tag:theconversation.com,2011:/nz/topics/a-league-43665/articlesA-league – The Conversation2020-10-19T19:01:57Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1482582020-10-19T19:01:57Z2020-10-19T19:01:57ZFewer flights and a pesticide-free pitch? Here’s how Australia’s football codes can cut their carbon bootprint<p>Australian sport’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been remarkable. Major leagues reorganised with impressive speed to keep games going. Schedules dissolved, seasons were <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-08-14/forget-the-coronavirus-footy-frenzy-afl-is-better-in-person/12556042">compressed</a> and players <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-07-01/coronavirus-afl-players-told-to-move-from-melbourne-hotspots/12412720">relocated</a>. And the once unthinkable is now reality: the AFL grand final will be held in <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-09-02/afl-grand-final-host-announced-gabba-brisbane/12618624">Brisbane</a>.</p>
<p>What if the Australian sport industry could apply the same urgency and innovation to a different but no less significant global crisis – climate change?</p>
<p>Each week, teams and fans fly vast distances, producing significant carbon emissions. And that’s not to mention their other activities. According to the <a href="https://unfccc.int/climate-action/sectoral-engagement/sports-for-climate-action">UN Sports for Climate Action Framework</a>, “sport’s contribution to climate change – through associated travel, energy use, construction, catering, and so on – is considerable”.</p>
<p>Professional sport has enormous power to influence positive change. So ahead of this weekend’s grand finals, let’s examine the carbon emissions of our major men’s football leagues: the AFL, NRL and A-League, as well as Australia’s Super Rugby teams.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Football players struggle in the heat" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/364140/original/file-20201019-15-1shfkxi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/364140/original/file-20201019-15-1shfkxi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=393&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/364140/original/file-20201019-15-1shfkxi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=393&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/364140/original/file-20201019-15-1shfkxi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=393&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/364140/original/file-20201019-15-1shfkxi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=493&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/364140/original/file-20201019-15-1shfkxi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=493&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/364140/original/file-20201019-15-1shfkxi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=493&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Players struggle in the heat during an A-League match between Melbourne City and Perth Glory in Melbourne last year. Sport is a major contributor to carbon emissions and resulting global warming.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Julian Smith</span></span>
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<h2>The carbon cost of football</h2>
<p>Our small-scale study analysed air travel-related emissions for the final four rounds of 2019 regular season games. We used the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s <a href="https://www.icao.int/environmental-protection/CarbonOffset/Documents/Methodology%20ICAO%20Carbon%20Calculator_v10-2017.pdf">measurement methodology</a> to create a snapshot of carbon dioxide-equivalent (<a href="https://ecometrica.com/assets/GHGs-CO2-CO2e-and-Carbon-What-Do-These-Mean-v2.1.pdf">CO₂-e</a>) generated by flying teams to and from games in different cities. </p>
<p>Air travel from just one month of football competition in Australia across the four men’s codes generated emissions equivalent to about 475 tonnes of carbon dioxide. Across the codes, teams travelled 231,000km in a single month. </p>
<p>Here’s how each league compared: </p>
<p><strong>- AFL:</strong> 18 teams travelled 72,316km across Australia, producing an estimated 187.4 tonnes of CO₂-e or about 10.4 tonnes per team</p>
<p><strong>- NRL:</strong> Largely concentrated in NSW and Queensland, the 16 teams covered the shortest distance: 46,400km. They generated 92.1 tonnes of CO₂-e or around 5.7 tonnes per team.</p>
<p><strong>- A-League:</strong> 62,660km of air travel, which generated 107.5 tonnes of CO₂-e. The team average (10.7 tonnes) is higher than the AFL and NRL, as teams are spread between Perth and Wellington in New Zealand.</p>
<p><strong>- Super Rugby:</strong> the four Australian teams in 2019 produced 87.8 tonnes of CO2-e from 49,624km in the air, with a team average of about 21.9 tonnes. Two games in Tokyo increased this average, although the Sunwolves are now defunct. Nonetheless, teams also flew to Argentina, South Africa and New Zealand during the season.</p>
<p>Unsurprisingly, far-flung teams produced the highest CO2-e emissions. However, the relatively short Melbourne-Sydney air route is the second most carbon-intensive at around 34 tonnes, exceeded only by Melbourne-Perth. The 25 teams in Sydney and Melbourne (plus Geelong) mean many return flights between the cities are required each season.</p>
<p>Explore the full results in this interactive graphic:</p>
<p><iframe id="tc-infographic-534" class="tc-infographic" height="400px" src="https://cdn.theconversation.com/infographics/534/0ebf620167f8f88941199fe74829c07c1240d903/site/index.html" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<h2>Come fly with me</h2>
<p>Full seasons ran between 18 and 27 rounds, depending on the code. The results prompted us to consider how leagues and fixtures might be organised to reduce the number of flights taken during a season. </p>
<p>Many teams are located in the Newcastle-Sydney-Wollongong corridor (plus Canberra) and Melbourne/Geelong. So visiting interstate and New Zealand teams could play two or three fixtures in these locations before returning home. Depending on the code, similar arrangements are possible in southern Queensland, Adelaide and Perth.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/we-need-to-climate-proof-our-sports-stadiums-90020">We need to 'climate-proof' our sports stadiums</a>
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<p>Organising teams into geographically proximate conferences, as Super Rugby does, is worth considering. This might mean, for example, that Melbourne-based AFL or A-League teams, and Sydney-based NRL or A-League teams, might play each other more often in front of large crowds in their home city. </p>
<p>Representative fixtures, such as the State of Origin rugby league series, could be shortened and based in one location. Teams could travel to play two or three games, then return home.</p>
<p>Even minor reductions in travel-related carbon emissions are worth investigating, and publicly showcasing, in an effort to spur more serious environmental efforts by leagues and teams.</p>
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<img alt="AFL players board a plane" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/364141/original/file-20201019-21-1pjmczy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/364141/original/file-20201019-21-1pjmczy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=366&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/364141/original/file-20201019-21-1pjmczy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=366&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/364141/original/file-20201019-21-1pjmczy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=366&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/364141/original/file-20201019-21-1pjmczy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=460&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/364141/original/file-20201019-21-1pjmczy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=460&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/364141/original/file-20201019-21-1pjmczy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=460&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Sports teams regularly fly across Australia, creating considerable emissions from air travel.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Scott Barbour/AAP</span></span>
