GENERATIONFOOTBALL FOOTBALL MARKETING IN AUSTRALIA

ISLANDERS

Would an A-League team

in the Pacific Islands

work for the A-League?

BEER & BALL

A how-to guide in

marketing beer through

football.

LUIS SUAREZ

What is next for

Barcelona’s newest

signing?

THE UNDERDOGS THE MARKETING BOOST FOR UNLIKELY

WORLD CUP HEROES

THIS JULY-AUGUST

THE POWER OF THE UNLIKELY Marketing effects of World Cup underdogs

SOLOMON UNITED F.C. Is it worth a shot for the Hyundai A-League?

BEER MARKETING IN FOOTBALL The mutual impact of industries on each other

A BITE INTO LUIS SUAREZ What next for the brand of Uruguayan Luis Suarez?

JULY-AUG’S BEST & BRIGHTEST Focus on Greece, the Maracana and Colombia.

MOCK CREATIVE OF THE MONTH An overview of an Australian FIFA World Cup

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JULY-AUGUST

PLAYER OF THE

MONTH:

MATTHEW

LECKIE

We all remember Matthew Leckie as

Adelaide United’s explosive striker

back in 2011 before his transfer to the

well-known Bundesliga outfit Borussia

Monchengladbach. After 9 relatively

low key appearances, Leckie

disappeared out of the Australian

public’s sights into the German second

division with FSV Frankfurt.

So for Leckie, there was no better way to

remind Australia by impressing in three

thrilling performances on Australia’s right

wing. The 23-year-old caught eyes around

the world with his pace and his

exceptional performances against

Juventus and Chile defender Mauricio Isla

and Feyenoord defender Stefan De Vrij of

Holland, rocketing his transfer value from

1 to 10 million Australian Dollars.

Off the field, Leckie’s bold statements

prior to their World Cup matches also

resonated well with the fans and his

personal playing style. Leckie constantly

reinforced that Australia were not scared

and he was not afraid to rate Australia’s

chances in games where they were the

clear underdog.

It’s incredible to see how three solid

performances in 12 days can reinvigorate

the brand of a once forgotten player of

Australian football.

LECKIE MATTHEW

11

FIFA WORLD C

WINNERS 1. GERMAN BRAND OF FOOTBALL

11. JAMES RODRIGUEZ

111. TIM CAHILL

It is quite a remarkable feat to win a World Cup. It’s

even more remarkable to win the World Cup by

proving almost every neutral in the World wrong by

changing their preference from Brazilian Joga Bonito

football to the sturdy and efficient German brand of

football via a 7-1 demolition of the host nation in

front of over 70,000 of their passionate fans in Belo

Horizonte. Germany proved that team work reigns

superior over individual brilliance and have

deservingly earned a fourth star on the jersey.

The World may have been curious about the 22-

year-old starlet previous to the World Cup, yet the

scintillating performances of Rodriguez in Brazil

have forced the World to take notice of the young

Colombian. A move to Real Madrid is expected this

European summer and it could even be likely that

the current AS Monaco attacking midfielder could

break Cristiano Ronaldo’s shirt sale record of 2009 if

the move to Las Merengues is finalised.

Tim Cahill was already destined to go down as a

legend in Australian sporting history, having scored

Australia’s first World Cup and Asian Cup goals.

After 8 days in June, the 34-year-old veteran can

now add a FIFA Goal of the Tournament contender

against the Netherlands and an impressive header

against Chile to his resume, which has sparked

interest from the English Premier League. On top of

it all, he started a photo posing fad of #timcahilling

which trended worldwide after the semi-finals.

UP BRAZIL 2014

LOSERS 1. BRAZIL AND JOGA BONITO

11. LUIS SUAREZ

111. THE ASIAN NATIONS

A 7-1 semi-final drubbing at the hands of Brazil left a

country in despair – after being so proud of hosting

the World’s biggest tournament in 64 years, the host

nation can’t help but feel ashamed by a

demoralising performance against Germany and

being outperformed by Argentina. Brazil is now in

serious need of rebuilding their brand and their

team before the Copa America in the US in 2016 and

the next FIFA World Cup in Russia 2018.

The World Cup presented an opportunity for Suarez,

where he could have buried the handball incident of

South Africa 2010 against Ghana with his impressive

brace against England and perhaps a heroic

performance against Colombia in the Round of 16.

Instead, people will remember Suarez’ tournament

for a brain snap that led to the Uruguayan biting

Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini and eventually a 4

month ban from any professional football matches.

