Generally a good article Kevin. LOL at the Socceroos brand only being registered a few years ago, obviously the old ASF administration didn't know where the Patent office was...


What do you think about the FourFourTwo blog Protecting the brandwagon?
These should be worrying times for Football Federation Australia.
Instead of underdog heroes battling to victory and doing their country proud in far off lands, the mainstream press is filled with st...

Have your say.

Ah yes, the future of the game.

Depended on Iran, on Argentina, on 2006, on the A-League opening weekend...


The game will grow whether we do well here or not. Sure, it'll get a fillip if we have a good showing, but it'll have no more positive effect than mis-management and internal politics can have a bad effect.

from most of the conversations that I have had with friends etc. it is not the public that are shocked at the Germany loss, lots of the bandwaggoners at work expected it. it is not them who have called for changes in the line up, or sacking of the coach, it is commentators like you and fozzie, les and jesse fink who have been the most outraged. Get over it, we lost to the top team in our group, as we did in 2006 when we only won 1 game.

1 game! and yet that is seen as the masterclass of coaching!

time enough to equal that feat in this world cup. We need to make opur team feel like we are behind them, pull out the knives later if they lose all of their games.

Edited by burgerman: 18/6/2010 07:24:00 AM

Another good article KA.

It really is a particularly important time for the game in this country - probably the worst time for that butt-fucking from Germany, too - and we can count on the other codes filling the breach if we're struggling even slightly. The A-League will get a boost this season, but how long after this can they sustain the momentum?

Hopefully we get a manager in who will have us playing decent stuff and who will give chances and caps to young guys overseas who are getting into first teams (Davidson at Pacos Ferreira, for example, our left back of 2014), and to young guys whose nationality may be called into question (Inman, Bouzanis, etc). That will energise the football fanatics and mean we've got a strong pool of talent to choose from when 2014 rolls around.

If it were up to Pim, we'd be rolling Moore out Weekend at Bernie's-style in 2014...

That wasn't actually the point I was making, but history would have been on my side - NSL went into (further) decline after the Iran match until the NSL and SA died completely.

The value of the Socceroos brand is absolutely key when it comes to renegotiating the TV deal with FoxSports.

Two more insipid performances like the Germany game (not the result, the performance and tactics) will devalue the brand significantly.

The sport will survive - but the success and development of the A-League needs an improved TV deal. That won't happen if we repeat the Durban disaster.

It's worth emphasising how a World Cup that leaves a bad taste might negatively impact the A-league, and not just as far as the TV rights go but also in terms of crowds. We've seen many clubs struggling financially over the past season or two, and this WC was always supposed to be the turning point. If A-league 2010-11 crowds don't get the expected lift from this WC, a few clubs will be in even worse trouble.

Having said that, I do expect our Socceroo lads to do us all proud in the last two games. And the lasting impressions of quality football being played by other nations like Germany, Argentina and Brasil also has a significant impact on the Aussie sporting psyche. We will get there, but it's been an absolutely horrible week and lessons need to be learned.

Edited by GazGoldCoast: 18/6/2010 08:41:14 AM

well done big kev......you have to admit tim and lucash make good ads...lol....but to me the sucess of the national team, revolves around developing all facets of football in our country,from the individual state associations, to the A-League,through to the socceroos, i think our attitude to find a national coach that is ONLY based on results is flawed,we need a complete revamp of football and its administration and direction, so the entire football community are heading in the right direction, there are way to many people pushing and pulling in different directions and fighting against each other when at the end of the day we all want the same thing, a robust national comp, a robust national team, and a professional well administered path for our youth to progress along.....

all the old school coaches out, and the new 4-3-3 hans burger doctrine to be facilitated...

"Socceroos" has been registered for some time ... maybe not trademarked, but it certainly has been protected for a while ..... do some more research (oh I forgot, this is 442)

As much as I criticise Pim and the quality of play that Australia showed on Monday Morning, it is important that all Purist continue to promote the game to the Bandwagoners, to explain the diferences between Germany and Australia. To help them understand that Germany will exploit the weaknessess of any team and more than anything that Australia as a whole were taught a very important Football lesson.

