generation football: edition iv
DESCRIPTION
David Villa's massive transfer to Melbourne City, the possibility of the return of North Queensland Fury, the Socceroos impact on the next year of Australian football and the problem with Nike's kit's at this year's World Cup.TRANSCRIPT
GENERATIONFOOTBALL FOOTBALL MARKETING IN AUSTRALIA
¡HOLA VILLA! THE A-LEAGUE’S BIGGEST COUP SINCE
ALESSANDRO DEL PIERO.
NQ FURY
Are they a boost or a
blemish on the Hyundai
A-League?
HEROROOS
Why National Team
pride is going to fuel a
golden era of football.
BLAND BRAZIL
Why Nike’s World Cup
kits just don’t feel right
for Rio.
“It is naive to suppose that
football, like any other sport,
has ever existed in a non-
material world.”
Dennis Brailsford
Sport, Time and Society: the British at play
1991
THIS MAY-JUNE MAY-JUNE
PLAYER OF THE
MONTH:
NEYMAR
It is impossible to go past the poster-boy
for the FIFA World Cup this summer, as
Neymar’s marketing value in Brazil can
only best be described as limitless. Seen
as the superstar for the Seleçao, 22-year-
old Neymar also represents the future of
the national team.
Neymar also serves as the poster boy for
Brazilian trend-setting in a truly fashion-
driven national culture. When the
Barcelona prodigy adopted his hairstyle
as seen below, children and football fans
across the nation of 150 million people
were racing to the salons to look like their
national hero.
Unlike Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi,
Neymar is perceived as a proudly
patriotic Brazilian, as he delayed his move
from historical Brazilian side Santos as
long as possible before joining Barcelona.
Along with being patriotic and
fashionably gifted, Neymar is a brilliant
player; leading a 3-0 demolition of Spain
in the 2013 Confederations Cup that built
the young star’s cult status in Brazil.
It is almost certain that if Neymar guides
Brazil to their 6th World Cup title this year,
he will join the likes of Ronaldo and
Romario as a Brazilian legend.
4
6
7 8
9
A VILLA DOWN UNDER The beginning of a new era for football in Australia
REASSESSING NORTH QLD Could they successfully return to the Hyundai A-League?
YES AUSTRALIA, TAKE A BOW The year ahead after a performance of promise
MAY’S BEST & BRIGHTEST Focus on Vitesse, Portugal and Stade St. Louis.
NO CARNIVALE FOR NIKE The Nike “fashion” that won’t work in Brazil
MOCK CREATIVE OF THE MONTH A new Victory home kit to take back Melbourne City 10
NEYMAR
11 BARCELONA
BRAZIL
AUSTRALIA’S BIGGEST Three La Liga Titles. Three Copa del Reys. Three Supercopa de
Espana. One UEFA Champions League. One World Club Cup. One
Euro Championship as top goal scorer. One World Cup as second top
goal scorer. Spain’s top goal scorer ever.
There’s no doubting it – David Villa is a world class athlete.
Even in the 2014 World Cup where Spain were dismal,
David Villa showed his class in his only match of the
tournament, opening the scoring against Australia with a
sleek back heel (pictured below). Villa’s first half finish
was his 59th goal in his 97th and final appearance for La
Furia Roja, finishing as Spain’s top goal scorer in their
history. While the Spanish media was tearing apart the
national team for their poor performance in Brazil, David
Villa was given a standing ovation when subbed off later
in the match against the Socceroos.
So now the Spanish are out, with 22 of the 23 man squad
heading back to Europe for their 2014-15 seasons, most
of them returning to big clubs like Barcelona, Real
Madrid, Manchester United and Bayern Munich. But
David Villa is heading in a much different direction.
Villa has become the first signing of New York City FC in
the US’s Major League Soccer, ready to begin the season
for the Sky Blues in March 2015. After the announcement
of his transfer to the United States, City were swift to
announce his 10-match guest stint for the rebadged
Melbourne City F.C., previously recognised as league
strugglers Melbourne Heart.
