How a national second division could use mobile-only ticketing

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While mobile ticketing has been around for over a decade, its presence is only increasing with some sporting events starting to move to mobile-only ticketing.

In 2019, U.S. Soccer extended a deal with its official ticketing provider Ticketmaster. The deal included plans to use Ticketmaster Presence a platform which replaces paper tickets with digital passes.

Most MLS clubs have been moving to mobile ticketing over the last few years with the Seattle Sounders in 2016 becoming the first MLS team to go fully mobile.

The MLS offers mobile ticketing via the league’s official app and MLS club apps.

There are now many ticketing platforms which offer mobile ticketing.

Australian soccer could use a platform such as TicketCo.

TicketCo was launched in 2013 with an aim to create a user-friendly ticketing solution.

“By providing a frictionless payment journey for the public and a single point of administration for the event organiser, TicketCo is creating the best value for both users and organisers. Through TicketCo organisers can sell both tickets, food and beverages, merchandise and accommodation,” TicketCo said on their website.

Here are the major reasons why Australian soccer should consider a move to mobile only ticketing.

COVID safe

The contactless aspect to mobile ticketing makes the technology extremely important as the FFA will be looking into how to get as many fans into stadiums safely during the pandemic.

TicketCo UK Country Manager David Kenny told fc business of the tracking and tracing ability of the TicketCo platform.

“Our traceability feature can enable football clubs to accurately record the details of everyone who enters the stadium. It works by scanning the ID of the supporter, or colleague when they enter the stadium, via a smartphone or tablet,” Kenny said.

“The information would then be stored accordance with GDPR regulation for the period required by the government for tracing. Once the time frame expires the data would automatically be deleted via an automated process.”

Self-scanning technology for mobile tickets is already in place at the major stadiums in Australia. While it may be expensive for NPL clubs to put this technology in place, it can be integrated quickly.

TicketCo can be integrated into a stadium within two weeks.

David Kenny also believes that the technology is “accessible and affordable to all clubs”.

Convenience and flexibility

Some US colleges have also decided to use mobile only ticketing for their sporting events based on the convenience and flexibility mobile ticketing offers. For the 2020/21 seasons the University of Arkansas and Florida Atlantic University have opted to move to digital ticketing systems.

Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics at the University of Arkansas, Hunter Yurachek said that mobile ticketing options had been successful in previous seasons.

“Whether it is transferring tickets to family or friends, getting the latest update on gameday changes or self-scanning themselves into the event, our fans now can manage their tickets, at their convenience, by utilizing their smart phones,” he said

“No longer do fans need to worry about forgetting tickets at home or in the car. With mobile ticketing, our fans literally have all of the gameday options they need right in the palm of their hand.”

Florida Atlantic University shared a similar sentiment when announcing their move to mobile only ticketing.

“(A) new and convenient way for fans to access tickets to FAU home games directly on their smartphone. Ease and flexibility to transfer tickets to friends and family,” they said.

Live-streaming

The TicketCo platform can also be used to live-stream matches with both pay-per-view and video on demand options for TicketCo TV.

David Kenny said that the live streams can be viewed on Apple TV and Android TV.

“If stadiums remain closed live streaming will become a key issue. And once physical crowds are welcomed back clubs can simply host ‘hybrid events’ by selling tickets to the stadium alongside virtual tickets,” he said.

“Introducing a robust live streaming solution now will be a sound long term investment for football clubs.”

Either by using the TicketCo platform or adapting similar technology into its own My Football Live app the FFA could create a single area where fans would be able to access both live-streams and tickets.

This would make it very straightforward for fans to have their tickets or view live-streams for Socceroos, Matildas, A-League, W-League, NPL and the new National second division matches.

Data

The data from mobile ticketing, can tell organisers who bought tickets, who tickets were transferred to and who actually attended the event. This would be useful to help market the game.

The demographics of attendees could be analysed to give the FFA an specific idea of who their audience is.

With several benefits to mobile only ticketing, digital only tickets could soon become a reality for Australian soccer.

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WA Government and Virgin Australia Partner to Bring Discounted Flights for Italian Football Series in Perth

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The Western Australian Government has partnered with Virgin Australia to offer discounted airfares to Perth ahead of a three-match series featuring AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus and Palermo, in a move that reflects how state governments are increasingly using major sporting fixtures as tools of tourism and economic strategy.

Subsidising travel costs rather than simply promoting the matches signals a shift in how state governments are approaching major sporting events. WA Tourism Minister Reece Whitby positioned the series within the state’s broader Winter of Unmissable Sport strategy, framing the partnership as a way to fill hotels, support local businesses and generate visible economic activity across a single week of programming. That logic places football alongside other major events states have used to justify public investment in visitor attraction, where the return is measured in tourism spend rather than ticket revenue alone.

A bet on Australia’s appetite for European football

Touring Italian clubs is not a routine occurrence in Australia, and Sport and Recreation Minister Rita Saffioti’s comments point to an underlying assumption behind the investment: that the existing fan base for European football in Australia is substantial enough to justify a state government underwriting travel costs to fill a stadium on the other side of the country.

Australian audiences for international football have grown considerably over the past decade, driven by streaming access, diaspora communities and the rising visibility of leagues once difficult to follow locally. State governments positioning themselves to capture economic value from that growth, rather than leaving it to broadcasters and travel operators, marks a change in how football’s commercial footprint in Australia is being treated by policymakers.