There are few sports in Australia that we do not excell at and unfortunately this is one of them.


We need to continue to be possitive to keep everyone on the bandwagon and not freak out and jump off just because an inexperience driver tried to do a doughnut without propper trainin and experience.

Thanks Kev, I was nervious before reading your article but now Im shiting myself!

I think this is true on a psychological level. Football is "lifestyle marketing". See the BBC's documentary series "the Century of the Self" to really understand what drives it in our modern times.

Marketing sets certain expectations and when the product fails to deliver then the consumer is outraged.

This is true for the A-League as well. I think the professionalism of the marketing exceeded the professionalism on the pitch and at the clubs and that is why you saw the crowds drop away. It was all superficially held together by FFA marketing regulations rather than by the driving passion at a club level.

Its why supporters of Sydney FC vented their frustration at John Alosi when it may not be all his fault. They had expectations that he was something more than what he was, probably because he always had better teams behind him. I think this is why Mark Viduka refuses to play in the A-League. Why would a legend of the game risk copping the abuse of supporters driven by unrealistic expectations?

The FFA and clubs marketed themselves as reaching out to the community but for some clubs this wasn't the case and when the crowds wised up the result was disasterous. See Newcastle Jets.

Having said that, I think the outrage is an instant reaction to being psycholigically deceived. When people calm down they see the reality of the situation they pick up their support for the Socceroos again. This is not necessarily the case for the A-League.

The FFA needs to look hard at how it markets the game to deliver a campaign that does not set unrealistic expectations of the domestic game and realistically represents a product that the clubs can deliver.

Kevin Airs: I had an interesting email from an overseas friend who has lived and worked in Australia, he asked me not to give up on the national team as in his words "Australia is still new to playing this game" and that we're in the process of evolution. Please have a big picture frame of mind, yes what has happened against Germany was bad for the game and supporters, but don't forget that only a couple of weeks ago the matildas did us all proud, and are probably a better chance of doing really well at the next world cup. Like anything in life, we will have to live the ups and downs, and am certain that after a few world cups under our belt we will be respected and feared (for the right reasons) by other teams. In the meantime, support our guys in South Africa and as long as they play with heart, feel proud.

Good point, and perhaps proven by the utter crap players like Moore and Culina have coppped from supposed football-lovers over the last year.

"Brand Culina" in particular took a hiding for joining GCU, largely because of Pim's negative comments about the A-league but also because of petty rivalry from other clubs' fans who suddenly saw him as a threat instead of a national hero. Funny enough, Culina's always been one of the most consistently reliable players in the squad and remains so.

All the more reason why some current Socceroos might not want to come home and risk damaging their own image, which can remain a marketable item for many years.



The Socceroos squad will look quite different by Asian Cup time, and (win, lose or draw at WC2010) that's a good thing as far as renewing the brand. Having the same old squad as 4 years ago is not an ideal look, particularly if they cannot replicate the success of 2006.

One of the best things going for the A-league brand is this sense of dynamic growth, the feeling that the size and quality is growing in leaps and bounds, attracting overseas stars and posing a real threat to NRL and AFL. Without $$$$$ it's hard to maintain that momentum, and the TV deal is critical (as KA points out). But nobody wants to see HAL games live on FTA with thousands of empty seats in the background...

This article seems very alarmist to me and smacks of insecurity. As some people have already noted, it is the way we carry ourselves into and out of these games that counts most. It is our display of character, and not so much whether we win or lose, that advertisers in particular are more interested in, and it is advertisers that influence the value of TV deals. Once we're in the world cup, the party has already started - whether we win or lose is almost perfunctory - it is icing on the cake for a country of our footballing stature.

If we have to rely on constant wins against world class opposition to keep football afloat we might as well give up now, because there will come a time (just as it has for top footballing nations such as Holland) when we don't even qualify for a world cup. Then what?

Football is a long term endavour for the media and the advertisers who are currently supporting it - much bigger than two games - and they're looking at the big picture. So should we.

We football lovers are always scared of something - bad press, hoolaginism, other 'codes destroying us...its very tiring and self effacing. The sky IS NOT GOING TO FALL IN IF WE LOSE TO GHANA!!

