Posts tagged ‘NIb Stadium’
The Times are Definitely a Changing
Congratulations to Alistair Edwards and his coaching team on turning Perth Glory’s fortunes around this season and guiding the team into the Finals for 2013, where now anything is possible.
Sitting on the other side of the country watching their final game of the regular season against what appeared to be a very disinterested Adelaide United it was great to see NIB Stadium full, with over 16,000 attending thanks to the club giving away 10,000 tickets.
The question is having seen such a jump in attendance did those who gave out the tickets then give all how came through the turnstiles with a free ticket a questionnaire asking them why they were attending now and if they had previously, and would they attend again? It would be useful information to gather as obviously the Perth public will attend if it is free but are currently not prepared to buy tickets for some particular reason.
When the 10,000 free tickets deal was announced hopefully the powers that be have also sat down and thought of a way to reward those who actually paid for tickets, as no doubt some of their noses would be out of joint. Then there are the members and the loyal 6000 or so who have supported the club all season, even during Ian Ferguson’s annual mid season slump, how will they be rewarded for their support? How must they feel to see so many tickets simply given away when they have invested in the club and supported it through thick and thin?
The one thing that this initiative did prove is that times are changing at Perth Glory. The question is who is pulling the strings? Owner Tony Sage would never give 10,000 tickets away when he was loathe a year or so ago to give children two tickets so that their parents could take them to the game. Also he has according to sources at the club been very tight with the purse strings of late, and allowing so many extra punters in would have meant the hire price on security and other incidentals would have risen on match day with no increase in income. What was interesting was to see one of the Board of Perth Glory write on social media that he was unaware of such a move.
Another obvious change has been the content being put out by the club on social media. The past week has seen a definite shift in the style of content being posted, and the volume. There have been less spelling errors too! The past week has seen a structure and purpose to these posts which has been lacking in the past.
So who is currently pulling the strings at Perth Glory? Is it the FFA? There is rumoured to be a Board meeting of the club scheduled for this week but with the team now in the finals one wonders if this will be pushed back, there are some predicting that this may well be the last board meeting of the club in its current format. Time will tell, one thing is for sure the times are changing at Perth Glory.
The social media content has taken a decided and obvious change in the messages that are being
Don’t Lose Faith Yet
Many loyal Emirates Western Force fans were shocked to watch their team go down 22-10 to Super Rugby new boys South African side the Kings in Port Elizabeth, and it was undoubtedly disappointing, as many would have tipped them to have the superior experience to win.
The Force recovered well after going behind to an opportunist try from teenager Sergeal Petersen and went in at half time with a 10-7 lead. What will be a concern is how in the second half they conceded 17 unanswered points, which resulted in the loss.
The Kings reduced the deficit through the boot of flyhalf Demetri Catrakilis with two penalty goals and then as it had against the Rebels the week before, the Force’s task was made harder when they received a yellow card. Hugh McMeniman sitting out ten minutes for a high tackle. Sergeal Petersen made the Force pay dotting down for a second try while the force were a man down.
As they did in their opening game the Force did well to starve the opposition of possession, and were rewarded with the lead. Ill discipline, however has been their undoing, three yellow cards in 160 minutes of rugby has cost them dearly. It has given their opponents in both games the momentum, and with a passionate South African crowd behind them the Kings stormed home. An impressive victory in their first Super Rugby game.
The Force will have a tough game this week at Loftus Versfeld against the Bulls, and cannot afford to concede kickable penalties or they will find Morne Steyn has kicked the game away from them. However the Bulls are beatable early in the season and a disciplined game could produce an upset.
The club could certainly do with one as they do not want to be three games and no wins after this weekend with a bye the following week. They are then on the road for their fourth game in a row before facing the Cheetahs at home in a brand new NIB stadium. A few wins will help boost the crowd numbers for that game and create a great atmosphere.
The team needs a win of that there is no doubt and it would appear that a win will give them the impetus to kick on and have a competitive season. The sooner that win the comes the better for all, but what ever happens don’t lose faith Michael Foley is building a team that can compete with the best.
You’ll Win Nothing With Kids – Well, Not If You Don’t Develop Them.