Just over four years ago, David Villa was signed to
Barcelona for €40 million (57.72 million AUD); that’s over
25 times the current Hyundai A-League salary cap of $2.3
million. In those four years, Villa has won the World Cup,
a UEFA Champions League, a FIFA Club World Cup and
three La Liga titles. His last club match was a UEFA
Champions League Grand Final. His next is against
Sydney FC at Allianz Arena in Moore Park, Sydney.
When Sydney FC signed the 37-year-old Alessandro del
Piero, he had scored 3 goals in 23 competitive matches
for Juventus in the 2011-12 season, with many of these
appearances coming off the bench. While capturing del
Piero for the league was a massive coup for football in
Australia, it was recognised by fans that del Piero had
passed the prime of the career. It is that factor of previous
form where Villa outshines del Piero in acquisition value
for the Hyundai A-League.
Last season, 32-year-old David Villa scored 13 goals in 36
games for Athletico Madrid, playing as a supporting
striker to the newest Spanish sharpshooter Diego Costa
(although Costa was heavily criticised for his
performance in the World Cup). Villa was an integral part
of Los Rojiblancos, leading the club to their 10th La Liga
title, runners up in the European Champions League and
a semi-final exit in Copa del Rey. Villa scored important
goals against Real Sociedad, Real Betis and Celta Vigo
throughout the season, as well as some vital lead-up play
leading to the goal against Chelsea in the second leg of
the Champions League semi-final.
Alessandro del Piero and David Villa were both world
class forwards in their prime, and the only thing that
separates the quality of their Hyundai A-League
acquisitions is timing. Del Piero was five years older than
Villa now when he moved to Sydney FC and then
defining a new era of Hyundai A-League football. The
most pessimistic criticism of the del Piero transfer to
Sydney FC criticised his mobility and stamina given his
age. The most biased football fans against the Hyundai A-
League (referred to as ‘eurosnobs’) are not afraid to call
the league a ‘retirement home’ or ‘graveyard’ for
footballers on the wrong end of their career. Yet at 32
years old, no such criticism has risen for David Villa. The
excitement around Villa is fuelled by supporter’s
perceptions that he is still a fit, fast and powerful
marksman that will light up the league.
However, Villa has two key marketing difference with del
Piero; first of which is not belonging to a large diaspora
present across Australia (del Piero being Italian). While
Villa won’t possess the same level of patriotic reverence
from an Italian-sized diaspora, he may bring more casual
followers than ADP courtesy of their universal admiration
of the Spanish national team between 2008 and 2012.
TRANSFER COUP: VILLA
The second factor that differentiates the Spaniard from
the Italian is the length of time spent in the Hyundai A-
League. Whilst fans were assured they would see
Alessandro del Piero at some point during his two
seasons in the Hyundai A-League, David Villa will only
play 10 matches as a guest player for Melbourne City; 7
times in Melbourne, twice in Sydney, once in Brisbane
and once in Wellington, meaning many cities will
completely miss out on hosting the Spanish superstar.
This will ensure that a superstar on Australian shores will
not be taken for granted by the Australian public.
Finally, Villa has a marketable appearance; his facial hair
and hairstyle is common amongst many Australians and
people around the world. Most importantly, he looks like
a Spaniard with flair that the casual followers assume an
ex-Barcelona star would have is reinforced through his
appearance, as characteristics generally attributed to the
Spanish people.
When David Villa steps out against Sydney F.C. at the
Sydney Football Stadium this October, attendance
records and media hype are to be pushed to their very
limits. Expect the explosion of football publicity to be
enormous as the nation’s eyes rest of Melbourne City’s
number 9. Football will never be the same again in
Australia when he arrives in Australia; if his impact on the
field is significant, Australian football will be heading in a
very healthy direction.