If Harry or Timmy's stars fall, there will be other stars rising in the distance.

Mindshackle, you totally missed the point. It's not that we lost 0-4 to Germany, it's the way we lost and the nasty public reaction to that, including Kewell v. Cockerill spat, rumours of change room issues, etc.

There's no guarantee we'll beat Ghana or Serbia, but at least we need to go out there and give it a good shake.

Yes, some of the comments are valid but to quote that old has-been Craig Moore its just a blip in the road. Football in Australia is on the up but has a long way to go, the World Cup cycle keeps the brand in front of the public constantly and will do for a long time yet. We all know it was the manner in which we lost to Germany rather than the result and if TV networks looking to fill newly vacant digital airways can't see beyond one bad result I would be very surprised. Any network that invests now in football will reap rewards in years to come. And even if the dollars offered in the next deal are big compared to the current deal they will still be dwarfed by those offered to the AFL and NRL. The Socceroo brand remains a bargain.

First registered in 1980 covering "food" Gosh, were they thinking of bringing out a brand of SOCCEROOS food? It wasn't until 10 years later that they started trademarking the things we usually associate with brand marketing. Food? 10 year gap? Maybe the reason will be revealed one day when someone writes a book. Les Murray?

Trade Mark : 348136
Word:    SOCCEROO
Lodgement Date:    07-JUL-1980
Registered From:    07-JUL-1980
Class/es:    29
Class: 29 Meat, poultry and game and products made therefrom included in this class



Trade Mark : 532184
Word:    SOCCEROO
Lodgement Date:    05-APR-1990
Registered From:    05-APR-1990
Class/es:    9
Class: 9 Videos, sound and/or image recordings, recording discs, teaching apparatus and instruments in this class


Trade Mark : 532185
Word:    SOCCEROO
Lodgement Date:    05-APR-1990
Registered From:    05-APR-1990
Class/es:    16
Class: 16 Publications and all other goods in this class


Trade Mark : 532186
Word:    SOCCEROO
Lodgement Date:    05-APR-1990
Registered From:    05-APR-1990
Class/es:    25
Class: 25 All goods in this class i.e. clothing, footwear and headgear


Trade Mark : 532189
Word:    SOCCEROO
Lodgement Date:    05-APR-1990
Registered From:    05-APR-1990
Class/es:    28

Class: 28 All goods in this class, i.e. Games and playthings; gymnastic and sporting articles


Trade Mark : 532190
Word:    SOCCEROO
Lodgement Date:    05-APR-1990
Registered From:    05-APR-1990
Class/es:    41
Class: 41 Education and entertainment services in connection with sporting events and sports education


Trade Mark : 1215280
Word:    SOCCEROOS
Lodgement Date:    13-DEC-2007
Registered From:    13-DEC-2007
Class/es:    14, 16, 18, 21, 25, 28, 41
Class: 14 Cuff links; tie pins; tie clips; badges of metal; pins; watches and clocks; items of jewellery; cases included in this class; keyrings

Class: 16 Paper, cardboard, goods made from paper and cardboard not included in other classes, books, magazines, match programs, newspapers, pamphlets, printed matter, tickets, photographs, albums, posters, calendars, stickers, stationery, plastic materials for packaging, sacks and bags for wrapping and packaging, bags for packaging food, programs, journals, diaries, writing instruments, score cards, instructional and teaching material (except apparatus), manuals, trading cards, coasters, adhesive printed labels

Class: 18 Bags in this class including sports bags and travelling bags; rucksacks; backpacks; satchels; articles made of leather or imitation leather not included in other classes; luggage tags; umbrellas; briefcases; key cases; camping bags; beach bags; bumbags; wallets

Class: 21 Mugs; thermally insulated containers; beer mugs; bottle openers; crockery; drinking vessels; ice buckets; jugs; glasswear; crystal ornaments

Class: 25 Clothing, underwear, jerseys, shirts, T-shirts, polo shirts, singlets, shorts, pants, trousers, tracksuits, knitwear, jumpers, cardigans, sweatshirts, neckwear, neckties, jackets, blazers, suits, coats, scarves, rainwear, swimwear, sleepwear, pyjamas, nightshirts, dressing gowns, headwear, hats, bucket hats, caps, beanies, visors, socks, stockings, footwear, shoes, boots, slippers