It comes as no surprise to hear Jesse Makarounas take a swipe at Perth Glory at his unveiling at new club Melbourne Victory, as his time at his home town club was wrought with frustration. It is however, still disappointing. Makarounas was signed after a spell at the AIS where he was marked for a big future in the game. He has languished in the shadows at NIB stadium on a match day making just four appearances from the bench in 18 months, while his AIS team mates have established themselves at other clubs prepared to give youth a chance.
One question that has to be asked is was Perth Glory the right club for Jesse Makarounas at that point in his career? As stated on “Not The Footy Show” at the time of his signing, we do not believe that it was. The style of football that they play he was always going to struggle to force his way into the side. Which proved to be the case.
A great deal has been made about the number of Western Australian players plying their trade in the Hyundai A League at other clubs and not with their home town one, and understandably the fans want to see local boys playing for their club, but sometimes that is not the best move for that particular player, and that has to be taken into account.
In March 2011 the much talked about Hatt Review into Perth Glory’s operations highlighted that Perth Glory needed to re-evaluate its recruiting processes and stated according to the club’s media release that ‘youth should be the priority.’
Fans and media were also advised that the Head Coach was to establish ‘clear performance goals for players and staff, and ensuring they are monitored and reported on regularly.’
Perth Glory have it appears since the Hatt Review signed local players simply to say that they have local talent at the club. As asked previously on this site has the club assisted those players in developing their game and getting those players closer to pushing for a first team position? It is one thing to sign a player who is raw and keen, but frequently a diamond has to be polished. Players need one-on-one help on developing areas of their game where they may be weak, shooting, crossing, positioning etcetera. Simply training as part of squad will see minimum improvement in some players.
As for playing young players it comes down to the culture at the club, and because of its past history, Perth Glory fans want success. The owner wants success, so the coach despite having a contract opts to play players with experience even if they are out of form, or results are not going his way, as he believes they have the know-how to deliver that success. His fear is by playing a youngster one mistake could result in a loss, which could ultimately see him sacked for not making finals. This is where strong leadership is required. The Owner should be giving guarantees that the coach’s job is safe until the end of the season but he wants to see young players coming through, after all they will bring money back into the club if transferred overseas. However time must be invested in those players to help them become good enough to hold a place in the A-League side.
More local players coming through and playing for Perth Glory will also help boost the crowds coming through the turnstiles, as West Australians are extremely parochial.
Perth Glory has to change the way it thinks as a club in terms of local players and the opportunities it affords young talent or we will continue to see players developed here in the West head elsewhere for game time and to play under coaches who have faith in them. Let us hope this change happens soon.
Has he or Hasn’t he?
So Harry Kewell is coming to Perth on Thursday with his family, and the rumour mill understandably has started turning rather rapidly.
This could be a great media stunt for Perth Glory to generate interest in the club around the country, but it is also no doubt a worrying time for the coach and those fans who know football.
If the club has signed Kewell, it may be great in terms of publicity, although his star is definitely on the wane as a player and it is in fact sad that he still generates so much media interest when his career is all but over. In fact outside of Australia it has crashed and burned, with no club willing to take a punt on signing him. Only in Australia does the Kewell name now have any mileage, and that is the million dollar question, does he have any mileage left in his legs?
Ian Ferguson has assembled a well balanced squad this season. A squad that so far is playing well, with structure and attacking options on either flank, so there is no need to sign a Harry Kewell in footballing terms. To bring in a player such as this without the coach’s say could unravel the season. Some may argue it could make the season. It is however likely to destabilise the team, and if the coach is forced to play him will disrupt the squad beyond belief.
The reasons for signing him are hard to fathom, if it is to attract fans, it is a strange one with NIB Stadium restricted to 10,000 at the moment. Tony Sage has been saying the cost of running Perth Glory is too high, so why sign a player past his best? If it is to boost memberships, the club just capped its membership at 1500 last week, so that would appear strange. It is therefore hard to work out why, the club would sign Kewell, if in fact they have.
It may transpire that Kewell has not signed and is in fact just passing through Perth, in which case well done Perth Glory in getting tongues wagging and gaining untold publicity around the country.
