Channel 10 and Paramount+ have hit the ground running

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Adelaide players appear on Studio 10 CREDIT: ADELAIDE UNITED

Channel 10 and Paramount have hit the ground running by promoting the A-League to both casual fans and bolted-on supporters, and Australian football will only continue to benefit from their commitment towards promoting the beautiful game.

Fans are already relishing the increased accessibility created by a new broadcast deal. To watch all the A-League games previously, it would cost $25 a month for a Kayo Sports basic subscription, compared to the $9 a month a fan will pay next season for a Paramount+ subscription.

Paramount+ has created an ingenious way to win over A-League members through collaboration with their clubs. The offer – with assistance from Australian Professional Leagues (APL) – subsidises and reduces the cost of a subscription to Paramount+ for A-League members and is a winner with nothing but positive feedback from supporters. Currently, the best was an early bird offer from Melbourne Victory for $60 a year (which has now expired), however most clubs are offering a yearly subscription for around $75.

This has helped alleviate fears that there are too many platforms to watch football, and that costs could become too high. This move by ViacomCBS will certainly garner goodwill and positivity from the people who make up the backbone of A-League support.

While Foxtel was a great partner to the A-League for many years, which allowed an Australian top-flight league to stay relatively stable during its tenure as a broadcaster, in recent years football in Australia has stagnated. The ability to introduce the A-League to not just sports fans, but also casual fans is the biggest strength of the partnership between the league and Channel 10.

Studio 10 featured an interview with Adelaide players Stefan Mauk and Kusini Yengi, and we are surely going to see more of these exclusives featured as we approach the beginning of the A-League regular season. We are already seeing cross-promotion of the A-League through their other shows and news programs. Melbourne Victory’s former talismanic striker Archie Thompson is appearing on Celebrity Masterchef, in a crossover attempt to win over casual viewers. When the A-League season begins, you can only imagine how this coverage will expand and feature in the channel’s line-up.

The coverage of football in Channel 10’s news bulletins and programs has changed recently. The A-League has never seen transfers and news being prioritised in the way they are now on a free-to-air commercial station, and this can only be good for the game. Each night the network makes up around 17% of all TV viewership Australia-wide, and the possibilities for cross-promotional activity have only just scratched the surface. 10 News First regularly draws over 500,000 people for their nightly show, and introducing A-League stars with the league itself to these viewers can produce growth and exposure like Australian football has never seen before.

The new broadcast deal for next season is an opportunity for the A-League to refresh itself, and ViacomCBS are certainly giving it their all to ensure this happens. Channel 10 appears to be going all-in on ensuring the opportunity to market Australian football to a new audience is not being wasted. A challenge for the A-League and Channel 10 will be finding a way to reach the large number of lapsed fans who have stopped following the A-League for various reasons.

The next step for Paramount+ and 10 is ensuring they have the right broadcast team in place for games.  Fox Sport’s A-League commentators have been maligned in recent years, however there are passionate and skilled play-by-play announcers who are waiting to be picked up. Simon Hill is currently freelancing for Optus Sport and would be a shrewd pickup as lead announcer for A-League games. Rumours of his acquisition by 10 circulated earlier this year, and he is proven quality who is dedicated and knowledgeable about Australian football.

Australian football could see a change in fortune if ViacomCBS can continue to expand upon this level of promotion for the A-League. By engaging new fans, ensuring lapsed fans are reached, and continuing to offer value to the committed and faithful, Channel 10 and Paramount+ can build upon the strong foundations that they have already laid before the season has even kicked off.

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SGM-TCK Partnership Enhances Youth Sports Events

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SGM TCK
Image Credit: Youth Super Cup

Sports Group Melbourne (SGM) has embraced TheCoachKart (TCK) as an Official Partner for 2025 in a bold new collaboration.

Through the new partnership TheCoachKart will become heavily involved in Sports Group Melbourne’s elite competitions – the Youth Super Cup and Junior Champions League.

As part of the deal, TCK will gain sponsor naming rights for the key “YSC Pre-Season Coach of the Tournament” award, in addition to a comprehensive digital presence across the YSC media sphere. Furthermore, TCK will feature heavily across YSC events by presenting their products on gamedays and showcasing co-branded products with SGM. To further boost their appeal across the YSC, TCK will also launch branded activations such as pop-up displays across the tournament.

TheCoachKart kickstarted their partnership with Sports Group Melbourne yesterday at round 2 of the Youth Super Cup Pre-Season on Sunday 16 March, showcasing their products to onlookers and giving clubs the chance to order exciting custom-made clothing. TCK will return to the competition on Sunday March 23 for the YSC Pre-Season Finals Round, granting the organisation further experience with SGM’s competitions and allowing event participants to become more familiar with a valuable supporter of youth sport in Victoria.

