When it comes to A-League Success
The seemingly never ending debate over which region deserves the next spot in our A-League is now a hot topic following the new TV deal set for the 2017/18 season. It seems everyone has made up their mind on which communities prove worthy and which don’t, which clubs will thrive among the nations best and which will go up in smoke.
In this debate, there is one undeniable truth: there will be new teams coming to the A-League fairly soon, and any bids which can prove similar routes to the success of the Western Sydney Wanderers will be granted an A-League license.
The Western Sydney Wanderers created a success story through their smart thinking community engagement techniques. Some clubs will already have established priceless routes within their community, a head start in the art of community engagement, but this article was penned specially for those clubs who will start from scratch. Thrown in the deep end, with time as their worst enemy. So I now present the three key tips, which I believe, any foundation club joining the A-League must incorporate to sustain a lucrative future.
- Extensive Community Engagement Part 1
It’s an unfamiliar contraction of words. I know. But I believe, it’s the reason 11,017 people marched off planes and into this year’s A-League Grand Final covered in the colours of Red and Black.
The thesis behind ‘extensive community management’ is to give people the reassurance their community will be represented whole-heartedly on a global scale. That they shall receive a sense of identity.
The Wanderers broke the mold. Bids for an A-League team in Sydney’s west had existed right from when the area was denied access into the A-League in 2005 due to the “one-city, one-team” policy. Anti-climatic bids like the Sydney Rovers gave bidders techniques to learn from, ones they most-certainly took on board.
Trying to secure a well-built fan base for a new A-League club is comparable to trying to win a seat in power for your local area. You’ve got the people on board with you, who just need some reassurance they’ll be represented fairly. Then there’s people converted from the opposition (in this case Sydney FC, Newcastle etc.), who simply need some of their doubts cleared up.
Before the Wanderers even rolled the round-shaped ball at Pirtek Stadium, they had already affiliated themselves with over 100,000 people at over 55 events in Sydney’s West.
This all came to life, firstly, with fan forums, held at 7 different locations, each drawing 100-200 attendees. This was a walk-in event, hosted by some of Australian football’s finest figures, this including Mark Bosnich, Lyall Gorman and FFA CEO Ben Buckley. All with one goal, a sustainable future for a football team in Western Sydney. Fans were able to firstly vent their frustration, and then clear up the rumours that had circulated over the 8 years of fighting for an A-League team based entirely in Sydney’s west. Following this, fans were asked on what the cultures and values the club should possess, the playing style and personnel, what the club’s name, colours and logo should look like and where the home ground should be situated.
After this came more question time, it was not just the fans, but also those on the panel who exchanged questions in the forum, while everything was being noted down into a book that read “Western Sydney: Extensive community management”. Fans were free to roam the forum room and mingle with fellow guests as well as those on the panel after the meeting, creating an even more direct bond and level of trust.
For those who couldn’t make it to the forums, surveys were placed online with polls surrounding the points raised at the forum. These online surveys appeared multiple times, in public places, on the Internet and even advertised in the newspaper, the surveys always asked for honest feedback regarding certain ideas and visions for the club. By the time these surveys were done, over 15,000 had been completed. Twitter Q&A’s between fans and the club’s management was also conducted. The variety of choice at stake for fans was very high.
Once the first part of extensive community management was completed, the fans had finalized a name, sponsor, home ground and colours; though much work was still to be done.
Extensive Community Engagement Part 2
The thesis behind this is you must expand on your budding fan-base.
103 days still lay ahead for the Wanderers of community engagements, functions and meetings. There’s many ways this time could be arranged into the expansion for a fan base.
Shortly after the birth of the Wanderers, Coach Tony Popovic (a local of Sydney’s west) had the task of building a squad. A squad of men who would represent all the hard work put in by the management and community, in just 90 minutes of football.
