If they actually tried getting people to go to games I could see Western United becoming a local community thing. Geelong only has one other major sports team (the Geelong Cats, who are admittedly insanely popular). While competing with the Cats is hard financially people watch multiple sports. Central Coast Mariners should be even easier to get crowds to. They don’t have any other pro sports teams on the Central Coast. Mariners should capitalise on that and give locals something to do on the weekend.
The onus is on the game itself to draw people’s attention and interest that only so few end up being regulars - and since the sport has been victimised for decades here, mis lead about ethnics mislead it’s such a entertaining product that it isn’t to the average person you think pouring more money is main need ?
CCM is perfect eg and even without the extra $ like the big franchises having its own pocket to itself still can’t avg 10/15+ a game and I mean no matter who they play against says it all.
And yeah, fan engagement DOES work if done right. I know football is England’s main sport by far but hear me out. Arsenal Women have the best attendances in the WSL because they spent heaps of time and money on getting people to games after the Lionesses’ successes at major tournaments (they’ve won the last two Euros and were runners-up to Spain at the last World Cup). While Chelsea have clearly had more success on the pitch, Arsenal have annoyingly made themselves by far the most supported English women’s football club. It would be harder but I don’t see why a similar strategy couldn’t be applied here to get fans of other codes to also follow soccer in addition to other sports.
Women’s football is riding off the back of men’s football since the game begun - it is no science why it’s grown so much and more so in the UK after all it’s where the game is embedded - they luv sport and if their NT’s do well they stick get behind them unlike here.
Look at the fandom of the Matilda’s for how long 10/15yrs and the W game is even worse than men’s here.
With all the hoo ha it should be blowing off APLM with ease for APL just as W here have hardly any main NT players here so the hype is over blown by many involved incl you !
Fan engagement does work - yer as long as the product is first rate for that’s only going to keep bandwagon support like the thousands to tillies games who do not get the buzz at local W games it seems - they don’t even bother.
All the engagement in the world isn’t going to change whats being delivered on the field !
This place is fickle.
It’s obvious it’s not working this product.
We have local clubs all over the country that are isolated.
That’s where the engagement needs to go to.
Engage the local clubs men women.
What is there to lose.
Fish where the fish are.
Grow the farms.
Multiply.
Open the game up.
People involved in the clubs will follow more to the top.
Keep having this small numbered top comp isn’t cutting it with a spread out pop of 27odd M.
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