Football Federation Australia has called for patience with its A-League marketing strategy after lacklustre television ratings and stagnant attendances raise concerns whether the competition has reached its maximum appeal in its current format.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The first three rounds of the A-League have attracted an average audience of only 112,000 viewers on Network Ten's One, a 15 per cent decrease from the average ratings from the opening three rounds of last season when televised on SBS 2. Compounding the ratings woes, the three games televised on One this season are the competition's three biggest rivalry clashes - Sydney FC v Melbourne Victory, a Melbourne Derby and the Sydney Derby, all on Saturday night time slots. SBS 2 were provided mid-tier fixtures on Friday nights.
It's been an uninspiring start to the partnership with a major free-to-air network and its subsidiary channel but there is no sign of panic just yet within the FFA. While disappointed with the ratings for the Sydney derby on Saturday night - which drew only 94,000 national viewers on One,16 per cent less than on pay TV provider Fox Sports - the FFA anticipated a slow start with One.
"I'm not concerned if we stay on the track that we're building at. I would be concerned if this is where we land. In talking to Channel Ten, they weren't expecting that in rounds one, two and three that everyone will find the game, tune in to One HD," Head of the A-League, Greg O'Rourke, said.
The FFA withheld much of its marketing budget for the A-League for the latter stages of the competition, rather than its launch, in hopes of gradually attracting more followers, viewers and attendees during the middle and latter stages of the season.
"We expect it will take another good six or seven weeks in building it with their branded products like The Project and The Back Page to cross-promote the game so people know where to find it. We will be landing at over 150,000 or 1.5 times the Fox basis," O'Rourke said.
Attendances have provided little for the organisation or clubs to celebrate thus far this season with the three biggest clashes failing to reach previous standards. The Big Blue in round one - a grand final replay between Melbourne Victory and Sydney FC -attracted 24,804 fans through the turnstiles. Of the 14 clashes between the two teams at Etihad Stadium in Melbourne, it ranked only 12th for highest crowds.
A week later and the Melbourne derby was watched by only 35,792, making it the smallest attendance for a first derby of a season since the City Football Group took over Melbourne Heart.
The official crowd announced on Saturday for the Sydney derby of 34,810 is set to be adjusted on Monday due to a technical error with ticket scanners at the venue. However, it was still the first time tickets to a derby at Allianz Stadium were still available an the door at kick-off since the first time Sydney FC and the Wanderers played there in 2012.
Western Sydney's home attendances are averaging their lowest for a season at under 12,000, though they are yet to host a drawcard opponent. There have been increases to average attendances at other clubs, noticeably Central Coast Mariners and Newcastle Jets but the drop in appeal of the glamour fixtures has provided lessons for the FFA. O'Rourke says they have learned from errors in judgement on scheduling after a glut of major of sporting events in Melbourne and clashes with other major events.
"There may have been a hangover with the AFL grand final, the NRL grand final, the whole city of Melbourne may have been fatigued with big sporting events." O'Rourke said.