Doesn’t Add Up
It is often athletes who come out with statements that are hard to comprehend, but it seems as if the disease is spreading to administrators.
At the weekend the West Australian carried a story which was carried by other media outlets praising Perth Glory for capping its membership to ensure that 1500 tickets remain available on general sale to the public while their home ground NIB Stadium is being redeveloped. It would appear that those who praised such a move know little about business or actually thought this move through.
Perth Glory owner Tony Sage repeatedly bleats about how much money he loses owning the license of the A League club, and this is what makes such a move hard to comprehend.
NIB Stadium this year has a maximum capacity of 10,000. A fact that Mr Sage has publicaly stated he wants compensation for claiming it is restricting his ability to make money, limiting the number of fans who can gain entry.
Surely if you are concerned about the money that you are going to make, and you are trying to build a case for compensation you would want to make sure that the ground was full every week? Stating you have had to turn fans away will add gravitas to your argument.
Capping your membership and then not having a full house simply does not make sense. Surely it would be more beneficial to simply make fans aware that without membership they may not be able to get a ticket to enter the ground. Therefore you will increase memberships and almost certainly have the team playing to a virtually full house every week.
It sounds far better and is no doubt financially far better to be able to say that the game was a sell out.
It is a bizarre move when one considers that since the start of the Hyundai A league Perth Glory’s highest average crowd for a season is 9734, and that was in the first season of the league. Even last season when they made the finals for only the second time, and hosted two home finals they still only averaged a crowd of 8322, lower than the previous season. In fact over every season of the A League the average crowd is 8424, so when one considers the historical facts and the need for income, this move seems a very strange one, and one that simply does not add up to good business
Time to End Public War of Words
First of all let us say that as lovers of sport and especially football we are grateful for the money that Tony Sage has sunk into Perth Glory to enable Western Australia to have a team in the national competition, the Hyundai A League. Many appreciate it, although sadly many do not come through the turnstiles and support the club.
There are a myriad of reasons why this is the case, but one of the reasons is that for all his good intentions Mr. Sage polarizes the community.
Talk to most fans of the World Game in Western Australia and they will tell you they either love Mr. Sage or they simply cannot stand him.
Many of those who are against him do not like the fact that his profile on many occasions appears to be more important than that of the club that he owns. An argument in his defence on this occasion would be that surely a man who sinks millions into a club for little or no return is entitled to benefit from that investment in some way?
There are others who find his constant outbursts on all manner of issues embarrassing and ultimately detrimental to the club as a whole; again when you sacrifice millions are you entitled to say what you think?
The sad truth is that Perth Glory despite their performances on the pitch last season no longer excite the general public as a sporting event for which they will rush for tickets. The fact that they were unable to fill NIB stadium for either of their home finals is proof that the club has fallen a very long way in the public’s opinion in recent years, even though the A League is a far better competition than the old NSL.
Now we see Mr. Sage embroiled in another public stoush, which will not endear him to Rugby League fans, because now their sport is gaining media attention for all the wrong reasons.
Mr. Sage helped salvage former Rugby League star Ben Elias’ Chameleon Mining when the company he chairs Cape Lambert Resources formed a ”strategic partnership” that gave Cape Lambert control of half the Chameleon board and a fixed and floating charge over the miner’s assets in 2010. In return ex Balmain star Ben Elias was made a board member of Perth Glory. Earlier this year Cape Lambert upped its stake in Chameleon and the board was reduced to just three members: chairman Elias, executive director Sage and solitary non executive director Paul Kelly, who is also the chief executive of the Glory. Then earlier this month it changed its name to Kupang Resources. It is important to know this when looking at the bid for the Western Australian NRL Franchise.
It was late last year that Mr. Sage decided to back Mr. Elias late surge to try and lay claim to the hoped for Western Australian franchise to join the expanded NRL.
Rather than being lauded and welcomed with open arms by the Rugby League community the bid appears to have rubbed many up the wrong way. Many have worked long and hard to position Western Australia as the perfect place for a new Franchise team, and the fans of League know the time and effort that has been invested and are loathe to let someone come in and steal the glory – if you will excuse the pun – at the eleventh hour.
