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Joined September 2009
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Published writer, football tragic and serial volunteer. Dreaming of the day Australia wins the world cup - at any level.
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The Novak Djokovic versus Australia saga has captured the world’s attention not just for the Djoker's actions but also for the way the country…
I couldn't believe the press. All the doom and gloom from the pundits, and leading the charge, or at least getting the most headlines,…
Major media outlets across Australia continue to bash football and the A-League. A recent Herald Sun article with the headline "Soccer in crisis" continued…
The A-League is finally commanding large chunks of real-estate on the pages of our nation's newspapers, but sadly it's for all the wrong reasons.…
[caption id="attachment_13488" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Australia\'s Mark Viduka with Soccer Australia President Frank Lowry after Australia defeated Uruguay during the 2006 FIFA World Cup Qualifier…
[caption id="attachment_14584" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Central Coast Mariners players (L to R) Tom Pendeljak, Matthew Simon and John Hutchinson sit dejected after loosing 0-1 to…
Thanks @Richie, very kind of you, mate.
Why the Djokovic case has more on the line than just tennis
Hi @jameswm, yes it was but hopefully the main points of the article still ring true.
Why the Djokovic case has more on the line than just tennis
True Lionheart, an expanded A-league will provide more opportunities for young kids to play at the highest level. Right now they are being choked out by players being brought in from o/s or traded from one club to another.
Foz, take a chill pill - we needed Van Marwijk
Yeah MQ, the Mexico example is a great one. Thanks for the comment.
Foz, take a chill pill - we needed Van Marwijk
Great article.
You only have to go to a place like the “Total Girl” tourno in Ballarat to see just how huge Girls and Women’s Football is becoming in this nation.
The sport needs people like you to champion it and bring it to the attention of others, our achievements with the W-league and at a national level have been nothing short of outstanding.
Keep blogging and commenting on the women’s game, the sport needs people like you just as much as it does a Lisa De Vanna.
Women's football is really taking off
Thanks Spanner. You’ve wrapped up exactly what I’m trying to get across. Couldn’t agree more.
Give the fans a voice and crowds will increase
Hi Pippinu, yep, good question.
In a nutshell, when I talk about ownership and buy in I talk about kids and adults using terms like “my club is Adelaide”, “Our family supports Sydney.” I talk about the sense that people have of belonging to the community of a club and investing their time and emotions into the success of that club by going to fan days, matches, award nights, by creating blogs, putting pictures of their favourite A-league players on their facebook or myspace pages and so on. By doing this they have bought into the clubs future and feel a sense of ownership by using “My”, “Ours”.
I talk to a lot of kids these days who play fooball and when I ask them who they support, they say, Chelsea, Man U etc and it breaks my heart. Even parents that are passionate about football, still haven’t bought into the A-league and still talk in terms of Celtic, Juventus…
There’s nothing wrong with ex-pats supporting their old country teams and feeling an association to them but I dream of the day when I ask a bunch of kids who they support and they all yell out an A-league club, or when a parent says I’ll always follow Celtic but now that I’m here in Australia I’ll follow Perth Glory as well because they’re ‘My’ team.
cheers
Joe.
Give the fans a voice and crowds will increase
Freud of Football, thanks for taking the time to comment, debate is exactly what we need if we’re going to get football to where it needs to be.
The most important factor in any marketing campaign is return on investment per dollar spend. Email still costs time and requires resources to prepare and very few of the mums and dads I talk to have signed up or taken their kids to an A-league game as a result of email (I’ve been involved in grassroots football as a coach, administrator, player, website owner for over 30 years so I get to speak to a lot of parents).
However, get Archie Thompson or Kevin Muscat (as our local club did with Melbourne Victory’s blessing and sponsorship) down to the local clubs to speak to the kids, or take a training session, sign autographs and parents sign up for memberships there and then.
There is certainly a cost to clubs for releasing their players but I don’t think the cost is prohibitive and the results in my experience have been a huge return for the investment.
Many people do read emails on the A-League, but its the mums and dads of grassroots football that the A-League need to win over to ensure growth and prosperity, and I’m not sure the message is getting through to them.
My point on email is that the FFA and A-League clubs should not rely on it as the sole communication method and for winning new members. And getting the message to the grassroots via player visits certainly would not break the bank in terms of cost.
My opinion only and I respect yours and welcome the debate because it’s passionate people like those who are willing to contribute their time to write passionately about football and raise questions that we need.
Give the fans a voice and crowds will increase
Wow, @boredofstudents, thanks for the reply, you have raised some valuable points. Much appreciated, brother.
Why the Djokovic case has more on the line than just tennis