0 wins. 3 disappointing draws. 9 losses. All four

teams finished fourth in the group stage. Asia did

not perform well this World Cup. While Iran and

Australia were on the wrong ends of brave losses to

Argentina and the Netherlands respectively, Japan

were criticised for not being able to finish a 10-man

Greece and South Korea’s inability to qualify above

Algeria rendered this tournament as one to forget

for the Asian Football Confederation.

WHEN DAVID IS VICT USA vs. England 1950. North Korea vs. Italy 1966. Northern

Ireland vs. Spain 1982. Cameroon vs. Argentina 1990. Senegal

vs. France 2002. Costa Rica 2014.

Anything can happen in a World Cup.

There’s always almost the same process

leading upto each big upset in the World

Cup; a comfortable result anticipated, a

barrage of anticipation for the favourite

and a general feeling of indifference

towards the match.

Suddenly, and unusually early, the less

favoured nation strikes. There’s a dreadful

pause for the favourites. A euphoric wave of

optimistic sweeps over the challenger. The

neutral sits up a little in his/her chair. After 90

minutes of desperation from the Goliath

nation and David’s resilience, the game is

finished. The impossible has happened. One

nation distraught, another delighted and the

rest of them dumbfounded. This is why the

world loves the FIFA World Cup.

In the 20th edition of the FIFA World Cup in

Brazil this year, that underdog was Costa

Rica; a team that was heavily fancied to

bottom Group D behind previous tournament

winners Italy, England and Uruguay. The

team took the world by surprise; defeating

Uruguay 3-1, Italy 1-0 and easing to a 0-0

draw against England to top the group with 7

points, knocking out both European teams.

Costa Rica squeezed past Greece 5-3 on

penalties in a tense Round of 16 match in

Recife that finished 1-1, before being

knocked out on penalties after a 0-0 draw

against the eventual 3rd placed Netherlands.

Costa Rica won the hearts of many neutrals,

particularly the rivals of Italy, England and

Uruguay as the country skyrocketed up the

Coca-Cola FIFA World Rankings to 15th,

becoming CONCACAF’s highest ranked

nation. Yet after the tournament, Costa Rica

kept on receiving; goalkeeper Keylor Navas

sealed a deserved dream move to Spanish

giants Real Madrid, young right back Cristian

Gamboa secured a move to West Bromwich

Albion in the Barclays Premier League and

Arsenal announced Joel Campbell would not

be sent out on loan for the 2014-15 season,

unlike his previous three seasons, where manager Arsene Wenger

wasted no time in sending him to Lorient, Real Betis and Olympiakos

respectively. Suddenly, it has almost become fashionable to be

Costa Rican in football. But why?

Firstly, let’s observe the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan; a

tournament where both hosts, Turkey and Senegal send shockwaves

around the globe by eliminating some of the World’s best football

nations. Senegal’s Henri Camara moved from fifth division French

side Sedan to English outfit Wolverhampton Wolves. Turkish striker

Hakan Sukur was signed immediately by the English Premier

League’s Blackburn Rovers. South Korean Park Ji Sung earned a

move to PSV Eindhoven, which paved the way for his 2005 transfer to

Manchester United and even Brian McBride of the minor-upsets USA

earned an eventual move to Fulham in the English Premier League in

2004.

In summary, it’s custom that the minnow nations ship their stars out to

the World’s biggest football leagues when they impress in the World

Cup. Once these players are recognised and admired by the public,

football clubs look to increase their revenue with shirt sales. This is a

well known tactic of Real Madrid especially, as performed when they

signed Colombian superstar James Rodriguez for 112.75 million

Australian Dollars. After the first three hours after the announcement

of his move to Real Madrid, 22% of his transfer fee ($248,391) was

already re-earned in shirt sales alone. This manoeuvre has also been

attempted by West Bromwich Albion with Australian Jason Davidson,

Arsenal with Colombian goalkeeper David Ospina, La Liga’s Malaga

COSTA RICA: THE DAVID NATION OF BRAZIL

ORIOUS OVER GOLIATH CF with Mexican custodian Guillermo Ochoa amongst

many more quick signings after this year’s World Cup.

But what is the single greatest spin-off effect of

performing well above expectations in the FIFA World

Cup?

The answer: legacy.

Forever, Senegalese football will be remembered for

and defined by toppling the defending champions

France in 2002. South Korean football is built from the

foundation that was their 4th place finish in 2002. Non-

Costa Rican fans will also forever look at the 2014 FIFA

World Cup as the Central Americans’ birth as a true

football nation. This means a lot for the future of these

football nations, based on three key benefits.

