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Opinion
Greg Norman turned 67 a few days back and what a fit looking rooster he remains.
‘The Shark’ was a hero to me as a kid, with my youthful and ignorant eyes firmly set unrealistically on a career in professional golf.
Norman graced the global fairways like an Adonis, choked a few times, but won 89 tournaments in a stellar Hall of Fame career that makes him one of Australia’s most successful sportspeople of all time.
Those wins also made him a very rich man and along with clever business acumen, the Queensland-born Norman now oversees what could only be referred to as an impressive empire.
Wine production, turf supply, themed restaurants, steaks and a host of commercial partnerships all played roles in the building of that empire and the creation of what would in modern, corporate speak be accurately described as brand Norman.
Brand is image, perception and reputation all rolled into one and something successful people like Norman understand well and master. It is also something that many others get horribly wrong or fail to build effectively.
Right now, the A-Leagues are in dire need of some brand management and urgently.
If people were asked for a short list of words that came to mind with the name Greg Norman as a stimulus, I would hazard a guess that many would feature wealth, golf, millionaire, class, hero, champion and quality.
Should the same be asked of the average person in the Australian street with A-League as the trigger, one can only image the lists that would be formed.
Personally, I would include competitive, unpredictable, development, unique and quirky, however a significant number of people would no doubt head down a far different line of thinking.
Such an exercise is brand management 101 and terms that would undoubtedly pop up in many people’s lists when prompted by the term A-Leagues would include rubbish, boring, B-grade, crap and shit.
(Photo by Brett Hemmings/Getty Images)
As uncomfortable a reality as that might be for many to hear and acknowledge, it is the flat out truth in perception and something that has remained consistent throughout the A-Leagues era and likely to continue into at least the short-term future.
Behind the negative view are numerous causes.
The fly-by-night supporter who checks English Premier League results once or twice a week in a desperate attempt to kid themselves and others that they actually support the game of football will no doubt have written off Australia’s top-flight as a ‘farmer’s league’.
Disgruntled and deluded fools who spruik a return of the NSL days would potentially be even more harsh in their assessment of the A-Leagues, while many rugby league, rugby union and AFL fans would do the same, probably also including a caveat that questions the courage of footballers in general terms.
No doubt there is something of a narrow-minded and unfair nature to such criticisms, yet for the A-Leagues to ever make incisive inroads into the consciousness of those traditionally reluctant, the branding must improve, lest the domestic competition be forever mired in the status quo.
European snobbery and venomous bitterness born of the past are unlikely to be eroded any time soon, yet the powers at be cannot simply write off the poor perception of the brand without taking on some of the blame and responsibility.
The newly published Keep Up website that supposedly provides Australian fans with a one-stop shop to satisfy their football appetites is nothing short of useless.
Seemingly more interested in EPL, Serie A and La Liga content, the space and quality invested in A-Leagues coverage is an insult to the average fan, especially when considered up against the previous site that at least attempted to focus keenly on the domestic competitions.
Whoever ticked off on the site needs a serious lesson in reading the room and a desire to value the A-Leagues in a far more exclusive way.
(Photo by Jono Searle/Getty Images)
The A-League club owners, people supposedly well aware of the value of branding and the imaging required to sell a product, have done little from an advertising and/or marketing perspective to alter perceptions around the competitions, despite now having control over the purse-strings and the commercial vision being implemented.
Despite Network Ten’s fresh involvement in Australian football and some early promise, there does not appear to have been any significant change in approach from those crafting the corporate attractiveness of the A-Leagues from head office.
Rather, a seeming reliance on the broadcaster to carry the load and the same issues with ticket prices, scheduling and over-policing of keen fans dominating the narrative, rather than fans seeing any tangible or real change that could potentially alter the perception of the brand.
Moreover, Ten are far from devoid of responsibility when it comes to brand creation, with at least this football writer butting heads with a shut door in search of an interview with Georgia Yeoman-Dale and her rise as a female and integral member of the analytical coverage of the game.
Neither the network nor her own management have responded to countless approaches from a writer attempting to pump the tyres of both the broadcaster and someone looming as one of their stars.
In short, despite so much recent change and hope, the A-Leagues still appear as they ever did to the average Australian sports fan. Some might suggest that is nothing to be concerned with, citing the fact that people not interested in football will never be.
I differ, quite strongly actually, believing that earning the respect of even those not particularly interested in your game through creative and effective brand management, betters the game itself and will ultimately sneak a few new fans along the way.
A-League football might not be every Australian’s cup of tea. Yet presenting a slick version of the game with extensive promotion and matching digital content should be a no-brainer in current times.
At the moment, the seemingly absent brand management of the A-Leagues is making it very, very easy for many people to continue to dislike them.