanderers game last night and it was excellent. End to end attack with good speed. There was only one deflected goal but the saves from Federici were amazing. The young goalkeeper from the Wanderers, Marguish, was good as well. I don't pretend to understand the finer points of football or most games but I know what I like and I like Australian football. We just have to wait for others to catch on. Whingeing? I don't mind it as there are problems and issues that need to be pointed out and rectified. I do hate football bashing though. I can't stand the trolls who get onto football blogs or the Aussies who follow the EPL and want to denigrate our game - why bother? The fact is we have over 2 000 000 participants so football has to be our best quality Australian game. The EPL and other top leagues draw from a pool made up from the world - of course they're better. But our game, as I wrote before, is definitely worth following.
Samuel Power
Roar Rookie
Atmosphere seemed great as well and crowd was involved heaps. 10,000 is a good crowd and without the recent COVID outbreak and whatnot 20,000 would've been in reach. What a fizzer of a game as well and Macarthur look the goods judging from their first match.
Lionheart
Roar Rookie
you guys are a gas typify all that is apt with the A League in a nutshell
Buddy
Roar Rookie
Just over 10.000 tonight. Considering the weather, the fickle nature of Sydneysiders and Covid it wasn’t too bad.
c
Roar Rookie
Why is the lack of funding issue from governments our fault
Martyn50
Roar Rookie
Get rid of the offside rule. Hockey did it years ago and look how more entertaining that sport is now