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<h2>Greening the game</h2>
<p>There are other ways leagues can encourage a sustainable sporting future. In Britain, for example, League Two’s <a href="https://www.fgr.co.uk">Forest Green Rovers</a> is the world’s first <a href="https://unfccc.int/climate-action/momentum-for-change/climate-neutral-now/creating-the-greenest-football-club-in-the-world-forest-green-rovers">carbon-neutral</a> football club. </p>
<p>Its home ground features solar panels, electric vehicle charging points and a vegan matchday menu. The team <a href="https://www.fgr.co.uk/our-ethos/greening-up-football">plays</a> on an organic pitch, cut by a solar-powered robot lawnmower, and collects and recycles rainwater. Clubs in Australia could follow this lead to achieve meaningful environmental credentials.</p>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/just-not-cricket-how-climate-change-will-make-sport-more-risky-36839">Just not cricket – how climate change will make sport more risky</a>
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<p>Carbon measurement, <a href="https://www.nhl.com/info/nhl-green">reduction</a> and offset strategies and environmentally responsible sponsorship policies are also needed. </p>
<p>Codes could hold environmentally themed rounds and games, and promote current and former sportspeople speaking about the need for action on climate change and environmental issues, such as:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>rugby union’s <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/aug/18/we-live-in-a-time-of-climate-breakdown-with-no-moral-leadership-but-we-can-take-action">David Pocock</a>, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/oct/10/david-pocock-and-wallabies-teammates-lead-sporting-charge-on-carbon-emissions">Bernard Foley and Dane Haylett-Petty</a></p></li>
<li><p>AFLW’s <a href="http://tlaworldwide.com/talent/sharni-layton/">Sharni Layton</a> (also a former netball international) </p></li>
<li><p>AFL’s <a href="https://climatesafety.info/thesustainablehour309/">Jasper Pittard</a>, <a href="https://sportsenvironmentalliance.org/connections/">Jonathon Patton</a> and <a href="https://sportsenvironmentalliance.org/connections/">Harry Himmelberg</a> </p></li>
<li><p>netball’s <a href="https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/sport/netball/2020/10/17/vixens-defender-jo-weston-gets-serious/160285320010557">Jo Weston</a> and <a href="https://ecoathletes.org/2020/04/amy-steel-ex-australian-national-team-netballer-current-climate-risk-executive-joins-ecoathletes-supporters-roster/">Amy Steele</a></p></li>
<li><p>soccer’s <a href="https://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/why-climate-displacement-uniquely-affects-football-s-global-citizens">Craig Foster</a> and <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-11-01/perth-glory-chris-harold-environmental-advocate/11655852">Chris Harold</a></p></li>
<li><p>cricket’s <a href="https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/27723702/cricket-needs-take-climate-change-seriously">Ian Chappell</a> and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/sep/13/shane-warne-cricket-climate-crisis-dangers#:%7E:text=Shane%20Warne%20urges%20cricket%20to%20be%20proactive%20about%20climate%20crisis%20dangers,-This%20article%20is&text=Shane%20Warne%20has%20called%20for,%E2%80%9Chumanity's%20most%20pressing%20challenge%E2%80%9D.">Shane Warne</a>. </p></li>
</ul>
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<img alt="Ballboy fainting in the heat" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/364145/original/file-20201019-15-1nd3qia.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/364145/original/file-20201019-15-1nd3qia.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=414&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/364145/original/file-20201019-15-1nd3qia.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=414&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/364145/original/file-20201019-15-1nd3qia.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=414&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/364145/original/file-20201019-15-1nd3qia.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=520&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/364145/original/file-20201019-15-1nd3qia.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=520&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/364145/original/file-20201019-15-1nd3qia.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=520&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Officials assist a ballboy who fainted in the heat at The Australian Open tennis tournament. Major sports competitions are already being adversely affected by climate change.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Nic Bothma</span></span>
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<h2>Leading, not following</h2>
<p>Last summer’s extreme weather in Australia was a taste of what’s to come under climate change.</p>
<p>Bushfires covered the <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/sport/tennis/tennis-australia-suddenly-on-the-wrong-side-of-history-20200115-p53rkd.html">Australian Open tennis</a> in thick smoke. Cyclists in the <a href="https://www.cyclingnews.com/features/burned-out-bushfire-areas-at-tour-down-under-like-something-out-of-a-film-about-the-end-of-the-world/">Tour Down Under</a> rode through bushfire-ravaged landscapes, and the three previous tours had stages <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/aug/12/this-is-a-wake-up-call-how-will-pro-cycling-address-its-own-climate-crisis">shortened or modified</a> due to extreme heat. </p>
<p>In other parts of the world, sports have been disrupted by events such as <a href="https://www.theclimatecoalition.org/gamechanger">floods</a> and <a href="https://www.si.com/nhl/2019/04/22/climate-change-canada-winter-sports-hockey-backyard-rinks">reduced snow and ice cover</a>. </p>
<p>Reducing the carbon footprint of sport is clearly in the interests of both the planet, and the leagues themselves. It’s now time for sport’s decision-makers to face reality.</p>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/climate-explained-are-we-doomed-if-we-dont-manage-to-curb-emissions-by-2030-143526">Climate explained: are we doomed if we don't manage to curb emissions by 2030?</a>
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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/148258/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Brett Hutchins has received funding from the Australian Research Council.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Libby Lester has received funding from the Australian Research Council.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michael Ambrose does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Professional sport has enormous power to influence positive change. So ahead of this weekend’s grand finals, let’s examine the carbon emissions of our major men’s football leagues.Brett Hutchins, Professor of Media and Communications Studies, Monash UniversityLibby Lester, Director, Institute for Social Change, University of TasmaniaMichael Ambrose, Research Team Leader, CSIROLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1396622020-06-02T20:06:20Z2020-06-02T20:06:20ZWhy does crowd noise matter?<p>Sporting codes are restarting as part of easing restrictions amid the coronavirus pandemic. In Australia, <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-05-29/rugby-league-returns-from-covid-19-shutdown/12298446">the NRL season has just restarted</a>, the AFL <a href="https://7news.com.au/sport/afl/afl-restart-date-revealed-c-1038201">will resume on June 11</a>, and Super Netball <a href="https://thewomensgame.com/news/2020-super-netball-and-constellation-cups-confirmed-548760">will return on August 1</a>. </p>
<p>But, to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission, there’s one crucial ingredient missing: crowds.</p>
