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Roar Rookie
Joined April 2019
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Canberra-based Football fan
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Mike Tuckerman’s excellent recent article contains a short list of some of the silliest, most tin-eared decisions A-League clubs and league organisers have made to alienate their customers.
Earlier this week the Association of Australian Football Clubs chairman Nick Galatas gave an update on how things are tracking on the Championship, the proposed national second division for football in Australia.
In Episode 3 of the Soccer Doctors podcast Andy Harper floated an idea that private schools should step up and invest in licenses to join the SAP/NPL system. At first glance this idea has some merit.
We have the biggest amateur and semi-professional sport in the country, not just counted through official Football Australia stats but also through the large ecosystem of futsal, indoor soccer and private school leagues and so forth that sits off to the side.
I generally don’t like piling onto coaches but I don’t see the point of being Arnie In. We’re all well aware of what his limits are.
He, and football more generally, are better off with him back in his A-League comfort zone
Are you 'Arnie In' or 'Arnie Out' when it comes to Australia's national teams?
I’ve always been attracted to football because of the raucousness of crowds. Real tribal energy.
games just aren’t the same without crowds so it has been a really nice change getting atmosphere back
Euro 2020 is a reminder of how good football is with fans in the stands
Every sport, particularly at its top end, moulds its players fitness to match the specific needs of the sport. There’s not much to be learnt from comparisons
Which football code has the fittest players in terms of strength, speed and aerobic fitness?
It’s almost like they’re playing different sports
Which football code has the fittest players in terms of strength, speed and aerobic fitness?
Has anyone heard if the deal is for a summer or winter-centred league?
A new broadcast deal is fantastic news for the A-League
TBH I barely even remember that the ABC had games on. Was always watching on my phone instead
A new broadcast deal is fantastic news for the A-League
There’s more to be gained from NOT sharing a network with other codes. We won’t be fighting for respect and attention from our own broadcaster
A new broadcast deal is fantastic news for the A-League
I enjoyed Boz for many years but he really seems to have become a belligerent old codger recently.
10/Paramount can now cherry-pick the best of the on-air talent. Hoping for Mr Hill like everyone else is. Adam Peacock? Hopefully some of the journalists like Dave Davutovic jump from Optus to Paramount too
A new broadcast deal is fantastic news for the A-League
No-one should underestimate how good it will be getting the Match of the Week on FTA.
Fox Sports always kept the best match-ups for itself and the FTA partner was left with the leftovers. That means we were long denied showcasing the Derbies and best rivalries from being exposed to a broad audience. It also meant that casual and part-time viewers were only ever exposed to 2nd rate matches.
This is a nice step forward for the coming years
A new broadcast deal is fantastic news for the A-League
Is your username a 12th Man reference? 😂
The A-League doesn’t respect its customers - and its customers don’t respect the A-League
Not at all. They’re also in the property business.
Westfield’s business model is buying well located land, developing a mall on the site and attracting dozens of lessees. Westfield isn’t in the business of bringing customers into anyone’s particular store, that’s the stores’ problem.
It’s not unlike how the A-League was run. They brought about the league, issued a fixed number of licences to franchisees and then left it up to the franchisees to find the end “customer” aka Fans.
We should have put greater emphasis on selecting clubs based on ability to create fan bases and play solid football. Those weren’t important enough factors in who was given licences…
The A-League doesn’t respect its customers - and its customers don’t respect the A-League
Lyle Gorman was widely respected in the game for how we got the Wanderers off the ground. There was strong early engagement with would-be fans. They listened to fans and let them determine the club’s name and colours. Hugely important elements of collective identity. And allowed the RBB to coalesce and become the public face of the club. He’s now with the Sea Eagles after being recruited into the NRL by Cronulla.
We sometimes get the right people into running the game. Just not enough of them, and not for long enough.
The A-League doesn’t respect its customers - and its customers don’t respect the A-League
Honestly I think the S.Lowy-Gallop administration got intimidated by the RBB and the hate campaign they received from the Daily Telegraph. Afraid of their shadows after that.
The A-League doesn’t respect its customers - and its customers don’t respect the A-League
This is what losing the Trust & Confidence of fans looks like. The majority of local football fans I know have lapsed for these reasons.
The A-League doesn’t respect its customers - and its customers don’t respect the A-League
The distinction is between business people that are used to maintaining relationships with massive numbers of people, versus those who are good at deal-making and acquiring assets.
The proof of the pudding is in the eating. The two latest franchisees have yet to prove they can create a fan base for their clubs.
The A-League doesn’t respect its customers - and its customers don’t respect the A-League
thanks Mike
The A-League doesn’t respect its customers - and its customers don’t respect the A-League
Can you elaborate on Queensland’s issues?
The A-League must end its obsession with bad ideas
the latter batch of reasons are ultimately caused by the lack of the former. Sort out the planning and you create the conditions for the rest to fall into place
The rise, fall and rise again of Japanese football that we should have learnt from
Good article mate. It’s a reminder that having a strategy and investing behind it yields results and continuous improvement.
In Australia we prefer to bumble along and hope for the best.
The rise, fall and rise again of Japanese football that we should have learnt from
$2m travel costs per club per season?!
Think about our own personal or business expenses. Interstate travel and accommodation of $1,000 per head is super generous for a weekend. At that cost a travelling party of 25 people will cost $25,000 per away game.
With 12 away games (arbitrary figure) the annual travel and accommodation budget is $300,000. AAFC estimate is $250k per club per season.
We’re no longer in prohibitive territory here. It’s feasible and plausible.
Why the A-League clubs just might fear the Championship
Cards on the table mate. How much do you think it will cost each club to be involved, and how much to run the league?
Why the A-League clubs just might fear the Championship
“nothing stopping them”. It’s FA that is stopping them. Can’t play in an unsanctioned league without consequences for the players, managers and clubs.
They do have enough money to get started. And they are keeping expenditure and ambitions modest. The additional costs in stepping up from the NPL will not be earth-shattering. The clubs expect more fan engagement and sponsorship to cover the travel and accommodation costs.
They just need permission.
Why the A-League clubs just might fear the Championship
Completely agree. There’s also a dynamic of TV audiences following attendances. Big crowds, big noise, big colour attracts and retains viewers in a way empty stadiums can’t.
If we want to be very successful, we need to build crowds as a priority, and put TV scheduling as a second order matter. We’ve had crowds screwed over by Foxtel scheduling in the past
Why the A-League and Super Rugby are so far from matching the AFL and NRL
But not really. It’s a year round sport. Most domestic seasons last 9 months. Some 10.
Even for “winter” leagues they will still kick off their seasons at the tail end of summer.
The Euros was just played in the middle of Summer
The Winter v Summer debate is a false binary
Are you 'Arnie In' or 'Arnie Out' when it comes to Australia's national teams?