DAVID VILLA SIGNS FOR MELBOURNE CITY F.C.
THE NORTH REMEMBERS
NORTH QUEENSLAND FURY
2008 – 2011
Overall Record: 12 Wins, 15 Draws, 30 Losses
Highest Finish: 7th (from 10 teams)
Lowest Finish: 11th (from 11 teams)
Captain: Ufuk Talay
Managers: Ian Ferguson (2009/10) and Franz Straka (2010/11)
Marquee Player: Robbie Fowler
Notable Players: Gareth Edds, David Williams, Osama Malik,
Rostyn Griffiths, Daniel McBreen, Jack Hingert, Shane Steffanuto
Crowd Average 2009/10: 6,723 (Highest – 8,897 vs. Sydney)
Crowd Average 2010/11: 4,257 (Highest – 7,195 vs. GCU)
CAN FURY RETURN TO THE A-LEAGUE? In 2008, Football Federation Australia added two
Queensland teams to the Hyundai A-League; Gold
Coast United and North Queensland Fury. Before a
flat and uninspiring Gold Coast franchise imploded
in 2012, the A-League lost NQF in what seemed to be
extremely unfortunate circumstances. Despite not
making finals during its existence, the club
produced exciting football and nurtured the talent of
many players that have gone on to perform
admirably in the A-League, coupled with the
marquee marketing juggernaut that was Robbie
Fowler. Financial issues ravaged owner Don
Matheson and after an FFA acquisition in 2010, the
head body deemed ownership of Fury to be a
serious financial risk to the whole competition and
the franchise was cut.
Since North Queensland Fury became extinct, a new
team in Townsville has risen from the ashes;
Northern Fury F.C. Currently directed by Townsville
businessman Rabieh Krayem, the green and whites
have an eye on entering the A-League once more.
Could they re-enter Australia’s top division and
survive the tumultuous environment of Australian
sport?
For me, it is not possible yet for Northern Fury to aim
much higher than the National Premier League in
Queensland. North Queensland’s highest crowd
figure in their existence fell just shy of 9,000 people;
in a so-called “big” match against Sydney F.C with a
marquee player in Robbie Fowler.
I believe an A-League franchise should approximately attract
10,000 spectators per game on average. During the existence of
North Queensland Fury, an average crowd of 6,723 at their best is
simply not strong enough to fit in the league. When the team is
losing, averaging 4,257 fans is not good enough, and the club
should never record figures under 5,000 regardless of
performance.
In my opinion, Northern Fury should focus on building a strong
NPL club in Queensland and set their sights on establishing a
Westfield W-League and Westfield Youth-League franchises in the
next three to five years. By 2020-2025, when the club should have
established W-League and Y-League teams, the club should
entertain the possibility of entering the Hyundai A-League.
SOCCEROO SUCCESS WHAT NEXT FOR FOOTBALL IN AUSTRALIA?
7 PLAYERS IN AUSTRALIA’S STARTING XI AGAINST THE
NETHERLANDS PLAYED, OR HAVE PLAYED REGULARLY IN AT LEAST
ONE SEASON OF HYUNDAI A-LEAGUE FOOTBALL
(PICTURED ABOVE)
It’s almost comical how public perception of the
Socceroos changed; the expectation to lose all three
games at the World Cup was fulfilled as Australia
crashed out at the bottom in Group B, yet the once
maligned team is now revered and respected by
football and non-football fans alike.
The particularly admirable performance by the national
team against Chile and the Netherlands has completely
changed the way people will perceive the Socceroos in
the coming months; and the timing could not have been
better.
At the end of July, the newly created FFA Cup begins; an
opportunity for those with strong allegiances to their old
National Soccer League (NSL) clubs to attend a
competition involving the Hyundai A-League brand. The
Round of 32 for the FFA Cup serves as a great entree to
Season 10 of the Hyundai A-League football season, as
well as the Western Sydney Wanderers quarter-final
clash against Asian heavyweights Guangzhou
Evergrande.