<p>To provide atmosphere in the absence of people, broadcasters are experimenting with canned crowd noise, much like the <a href="https://theconversation.com/we-need-a-laugh-even-if-it-is-fake-a-history-of-canned-laughter-134070">laugh tracks used in sitcoms</a>. Last weekend the NRL unveiled its fake audience noise, drawing a <a href="https://twitter.com/i/events/1265956270839750659?s=13">mixed response from viewers</a>.</p>
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<p>Germany’s top soccer league <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-05-28/fake-crowd-noise-bundesliga-afl-tv-broadcast/12295010">has been using it for weeks</a>, and the English Premier League, which returns on June 17, is even considering <a href="https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league-project-restart-fifa-20-fake-crowd-noise-a4455766.html">borrowing crowd noise from EA Sports’ popular soccer video game FIFA</a>.</p>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YbX4Wq5pCPY?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">EA Sports’ popular FIFA soccer gaming franchise is famed for its fake crowd noise.</span></figcaption>
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<p>But why do we care so much about crowd noise, and why do many of us feel we need it?</p>
<p>It’s because it bonds us with members of our tribe, provides us a sense of connection, and acts as a psychological cue for when to pay particular attention to the action, like a goal opportunity. Without it, sport just doesn’t seem as exciting.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/from-spit-to-scrums-how-can-sports-players-minimise-their-coronavirus-risk-139034">From spit to scrums. How can sports players minimise their coronavirus risk?</a>
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<h2>We bond over sport</h2>
<p>Following a team brings a sense of <a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/e/9780203728376/chapters/10.4324/9780203728376-14">connection</a> with others who follow the same team. That sense of <a href="http://persweb.wabash.edu/facstaff/hortonr/articles%20for%20class/baumeister%20and%20leary.pdf">belonging is an incredibly powerful motivation</a> for people - it drives our thoughts and our emotions. And following a team is an <a href="https://www.niesr.ac.uk/publications/football-matter-life-and-death-%E2%80%93-or-it-more-important">emotional experience</a>. We share the highs when they win, and the lows when they lose.</p>
<p>Spectators may not even play the sport they watch, but still refer to <a href="http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.322.6919&rep=rep1&type=pdf">“us” and “we” when talking about their team</a>, and use “they” and “them” for the opposition. And when the crowd supporting our team is the one making all the noise, it drives home that sense of connection.</p>
<h2>Crowd noise is a cue</h2>
<p>For a couple of rounds of competition, before the COVID-19 suspension, we saw games of AFL where we could actually <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/mar/20/no-crowd-no-atmosphere-only-footy-as-afl-season-makes-muted-bow">hear the players yelling to each other</a>. When they scored, the only noise was from the players themselves. It sounded similar to watching an amateur match at the local park. Even the most tense moments, or heroic efforts, were somehow not as exciting without the crowd.</p>
<p>That’s because crowd noise is a cue for spectators. We know something exciting has happened when the crowd goes nuts. When a game comes down to the last few minutes, and the scores are very close, the crowd noise adds to the tension. When <em>my</em> team is getting cheered on, I share in the excitement with others like me - <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2000/08/11/sports/sports-psychology-it-isn-t-just-a-game-clues-to-avid-rooting.html">my tribe</a>. It seems the broadcasters are reflecting this by increasing the volume of fake crowd noise during exciting moments.</p>
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<p>Without crowd noise, we just don’t get the same level of excitement, because we’ve <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08838151.2019.1568806">learned to link excitement with crowd noise</a>. You can have the most amazing players, with so many things to cheer on, but the only noise you’re likely to hear will be from whoever is watching with you in the lounge room (and maybe your neighbour if they’re watching too).</p>
<p>If we’re not sharing the moment with everyone, we’re missing out on that sense of belonging.</p>
<h2>Crowds also influence players and referees</h2>
<p>The most important factor in home ground advantage <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1527002515595842">appears to be the crowd</a> (though some argue that the home crowd advantage <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02640410400021559?mobileUi=0&journalCode=rjsp20">used to be larger</a> than it is now).</p>
<p>Most teams have their own home ground, but in some cases, two or more teams might share a home ground. When they’re playing against each other, one team is still designated as home, and the other as away. Neither team has to travel far, and both teams are familiar with the stadium’s quirks, but the designated “home” team will have a more sympathetic crowd. <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1527002515595842">A 2015 study</a> used this exact scenario at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles to find that essentially the entire home advantage between two teams comes down to the crowd effect. So crowd noise can support players, <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/it-feels-all-wrong-a-player-s-view-of-footy-without-a-crowd-20200318-p54bho.html">and spur them on</a>. </p>
<p>Further, home crowd noise has also been found to have an effect on <a href="https://www.scirp.org/journal/paperinformation.aspx?paperid=24626">referees, umpires and judges</a>. Teams appear to be <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17852675/">less likely to receive yellow cards in soccer</a> when playing at their home ground, because of the home crowd’s impact on referees.</p>
<p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20733209/">A 2010 study</a> found referees used crowd noise as a cue when making decisions such as whether to give a yellow card for a foul. </p>
<p>The home crowd is more likely to be loud for fouls against their own team, rather than fouls their team has committed against the opposition. Because crowd noise is strongly associated with exciting action, and fouls are exciting, referees may not even be aware they’re using crowd noise as a cue. Further, they may just want to <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17852675/">appease the home crowd</a>.</p>
<h2>Sport won’t be as exciting without crowds</h2>
<p>I distinctly remember the moment when Nick Davis kicked <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvH5yPHOaVg">that goal</a> with 5 seconds to go to defeat the Geelong Cats and send the Sydney Swans into a 2005 preliminary final. The crowd went nuts and I loved sharing that moment with everyone. I belonged.</p>
<p>But if something like that happened this year, and there was no crowd to see it and cheer it on, would it be as exciting? I doubt it.</p>
<p>And that’s precisely why fake crowd noise is <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-05-28/fake-crowd-noise-bundesliga-afl-tv-broadcast/12295010">on TV</a>. It might feel forced, and <a href="https://twitter.com/i/events/1265956270839750659">some people might not like it much</a>, but at least there’s just a little bit more excitement with it. With any luck, we won’t have to worry about it for too long.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>This article is supported by the <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/partners/judith-neilson-institute">Judith Neilson Institute for Journalism and Ideas</a>.</em></p>