Firstly, the legacy of these amazing performances will

be mentioned forever by media and press. When the

Gold Cup comes around in 2017 for Costa Rica, all

media will refer extensively to the ‘class of 2014’ and

reference the team’s incredible performance at FIFA

World Cup in Brazil. This still happens for Senegal,

Japan, South Korea and Turkey from the 2002

tournament.

Secondly, the sense of optimism before future major

tournaments will strongly and rapidly build up in the

lead up to these fixtures. Senegal will always be touted

as a football giant in Africa, as will Ghana after their

2010 FIFA World Cup campaign in South Africa. The

fans of these nations are willing to believe in their

team before big matches, even if the odds are stacked

against them. This inadvertently leads to more

merchandise and match day ticket sales for the

football federation and further develops their football

infrastructure, leading to greater future performances

in football tournaments.

So where can Australian football learn from this?

Australia came very close to gaining the underdog

world-beating status in 2006 when they almost toppled

eventual champions Italy in the Round of 16.

Everybody rallied around the Socceroos in a similar

way, and when the South East Asian-hosted AFC Asian

Cup came along in 2007, there was an overwhelming

sense of optimism for the Socceroos. Unfortunately for

Australia, the team had a lacklustre campaign, going

down 3-1 to Iraq and eventually going out to Japan in

the quarter-finals. The aura of optimism surrounding

the Socceroos disappeared almost overnight. Again,

Australia came close in 2014 at the FIFA World Cup,

when their classy performance in a brave 3-2 loss

almost seized what would have been an historic

victory over the in-form Netherlands.

In order for Australia to successfully achieve David

and Goliath status, they need to topple one of the top

eight football nation in a major tournament (being the

FIFA World Cup). Whilst Australia has historically

beaten France, Brazil and Germany in friendlies

throughout their history, the Australian sporting public

does not accept it as a full victory. The Socceroos need

to prove their worth as giant-killers on the grandest

stage of all in the FIFA World Cup before they can

build a true legacy of Australian football.

DAVIDS OF OLD: TURKEY, SENEGAL AND SOUTH KOREA

SOLOMON WARRIORS COULD IT BE A MASTERSTROKE FOR THE A-LEAGUE?

SOLOMON ISLANDS

Population: 550,000

Capital: Honiara (110,000)

FIFA Ranking: 180

2012 OFC Cup attendance avg:

15,600 (low 15,000, high 18,000)

2014 OFC Qualifiers attend avg:

11,867 (low 5,600, high 22,000)

Just a 3 hour flight off the coast of

Queensland lays the Solomon

Islands; a football mad pacific

nation that loves their national

football team.

In fact, when the Solomon Islands

hosted the 2012 Oceania Football

Confederation Cup, their national

team averaged 15,600 attendances

through the tournament, with a

tournament high figure of 18,000

against New Zealand.

So is there good reason to assume

that the Solomon Islands fit the

mould of a potential Hyundai A-

League club?

In my opinion, Solomon Islands

should be a strong consideration

for inception to the A-League given

it satisfies a few key objectives.

Firstly, it is important that the

league’s conditions of membership

of the Asian Football Confederation

are not violated, resulting in Asian

Champions League positions being

cut and other AFC privileges.

Secondly, the owner of the club

must be financially stable and have

a clear business direction for the

club. There is no point in setting up

the Solomon Islands football team if

the owner is not completely

dedicated to creating and

maintaining a competitive Hyundai

A-League club. Once the club has

sounded out a dedicated owner

with adequate financial stability and

is approved by the Asian Football

Confederation, they should lobby

for Hyundai A-League inception.

Before the club enters the Hyundai

A-League, it will need to upgrade

their home ground, the Lawson

Tama Stadium. This includes

installing more permanent seating

pitch side and having the stadium

meet the FFA’s requirements. As for

the team itself, it should be mainly

comprised on Solomon Islands

National Football team and serve as

a development platform for the

nation and it’s World Cup chances.

From there, it is imperative that the

club captures a well known

international marquee player, as

well as a Solomani National Team

hero in order to build media hype

and a sense of professionalism

around the club. This will also

fasttrack the avid fan process for

many people in the Solomon Islands.

Finally, the kit colours and marketing

efforts of the team should base

themselves on Solomon Islands’

national pride and patriotism. By

achieving all these pre-requisites to

build the Solomon squad, there will

be absolutely no doubt that the club

could become a force in the Hyundai

A-League in the years to come.

