The initiatives Australian football could adopt

Avatar

In a competitive sport media landscape, Australian football needs to adopt initiatives to remain relevant and gain advantages on its competitors.

La Liga are an organisation that has introduced several initiatives this year – the latest of which is a FanCam.

Last weekend the FanCam was launched, which captures the goal celebrations of La Liga players. Without fans in attendance players have been encouraged to celebrate towards the camera to connect with their fans.

The cameras will also be installed in all La Liga Smartbank (second division) stadiums.

“FanCam is another step towards improving and personalising our audiovisual product,” the director of La Liga’s audiovisual department, Melcior Soler said.

“With it we are going to give fans a much more personal and genuine view of the players, seeing up close how they celebrate their team’s goals.

“We trust in the players to realise the importance of celebrating their goals in front of the FanCam, because this puts them in direct contact with their fans.

“That’s why we are so convinced that their use of FanCam will increase, to the point that it is used all the time.”

Without further outbreaks fans are likely to attend A-League matches next season, however a FanCam could be still be introduced to add to the broadcast experience.

The goal celebrations would also be likely to be popular across social media and could be easily shared across platforms such as Instagram and TikTok.

Clubs could also fully embrace other platforms such as YouTube.

While there are currently no Australian football streaming series and it is not viable for A-League clubs to make full length documentaries – shorter content focusing on the pre-season or a series of matches during the season could be released on YouTube, to give fans a closer look into their favourite teams.

Head of Media and Communications at La Liga second division club RCD Mallorca, Albert Salas spoke about the importance of quality communication to the club’s fans.

“In La Liga, especially in the second and third divisions, clubs don’t normally have the resources to create content such as behind-the-scenes documentaries,” he said.

“We’re trying every week, every month to create content that communicates to our fans better than anyone else. Quality is key in the communications of the club.”

RCD Mallorca might be an unknown club to many Australian football fans, yet their YouTube channel was incredibly successful during the last season.

They did this by making the most of their opportunities, the club focused their content around player Takefusa Kubo, which saw a rise in Japanese fans of RCD Mallorca.

“We were the third club in La Liga with close to 2.4 million views, only behind Real Madrid on 4 million and FC Barcelona on 10 million in June 2020, thanks to a strategic plan based around him,” Salas said.

Augmented Reality is another area where several football leagues and broadcasters are introducing new initiatives to improve supporters experience from home.

BT Sport recently launched AR features for its broadcast of Premier League matches which allow for real time statistics to appear on pitch during the live match broadcast.

A 360 degree view option was also introduced alongside a ‘Stadium Experience’ giving supporters the opportunity to take virtual tours of stadiums.

BT Sport Chief Operating Officer Jamie Hindhaugh told SportsPro that the new products were not gimmicks.

“I hope you agree that all of them give you something that replaces the fact you can’t physically be there. I think that they are all credible products and they are all future-looking,” he said.

“I think that you are only seeing the tip of the iceberg in terms of what we are able to do here, collectively – both for our audiences and also our own production.

“Combined with our brilliant remote 4K HDR [programming] and, alongside the [mobile] features that we now have in place, I think it’s a phenomenal offering. We don’t over-index on these things either. What this is about is augmenting the fan experience.”

Football Federation Australia doesn’t necessarily have to be innovative, there are major leagues and organisations worldwide in football that are launching new concepts and ideas. However, the A-League and FFA should be watching what these organisations are doing and introduce initiatives that have the potential to be successful in Australia.

Previous ArticleNext Article

The A-Leagues Final Series important status also a secret hinderance

Avatar

The Isuzu A-League finals series is a huge event in the footballing calendar, though its contribution to stagnant attendance numbers in the league is something to be said.

If the 2025/26 finals series follows similar patterns to those before it, it will gather huge traction and strong ticket sales.

It is the largest event for the domestic league, bringing in massive amounts of viewership through media and gate receipts.

Finals series from years past have shown this, with the 2024/25 final, a Melbourne derby, being sold out within 48 hours and gathering significant viewership online.

The idea of a finals series lies within the Australian sporting ethos; the other sporting codes have had this tradition for most of their existence, especially in recent history.

Football, though, is different from the rest of the sporting codes in Australia, unique even. This has historically contributed to its inability to integrate into the same supported status as other codes.

Many in the Australian footballing community, supporter groups, players, coaches, and even the new Director of Football Australia, have voiced concerns over fan numbers in the league competition.

It wouldn’t be absurd to say that maybe, though profitable now, the finals series is actually taking away from the league itself.

