Filopoulos’ defence of football proves he is the right man to unite and lead the domestic game

PEter Filopoulos Football Victoria

In an administrative career spanning near a quarter of a century, CEO of Football Victoria Peter Filopoulos has forged a reputation as not only an effective but also one of the most respected figures on Australia’s sporting landscape.

Recently, and with the A-League’s newly granted independence, his name has been prominent in discussions around the people required to use the new financial freedoms gained to advance and transform the competition into what we have always hoped it would become.

Whilst other candidates will also have fair and valid claims on such a role, Filopoulos’ achievements in business and commercial and marketing strategy within the game of football make him a highly desirable candidate.

The short term future looms as a vital period of potential growth of the national league; a league so oft maligned yet one fundamental to the overall image of the beautiful game in Australia. Having the right people in place is the first and most important step in ensuring that prudent and visionary moves are made and not the reactionary and conservative decisions of the past made by Football Federation Australia.

Filopoulos has experience across a range of sports and thus, a keen understanding of the unique and saturated Australian sporting market. Experience in aquatics and stadium management add a depth to his arsenal of talents, yet it his 8 years of experience in AFL administration that came clearly into focus this week.

Long before the significant role he played in rescuing Perth Glory; as he guided the club through its horrid salary cap problems stemming from 2014/15, Filopoulos had spent eight years in AFL club land. Both Hawthorn and North Melbourne enjoyed the fruits of his labour.

Last Saturday, the Richmond Tigers defeated the Greater Western Sydney Giants to claim the 2019 Premiership and Tigers fans celebrated their second title in three years with some passionate demonstrations of both pride and ecstasy in the streets of Melbourne.

The images were compelling, widely spread on social media and brought no qualm or concern. Until, that is, Peter Filopoulos stated publicly and categorically what a number of football fans were thinking.

He tweeted;

“Clearly a different perspective by media on AFL fans celebrating with flares and fireworks in public streets to soccer fans doing similar in the past. One’s a ’party getting started’ & the other is ’soccer fans rioting’. The headlines are starkly different. #FairGoForFootball”.

The message was succinct and quite simple. Had Melbourne Victory or Western Sydney Wanderers fans been captured celebrating in the same manner and the captions featured underneath the images been substituted with the usually obtuse and ill-informed nonsense spun by main stream media, a hullabaloo would have no doubt broken out.

Using the images captured on Saturday night and adding a headline or caption such as the one the Nine Network expressed through their Sydney based anchor Peter Overton in 2018, would have changed the contextual impression of the scene and fuelled an inaccurate stereotype.

After a few Wanderers fans had become somewhat over-zealous at a Sydney Derby, Overton labelled the events as a “a night of soccer violence’. It is not surprising in the slightest that such a label was not given to the events of Saturday, despite numerous reports of fans assaulting Victorian police and what appeared to be rampant disorder after the game.

Filopoulos said what needed to be said. Taking things one step further and writing formally to media organisations, the Victorian Government, AFL House and the FFA, should be his next move.

Many have lauded his comments and rightly so. Possessing a clear, long term vision for football in Australia, Filopoulos realises that the public relations slap in the face the media continues to serve up to football, holds back that vision and the game.

 

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A-League Reaches Historic Goal Milestone as Viewership Surges

A-League reach scoring and viewership record

Just this week the Isuzu UTE A-League has announced it has reached the 500-goal mark in record time this season in line with another recent report of another increase of viewership for the a-league.

Highlighting an exciting period of growth for the competition both on and off the pitch.

Western Sydney Wanderers defender Alex Gersbach’s strike against Western United on Sunday became the 500th goal of the 2024-25 campaign.

The milestone was achieved after just 150 matches, making it the fastest the league has ever reached this tally, surpassing last season’s record of 152 matches.

The current season’s goal-scoring rate dramatically outpaces historical comparisons.

During the 2000-01 National Soccer League season, it took 159 games to reach 150 goals, while the 1996-97 campaign required 161 matches. The 2022-23 season needed 163 games to hit similar numbers.

This scoring record was presented the same time as the encouraging news on the viewership front.

The A-Leagues reporting an 11% increase to last season in total viewership audience for 10+ and 10 Play according to recent data shared by the competition.

The league viewership currently sits at 3.96 million nationally and is expected to hit 4 million people at the end of the season.

This is a record increase of viewership and shows the popularity of the sport in a very saturated sporting market.

The twin developments of record-setting goal production and increased viewership point to a positive trajectory for Australian football and its ability to be an enjoyable an action-packed season for audiences.

The growth of the viewership should be built upon in coming seasons and proves that the league is continuing to grow traction.

One must point out if there is a connection between the number of goals and the rise in viewership.

The spread of goals however points towards not a league with huge differing quality of teams.

Another point to highlight, is that viewership is high is also being backed up by the active support at the grounds.

Big matches such as the Sydney Derby has brought in huge numbers, however, it will be at the end of the season if we see an all -round rise in ground attendance.

With this year also capping of the largest increase in transfer revenue and playing minutes for under 23 players.

These results points towards a wealth of quality players who can excite the league and develop its quality.

Also, with this comes the opportunity for increased transfer opportunities, revenue streams and sponsorship deals.

The potential for this league and its increasing popularity is something that needs to be supported and developed in the coming seasons.

SGM-TCK Partnership Enhances Youth Sports Events

SGM TCK

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.

 

 

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