So, ignoring my points about the same problems in the men’s game particularly at the most recent expansion clubs (20Legend certainly did!), is it a given that the women’s game is being subsidised by the men’s?
In fact, substantially subsidised, to the point where at least one and a half of us believe we should bail out on the women’s game before we hit the mountains of men’s league failure?
Leaving out arguments that a stadium ready women’s game might be harmed by playing hookey kookey with the product availability, equity or even moral arguments about the inter generational marketing advantage the men’s game had by not being banned for many decades, let’s deal in reality.
It’s hard to understand that if the women’s game was losing so much, that scrapping it would make the A league men’s successful, why WelNix would invest so much in coaching and playing staff this season. They’ve surely increased their investment this season. They’ll want return on that investment in reality, as well as lala land.
I understand it’s a tough environment for football, but are Newcastle, Brisbane, MacArthur or Western United going to get greater attendances for the men by cutting the women’s game? Is Vic going to forget the NSW grand final purchase and subsequent banning of fans?
Victory last season had 12, 874 average compared with 27,260 a decade ago and around 20k half a decade ago. That’ll convince them to come back? A bit of Ratcliffe style reality? Fire a few tea ladies and women’s footballers?
It’s great to heroically save football, but I’m not sure it’ll be done just by returning it to a Masonic lodge with Harper and Slater at the front door.
In fact, substantially subsidised, to the point where at least one and a half of us believe we should bail out on the women’s game before we hit the mountains of men’s league failure?
Leaving out arguments that a stadium ready women’s game might be harmed by playing hookey kookey with the product availability, equity or even moral arguments about the inter generational marketing advantage the men’s game had by not being banned for many decades, let’s deal in reality.
It’s hard to understand that if the women’s game was losing so much, that scrapping it would make the A league men’s successful, why WelNix would invest so much in coaching and playing staff this season. They’ve surely increased their investment this season. They’ll want return on that investment in reality, as well as lala land.
I understand it’s a tough environment for football, but are Newcastle, Brisbane, MacArthur or Western United going to get greater attendances for the men by cutting the women’s game? Is Vic going to forget the NSW grand final purchase and subsequent banning of fans?
Victory last season had 12, 874 average compared with 27,260 a decade ago and around 20k half a decade ago. That’ll convince them to come back? A bit of Ratcliffe style reality? Fire a few tea ladies and women’s footballers?
It’s great to heroically save football, but I’m not sure it’ll be done just by returning it to a Masonic lodge with Harper and Slater at the front door.
You are correct - there are poorly run men's teams, and cutting women's football isn't going to fix them.
Neither of those points support the argument to amputate the semi-successful men's league to hope and prayer that some tweaks to the women's game is going to significantly amplify it.
Exactly what steps would you take tomorrow to grow the women's league 5-10x in the next three years?
Who is saying, again, apart from you and the cast of MTV’s the Real World, that having the women’s game is significantly or at all detrimental to the men’s game?
Your argument is that we should sacrifice the women’s game, which might or might not help a men’s game which can’t get its house or even a shed in order.
You are setting up a dichotomy which no one has suggested exists.
Again going back to my original post you need cut through for the personalities of the league to interest the general public. The media is fracturing so it is tricky, but needs doing. A ‘How many can you name campaign’?
But as you rightly observe crowds are low in the modern era. It probably needs to be simple too- person by person and word of mouth. Bring in the football players and those who enjoy other live sport, and get them hooked into the Yellow Fever culture. T-shirts, flags, chants, signing sessions. The sport is starting from scratch again as a public spectacle.
The Nix did well at Eden Park initially because you could arrive at the weekend, think what am I going to do, see a Nix ad in the paper and rock up to buy tickets 5 minutes after kickoff. Ease of access for casuals. That’s tricky, but maybe dedicated publicised shuttles. That’s not a biggie though.
Success and derbies is going to help NZ numbers. AFC having a team too, will increase their crowds.
I’m not an expert man. Waiting to hear from you about the semi- successful- ie equally failing, men’s league?
So far you’ve had one idea and that is shut down the women’s league. Bold and disjointed and on par with many ideas we’ve seen.
Though to be fair, perhaps Townsend had a good idea, but it needed much better execution and probably to be done at the height of the league’s popularity, before the FFA and Fox poison pilled it.