Class: 28 Football and other sporting articles in class 28; exercise and physical training apparatus and articles; balls for games and sport; games and playthings, including interactive games; toys, dolls; corner flags, goalposts and protective padding (including shin guards), golf equipment, sports bags; playing cards, trading cards

Class: 41 Sport education; organisation of sport and stadium entertainment; sport and physical recreation; organisation of sporting leagues, competitions, matches; organisation of functions and entertainment including luncheons, cocktail parties, dinners and other forms of entertainment; physical education, sport coaching, physical training; publication of books, magazines, pamphlets and printed matter; libraries; film, video and radio production; hire of film, video and sound recordings; sports information services; organisation of sporting events, conferences, seminars and exhibitions; production of films and production of radio and television programs



Trade Mark : 1215285
Word:    SOCCEROOS
Lodgement Date:    13-DEC-2007
Registered From:    13-DEC-2007
Class/es:    9
Class: 9 Electronic goods such as DVDs, CDs, computer software and games; labels for marking products for verification; identification labels (magnetic or encoded); magnetic data carriers; recording and reproduction of sound, images and data; data processing equipment and computers; videos, sound and/or image recordings; recording discs; teaching apparatus and instruments in this class


Trade Mark : 1295237
Word:    SOCCEROOS
Lodgement Date:    21-APR-2009
Registered From:    21-APR-2009
Class/es:    24
Class: 24 Textiles and textile goods in class 24 including flags, banners, bath linen (except clothing), textile wall hangings, non-woven textile fabrics, bunting, household linen and cloths (including dish-cloths and tea-towels), brocades; textile blinds; loose furniture covers; plastic coverings for furniture; handkerchiefs; bed spreads and bed covers including quilts, blankets, eiderdowns, sheets, pillowcases, mattress covers and protectors, padded quilts, travelling rugs; table covers including textile table napkins and serviettes, textile table linen and cloths (not of paper), textile table mats and coasters, table runners

I, like so many fans, am sick of all this negativity in the press. If you believe what you read, the Socceroos are about to go into complete meltdown despite the fact that they are all bona fide legends with talents to rival the best - which you are right to say has been fueled by marketing - and the future is doomed because the up-and-coming youngsters are all 3 legged donkeys.

I think some of the football pundits currently on TV are limiting the games accessibility too despite the FFA's efforts. It comes across like an old boys club and you have to have 20+ years of footballing knowledge to truly appreciate the game (some fans can be like that too). Its great that they are so righteous and knowledgeable but its going to be a pity when nobody is tuning in to hear their pearls of wisdom because they've all slipped into a boredom induced coma.

What needs to be emphasized is the Australian public's role in this. We sit third in the pecking order of Football codes yet we are supposed to produce top order football to rival a team like Germany. Local support = international success. Its that simple. Maybe the Aussie public need this explained to them.

If I could hope for any one thing it would be a highlights package on mainstream FTA TV showing some exciting highlights from abroad, the A-league, a focus on our yougsters abroad and some of the bigger players we have produced - and lots of plugs for the A-league. One big Football propaganda show. It's fun, it's funky, it's now, it's Football.

Thanks for another quality blog. If you keep up a regular one like this I can stop reading the annoying anti-'insert topic of the month' diatribe or pro-carle laments that the blogs at sbs almost always contain.

Dude I agree and I made that point. Sure advertisers and sponsors want to back winners, but what's most important for advertisers and sponsors is how the character of the team and players fits with their own brands. In the eyes of Australian football lovers, Timmy Cahill is a champion. Is he a champion in the true sense of the word? I mean, has he ever won anything? Of course not, but he is champion enough for us, and champion enough for Optus and Weet-Bix. A loss against Ghana or Serbia won't change that. But another red card....well that's a different story.

If we play well against Ghana and Serbia, and manage to restore team spirit and pride - win or lose - the business world will be happy enough. When the Asian Cup comes around, then the next WC qualficication journey, and then hopefully 2014, they won't be thinking back to three games in 2010.... they'll be looking at the present and future prospects, and trying to exploit it as best they can.

