A Few Thoughts On Marketing Irish Football
I would say that most National League fans have been in the unpleasant position of having people who support English football clubs sneering at our love for Irish football and at the attempts of the National League to rebuild itself. The usual response is to try and convince the people that they are mistaken and if they were to games then they would be impressed at what they see. The problems start when those in a position to market the league start to believe their own propaganda. What results is a cosy culture where those who support the league fail to recognise the obvious problems associated with it and instead of these problems ever been corrected or dealt with, they are overlooked. The marketing of the National League should be about far more than merely advertising the league, instead the marketing should begin with rebuilding the league so that it offers customers an entertainment service which they will enjoy and will want to return to again and again and hopefully, for the rest of their lives.
I believe that there are two deadly misconceptions that exist within the league that have plagued previous attempts to market it:
1. That those who support English soccer clubs are deluded and it is merely a matter of their realising the error in their ways before they will come to matches. This body of opinion is suicide. To believe in this is to believe that the customer is always wrong. These people will not come to matches until they are made attractive to them. Therefore the change in mindset is not required in the demand for the game but rather in the supply of it.
2. The failure to see people who attend matches as customers as opposed to supporters. I believe there is a view that supporters are there to support the club and that that support can always be relied upon, no matter how they are treated. This results in ³supporters² being abused in a number of different ways. For example, games being switched from Friday nights to Saturday nights, the appalling conditions that visitors have to endure in grounds such as Belfield or Richmond Park, the admission prices been hiked up dramatically for European matches, the list could continue indefinitely. The problem is that while some genuine supporters will accept this, the floating customer will not. By and large the idea of supporters is a myth, I do not know of any clubs who do not suffer substantial reductions in attendance when the team is performing poorly. It should be realised that clubs are merely entertainment services who must compete with local pubs, cinemas, restaurants etc. In order for clubs to gain a stronger share of the entertainment market, then they must see themselves as businesses who need to be competitive and they should take their customers more seriously.
To a large extent the blame for the league¹s failure to be more successful must lie with the league¹s administrators, the FAI. There are dozens of examples of how the FAI have made embarrassing mistakes in their day-to-day running of the league. All of these mistakes suggest that as an organisation, they are either incompetent or they do not take their role seriously. It would appear that this is gradually changing and every year the FAI become a small bit better at their job. What I feel is happening is that they are adapting at the same rate of progress as the growing professionalism of a small number of clubs. I would argue that this is not good enough, they need to be more strategic in their outlook. Instead of their being pulled along by the clubs, they should be pushing the clubs. It is they who should be implementing long term and medium term plans for the general development of the league. They should start by employing competent staff and giving them the necessary resources to run the league properly.
A major block to any long term strategic plans is the lack of business expertise within the clubs themselves. All too often clubs are run by genuinely committed supporters who unfortunately are unable to realise the business potential of the club. For example, the Shelbourne chairman claims that he is unable to properly communicate with the club¹s customers because he does not have the time. Many clubs are in no position to consider strategic plans or other business philosophies, they are more concerned with the immediate financial difficulties of their club. I perceive a culture within many clubs that they feel it is the business of others to do their jobs, so it is not uncommon to hear chairmen complaining that the FAI should do this and the government should do that. Lets face it, nobody is going to invest in a league run by people with the view that somebody, somewhere should do something about it¹. Clubs also often appear to be too short term orientated, where the quick pound can be made, it will be made. Last Summer, two of the league¹s supposedly most progressive clubs, Shelbourne and St. Patricks Athletic, increased their admission prices to £25 for their glamorous ties in Europe. Contrast this with Rushden and Diamond who charged regular admission prices into their FA Cup tie with Leeds United earlier this year. Which club do you think will attract back most of their attendance?
As supporters we too have a role to play. Namely we should demand the highest standards from those in control. In the past we have been too willing to look past incompetence and failure and we must accept part of the blame for the league¹s current cosy culture. Where we are being taken for granted by the clubs, we must make our feelings clear. I recognise that it is difficult and perhaps unfair to criticise volunteers but the league is either going to improve or not improve. If we could encourage the clubs to treat us more like customers, then we would be doing them a massive service.
In conclusion, I have painted a very bleak and critical picture of how the league markets itself. Perhaps I have overstated the negative but the point that I am trying to impress is that there can no room for complacency in marketing the league. Traditional views that the league per se is faultless and the target market are the ones with the problem is ridiculous. The market for Irish football must be taken more seriously and recognised as being customers and not supporters. The FAI and the clubs need to implement strategic plans and run themselves more professionally. In my opinion, a long term plan of development requires the participation of all clubs. It is pointless to have some clubs developing while others stagnate because in the soccer industry, the more competition there is, the more attractive the individual clubs become.
Alan Bradshaw,
Shelbourne Supporter