Now take note future A-League club CEO’s and staff, the majority of the Western Sydney Wanderers’ foundation team all had routes in Western Sydney, for most, it was their home. These players recruited came from big and small clubs but all depicted their love for the area, and most of all, how they came from the same area and made it big time. This is comparable to Wanderers board member Paul Lederer, his only difference being he hit it big time with a small deli on Parramatta Road, which soon evolved to be known as “Primo Smallgoods”. This was all part of the Western Sydney Success story. A vast representation of the ‘Western Sydney Dream’. One the families of Western Sydney could relate to.
The common beliefs, trust and values between the fans of the Wanderers and the team were nearly symmetrical.
With just week’s left to further expand the fan base, the Wanderers needed marketing and publicity. Just around this time came news of cross-town rivals Sydney FC signing Juventus notable ‘Alessandro Del-Piero’. This was a move sure to guarantee rises in both memberships and attendances for the club.
This only fuelled the determination for the Wanderers to sign a well-known international marquee to gain the same vital benefits Sydney FC received. After a quick few spins of the rumour mill came the signing of Shinji Ono, one of Japan’s most well known strikers. A smooth move under the tight circumstances.
The Wanderers still continued to attend functions, meet and greets and holiday clinics to improve the only-recently released ‘Western Sydney Wanderers Foundation Memberships’. Over the two days of May 25 and May 26, extensive community and grassroots football visits resulted in the dramatic increase of over 400 memberships. Also something that deserves mention, Wanderers CEO Lyall Gorman was reported to be putting in over 100 hours of work a week for the Wanderers. That’s admirable commitment.
My last tip will fit into the categories of community engagement, but I believe deserves special mention.
3. Active Support
Even the so-called ‘hooligans’ play a vital part in the supporter base of any successful club.
First, to engage a supporter base, you must engage people who share a wide variety of beliefs on how they support their team. That means connecting with those who have belief in singing and chanting whether their team is 6-0 up, or 6-0 down, to give that extra kick up the back-foot.
You’ll hear through certain media that active support creates nothing but a hub for abuse, flare lighting and brawls. But the stats will tell you a different story, one that shows these incidents occur by the single digits.
Now you remember when it was a 2-2 draw, a must-win match, 2 minutes left, and then suddenly the whole crowd bursts into chant, singing as loudly as they can to support their team, and then suddenly: Goal. Best day ever, right? And the next day you went to work and told everyone of your experience.
The board and management of the Western Sydney Wanderers incorporated active support to a very credible degree. The Red and Black Bloc (RBB) held their first meeting in a Parramatta pub, where just 40 people gathered to practice chants praising the recently formed club. After gaining the attention of other supporters, a second meeting for the RBB was scheduled. This one gathered 70 supporters; including Wanderers Club CEO Lyall Gorman and the FFA’s own Rob Squillacioti. Fans were allowed to ask questions to these two on their beliefs and views of active support and what they wanted to see in active support. This was a valuable connection between fan and club authorities that had been established even further. Together, those involved in the meeting created a name, elected leaders and plans for the future. This was all supported with open comments from their club CEO and the FFA.
Active support will also contribute immensely to the attendance and membership figures your club achieves. Look no further than the Melbourne Victory crowd figures following the crisis with the NT, and how attendances can change based on away fan turn-ups. Also, please don’t tell me certain Wanderers fans turn up not to witness first hand the notorious “Who Do We Sing For?” and “Poznan” chants I even hear sung in New Zealand.
Whether it’s going to be the Sunshine Coast, Wollongong, Geelong, Auckland or Canberra, these techniques implemented the right way with right timing can prove lethal to club memberships, fan engagement and publicity. It’s been proven once and I reckon it’ll be even better second time round.
The benefits from these techniques raised are endless and can be proved in the most emotional, spiritual and economical ways. It’s no wonder the Wanderers were voted by the fans ‘Best Community Engagement’ in 2014.
SBS commentator Les Murray quoted on the subject in relation to the Wanderers:
“This is not an area where a football club can bank on a roll-up of ‘tourists’. This largely will be a club for the already converted. To engage them from the start and to treat them with respect – as supporters and not customers – is critical.”
The choice is simple: To treat fans like customers or supporters.
Future A-League clubs, who will you sing for?
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