Marketing is essential - look at what Aussie Rules are doing at look at NRL responding.

The World Cup is the biggest publicity the game gets good or bad - from TV interviews to breakfast cereals.

Even bad publicity is good - everyone is talking about the crap Socceroos.

If we beat Ghana then the noise will double - those that hate us and those that love us will make some more press.

Will a loss and exit from South Africa mean the end of the brand and dramatic falls in A-League crowds and football juniour registrations?

Doubt it Chicken Littles.

Re-reading this blog now (first reading was before my first coffee this morning) it seems KA's main point is that the FFA has created a potential monster because Australians have such high expectations for the Socceroos. So either the Socceroos need to keep killing giants (like Germany) on the pitch, and not just making the WC but at least getting through the group stages, or else the FFA need to temper public expectations by marketing the team more humbly.

Hmmn.

Is there a bit of unwitting condecension there? The Aussie public are not going to be interested in a team that cannot take on the world and bring home a result. So how can you market them with lower expectations?

You have to market the Socceroos on the basis that football is by far the biggest sporting stage on the planet, and Australia NEEDS to be there. This is a clear point of differentiation from the other codes and even cricket. But Aussies are never going to accept that just gettting there is enough. Quite the opposite, in fact.

I think the FFA should be promoting Johnny Warren's dream - frequently reiterated by Foz these days - that the ultimate long-term goal is not just to keep MAKING the World Cup but to one day WIN the bloody thing. They need a PLAN to make that happen, and their marketing needs to show how that plan is steadily working (starting from FFA input into junior teams and local clubs, up through the A-league, etc).

I think the emphasis should be on "being part Australia's football family". If the FFA can achieve that, then people will not be so dismissive if and when the Socceroos lose a game.

To that end, I think Pim Verbeek's negative comments about the A-league - well-intentioned though they may have been - were a disaster for the local game. And our next NT coach needs to be briefed on that PR aspect of the job a bit better.

KA, i was just wondering have you got any stats on how many players from the last world cup squads made their squad this world cup?
The guys from last world cup knew if they wanted they would be here. This is half the reason for the ego and the media creating what it has. If every world cup we turned over half the squad like i am sure most nations would then there would be no time to build the players ego's as they would not know whether they will make it next time. I still believe the current squad isn't far off our best 23, more the fact that other countries are producing more talent quicker. It will come form us as well as long as we look after the grass roots.

This blog misses a vital point...Yes thE Socceroos are a brand and yes success at the WC helps build the football brand,but the success of the A-League depends more on growing community bridges than anything else.
Irrespective of the WC, the A-League teams now understand the importance of tapping and comnnecting with the community(particularly the hundreds of thoudands of juniors who play and love the game each weekend),and Sydney FC is showing the way with free memberships to under 12's...bring the under 12's into the A-League family, make them feel welcolmwe, because they are our TOOL to future success.

Great point. The FFA have been putting all our eggs in the national team basket and it is a disatster waiting to happen, because whether its 2014 or 2018 or even 2022, chances are we're going to miss one of these world cups. World Cups come and go, sustained interest and passion is built on club football, and as you say some clubs are beginning to acknoweldge this.

There are two possibilities come December - we win 2022, and that will genuinely be a momentous turning point for football, or we lose 2022 and the FFA finally have no choice but to focus their efforts on club football - the only true way of sustaining and building the game. Maybe i'm being too optimistic, but both scenarios have their positives.

The whole "successful world cup = more interest in A-league" is a myth, because the fervour and frenzy of the world cup simply doesn't sustain into long-term engagement. Can anyone honestly say that in January 2011, someone will be attending a Mariners v Glory game because Australia played well against Ghana 6 months ago?

There was another thread recently discussing how Asian FA rules expect all clubs to have junior development squads, something that does not happen very often in practice due to the costs. But certainly that's an area where the FFA could be encouraging (financing?) HAL clubs to grow. It would force the HAL clubs to work more closely with local clubs in order to identify talent, and provide an excellent development pathway leading all the way up to the Socceroos.

Also great PR.