<p><em>This article was amended on June 3, 2020. It originally referred to the Sydney Swans advancing to the grand final after defeating Geelong. The team actually advanced to a preliminary final.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/139662/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alex Russell is a member of the International Gambling Think Tank. This Think Tank is an international network of researchers, policy makers, service providers and interested others collaborating to advance understanding of gambling and to reduce gambling-related harm. He works in gambling research, with a particular interest in sports betting, and has received funding to examine topics such as wagering advertising and its effect on peoples' betting behaviour, as well as sports betting more generally. He has not received any funding into this specific topic, and discloses no conflicts of interest.</span></em></p>Why are sport broadcasters using fake crowd noise? It might be because crowd noise can help us bond with our tribe and acts as a psychological cue for when to pay attention.Alex Russell, Senior Postdoctoral Fellow, CQUniversity AustraliaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1297602020-01-16T01:44:11Z2020-01-16T01:44:11ZMoving the A-League to the winter would improve the play, but will it attract the fans?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/310196/original/file-20200115-151825-nn4yba.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The A-League is struggling to attract TV viewers and fans at matches. Would a move to the winter make any difference?</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Gary Day/AAP</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>In the past week, the Australian football players union has been pressuring the A-League to <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/open-season-a-league-urged-to-explore-feasibility-of-winter-switch-20200107-p53plq.html">make a major change in the sport</a> – shifting to a winter competition, instead of its current spot in the brutal summer.</p>
<p>Both the A-League and W-League seasons currently run from October-April. One of the main reasons for the summer schedule was to avoid head-to-head competition with the much bigger Australian Football League (AFL) and National Rugby League (NRL), which both play in the winter.</p>
<p>But there’s a growing feeling in the sport that a move to the winter months would be beneficial for football, particularly as our summers grow hotter and bushfires worsen. </p>
<p>Last weekend, A-League officials <a href="https://www.foxsports.com.au/football/a-league/aleague-wleague-news-games-postponed-over-air-quality-smoke-bushfire-crisis-newcastle-jets/news-story/05decc5a333b94386216c58952d49d51">considered cancelling</a> the match between Sydney FC and Newcastle Jets due to the air quality in NSW before shifting course at the last minute. However, the W-League match scheduled before it was postponed.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1215084733522042885"}"></div></p>
<h2>Schedule not aligned with other leagues</h2>
<p>The A-League is believed to be the only professional football league in the world in which the <a href="https://www.foxsports.com.au/football/a-league/aleague-news-podcast-simon-hill-debate-analysis-winter-switch-ffa-james-johnson-salary-cap-second-division/news-story/477db6eff7d341398b9ecc1a1698a711">top-level competition plays at a different time of year from its lower-tier league</a>. The semi-pro National Premier League currently plays in the winter, from March to October. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-soccer-is-falling-behind-footy-and-rugby-in-australia-97327">Why soccer is falling behind footy and rugby in Australia</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
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<p><a href="https://sport.optus.com.au/articles/os3933/aloisi-bridges-and-mcdonald-debate-should-the-a-league-move-to-winter">According to former Socceroo John Aloisi</a>, the way the schedule is currently set up widens the gap between amateur and professional football. This separation limits the development pathways for players, coaches and administrators. </p>
<p>It also situates the Australian national competition outside the Asian football schedule, which is also in the Southern Hemisphere winter. </p>
<blockquote>
<p>If we want to move forward as a code we need to go, ‘Alright, Asia is played this time of the year, we have to play with them.’</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Moving to the winter could have a huge impact on the women’s game, too. It would give the W-League a major opportunity to grow its fan base since no other Australian women’s sport is played at that time of year, other than netball. </p>
<p>As former Matilda Shelley Youman <a href="https://thewomensgame.com/news/calls-for-w-league-to-shift-to-winter-we-need-to-find-our-place-536240">says</a>,</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Crowds are not coming now anyway, so why not try something new. We need to find our place in the busy Australian sporting landscape.</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>Hotter temperatures lead to patchier play</h2>
<p>Other players have also thrown their support behind the idea, arguing the Australian summer heat and constant need for water breaks impacts the quality of football. The <a href="https://www.ffa.com.au/ffa-heat-policy">FFA heat policy</a> mandates a 90-second drink break in each half when the wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) is between 26 and 27.9 degrees Celsius, or the ambient temperature is over 31 degrees. </p>
<p>A match can be delayed or postponed when the WBGT reaches 28 degrees.</p>
<p>Former Socceroos star Jason Culina <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/sport/soccer/jason-culina-it-s-not-possible-to-perform-as-well-in-summer-as-in-winter-20200108-p53pvc.html">said he loses up to four kilograms</a> after games played in the heat and it can take days to recover. He says the fields in the summer months are also “rock hard”, leading to increased injuries.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>My career was almost ended by a serious knee injury in 2011 that was caused by wear and tear. … the hard conditions in Australia might have accelerated the deterioration. </p>
</blockquote>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1215121957437362177"}"></div></p>
<p>The heat may also be a contributing factor to fans staying away from A-League matches. Statistics <a href="https://www.austadiums.com/sport/sport.php?sid=3">show</a> that since 2015, crowd attendance at A-League matches has continually declined.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/309539/original/file-20200112-103982-1pmme4o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/309539/original/file-20200112-103982-1pmme4o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=260&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/309539/original/file-20200112-103982-1pmme4o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=260&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/309539/original/file-20200112-103982-1pmme4o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=260&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/309539/original/file-20200112-103982-1pmme4o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=327&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/309539/original/file-20200112-103982-1pmme4o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=327&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/309539/original/file-20200112-103982-1pmme4o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=327&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A-League attendance figures (2015-2019)</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Austadiums</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Where will they play in winter?</h2>
<p>So, how feasible would a switch actually be? Could this be the “shake-up” many have called for in the A-League? </p>
<p>One of the biggest problems is where A-League games would be played if the main stadiums are busy hosting AFL, NRL and Super Rugby matches. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/australia-wants-to-host-the-2023-fifa-womens-world-cup-equal-pay-for-the-matildas-will-help-our-chances-125564">Australia wants to host the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup. Equal pay for the Matildas will help our chances</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Part of the A-League season currently overlaps with those leagues in March and April. This already poses problems for footballers, due to the <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-03-10/scg-pitch-disaster-super-rugby-waratahs-reds/10887164">damage caused to fields by scrums and studs</a>.</p>
