TicketCo Media Services a silver lining for Covid-19 ravaged clubs

Liam Watson
TicketCo have come up with a way to turn a negative situation into a positive with their pay-per-view Media Services.

When Covid-19 swept across the world, clubs were left wondering about ways to generate revenue with limited to no fans in attendance.

With countries such as the UK still working towards getting supporters back in stadiums, particularly for the English Premier League, TicketCo have come up with a way to turn a negative situation into a positive with their pay-per-view Media Services.

It’s been just over a year since the coronavirus pandemic made its way to nations other than China, prompting the postponement or cancellation of major events.

In that time, sport organisations and media outlets have had to adapt. We’ve seen new streaming services pop up and the need for pay-for-view type services which TicketCo can provide, to make up for lost matchday attendance.

For supporters at home, they need the best possible viewing experience. As part of their streaming service, TicketCo can offer user friendliness as of utmost importance, a smooth process for ticket purchasing by the end user, versatility to watch not just on TV, as well as high definition quality sound and video.

TicketCo can also work closely with organisations to ensure that everything goes to plan, including a secure URL to the stream that isn’t copied or shared without permission, keeping the match available for sale until it starts & during event, customer data integrating with the club’s customer relationship management (CRM) system, no up-front investment for the broadcasting part of production, the offering of club merchandise, and easy-to-use technology that gives access to graphics.

Just like the clubs and leagues, TicketCo have changed the way they provide their service. It’s now become more important than ever to have a digital element to your craft, where they saw a new opportunity pop up to assist teams that needed a pay-per-view alternative.

TicketCo Media Services has become a video-on-demand solution that aligns with their event payment platform, so the ticket office can cater for online broadcasting. It puts the supporters (end user) at the forefront to deliver them a smooth and enjoyable experience.

TicketCo ensures that fans are able to watch all content on a variety of devices to make sure they aren’t pigeonholed with how they can watch. Having that freedom to watch from a TV, phone, tablet, desktop or whatever it might be promotes good fan experience and less annoyed ones.

There have already been lower league clubs embracing this technology and shows that most clubs are capable of utilising TicketCo’s offering.

“TicketCo is a hugely versatile platform and a true disrupter,” FC Isle of Man commercial director Ty Smith said.

“The platform provides the club with cutting edge technology and capabilities that even professional clubs can only dream of.”  

National League club Altrincham FC is another side that has seen the benefits of pay-per-view streaming, being able to provide fans with access to all of their home games this season.

“Club’s that don’t explore live streaming are crazy, to put it simply,” Co- chairman Bill Waterson said.

“Our partnership with TicketCo proves that you don’t have to be a big club to provide a professional service to supporters.” 

TicketCo Media Services is building on the future of media technology through AWS, the leading cloud technology provider. It hoped that lower league clubs can take full ownership of their digital content and monetise it through a platform like TicketCo Media Services.

It can be handled from a league level instead of club level, so that teams can offer their fans a range of packages, including physical home tickets and virtual away tickets, or virtual home and away tickets for anyone wanting to view games from overseas.

Leagues can also think about branding involvement, so that this is relevant for the viewing audience. Graphics can be used in a similar manner to what we see in top leagues on commercial TV channels. It adds another layer of advertising opportunities, as TicketCo Media Services have an ‘up-sell’ functionality that promotes and sells other products to supporters while fans go and purchase their digital match tickets.

Lower league clubs tend to have a very loyal follower base, but this has the potential to grow with an effective streaming provider such as TicketCo Media Services.

By the time the 2021/22 season kicks off in lower leagues across the UK, it’s expected that there will be full online coverage and monetization of every match. TicketCo Media Services see this as a positive aftermath of Covid-19, where a widespread crisis has created an unexpected silver lining for recovering clubs.

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Bundesliga DNA to the Boardroom: German-born Martin Kugeler Takes the Helm at Football Australia

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Image Credit: Stan

German-born executive, Martin Kugeler, shaped by Europe’s football culture and based in Australia since 2009, will step in as Football Australia CEO in February as the game eyes a defining 2026.

Reaching new heights

During the press conference held earlier this morning, Kugeler displayed both confidence and ambition as he prepares to lead a new era for Football Australia next month.

“Football in Australia has a strong foundation for growth. Our national impact is massive,” he said, highlighting both the immense number of participants and local clubs in Australia. He then continued to underline both the Socceroos and the Matildas as valuable assets in the nation’s football sphere.

“We have exceptional national teams that continually make us proud. They perform at a truly global scale and unite not only the football community, but the entire nation.”

With both the AFC Women’s Asian Cup and the FIFA Men’s World Cup both on the horizon in 2026, the year certainly represents a huge opportunity for both the men’s and women’s game to showcase Australian footballing talent on an international scale. But the focus, as Krugeler underlined, will extend beyond the national team and address all levels of football in Australia to help the game grow.

