A World Cup that Australia qualifies for always gives football a bit of a boost, but the A-League doesnât really see much of an increase in interest.
I think if there has ever been a time where the A-League will benefit the most from a World Cup, itâs now. With so many players in the Socceroos squad, itâs a fantastic ad for the domestic league.
I remember when I first started watching some of the A-League, Brett Emerton and Harry Kewell were the only real recognisable names for outsiders like myself (I did know Nicky Carle, but because of his fringe socceroos involvement). It was one of the reasons why I showed interest.
For anyone whoâs been watching the Socceroos this campaign, they can tune in to some A-League games and recognise players, including 2 goal scorers (Goodwin and Leckie).
The timing is also impeccable; the A-League resumes in little over a week, so anyone who has been enjoying watching the world cup games can continue watching football involving the Socceroos squad, and they can even go and experience a live game.
100% correct, it just needs to be marketed. Under the FFA, they assumed that, just by playing in the World Cup, they could get more interest without a more organized marketing approach. It essentially failed as no one linked the two.
Once the Socceroos are back, they need to push the fact that theyâve matched our most successful team ever (at this stage) . They need to get interviews with all the local players and get them up on a pedestal. We have Redmayne whoâs amazingly marketable, now they need to push the rest.
TBF, not too many ardent A-Liga fans were expecting much out of this campaign, so there was a distinct possibility of having the taint of âwanna see some of the guys from the team that got a 0-0 draw and spanked twice without scoring a goal? Well, come on down to the A-League!!!â which isnât a great story to invest our scarce money on with the WWC looming.
Fair call. But I was thinking the previous Asian Cup and World Cup campaigns. The FFA did nothing to capitalize on our game
Weâll just loop, this a quote from an article after Australia qualified in 1974
The high hopes of soccer administrators that the World Cup excitement will immediately swell crowds at club games are little more than pipedreams.
Although crowds in Victoria are fractionally up, I have yet to meet a âWorld Cup convertâ who says he will now watch club matches.
Invariably, they tell you: âIâll watch the English matches on TV but the local stuff is rubbish.â
Just need some targeted advertising invoking Goodwin and Leckie in particular
Something where their jersey flickers between club/country on a video of them converting their chances will do.
Of the starting eleven this morning:
8 have played in the A League,
2 currently play in the A League including the goalscorer.
2 of the 4 substitutes have played in the A League, one currently.
One of the unused substitutes has cut like status in another country and has crossover mainstream appeal here.
If the APL with all of the extra capital canât make something out of that then we may as well fold the league.
I think we are underestimating the lengths âfootballâ people will go to to not support the a-league. There is always a trendy reason among that set as to why the a-league is crap - I have come to the conclusion that no matter how we go at the WC (or winning the AC), people will find a reason why they donât want to support their local a-league team. IF everyone who said they were a football person turned up regularly, we would have full stadiums every weekend, but instead we have facebook comment sections still calling it he b-league and other such junk
Yeah irregardless of what we do at a world cup the whole âEPL is just better qualityâ argument wont be negated.
The need to do the whole A - B thing of Leckie/Goodwin scoring at the WC and scoring for City/Adelaide. Duke/Cumdingo/Kuol/Atkinson/Macca etc, anyone whoâs played here very recently.
Itâll be a hundred years before it compares to EPL âqualityâ. Convert one person at a time, and go from there. Anyone who matters will follow.
Those pricks who just want to criticise in online comments sections can stay at home wasting their lives, likely to never actually see âtheirâ team play.
Talked to someone today who just assumed Leckie was still bundesliga, then surprised he was playing here, then immediately went to assumption he would be straight back overseas now. Some interesting cognitive dissonance to avoid any acknowledgement that decent players can in fact play in the ALeague
We could go on and win the whole thing and some people will say âWell you didnât play Italyâ or âif England didnât have injuries â etc etc
Australians who claim to be football people but donât watch the A League are idiots if you ask me so their opinion doesnât matter. Itâs like saying I canât drive my car as itâs not a BMW 7 series. You enjoy what you have ffs
I think the big thing to be taken from this is that we are starting to see results flowing through from having a successful domestic competition after the hiatus between the NSL and the A league.
We will never become a major football power over night it will be a gradual process, but hopefully we are heading in the right direction.
Each clubs gets US$10k a day for each player at the World Cup. For the Mariners that is an extra A$150k for the Roos qualifying for the next round. They will close to a million out of this.
which is why you donât try to convince the Euro snobs. You try and convince the casuals and the kids
Kids are key⊠my two eldest come now (seven and 10) and they both want to get into the cove and join in the singingâŠ.
Yep, agree kids are the key. When I first joined SFC as a member it was in the hope that our membership $$$ would make the league a better product for my kids to enjoy when they were adults. Has already paid off - my 14 year-old is passionate for Sydney but also follows Man U because heaps of kids at school still follow Premier League⊠but kids are smart enough to be able to follow both leagues without expecting that A-league will compare in skill level to Prem. Thereâs lots of kids we know in similar situation