Just two and a half months later, the Hyundai A-League
season begins with Sydney FC hosting a David Villa
equipped Melbourne City, the first game under their
new moniker. Melbourne Victory hosting Western
Sydney Wanderers will prove to be the battle of the
heavyweights of last season, with Victory boasting fiery
new signing Besart Berisha who scored both goals
against the Wanderers in the Grand Final the previous
year. It is also important to note that Melbourne City,
Western Sydney Wanders and Sydney FC still could
sign marquee strikers for next season.
In the New Year, Australia hosts the AFC Asian Cup and
will have their eyes on clinching the title after the
heartbreak in Doha four years ago.
With a new found optimism for the Socceroos as a result
of the World Cup, football fans and non-football fans
have an opportunity to get excited for the coming year
in Australian football. The momentum garnered from the
Socceroos World Cup performance could very likely
spur record attendances and television viewership of
Season 10 of the Hyundai A-League and Socceroos
matches.
With Qatar’s 2022 World Cup in jeopardy amid new
corruption allegations and pressure from sponsors,
there may just be enough momentum by the re-vote to
swing what would be the biggest achievement in
Australia’s sporting history; hosting a FIFA World Cup.
BORING IN BRAZIL NIKE’S MISSED WORLD CUP KIT OPPORTUNITY
Losers; England, Australia, Greece, USA Winners: Germany, Argentina, Mexico, Portugal
As an avid Greek-Australian football fan with a
preference for Nike over Adidas and Puma, I could not
wait to see the 2014 World Cup Kits. As 2014 drew
closers, the jersey designs for the kits came out. Adidas
(see 5th, 6th and 7th jerseys above) released colourful and
unique kits, epitomising the character of the nations it
represented while ensuring their kits fit into the colour
explosion that constitutes a Brazil party. The bar was set
high for Nike. Many fans like me were bursting with
anticipation to see Nike’s jersey rival Adidas for design,
patterns, colours and originality.
And then Nike revealed the new kits.
Nike revealed Australia would be wearing a yellow polo
shirt with green trimming and a green triangle at the
collar, reminiscent of Australia’s 1974 World Cup kit
forty years ago. A safe option, but completely opposite
to the risk-taking nature of World Cup football
(ironically, Nike’s slogan for their World Cup campaign
is “Risk Everything”).
The Greek kit is even worse; it’s a white polo shirt with a
blue collar and blue trimming. Replace the blue with
more white and red and you have the US National Team
kit. Remove the collar and turn the whole kit red and
suddenly it’s the England kit, make it blue and it’s the
French kit or orange for the Dutch jersey. In one
seemingly lazy swoop, bar an impressive Portuguese
home kit (8th pictured jersey above), Nike managed to
standardise every single proud nation they represented
into a single design. It even prompted complaints on
social media throughout the United States (see top right).
Adidas on the other hand, brought originality to the
table. Their Argentina kit adopted a fade in the light
blue stripes on the kit with black collar and trimming
to accentuate the colours of the kit. The Germany kit
includes a red ‘V’ with a ridged-pattern to look like the
grill on the front of a car. Mexico’s kit included a
uniquely Mexican lightning pattern with a pinstripe.
These are all extremely impressive kits that portray
the personality of their proud countries.
Now look at Australia, the US and Greece’s kit; proud
countries with so much history reduced to a blank polo
shirt. In my opinion, it was particularly disappointing
in the case of Greece; a country with limitless pride
and a million different patterns and designs through a
very long and proud history. In my opinion, the US,
Australia, France, England, the Netherlands and more
nations around the world were let down this summer
with bland kits in a tournament that should be as
colourful as the Carnivale Festival in Rio de Janeiro.
STOPPAGE TIME SHORT ANSWERS TO DIFFERENT PROBLEMS
GET THE FANS ON TELEVISION!