BREWING UP FOOTBALL THE SYNERGY BETWEEN BEER AND BALL

On the morning of the 26th of

October 1863, the Football

Association (The FA) was

established at Freemasons

Tavern on Great Queen Street

London. In five meetings over a

beer at the pub in England, the

first official rules of football were

written and the sport was

officially established. It was here

where many crossovers between

the worlds of beer and football

began.

Today, beer marketing in football

has become a gigantic industry and

is prominent as a sponsor in almost

all football leagues around the

World, including Carlsberg ‘s

sponsorship of the English Premier

League, Heineken’s partnership

with the UEFA Champions League

and Budweiser’s stature as the

official FIFA World Cup beer. In

fact, the prominence of beer at

football has become so significant

that FIFA were forced to take action

against ambush marketing methods

at both the German and South

African World Cups in 2006 and

2010 respectively. A study in Brazil

also found that 1 in 4 beers

consumed in Brazil are linked to

football in some way. In 2003, the

Brazilian government banned beer

sales at football matches in order to

appease football rivalry related

violence, yet the law was lifted

temporarily in 2014 for Budweiser

to sell their product as one of FIFA’s

major sponsors.

Whilst beer in football forms a

massive industry in Brazil, it is

considered miniscule compared to

the beer drinking habits of World

Cup Champions Germany. For each

game in the 2014 FIFA World Cup,

beer sales in Germany would

increase 1-4% dependent on the

weather (which Germany

experienced a hot summer) and the

performance of the German

national team. As a result of

Germany’s success in Brazil,

brands like Heineken (which owns

multiple

breweries around the world) had a

stock price jump of approximately

6% as people kept drinking as the

tournament went on.

But what about Australia? Given the

fans of football in Australia tend to

come from more sophisticated

backgrounds than other football

fans around the world, the

effectiveness of beer marketing

(which is perceived in Australia as

cheap) is relatively limited. Whilst

beer is still consumed frequently at

Hyundai A-League games, the FFA

saw more merit in sponsorship from

Be the Influence which lobbies for

the responsible drinking of alcohol.

It’s an interesting phenomena here,

considering Australia has an

extensive beer culture across all

states.

Either way, football was forged in

the world of beer and the beverage

will always be a part of the game,

no matter where you are in the

world.

WHAT NEXT FOR LUIS?

Luis Suarez has had a crazy month.

Firstly, last minute surgery before

the FIFA World Cup ruled him out

of his nation’s shock 3-1 loss to

Uruguay before his brace knocked

out England from the World Cup.

Against Italy, Suarez bit Juventus

defender Giorgio Chiellini in a

bizarre incident, resulting in a ban

that would have ruled him out of 13

Liverpool games and 9 Uruguay

matches, including his nation’s

round of 16 exit to Colombia. To top

it all off, Suarez manages to seal a

swift move to La Liga giants

Barcelona for a cool £75 million

(136.7 million AUD).

It’s clear that Luis Suarez has

hogged the headlines this summer

in Brazil and has made key career

decisions that will have a significant

effect on his marketing value. These

decisions beckon the question; will

Luis Suarez’ marketing image be

attractive to his sponsors in the

future?

Firstly, it is important to observe

that the Uruguayan’s group stage

performance would have made his

return to Liverpool very difficult.

Knocking out England and the

biting incident with Chiellini were

sure to bring the ire of the British

press. His quick-fire move to

Barcelona swiftly removed him

from the firing line. In a summer

where the biting incident and the

subsequent ban could have defined

Suarez’ career, many people’s

attention has been diverted to his

big money move to FC Barcelona.

It is likely that his move to Spain has

saved his marketing image,

although his big summer of

personal branding is not quite

finishing. The Spanish press are

quick to criticise poor performance,

as seen with striker Diego Costa

this World Cup. It is absolutely

imperative that Luis Suarez

performs on the field and perhaps

even more importantly

scores goals for the Catalans.

Neymar came under heavy

criticism in Spain for his lack of

goal-scoring performances for

Barcelona, and Suarez must score

enough goals to justify his position

at the club. Alternatively, a notably

heroic performance in an El Clasico

against Spanish rivals Real Madrid

could very quickly propel him to

hero status in the Catalonian

capital.

Finally, for the brand of Luis Suarez

to succeed in Spain, he must avoid

controversy, especially another

biting incident. For each of Suarez’

controversies in England, the

number of people calling for

Liverpool to sell him grew. If the

Uruguayan manages to perform in

the red and navy of Barcelona and

avoid controversy, there is no

reason that he cannot achieve and

exceed the same reverence he

received from Liverpool supporters

during his time at the English club.