<p>Sydney FC, for example, has scheduled games at several suburban grounds while the Sydney Football Stadium is being rebuilt. However, last February the team had to move a match from Brookvale Oval after the playing surface was considered not up to “<a href="https://www.sydneyfc.com/news/sydney-fc-game-switched-leichhardt-oval">A-League standard</a>”.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1098808705678602240"}"></div></p>
<p>Add to that Melbourne Victory player <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-04-07/terry-antonis-suffers-knee-injury-on-uneven-scg/10979208">Terry Antonis’ knee injury</a> that was largely attributed to the poor condition of the Sydney Cricket Ground after a Super Rugby match. </p>
<p>In NSW, the Berejiklian government has controversially committed A$2 billion to stadium redevelopment, but most of the money is going toward its main stadiums in <a href="http://www.infrastructure.nsw.gov.au/projects-nsw/stadium-australia-redevelopment/">Olympic Park</a> and <a href="http://www.infrastructure.nsw.gov.au/projects-nsw/sydney-football-stadium-redevelopment/">Moore Park.</a> </p>
<p>This has resulted in ongoing criticism from those who believe the money could have been dispersed more evenly to upgrade smaller stadiums. The benefits of investing in smaller stadiums include enhancing the match atmosphere and creating a more family-friendly environment. They are <a href="https://www.austadiums.com/news/news.php?id=712">overwhelmingly favoured by fans and football clubs alike</a></p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/australians-love-their-sport-but-investing-in-new-venues-is-another-matter-108020">Australians love their sport, but investing in new venues is another matter</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
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<h2>Growing the fan base amid so much competition</h2>
<p>The A-league’s current position in the sporting calendar is already not drawing huge television audiences. The <a href="https://tvblackbox.com.au/page/2019/10/17/sports-ratings-wrap-a-league-struggles-to-find-an-audience-on-abc-as-bathurst-dominates">season opener between the Wanderers and Mariners</a> in October attracted just 47,000 viewers on the ABC in the five major capital cities – down from 93,000 a year earlier.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-soccer-is-falling-behind-footy-and-rugby-in-australia-97327">Why soccer is falling behind footy and rugby in Australia</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
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<p>While research shows Australians have multiple loyalties when it comes to sport, the A-League has long struggled to build a strong emotional connection with its fans – hence the poor television viewership and match attendance figures. </p>
<p>A recent study by <a href="https://www.ausleisure.com.au/news/study-evaluates-emotional-value-of-sport-fans-connection-to-sport-and-sponsors/">True North Research</a> highlighted how important the emotional connection is between fans and clubs. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-beautiful-social-media-game-a-league-winners-and-losers-on-twitter-84459">The beautiful social media game: A-League winners and losers on Twitter</a>
</strong>
</em>
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<p>The Matildas have long been considered among the “<a href="https://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/matildas-our-most-loved-team-as-wallabies-cricketers-win-us-back-over/news-story/a546eb1fc5f1789cfdd87e4004daa10f">most loved Australian sport teams</a>” but A-League clubs have been ranked the worst of any summer sports teams for <a href="https://www.goal.com/en-ug/news/a-league-clubs-rated-the-worst-for-emotional-connections/1keyzbxxssbjl13m1xxnk5xk4h">emotional connection with fans</a>.</p>
<p>In light of this, a move to winter could pose a serious risk to football’s future. Multiple <a href="https://www.theroar.com.au/2020/01/10/would-a-winter-season-even-work-in-the-a-league/?comment_id=7295528">online fan surveys</a> have shown that if it was a choice between the NRL, AFL or A-League, A-League would not be the winner. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1216175505591783424"}"></div></p>
<p>Perhaps instead of a shift to a different season, the A-League should focus on better developing and marketing its summer matches. As it stands now, the league decided not to do any marketing for the <a href="https://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/a-league-attempt-to-avoid-marketing-code-wars-ok-with-pfa">2019-20 season</a> until after the NRL and AFL Finals were over. </p>
<p>If the A-League’s administrators won’t promote the league before the season even starting, what hope does football have against a field of giants?</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/129760/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Many believe a move to the winter would be beneficial for football, particularly as our summers grow hotter. But competing directly with AFL and NRL could pose a serious risk to the sport’s future.Jessica Richards, Lecturer Sport Business Management, Western Sydney UniversityDaniela Spanjaard, Director of Academic Program, Hospitality, Marketing & Sport, School of Business, Western Sydney UniversityFrancine Garlin, Director of Undergraduate Programs, School of Business, Western Sydney UniversityMichelle O'Shea, Senior Lecturer Sport Management, Western Sydney UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/973272018-06-15T05:16:13Z2018-06-15T05:16:13ZWhy soccer is falling behind footy and rugby in Australia<p><em>This article is latest in our World Cup series exploring the politics, economics, science and social issues behind the world’s most popular sports event.</em></p>
<hr>
<p>While soccer has a <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/drawingroom/a-brief-history-of-australian-soccer/8782502">long history in the Australian sporting landscape</a>, most fans readily admit it has never rivalled Rugby League and Australian Rules Football in popularity. </p>
<p>But there was a brief period when this wasn’t the case. From late 2005, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2015/nov/16/ten-years-since-australia-v-uruguay-the-story-of-the-socceroos-greatest-moment">when Australia dramatically beat Uruguay to qualify</a> for the following year’s World Cup, until early 2015, <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-01-31/australia-socceroos-win-asian-cup/6060038">when Australia hosted (and then won) the Asian Cup</a>, the sport managed to win the hearts and minds of most Australians. </p>
<p>Gone were the days of soccer <a href="http://www.nma.gov.au/collections/highlights/johnny_warren_collection">struggling for mainstream legitimacy</a>, branded as a game of <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-case-for-sheilas-wogs-and-poofters-by-johnny-warren-23696">“sheilas, wogs and poofters”</a>.</p>
<p>During this halcyon 10-year period, the Socceroos moved from the tiny Oceania Football Confederation to the lucrative Asian Football Federation, and enjoyed three consecutive appearances in the World Cup (2006, 2010, 2014). </p>
<p>The A-League was also established and quickly became successful, with steady increases in sponsorship money, TV viewership and match attendance over the first few seasons. More importantly, the league gained acceptance as a truly national and inclusive Australian competition. </p>
<p>But that was then, and this is now. The last three years have been trying for Australian soccer. The <a href="http://www.goal.com/en-au/news/var-ffa-a-league-grand-final-error-melbourne-victory/1919ccqvm4qhu1equ1gwqtq4u2">recent VAR error in the A-League grand final</a> between Newcastle and the Melbourne Victory is symptomatic of the myriad problems confronting the sport. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"992753152876318721"}"></div></p>