Fans are attracted to other fans; when there is a
game “everyone” is going to, more fans follow.
This is the nature of the casual follower of sport.
So if your stadium is half-empty, it is a smart
move to shift your fans to the side that is shown
on television. This can be achieved easily; make
your cheapest season tickets available on the
television side of pitch to ensure the stadium
looks full on television.
Whilst it’s not a conclusive answer to bringing in
more fans, it certainly encourages them to
believe that the sport is more professional and
likeable and therefore increase their overall
satisfaction of attending an A-League match.
A FUN MATCH-DAY INITIATIVE:
THE OBLIVIOUS CAMERA
The oblivious camera is a fun little marketing initiative
used by US National Basketball Association team New
York Knicks during any of the quarter-time breaks.
Basically, a cameraman films an unaware spectator
focusing on something else in the stadium. In the corner
of the big screen showing the distracted fan is a timer
counting down how many seconds spent not knowing he
or she is being filmed. Eventually the person notices
themselves on the big screen and creates a laugh for the
whole stadium.
It is effective as it’s a costless activity that is entertaining
in a moment that would be boring when attending a
sporting game.
THE HEARTFELT MESSAGE IN A TOUGH SEASON
The heartfelt message is an extremely effective yet
underutilised PR technique that should be used by all clubs
performing poorly on the field in order to reduce your club’s
churn rate (number of season members not renewing
membership in the subsequent year).
This was particularly perfected by Manchester United in the
English Premier League after finishing 7th, their lowest finish in
the Premier League era. The message thanked fans for
“enduring a testing season and still supporting the club”.
The gesture maintained most fans’ positive feelings towards the
brand and recognised their support for the club through
adversity, a common measure of “true fandom.” This in turn
encouraged Manchester United fans to return next season in
belief that the club recognises the poor performance and is
aiming to improve in the next season.
A DERULO GRAND FINAL
Singer-songwriter Jason DeRulo performed at this
season’s Hyundai A-League Grand Final in what
seemed to be somewhat of an entertainment coup for
football in Australia.
However, he is not the type of artist we should be
looking at; while he considered a mainstream artist and
popular among youth, he is not as popular in the 20-30
year old demographic.
Football attracts a following of fans that love niches;
whether it’s their cultural background niche, indie
lifestyle or their local football club. As a result of this,
football should chase music artists that are extremely
popular in their niche category, particularly that of
European electronic dance music (EDM).
Perfect performers at Hyundai A-League events would
be DJs like Tiesto, Armin van Buuren, Alesso, Knife
Party, Calvin Harris, Nicky Romero, Axwell and
Sebastian Ingrosso.
THE IMPLICATIONS OF A POOR WORLD CUP
SHOWING FROM SPAIN IN BRAZIL
A study in Spain has estimated that the defending
champion’s poor performance at this year’s World Cup
has resulted in 70,000 less sales of official Adidas Spain
jerseys (roughly $1 million AU in revenue).
Also the official broadcaster of the FIFA World Cup in
the Iberian nation has suffered accordingly. Mediaset
has suffered a 3% decrease in their share price on the
Spanish stock exchange.
It is vital for Spanish football that it is revitalised with
strong performance come Euro 2016 in France.
THE TEN MILLION DOLLAR SOCCEROO
According to reports from Fox Sports Australia, it has
taken Matthew Leckie just two World Cup matches to
increase his market value to $10m. Given his recent
$1.03 million transfer to Ingolstadt F.C. in Germany, the
Australian number 7 has proven to be a great piece of
business for the Bundesliga 2 outfit.
THE BEST OF MAY-JUNE
KIT: PORTUGAL AWAY 2013/14
.
STADIUM: STADE ST. LOUIS
(MONACO)
Iconic Mediterranean architecture. Check. Iconic seaside
Mediterranean location. Check. Unique columns visible inside and
outside stadium. Check. Size suitable for the number of football fans of
A.S. Monaco. Check. We can almost confirm it; Stade St. Louis and
Monaco could be a perfect fit. The stadium proves that style and a
sense of local pride can be applied to a small stadium if the
architecture and the location is spot on.