“Football brings people and communities together. For a healthy lifestyle, for connection, for enjoyment, for belonging, powered by a remarkable, passion [and] dedicated players, referees, coaches, volunteers and fans,” he continued.

An inspiring reminder to all those involved in the game across Australia, and one which will hopefully show participants and stakeholders at all levels that 2026 will begin a new period of stability, growth and innovation.

 

Expertise, passion and ambition

Of course, the dawn of a new era for Football Australia cannot be successfully achieved without addressing the past and current issues, while still keeping an ambitious eye on what football can become at both national and international level for Australia.

Alongside Kugeler in the FA leadership team will be Football Australia Chair, Anter Isaac, as well as former Matilda, and current interim CEO of Football Australia, Heather Garriock. With their combined industry expertise and true passion for the game, all fans, players and stakeholders can be optimistic for the future of football governance in Australia.

But while expertise and passion are undoubtedly valuable assets for the FA, it remains essential that these help to inform the decisions and solutions made with the game’s best interests at heart.

 

 

 

 

Central Coast Mariners enter into liquidation after financial troubles

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It was announced on Monday this week that the Central Coast Mariners will be temporarily managed by the APL Board during the sales process. The decision comes after several years of uncertainty and financial challenges within the club.

 

Short-term survival, long-term stability

It has been no secret that the Central Coast Mariners have struggled to balance their success on the pitch with administrative security off it. Years of financial turbulence and ownership changes have brought significant challenges to the club, culminating in the decision to enter the club into liquidation and seek a new buyer. 

While a sales process is completed and a stable, long-term owner sought out to secure the long-term future of the Mariners, the APL will act as a managing body on an interim basis. APL Chair, Stephen Conroy, has affirmed the board’s intentions to ensure the club’s survival despite current uncertainty. 

‘The APL Board is resolute in its commitment to fans and stakeholders to protect the game’s best interests, and make decisive action to ensure the ongoing growth, stability and integrity of the A-Leagues,’, he said via an APL statement on Monday. 

‘As custodians of the game, we believe it is the best course of proactive action – for the short and long term interest of the Club – to terminate the current CPA under the current ownership, and run an expedited and robust sale process to find a new and stable long-term owner for the Mariners,’ he continued. 

For now, the priority remains with ensuring the survival of one of the A-League’s most successful clubs. It is, of course, not just about the short-term survival of financial or commercial assets, but about restoring the long-term stability of the club’s board and the trust of the Mariners’ loyal fanbase.

 

A-League funding difficulties 

When previous owner, Richard Peil, announced his departure from the club in 2024, issues with funding from the APL were cited as explanations for the financial challenges experienced during his tenure. Across the span of two seasons, the annual distribution from the APL to each club fell from $2.35 million to $530,000. 

With such a significant cut, the Central Coast Mariners struggled to continue operating. Peil departed in 2024, returning operations back to Mike Charlesworth who had acted as chairman from 2013 to 2022.

The move came as a shock to the league and to the Mariners’ fanbase, who had enjoyed an incredible treble-winning year in 2024 and became the first professional men’s football club to achieve the feat. With such impressive achievements on the pitch overshadowed by challenges off it, the Central Coast Mariners are unfortunately not the first club faced with conflicting fortunes.

Mere months ago, Western United entered a period of ‘hibernation’ during the 2025/26 season to address several financial and legal issues. The decision left players and staff stranded, and featured as a source of criticism for the APL in the A-League Men Report 2024/25.

 

Hope for the future

Despite the troubling implications of another A-League club plagued by financial issues and with news breaking yesterday that the Central Coast Mariners’ Academy has also entered into liquidation, the future of the club is by no means over. 

As the main professional sports team representing the entire Central Coast, the club has huge potential to be both a sporting and commercial centre for the region going forward. Furthermore, with an impressive training infrastructure at the Mariner’s Centre of Excellence, and a proven history of high-quality players and coaches, the club has some of the essential ingredients to achieve new levels of success. 

The one thing which of course still remains, is a reliable and stable team behind the scenes who can steer the club back to the top of the A-League. To this end, Conroy has expressed his confidence in the APL to find the right buyer. 

“We believe in the value that Central Coast Mariners bring to the A-leagues. They’ve shown with the right investment and community engagement, they have a vibrant fanbase and a proven ability to consistently compete for on field success,” he said. 

“We are confident that with the engaged local and international interest, we can find the right buyer for the Mariners to take the Club forward and ensure their long term success.”

While uncertainty remains around the Mariners’ current situation and future owners, it will be hoped by fans, players and staff that years of off-pitch turbulence can be put to rest by a more stable and successful future. 

 

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