<p>While soccer still has very high grassroots participation and the women’s game has seen a boom in popularity, the growth of the men’s game at the elite level has ground to a halt. Australia <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/live/2017/nov/15/australia-v-honduras-world-cup-2018-qualifying-play-off-second-leg-live">barely qualified for this year’s World Cup</a>, and the way things are going, it could be eliminated from the group stage without a win.</p>
<h2>Poor performance of the Socceroos</h2>
<p>For the Australian sporting public, the Socceroos have embodied what it means to be Australian – they’ve been seen as classic underdogs, with their backs to the wall, winning against all odds. Successful campaigns in World Cup qualifying or the Asian Cup coincided in a sharp interest in the code and always resulted in media bonanzas. When the Socceroos were doing well, the sport was doing well. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/qualifying-is-never-easy-australias-world-cup-history-27508">Qualifying is never easy: Australia’s World Cup history</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>But the <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-09-04/richard-hinds-world-cup-wobbles-leave-socceroos-in-a-tight-spot/8868130">drawn-out qualification campaign for this year’s World Cup</a> felt different. The team faced must-win matches against minnows like Syria, Thailand and Honduras, then <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-11-22/how-it-all-unravelled-for-ange-postecoglou/9179040">lost coach Ange Postecoglou</a> after eking its way into the tournament, creating considerable negative publicity. The longer the qualification campaign went, the more supporters switched off. </p>
<p>There is <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/jun/08/ange-postecoglou-australian-football-is-going-backwards">clearly no real fanfare</a> heading into Australia’s opening World Cup match against France on Saturday. </p>
<p>Former manager Guus Hiddink went into the 2006 World Cup with star players Harry Kewell, Mark Viduka and Mark Schwarzer. Current coach Bert van Marwijk has at his disposal a less-accomplished squad featuring the likes of Jamie Maclaren, Josh Risdon and 38-year-old Tim Cahill. Expectations for the team in Russia are <a href="http://www.espn.com/soccer/fifa-world-cup/4/blog/post/3465307/world-cup-2018-australia-with-new-manager-head-to-russia-in-state-of-flux-32-teams-in-32-days">decidedly low</a>.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1006010345809297408"}"></div></p>
<h2>The declining state of the A-League</h2>
<p>When the A-League competition was launched in 2005, it heralded a new era in Australian soccer, with a de-ethnicised national competition comprised of professional players and international marquee superstars. </p>
<p>Following the success of the Socceroos’ 2006 World Cup campaign and the arrival of genuine stars like Alessandro Del Piero and Emile Heskey, the league thrived and attracted new supporters to the sport. </p>
<p>However, in recent years, <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/aleague-stuck-in-the-doldrums-as-ratings-and-attendances-slump-20171222-h09dkv.html">interest has begun to waver</a> as the league failed to evolve and replace retiring and departing stars with new talent. </p>
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<p>Attendance at A-League matches was never able to keep pace with either the AFL or NRL, and during the just-completed 2017-18 season, <a href="http://www.ultimatealeague.com/records.php?type=att&season=2017-18">it dipped to 1.53 million total fans, or an average of 10,926 per match</a>, the lowest numbers since 2011. Most worrying has been stagnation and, in some cases, significant declines in attendance for derbies (the Big Blue and Sydney derbies, for example) and certain struggling clubs like <a href="http://www.goal.com/en-au/news/wellington-phoenix-cannot-exist-in-current-form-says-robbie/hk4x8dyy2g7l12fkdf6jhuo5b">Wellington Phoenix</a>. </p>
<p>TV ratings have been on the decline, as well. Free-to-air ventures with SBS and Channel 10 have yielded low ratings, while Fox Sports pay-per-view ratings have dropped off significantly, especially since the arrival of the free-to-air cricket Big Bash in 2011-12.</p>
<p>The failure to get more than one A-League match on free-to-air TV per week is a major issue for the sport, especially since less than 30% of households have Fox Sports. Lack of a televised presence clearly impacts on interest.</p>
<h2>Lack of player development</h2>
<p>While it’s difficult to get soccer supporters to agree on anything, there is unanimity in the belief that the Australian talent production line is broken and the country no longer produces top-quality players. </p>
<p>Very few Australians play in the top-flight European leagues. And the junior Australian national squads (Under-17s and -20s) struggle to qualify for World Cups, let alone win them. </p>
<p>There are no studies or reviews as yet to better understand what has gone wrong, but clearly the high cost of entry into the junior development system has to be a prime suspect. Soccer club registration fees are easily the most expensive of the four major football codes (including rugby union), with some clubs in Melbourne and Sydney <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/nsw-youth-football-registration-fees-prompt-questions-about-club-funding-models-20161103-gsh8pd.html">charging more than $2,000 per year</a>.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/soccer-in-australia-is-history-repeating-itself-6620">Soccer in Australia: Is history repeating Itself?</a>
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</em>
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<p>More worrying has been the exponential growth of private soccer academies, where players are often hit with steep, extra fees. The FFA charter stipulates that A-League clubs also have their own youth academies, but these, too, are prohibitively expensive and have yet to produce top-quality players. </p>
<p>Responsibility for these failings falls squarely on the FFA. When the governing body was reborn under its current name in 2005, it inherited a golden generation of players who had learnt their trade from the old ethnic-supported soccer clubs of the National Soccer League. Player development was central to the mission of these clubs, but when they were annexed by the A-League in 2005-06, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/may/18/where-are-all-the-great-players-australia-paying-price-for-ignoring-development">they stopped being incubators for Australian football</a>.</p>
<p>The FFA has also provided very little vision, leadership and transparency when it has come to growing the A-League in recent years. The FFA ignored calls to expand the league to more teams, institute a promotion/relegation system that could generate more fan interest and <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/aleague-clubs-reject-improved-ffa-deal-20170502-gvxd9d.html">increase the revenue</a>received by clubs in the recent lucrative pay-TV deal. </p>
<p>Such steps wouldn’t “fix” Australian soccer alone, but bolder thinking is clearly needed to help the sport keep pace internationally and at home.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/97327/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Steve Georgakis does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Interest in the sport is starting to wane as the Socceroos have struggled internationally and the A-League has failed to evolve.Steve Georgakis, Senior Lecturer of Pedagogy and Sports Studies, University of SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/957792018-05-06T20:12:48Z2018-05-06T20:12:48ZSeason wrap: Goals – and own goals – in Australian football<p>The 13th season of A-League football concluded this weekend, with an unexpected Championship Grand Final in Newcastle between the Jets and Melbourne Victory. <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-05-05/melbourne-victory-beat-newcastle-jets-in-a-league-grand-final/9730796">Victory prevailed</a> by a single goal, securing its fourth title.</p>
<p>The Jets had rebounded from a last place finish in 2017 to reach the big dance under veteran coach Ernie Merrick. Their opposition was coached by Kevin Muscat, Merrick’s captain and protégé during his decade at Victory. </p>
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<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-genesis-of-soccer-in-australia-2466">The genesis of soccer in Australia</a>