However the stadium does have one issue; an athletics track.
Unfortunately, the atmosphere can be lacking sometimes with the open
air end and the distance of the fans from the field. Either way, the
stadium remains an architectural icon of the world of football.
TEAM:
VITESSE ARNHEM
The story of Vitesse Arnhem is a peculiar
one. Vitesse decided it needed a change;
for too long the club was small and
insignificant in the context of Dutch
football. The club proposed ways in
which it could turn its product from just
sport into a full spectacle.
Vitesse marketed itself as a ‘family’;
using the slogan “Are you part of the
family yet” in their membership drive to
build the fan base. The club focused on
the ‘quality of the fan experience’ and
ensured that every member felt like they
were part of the family. Part of the family
feel was to modify the stadium and
marketing efforts to bring more families
and keep away ‘radicals’ or violent ultras
from the ground on match day. The club
also focused on their relationship with the
players, media and the visual spectacle of
the match on game day.
On the field, Vitesse signed five talented
youngsters from Chelsea on loan,
including Dutch starlet Patrick van
Aahnholt, Bertrand Traore and Lukas
Piazon. The Japanese naturalised
Dutchman Mike Havenaar also ensures
that the club has a profile in East Asia.
The club has also previously featured
Gael Kakuta and Nemanja Matic in their
loan agreement with Chelsea.
Vitesse’s refocus on the experience of the
consumer has reinvigorated the club on
and off the field, finishing 6th in the 18-
team Eredivisie in 2013-14.
Portugal’s away kits have always
caught the eye of football fans.
After the sleek Portugal cross
design for Euro 2012, what can
Nike do to make the kit look even
more deadly?
Well, using the exact same
popular kit in black with
gunmetal grey detailing is sure
going to help.
The kit looks dangerous, and
suits the daring flair of players
like Nani, Cristiano Ronaldo and
Raul Meireles on the Portugal
national team.
MOCK CREATIVE:
VICTORY HOME KIT
It’s a fact; the rebadging of Melbourne City FC is part of the
club’s plan to dethrone Melbourne Victory as Melbourne and
Australia’s biggest club.
For the past decade in Hyundai A-League football, Melbourne
Victory has had a reputation for attracting the best in
Australia; Socceroos like Archie Thompson, Kevin Muscat,
Harry Kewell, James Troisi and Mark Milligan, while also prising
big names like Ange Postecoglou and Besart Berisha away from
other clubs.
Now a team in blue in their city is threatening their very
reputation of being the biggest. Now it’s time for Victory to
mark their territory with their colours.
Victory’s kit change should basically make the jersey darker
and deadlier in order to differentiate from Melbourne City’s
home and away kits (pictured above). To accentuate the dark
shade of Melbourne Victory, the colouring above the iconic ‘V’
on the jersey should be black to strongly emphasize the
deep navy blue of the rest of the kit. To further enhance
this, the collar trimming and the three Adidas lines should
be the same navy blue as the kit.
The navy blue should also be darkened to a ‘midnight blue’
shade to further highlight the darkness of the kit. This gives
the kit a sense of deadliness through ‘a killer in the night’
feel.
The Victorian ‘V’ itself should become two shades of
gunmetal grey rather than the previously used white, as it
smoothly transitions the black colouring at the top of the
jersey to the midnight navy blue at the bottom.
The shorts and socks should remain fairly simple as
midnight blue primary colouring with a black trim. This
reinforces the two primary colours of the kit.
Finally, the numbers on the kit should be coloured in gun
metal grey to remain consistent with the ‘V’ on the front of
the kit. Overall, these factors should contrast the darker
navy blue of Victory to the new lighter colours of
Melbourne City and Sydney FC and in turn reinforce the
club’s identity.