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.

Skeptic, that's probably a decent summary but the main theme is that brand Socceroo for the last 4 years has been more important that team Socceroo and now that the World Cup is here, performances are determining if team Socceroo can live up to the expectations brand Socceroo has created and what are the unintended consequences of a disparity between the two.

Socceroos prepare for their '$100 million' game
CAMERON ATFIELD
June 18, 2010 - 6:09AM

Australia's must-win match against Ghana tomorrow night has been labelled Australian football's "$100 million" game, with much more than just national pride at stake.

Ever since their heroic performance at the 2006 World Cup in Germany, the Socceroos have been a marketing phenomenon, selling everything from breakfast cereals to gaming consoles.

After their 4-0 drubbing at the hands of Germany on Monday, Australia must win its next two games, against Ghana at midnight tomorrow night and Serbia next week, to have a realistic chance to repeat their 2006 effort and make it to the second round.

Publicist Max Markson said last night Australia's failure to defeat Ghana and emulate the second round achievements of 2006 would be a commercial disaster for Football Federation Australia.

"It's almost like an all or nothing game for them - it's a $100 million game," he said.

"If they get bundled out it will damage soccer's credibility in this marketplace and it will also, I'm sure, damage our hopes of hosting the World Cup in 2022."

Mr Markson said Australia's performance against Germany was a "reality check" of Australia's standing in the world game.

"Welcome to the real world," he said.

"This is how this sport is and it's not that easy to get through, let alone win the World Cup.

"The home of soccer, England, haven't won a World Cup since 1966 - sometimes the whole nation falls or dies on every single game they play, nevermind waiting four years for a World Cup."

In a crowded sporting marketplace, Mr Markson said there was a natural tendency for casual sports fans to gravitate towards the more successful sides.

But the global nature of football meant Australia's fortunes were more likely to fluctuate.

"If you look at rugby league, there's only really Australia and England and that's about it. Look at cricket and there's half a dozen countries - then you look at soccer and you're competing with every single country in the world," Mr Markson said.

"Everybody loves winners and in sport especially you love a winner - how demoralising is it to support a team that never wins anything? And that's the nature of soccer, the competition is so tough."

But even their demoralising 4-0 defeat and a possible early exit from the World Cup would not have too much of an impact on "Brand Socceroo", according to a leading sports marketing expert.

Sport Business Partners market research director Martin Hirons said while a loss against either team would be a set-back, it would not lessen the team's marketability.

"Don't forget, this is the global game and competition's tough when you get to this level," he said.

"If a brand is strategically thinking, it will look at an eight-year cycle and invest heavily in the Socceroos, rather than look at a four-year window, because you're rolling the dice in a lot of ways."

Mr Hirons said top brands would always invest in the biggest sporting events - and they came no bigger than football's World Cup and the Olympic Games.

"[The performance against Germany] is certainly not what the FFA would have liked, but the reality is that the actual World Cup has been going on for a couple of years now and this is the finals," he said.

"We're still one of the top nations in the world and we're in a tough competition."

Mr Hirons said while Monday morning's result left many football supporters feeling forlorn, it would not be felt in the FFA's hip pocket.

"The most commercially successful teams and even individuals are typically ones who have sustained success over a period of a few years," he said.

"Does the performance in the Germany game impact on the [Socceroos] brand? No.

"But certainly how they come out of the next two games and how they perform thereafter will be very important in expanding on their existing appeal."

Also in the mix was FIFA's decision this December on which nation would host the 2022 World Cup.

Australia is considered a strong chance to beat out rival bids from the United States, Japan, South Korea and Qatar.

"Even with a relatively poor performance at this World Cup, if December goes our way for 2022 it's a whole different ballgame," Mr Hirons said.

"So there's some anomalies in the mix at the moment and the reality is the team is incredibly well known in Australia."

But Monday's thrashing at the hands of Germany could also work in Australia's favour, with the scene set for a great off-the-canvas sporting tale.

"Everybody loves an underdog and we're definitely underdogs at the moment, so there's definitely an opportunity here - if we pull it off, it won't be the first time Australia's come from behind," Mr Markson said.

"When John Bertrand led Australia to victory in the America's Cup at Rhode Island in 1983, that was enormous and the nation rose as one that day.

"The day we won the Olympic Games in the 1990s, the nation again was overjoyed, and I think the opportunity is there for that to happen again at the World Cup."

Mr Hirons said a win against Ghana would keep Football Federation Australia in the hunt for the massive financial windfall.

"[Making the second round] would be an incredible achievement and would commercially set the FFA up very well for the next eight years," he said.

[quote=Ecce]But nobody wants to see HAL games live on FTA with thousands of empty seats in the background...

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.

Listening to the groups of Mums chatting about the Socceroos at my kid's school yesterday morning was music to my ears.