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<p>In a very competitive season, the teams involved scored many good goals. But the own goals scored by Football Federation Australia (FFA) this year reflect soccer’s ability to damage itself, when it should be celebrating its success.</p>
<h2>Underwhelming support</h2>
<p>Both the men’s and women’s national football teams, the Socceroos and the Matildas, have qualified for their respective FIFA World Cups in 2018 and 2019. It is the fourth time in a row that Australia has reached the final of the men’s tournament, while the women have only missed one world cup since 1991. </p>
<p>Australia has the champion men’s team in Asia, while the Matildas only lost the recent final to perennial rival Japan by a single late goal after dominating the game.</p>
<p>However, at club level, the best Australian teams have had mixed results against their Asian rivals. Games in the Asian Champions League have <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-02-15/will-a-league-fans-ever-care-about-the-asian-champions-league/9450228">not resonated with Australian supporters</a> since the Western Sydney Wanderers triumphed against the odds in 2014. </p>
<p>Australian club teams cannot compete financially with the powerhouses in Asia, but they could do more to draw the fans to home games and increase the profile of the competition in this country. The Asian Football Confederation also needs to allocate more resources to its competition and the clubs taking part.</p>
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<a href="https://theconversation.com/teflon-tycoons-and-sticky-taped-kits-as-club-unravels-but-you-wont-read-about-it-in-jakarta-91154">Teflon tycoons and sticky-taped kits as club unravels – but you won't read about it in Jakarta</a>
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<p>Meanwhile, the A-League competition has plateaued. Attendance at A-League matches has fallen for the fourth year in a row, though there are still over a million and a half people attending games. This compares with six and a half million at AFL games and three million at NRL matches. </p>
<p>Participation in football, particularly at young ages, is <a href="https://www.clearinghouseforsport.gov.au/research/smi/ausplay/results/sport">very healthy</a> but translating youthful involvement into life-long support of A-League clubs remains an issue.</p>
<h2>Governance disputes</h2>
<p>FFA, and other key groups within the game, have been distracted by arguments over the governance of the code for more than year. </p>
<p>There is a conundrum at <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22824830-a-history-of-football-in-australia">the heart of the relationship</a> between FFA and its A-League – should they be structurally separate, or was Frank Lowy, founding chairman of FFA, right to reject the advice of the Professional Footballers’ Association’s Report, the Kemeny Report and the Crawford Report and go for a unitary model with all that entails? </p>
<p>Almost all the A-League clubs have continued to lose money in the last decade, and several of them have been on FFA life-support for significant periods. Their owners complain they are prevented from generating sponsorship and other income by an unduly restrictive centralised policy. </p>
<p>FFA insists competition between the clubs and FFA in this area would result in conflicts that would undermine the <a href="http://leopoldmethod.com.au/in-search-of-blue-oceans-an-analysis-on-the-a-league-business-model-part-1/">precarious viability of the whole</a>. The risk of an English Premier League-type breakaway by the clubs, which assert they are the lifeblood of the game, has been mooted on occasion. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/grumbles-over-governance-threaten-to-disrupt-footballs-growth-in-australia-82165">Grumbles over governance threaten to disrupt football's growth in Australia</a>
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<p>The A-League clubs are at <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-02-23/fifa-delegates-return-home-consider-embattled-ffa-future/9477372">loggerheads with FFA</a> over these issues. Meanwhile, FIFA is demanding FFA broaden the representation on its ten-member congress that determines FFA’s policies. Currently, the state federations have nine votes in total, while the A-League clubs have only one between them. The A-League clubs are seeking five votes, with votes also for the Professional Footballers Association, the women’s game and the referees.</p>
<p>The licence to participate in the A-League is not ownership of a place in the game, as is the case in the United States. This is a key issue identified by <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/may/19/can-the-a-league-learn-anything-from-the-us-experience-with-mls">Matthew Hall</a>, who has experience in both the USA and Australia: </p>
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<p>Australian clubs are basically renters with a defined term. Why would you invest significantly in the A-League if you can legally be thrown out of the league when your licence is up?</p>
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<p>But while football in Australia has its problems, it remains a significant part of one of the most competitive sporting environments anywhere in the world.</p>
<p>There are six codes of football alone, two of which are much stronger than the world game, if measured in political, financial, media and cultural clout.</p>
<p>Similar leagues in the USA and Japan had periods of struggle before reaching their present strong positions, so it is important FFA holds its nerve.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/95779/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Roy Hay does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>What should have been a great year for Australian soccer has been let down by underwhelming fan interest and a distracting dispute between Football Federation Australia and A-League clubs.Roy Hay, Honorary Fellow, Deakin UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/844592017-09-28T23:08:12Z2017-09-28T23:08:12ZThe beautiful social media game: A-League winners and losers on Twitter<p>Social media are integral for Australian professional sports – teams have professionalised their pages, and official hashtags allow us to connect around live matches. But my analysis shows that social media success isn’t predictable when it comes to sports. </p>
<p>The most successful team doesn’t have the most followers. The highest-profile games don’t create the most engagement. And social media strategies diverge as much as on-field ones. </p>
<p>Social media are proving particularly important for niche and growing sports, given their limited coverage in the mainstream media. <a href="https://eprints.qut.edu.au/85129/">Twitter was crucial</a> for netball at a time when broadcasters were ignoring it. Similarly, A-League teams have <a href="https://eprints.qut.edu.au/66328/">taken to Twitter more effectively</a> than their counterparts in much bigger leagues, such as the English Premier League or the German Bundesliga. </p>
<h2>The A-League’s Twitter leaderboard</h2>
<p>In terms of followers, one team stands head and shoulders above the rest. It’s not the 2017 champions Sydney FC, but their cross-town rivals, the Western Sydney Wanderers. Sydney FC had nearly 64,000 followers by the end of the 2016/17 season. The Western Sydney Wanderers had 125,000. </p>
<p>The A-League’s most successful team, Melbourne Victory, sat between the two with 88,000.</p>
<p>Indeed, in spite of a somewhat disappointing season, the Wanderers picked up an additional 24,000 followers during the season. This is almost as many as the least followed team, the Central Coast Mariners, have in total. </p>