@ItsCalledFootball Yes marketing is essential but it creates unintended consequences when the MESSAGE it sends is too far from reality.

Remember 2006, everyone felt the same way. It was just great to be there at the Biggest World Party and we hoped the team would make a good impression and the boys would do Australia proud. We went into that World Cup with the right expectations and ended up being pleasantly suprised.

Since then we have been bombarded with 4 years of marketing telling us how great the Socceroos are, to sell everything from friendly games at the MCG to Foxtel and Weetbix, using 2006 World Cup footage over and over again.

This kind of marketing prevents people from seeing our ageing stars for what they are and kept us in a 2006 World Cup Disneyland.

It is possible to change the message of the marketing to what it was back in 2006: it's great just to be there and we hope the boys will do us proud. the happy go lucky Aussie spirit, punching above our weight on the world stage etc.

@GazGoldCoast - to me the message for the A-League has to be that you can be fundamentally Aussie while supporting the A-League and not a sub-culture geek.

It has to show how, as Aussies, we can be taken on a journey into Asia and the world, because that is what we are really aiming for - again, just to particpate, not to dominate it at this stage. Asia has opened its door to us and we must seem to be very rude guests.

At the moment the Asian Champions League is almost an after thought and the fans are ignorant of its importance in improving the domestic game.

There needs to be more put into relationships with Asia so that teams like Gamba Osaka and Nogoya Grampus are well known by most Aussies. Otherwise, winning the A-league championship becomes the pinnacle in people's minds and we know that this just isn't true.

Television rights for Asian competitions, including the ACL and J-League (because we are in Asia) is something the AFL and NRL can't even compete with.

I think what happens in January at the Asian Nations Cup will have much more impact on the next TV deal than the result against Ghana or Serbia.

Apart from the unexpected size of the defeat against Germany, nothing really much has changed in what we hoped to get out of the finals.

If we don't make it to the knockout stage, well surely we must have known as soon as the draw was announced that we were up against it and our chances of progressing from the group were not as good as 4 years ago.

The only thing that came as a surprise in the game against Germany was the final score and only because we thought we had put the days of embarrassing heavy defeats against top European sides behind us.

The odds of beating powerhouse Germany in a crucial game like that were slim and we knew it, as we also knew the games against Ghana and Serbia were the ones most likely to determine our finals' fate.

Nothing's changed.

The only way our progress in S. Africa would have affected our next TV deal or the fight of the Socceroos with the Australian Cricket team or the Wallabies for national recognition would be if the Socceroos had a chance to win the World Cup and failed.

The Australian general public and the television bosses like champions. They don't care if an Australian team or a single athlete or even a racing horse has nothing to beat to become a champion. A champion is a champion.

We can't win the world cup at the moment and become champions, even if we hadn't lost to Germany.

But our Socceroos do have a realistic chance to win something big soon and become champions.

There is another important tournament coming up in January, the Asian Nations Cup and we are among the favourites to win it.

This tournament holds the viewing record for a Foxtel live telecast which was a game between the Socceroos and Japan and it's not covered by the anti-siphoning laws, meaning it will be opened to all bidders for the broadcast rights when the time comes to sign our new tv deal.

Just imagine what it will mean for our sport if the Socceroos win the Cup and become champions of Asia. The impact something like that will have on the hungry for winners Australian public and television bosses is immeasurable. Who would remember then that we lost 4-0 to Germany some months earlier.

This is where the battle for national recognition and a good tv deal will be fought: in the Asian Cup finals next January, where we have a terrific chance of winning.

And in Australia a winner ...is a winner ...is a winner. That's all the public want: a champion.

Now put your feet up and enjoy the rest of the world cup regardless.


Edited by ton.of.bricks: 18/6/2010 12:35:24 PM

I think the thread has grown some legs away from the intended substance of the article.
Unless i'm incorrect, the article was targeting the finances the aleague relies on. The TV rights and their value, the reliance on the Socceroo brand as the major contributor to that value, what effect success or failure might have on the viewing popularity of the Socceroos and how that could ultimately effect the worth of the next Tv rights deal, which, of course, directly effects the future finances available to the aleague.

Do I read the intention correctly, KA?

Yup - that's pretty much it.