Representative of Mondo Sportivo Group, Chris Jackson expressed TCK’s excitement for the collaboration with SGM.

“TheCoachKart is thrilled to partner with SGM, the premier organiser of junior sporting events in Victoria, combining forces to deliver great product to SGM events and participants,” he said in a press release.

The partnership between the two organisations details their intertwined commitment to excellence and developing the world’s game through supporting tomorrow’s stars. To ensure progress is continual and efficient, TCK is dedicated to assisting coaches through granting them elite level products to thrive in the rigours of competition.

After the conclusion of the Youth Super Cup, TheCoachKart will continue to work with Sports Group Melbourne via the exciting Junior Champions League competition, beginning May 2025.

 

 

A-League Transfer Revenue Soars as Youth Development Takes Centre Stage

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Image credit: Imago

The A-League reported last week that Australia’s international transfer revenue has increased by a staggering 1344% over the past three years.

With 2023/24 recording transfer revenue of $16.5 million and 2024/25 reaching $16.9 million, these figures represent a significant improvement compared to the 2022 season, which recorded just $4.17 million in revenue.

This growth coincides with recent data from the A-League showing that the 2024/25 season has seen 39% of A-League minutes played by under-23 players, compared to just 18% in the 2023/24 season and 13% in the 2022/23 season.

This indicates that this season alone has seen a 26% increase in overall minutes played by young players since 2022.

The result of this rise in youth talent is evident with Australia qualifying for the Under-20 Men’s World Cup for the first time in more than a decade and, just last week, lifting the trophy at the Under-20 Asian Cup.

The A-League’s recent success in youth playing time is directly intertwined with the rise in transfer revenue.

This increase in youth participation has emerged as a silver lining from tough times in the league.

In the most recent “Off the Pitch” podcast from Soccerscene, guest speaker Gary Cole, current president of Football Coaches Australia, provided his professional insight into one of these situations.

He explained that the COVID-19 crisis and the financial constraints placed on A-League clubs forced them to look inwards for talent.

Another recent catalyst has been the reduction in funding from the Australian Professional Leagues.

With funding decreasing from $2 million to $500,000 in 2024, clubs have faced difficult financial decisions regarding their budgets.

Players from club academies or even NPL clubs are far more cost-effective for club budgets than more expensive signings.

Additionally, their selling and transfer value provides a huge boost to club revenues.

These events are not coincidental but are catalysts for the rise in homegrown talent testing their skills and showcasing their quality on the big stage.

It demonstrates how, during tough times for the league, supporting youth development has become a key part of the league’s success and represents a profitable and dynamic opportunity for the future.

This opportunity to produce and showcase players to increase Australian youth football standards and therefore transfer value is a proven strategy in football.

Ajax’s Academy is renowned for developing class players and has for many years been a funnel for building their academy graduates and selling players for a profit.

In South America, Brazilian and Argentinian clubs such as River Plate, Boca Juniors, Fluminense and Flamengo have been persistent sources of footballing talent.

Selling stars like Vinicius and Julian Alvarez to Europe for significant financial benefits while still maintaining a healthy domestic talent structure and international success.

Importantly, the common factor in these successful systems is regular first-team minutes at their clubs and even on the international stage.

The evidence from A-League transfer revenues is fitting this pattern.

One must point out that, though this is a great revenue source and a way to place Australian football on the map, this focus can have an adverse effect on the domestic scene.

Football fans are passionate about their clubs, and nothing brings out more pride than watching one of their own prospects grow and play for them.

To use academy players primarily as revenue-building prospects can undermine the important place they have at the club and the overall goal of academies.

This could potentially alienate fan bases, impacting popularity and therefore the quality and financial interests of the league.

Transfer revenue should not be the central response to the league’s current financial burdens.

Being realistic about the position of the A-League in the international football hierarchy is crucial, though ambitions for the league to climb cannot be sidelined.

The rise in player transfer revenue presents an enticing prospect for investment and brings increased popularity.

Players themselves also have their own dreams and aspirations that must be taken into account, which can also encourage transfers and revenue.

Currently, the A-League has the unique opportunity to give its promising young players the chance to play top-level football while producing significant revenue and attracting sponsorship.

Australians playing overseas and at home, puts Australia on the map and solidifies our rise in the footballing scene.

If the focus on homegrown talent is managed well, Australian football will reap huge rewards.

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