<p>The Wanderers’ strong following is most likely due to the club’s 2014 triumph in the AFC Champions League. This translated into a substantial volume of audience interest on Twitter. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/187200/original/file-20170922-17241-1kkgubd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/187200/original/file-20170922-17241-1kkgubd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/187200/original/file-20170922-17241-1kkgubd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=357&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/187200/original/file-20170922-17241-1kkgubd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=357&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/187200/original/file-20170922-17241-1kkgubd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=357&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/187200/original/file-20170922-17241-1kkgubd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=449&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/187200/original/file-20170922-17241-1kkgubd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=449&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/187200/original/file-20170922-17241-1kkgubd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=449&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">A-League teams’ follower development over the course of the 2016/17 season.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Axel Bruns / QUT Digital Media Research Centre</span></span>
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<p>Twitter engagement largely mirrors city population sizes. In order, the Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane teams receive the greatest volume of mentions and retweets. Smaller-town clubs like the Newcastle Jets or the Central Coast Mariners, along with the Wellington Phoenix, attract much less attention.</p>
<h2>Taking it to the other teams</h2>
<p>Whether or how teams engaged with each other on Twitter was one of the major ways in which social media strategies differed. </p>
<p>Over the course of the past season, Western Sydney Wanderers and Melbourne City hardly acknowledged their competition at all. They mentioned each other team barely more than ten times on Twitter. </p>
<p>The Brisbane Roar and Wellington Phoenix, on the other hand, took it to their opponents on Twitter as much as on the field. They mentioned and retweeted each opposition team some 60 to 90 times. Part of the story here is that the Roar account live-tweets most of its A-League, W-League, NPL and other matches, frequently mentioning opposing teams by their Twitter handles.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/187199/original/file-20170922-17306-1fmtqw5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/187199/original/file-20170922-17306-1fmtqw5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/187199/original/file-20170922-17306-1fmtqw5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=118&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/187199/original/file-20170922-17306-1fmtqw5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=118&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/187199/original/file-20170922-17306-1fmtqw5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=118&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/187199/original/file-20170922-17306-1fmtqw5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=149&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/187199/original/file-20170922-17306-1fmtqw5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=149&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/187199/original/file-20170922-17306-1fmtqw5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=149&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">A-League team accounts’ interactions over the course of the 2016/17 season.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Axel Bruns / QUT Digital Media Research Centre</span></span>
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</figure>
<p>The ten teams mostly mentioned themselves – mainly because they retweeted messages that mentioned their own accounts. It may not be surprising to followers of the A-League that Sydney FC was the most self-referential during the past season, while Melbourne Victory’s @gomvfc was least self-centred.</p>
<p>There’s little evidence, too, of the great rivalries that the A-League organisation has been keen to promote. Fans may eagerly anticipate the Sydney and Melbourne intra-city derbies, but the teams involved hardly acknowledge each other’s existence online. </p>
<p>During the 2016/17 season, Melbourne Victory tweeted 73 times at the Brisbane Roar, for instance, but only 12 times at Melbourne City. Sydney FC mentioned the Central Coast Mariners in 43 tweets, but the Western Sydney Wanderers only nine times. No love lost there, then.</p>
<h2>A hashtag lasts 90 minutes</h2>
<p>Building on its collaboration with Twitter Australia, the A-League has adopted a standard system of hashtags that it encourages fans and teams to use as they tweet about each match. These take the form of #HOMEvsAWAY, with both teams represented by well-established three-letter acronyms. One-third of the 1 million tweets by, at and about the A-League teams over the 2016/17 season used these hashtags.</p>
<p>However, here too the major derbies fail to draw the crowd that the A-League might have expected. Altogether, the Melbourne derbies produced fewer than 2,500 tweets. And with only 3,100 tweets, their Sydney counterparts fared little better (the scoreless #SYDvWSW match in January generated only 839 tweets in total). Least popular, however, are the matches that make up the so-called “F3 Derby” between the Newcastle Jets and Central Coast Mariners – their three clashes generated barely 700 tweets in total.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/187201/original/file-20170922-17256-15ibnxz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/187201/original/file-20170922-17256-15ibnxz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/187201/original/file-20170922-17256-15ibnxz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=213&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/187201/original/file-20170922-17256-15ibnxz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=213&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/187201/original/file-20170922-17256-15ibnxz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=213&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/187201/original/file-20170922-17256-15ibnxz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=268&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/187201/original/file-20170922-17256-15ibnxz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=268&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/187201/original/file-20170922-17256-15ibnxz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=268&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A-League match hashtag activity over the course of the 2016/17 season.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Axel Bruns / QUT Digital Media Research Centre</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The most bankable teams, meanwhile, are the two Melbourne clubs and Brisbane Roar at home, as well as Perth, Melbourne Victory and the Western Sydney Wanderers away – on average, whenever they step on the field, football fans are most likely to get amongst it on the match hashtag as well. </p>
<p>The two high-scoring clashes between Melbourne City and Perth Glory, the tense Wanderers visits to Brisbane (especially including a penalty shootout in the play-offs), and the Berisha-inflamed grudge matches between Melbourne Victory and Brisbane Roar each rated especially well with Twitter audiences. </p>
<p>If the past season is any guide, rather than focusing overly on the not-so-classic derby matches, it is these rivalries that the A-League may wish to promote in the 2017/18 round. Let the fans decide which clashes they are especially passionate about: don’t assume that intra-city contests necessarily generate audience engagement.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/84459/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<h4 class="border">Disclosure</h4><p class="fine-print"><em><span>This research is supported by the ARC Future Fellowship project "Understanding Intermedia Information Flows in the Australian Online Public Sphere". Axel Bruns supports the Brisbane Roar.
</span></em></p>The A-League has embraced social media. But analysis shows success online doesn’t correspond to success on the field.Axel Bruns, Professor, Creative Industries, Queensland University of TechnologyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.