THE BEST OF JULY-AUGUST

TEAM OF THE MONTH:

GREECE

Greece is currently a country in economic

turmoil; many families nationwide struggle to

make ends meet, with the national mood since

the economic crisis at a low point. Sometimes a

glimmer of happiness for the suffering people

comes through a victory for the national team.

At the World Cup this year, none of the Greek

players took bonuses for reaching the tournament;

in stark contrast to Cameroon, who almost boycotted

the tournament as a result of not being paid, and

Ghana who demanded the $3 million for their team

prior to their match against Portugal. Both African

teams did not make the round of 16, while Greece

qualified.

Immediately after their exit on penalties to Costa

Rica, Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras offered

the team their bonuses. Greece kindly requested

that the bonuses be used to build a national team

training centre rather than line their own pockets.

Greece were also praised for the way they reacted

to their 1-1 draw to Poland in Euro 2012, where the

Ethniki missed a penalty and many chances to win

the game while defender Avraam Papadopoulos

ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament. In the post-

match press conference, captain Georgios

Karagounis (pictured above) stated he would have

rather lost the game than seen any of his team-mates

suffer a serious injury.

To top it all off, Greece consistently states in the

media that they play to ‘put a smile on the face of the

Greek people’ who are suffering so much. The

perception that Greece plays for every one of their

countrymen resonates in their country and amongst

their diaspora across the world.

KIT OF THE MONTH:

COLOMBIA WORLD CUP

One of the most distinguishable kits of the World Cup was

the Colombian kit; characterised by dark stripes on a

bright yellow kit. When Colombia faced Greece in their

first World Cup game in Belo Horizonte, the crowd was a

sea of yellow, a sight that proved too intimidating for the

Greeks as they crumbled to a 3-0 defeat.

More importantly, the scintillating performance of James

Rodriguez at the World Cup will boost shirt sales amongst

many supporters around the world.

STADIUM OF THE MONTH:

THE MARACANA, BRAZIL

The Maracana’s legendary 1950 final between Uruguay and

Brazil in front of almost 200,000 fans brings a special aura to

Estadio Maracana, which now seats roughly 80,000 people.

Players and fans alike enter the stadium knowing full well

that the arena was once the colosseum of superstars like

Pele, Garrincha, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo and many other

incredible members of the Seleçao.

There aren’t many stadiums in the World outside of Europe

that every footballer dreams of playing at, with the

Maracana in Rio being one of the incredible exceptions.

MOCK CREATIVE: FIFA WORLD CUP 2026

Assuming that FIFA abolishes by its rule of barring the previous two hosting confederations in bidding

for a FIFA World Cup Tournament (being Qatar’s AFC and Russia’s UEFA), who should host the World’s

biggest tournament in 12 years? Here is a brief SWOT Analysis for each bid.

1. UNITED STATES STRENGTH) High-tech stadiums already exist, numerous arrival hub cities, stadium size/no. of ticket sales

WEAKNESS) Bad time-zone for large Asian viewer-base, no new frontier explored, logistics cost

OPPORTUNITY) To boost Major League Soccer, total financial income from tournament, sponsorship

THREAT) Bad publicity in selecting most prosperous option

11. TURKEY STRENGTH) Sports mad nation, strong economy, football infrastructure exists, accessible via road/ferry

WEAKNESS) Would need added stadiums and infrastructure, not ideal TV viewership for US & Americas

OPPORTUNITY) Marketed as gateway between East and West, new large nation explored

THREAT) Political instability, lack of security on Syrian border, terrorism, issues with ultras (violent fans)

111. SPAIN-PORTUGAL STRENGTH) Strong football history, existing football infrastructure, popular tourist destination

WEAKNESS) Both nations are in economical crises, lack of English spoken in both countries

OPPORTUNITY) Revenue from large stadiums, ability to capitalise on established tourism industry

THREAT) Debt crisis, inability to adhere to certain requirements 1v. AUSTRALIA-NZ STRENGTH) TV Viewership in Asia, safe and politically stable nation, government support

WEAKNESS) Non-ideal viewing times for USA, need for infrastructure, logistics cost, winter World Cup

OPPORTUNITY) First Oceania-based World Cup, first cross-confederation World Cup, boost A-League

THREAT) Lack of engagement in US market, match attendance in smaller isolated cities