It also raises a question likely to recur as more international club fixtures are scheduled in Australian cities: whether public subsidy for travel around marquee football events delivers economic value beyond the host city, or whether the benefit is concentrated narrowly within the host state’s tourism and hospitality sectors. Virgin Australia’s involvement reflects the commercial logic on the airline side, with the partnership forming part of a broader push to connect Australians with major domestic and international destinations.

For the domestic football industry, the series is a reminder that international club football is competing for the same audience attention as the A-Leagues and grassroots competitions. Whether that competition proves complementary or extractive, in terms of where football-related spending in Australia ultimately lands, is a question state and national football bodies are likely to watch closely as similar fixtures become more frequent.

Build a home, create a culture: How do we secure the Socceroos as global competitors?

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Image credit: FiledIMAGE / Shutterstock.com

The Socceroos kicked off their World Cup campaign with a convincing 2-0 win over Turkey. It was an important win for their tournament ambitions, but also a statement about their quality on the world stage. It is time that we built a facility to ensure this quality is nurtured, not stifled.

Otherwise, we risk falling behind.

 

One of four…

Australia’s Men’s National Team currently sits as the 23rd-ranked team in the world in the official FIFA rankings. The Matildas, meanwhile, are the 15th highest-ranked women’s team.

This year is also the sixth consecutive FIFA Men’s World Cup featuring the Socceroos, confirming their position as a regular competitor in the most prestigious tournament in world football.

So why is it, despite these undeniably positive reflections of Australia’s growth in international football, that the Socceroos are still homeless?

At the 2022 FIFA Men’s World Cup in Qatar, Australia was one of four competing teams (a list featuring Denmark, Poland and Senegal) without a national base. In 2024, former Socceroos coach Graham Arnold described the team as “homeless” ahead of the World Cup qualifiers.

But four years on from the tournament’s last edition, the situations remains the same. And the world is taking notice.

 

A letter to the PM

In April this year, FIFA reportedly wrote to Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, encouraging the construction of a permanent home for football in the country.

The letter reflects concerns within the governing body that Australia, despite being so present in international football throughout the past 25 years, may fall behind the rest of the pack.

When we look at the talent in the current squad, Australia is by no means an emerging football economy. But commercial and infrastructural limitations in the landscape mean this talent is under-appreciated.

Nevertheless, it is a nation which regularly proves it can compete – and win – on the biggest stage. This we saw only a few days ago.

Which is why the players, coaches and staff representing the nation deserve a permanent facility which reflects, nurtures and inspires talent and competition. The survival of the landscape depends on it.

 

The investment question

Investment into football – from grassroots to professional levels – continues to be at the crux of national debate on how to secure football’s future in Australia.

In a conversation between Soccerscene and Melbourne-based community club, Sunbury United FC, infrastructure and facility-sharing challenges emphasised common grievances for many grassroots clubs.

The issue, therefore, is spread across the nation’s football pyramid. And prompts an uncomfortable question about future investments:

If even the Socceroos continue to share their current base, Leichhardt Oval, with various teams across rugby league and soccer, how can we ever expect clubs further down the pyramid to avoid similar fates?

The past few years, however, have fortunately seen improved investment into the women’s game in Australia – particularly embodied by the ‘Home of the Matildas’.

The result of a $101.1 million investment by the Victorian Government in collaboration with La Trobe University and the Federal Government, the facility boasts elite training features including premium FIFA-standard pitches, multiple changing rooms, a high-performance gym, a sports science lab and more.

This was a welcome and vital boost ahead of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup which took place in Australia. Now, ever-increasing participation and pride are synonymous with women’s football, and the numbers confirm it.

In 2023, women and girls represented 190,746 participants across social, outdoor, fustal and registered football. In 2025, this increased to 231,435. It proves that, with the arrival of purposeful investment at the top, comes the spread of a football culture across the nation.

 

Aligning practical and cultural benefits

But what would a potential facility for the Socceroos actually look like? And what are the benefits?

When considering similar projects, we can look to both Japan and England as distinct examples of how a national base for football can unite practical, social and cultural benefits.

St George’s Park – England

Built in 2012, England’s base at St George’s Park is a masterclass in using facilities to establish a centre for industry cohesion and community impact.

As a centre of excellence, St George’s Park holds 14 outdoor pitches, a fustal arena, and hosts coaching and medical courses. It welcomes 28 teams across men’s, women’s, youth and para football, representing a place of unity and alignment for the entire football community.

Furthermore, the ‘Play Like the Pride’ program offers grassroots participants and school students the chance to experience the elite facilities for a day, showing how facilities can serve to connect young players to the world of their professional idols and foster real passion for the game.

JFA J-Village – Japan

The J-Village – beyond being a state-of-the-art football training centre – shows why a home for football can positively impact the community.

After being used as a support base for the nuclear power plant accident following the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, the venue now holds a deeply important place in the memory of Fukishima. As a result, upon resuming full operations in 2019, the facility – and the football development within it – represented a sense of perseverance, reconstruction and unity.

And through hotels and public transportation links, the J-Village also welcomes tourists and business travellers, encouraging more people to step into the world of football in Japan.

One venue, therefore, can give rise to an essential part of a thriving football landscape: culture. A culture for participation, community outreach, and elite development.

 

Final thoughts

The focus of the summer will no doubt be how the Socceroos perform on the pitch. And with homes, offices, and public spaces brimming with enthusiastic support, the sense of national pride is irresistible.

But for all the positive sentiment currently taking hold of the nation, there will come a time when Australia’s World Cup run is over, at which point an all-important question must be asked:

How do we move forward?

We move forward by transforming buzz into an aligned vision, commitment to nurturing talent, and a desire to establish a real footballing culture across the nation.

The first step to building this culture? Building a home from which it can thrive.

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