Consider the media image: the league winner is called the “minor premiership,” and ticket sales and viewership figures reveal a huge disparity between the two parts of the A-League.

It must be said that an alternative that could work in unison with the league and possibly increase viewership of the league itself would be a great advantage.

It would allow the league to gain more jeopardy and drama, which could build greater interest in attending league games.

One alternative is already here.

No other sporting code in Australia has both a league competition and a cup competition. Football in Australia does.

The Hahn’s Australia Cup is our equivalent to the FA Cup in England or the Copa del Rey in Spain.

These are competitions that offer a finals option in a different competition entirely. They generate huge traction while never diminishing the importance of the league and, therefore, its popularity.

These cup competitions cannot be discussed without acknowledging some obvious differences.

They don’t face the same popularity issues that football does in Australia. It’s obvious the Hahn’s Australia Cup doesn’t yet gain the traction that the finals series does.

However, for a healthy footballing environment with increasing fan numbers, it should.

The idea of elevating the Hahn’s Australia Cup and scaling back the finals series is a complex question, one that is treated like a “no-go zone” by many in the Australian footballing community, and that is understandable.

Though big changes like this might, in the end, be credible options for the future of the sport in this country.

Larger plans must be set in motion, strategies that can be worked towards and refined along the way. It is the process by which all large organisations, business models and even national governments build their strategies.

Such a shift will be scrutinised and pushed back against.

Though with further fine-tuning and smart investment in development, not to mention the introduction of promotion and relegation and the possibility of changing the footballing calendar.

It could replicate the success that these two-competition models already enjoy in other leagues.

The added importance that the premiership would gain, the reality that every game matters, could alongside other strategies entice fans to more games, increase viewership and ticket sales, and create more dedicated fan bases. It works in other nations, very well in fact.

The possibility of two teams lifting a trophy, rather than one single event defining it all, sounds like a strategy that could deliver more engagement over longer periods of time.

Maybe Australian football doesn’t need to answer this question just yet. It is complex, difficult and it would require a great deal of work, including significant investment into the game, which is another issue entirely.

Yet as low attendance numbers persist in the A-League, even alongside increased media viewership, something needs to change for football in Australia.

The rise in popularity of this game and its dedicated community deserves bold ideas and forward thinking.

Ideas like this could eventually begin to change the landscape of the beautiful game in Australia for the better.

FA Board of Directors Welcomes Two New Appointments

Avatar
Image credit: Lee Charlie / Shutterstock.com

Rachel Wiseman and Angela Mentis will join the FA as Directors, reflecting a continued drive within the governing body to prompt a new era for football in Australia.

 

Leading with expertise

Both Wiseman and Mentis join the FA at a time of immense change and ambition.

In February, the appointment of Martin Kugeler as CEO was symbolic of new beginnings for the industry. And now that Wiseman and Mentis are on board, the FA looks set for a defining year.

“We are pleased to welcome Rachel (Wiseman) and Angela (Mentis) to the Football Australia Board,” expressed Football Australia Chair, Anter Isaac.

“These appointments reflect a deliberate effort to strengthen the Board’s capability across commercial strategy, digital transformation, financial services and major rights environments.”

If Australian football is to progress across digital, commercial and beyond, industry experts must sit at the centre of governance.

 

Aligning experience and vision

Most recently Chief Executive Officer Member Capital at NRMA, Wiseman brings experience and knowledge in executive roles, and legal practice.

Further to overseeing the growth and diversification of NRMA since 2016, as well as leading Tabcorp Holdings Limited as General Manager, Commercial Development – International, Wiseman has past experience in the sports landscape.

As Director of Business Affairs for Fox Sports Australia between 2007 and 2024, Wiseman negotiated agreements to broadcast key sports rights. With Football Australia looking to grow its financial power and commercial strategy in the coming years, Wiseman’s knowledge aligns perfectly with the governing body’s vision.

Mentis is an industry leader in financial services, with an extensive range of skills across customer and culture transformations.

Furthermore, following more than 30 years of work spanning Australia, New Zealand, Asia, United Kingdom and USA, Mentis will help the FA with essential, high-quality leadership.

While at the National Australia Bank, Mentis led a division over 900 people across Australia, Vietnam and India. And as the first female Chief Executive Officer at the Bank of New Zealand from 2018-2021, there is no question that Mentis’ credentials and expertise will bring about significant change and organisation at the FA.

Most Popular Topics

Editor Picks

Send this to a friend