Yeah, I'm finally back from the darkest, deepest recesses of academia. I have been keeping track of things however and it seems like some of the things I've been keeping track of have come from the deepest, darkest recesses of our collective A-League imaginations. There are rumblings of discontent in Atlanta, unhappiness in Indiana, and, rumor would have one believe, that one A-League club is in serious, serious trouble. It's beginning to feel a bit like the twilight zone around here mi amigos and I'm none too happy about it.
I have to give credit where credit is due, though, and you know there are a lot of hard working people around this league, lately, me not so included. So here's a shout to everybody's favorite A-League diva, Allison Andrews, thanks for picking up the editorial content slack with the excellent match reports and travelogue. Everyone who is a fan of this league needs to give this stuff a read if you haven't already.
I also want to take a minute to welcome Brendan McCreary (aka "the Mutts" on USLdiscussions.com) on board with his hopefully weekly wrap up of the goings on around the league. He'll also be working on stuff for majorleaguesoccer.com (not to be confused with mlsnet.com, the first division's official site). Anyway, welcome aboard, Brendan. Thanks to the both of you for keeping up on a-league.com's editorial content while I've been on a bit of a sabbatical.
Now, on to the stuff you came here to see, which is… well we still haven't figured out why you folks decide to read my column but I sure do appreciate it. A lot of people wrote in about the last column I wrote several years ago back when Pele was still with the Cosmos and Mia Hamm was nothing more than a twinkle in women's soccer's eye. It's interesting to note that people who are in the stands are also mystified as to why or why not people show up for some of these games around the A-League.
Also, for those who grumble about not seeing any new fans come out to the stadiums, well, I've got news for you folks: there's plenty of newbies that are trying out soccer for the first time and they'll keep trying it out. You want to know why? Their kids are starting to play the game and like the parents of Little Leaguers (baseball that is) that their moms and dads were they figure it's a good chance for their kids to see the game and have a good time for whatever reason. Not to mention, A-League and soccer tickets in general give most people a lot more bang for their sports entertainment buck. Hey, if it works for them it works for me.
Are these people buying season tickets yet? Of course not, they're trying to keep track of Dad's bowling league, Mom's sewing circle, and Jr.'s U-10 league and don't even get me started on Sis's dance recitals! Seriously, though, these are people that buy family-pack tickets (and if your team isn't offering them you might want to ask them why the heck not?) or sometimes participate in those group ticket sales we sometimes hear about. You know what else? Sometimes they come back.
Now, do I think the future of soccer attendance is in these folks hands? Well, yes and no. If their kids keep playing and become fans then the answer is an emphatic yes. If their kids enjoy playing but never care to sit in the stands to watch the game then so be it but speaking strictly from a fan base standpoint then these won't be the most important folks in the stadium. However, any team that knows what it's doing and does those things well, realizes that each and every person that comes through the gates is an important and unique individual customer who may or may not become a fan.
This brings us into the discussion of how clubs treat the customers, yes, customers not necessarily fans, that come to their games and experience the professional soccer environment. The folks who know what they're doing around the league understand that these people may or may not be fanatical proponents of soccer but they are paying customers who want to be entertained somehow by the product/service that is offered by that particular club. Many clubs understand this and it is their primary mission. Most clubs have various ways in satisfying (or not) these customers.
Following this idea of how some of the clubs manage their handling of customers and how they interact with those who come through the gates I think it clearly shows around the league which clubs are doing the best jobs of satisfying those customers. On the other hand, following the same line of thought you can tell who isn't doing such a hot job of satisfying customers and fans and that can be not only bad for business but bad for soccer in general as it struggles for support in the North American sporting landscape.
Take that as you will but the clubs who are satisfying their customers probably are not satisfying the fanatics and if those fanatics are alienated and the pure customers don't come back then who have you got left? An owner, a front office, and maybe the families and friends of players in the stands at these games? The customer may not always be right but in our little corner of the sports world they sure are an important determining factor in who is and is not successful these days.
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