With Perth Glory losing millions a year one has to question the motives behind backing a new franchise in another sport, which is unlikely to see a return on investment in the first three years. Maybe these losses could be written off against tax?
The last thing Rugby League needs is a public slanging match to de-rail all of the hard work to get the bid to this stage, and that is why many are very wary of accepting Mr. Sage’s possibly well-intentioned motives. They know that he will undoubtedly at times also attract unwanted publicity. The fact that this has already started before he has been awarded the licence will not help his cause.
For the sake of the game Not The Footy Show would ask that both parties try and keep their differences under wraps and their bickering behind closed doors, as it is not good for the game as a whole.
Glory on The Move
News that Perth Glory may well move away from its traditional home of NIB Stadium could well be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.
Ever since taking over the reins of Perth Glory Tony Sage has butted heads with the Allia, the management company that holds the lease for NIB Stadium. He has constantly griped at the costs for the A League team to play at the venue and has claimed that every home game loses him up to $75,000.
One of the main problems would appear to be that each season Perth Glory fail to obtain the projected crowd numbers that they base their budgets on. In business such a miscalculation would see heads roll, but year on year they claim they will average the 12,500 needed to break even, yet fail to do so. One of the reasons for this is the disconnection that the club has with the football public but the main reason is a complete lack of marketing. This season the same picture was run in the paper prior to every game with the copy changed to suit the game. That is not marketing!
News that the opening game of next season of the Hyundai A league will be played at Patersons Stadium – formerly Subiaco Oval – has been met with a mixed response from those “Not The Footy Show” spoke to. This venue is dreadful for watching sports played on rectangular pitches, because you are too far away from the action. Rugby Union fans tolerated it for two years and then in the third stayed away in their droves and watched the Emirates Western Force on television, what is to say the Perth Glory Fans won’t do the same.
The club believes according to Mr Sage on radio station 6PR this morning that they will get over 20,000 for that opening game against Grand Final opponents Brisbane Roar, and will average 14,000 a home game because the are now ‘title contenders.’ That is not enough, to be ‘title contenders,’ as was reflected in the fact that they were unable to draw that number for either of their home finals games last season. The club has to lift its profile and its place in the psyche of the Perth public. Perth Glory tickets used to be the hottest in town but regrettably that is no longer the case.
As for getting over 20,000 at Subiaco Oval unless a massive marketing campaign is embarked on to pull the public in the club could once again be left with egg on its face.
Then there is the news that the club may move to the soon to be demolished Perth Arena and play on a synthetic pitch indoors. A novel idea, and one that will no doubt intrigue many for the first game but it is again a risky move. The much talked about move to the Perth Hockey Stadium will have to be discounted as in December the Super 9‘s tournament is locked in already, so a change of pitch there would not be possible in the short term.
One has to feel for the club that it is faced with finding a new home, as Football fans like certainty and routine, having one game at one venue another somewhere else will break that routine. One hopes that something can be sorted out before the start of the season and Perth Glory do take the field at NIB Stadium next season, and maybe a well planned and executed marketing strategy will see more fans come through the gates.
Late Kick Off?
The end of season function for the Perth Glory should be a massive event this year with the club in the Grand Final for the first time since the inception of the Hyundai A league, and hopefully they will be able to parade the trophy.
Not only that with the team performing so well and playing some of the best football witnessed at NIB Stadium for many a year there should be several players in with a chance of taking out the Most Glorious Player award.
The Gala Dinner was scheduled for the 27th Of April in the Hospitality Marquee erected by the Emirates Western Force for their corporate sponsors, but with no information having been sent to Members many are presuming that it has been postponed to another date.
One would hope that it is not left too long after the Grand Final and is put together before the players head off on a well earned holiday, after all the player’s deserve to be applauded on such a night and the loyal members and fans also deserve to have all of the players in attendance.
It would be a great shame after a season such as this if an event was simply cobbled together at the last minute
Is A League Really A Grade?
The signs appear to be positive for the A League if recent statistics are the measuring stick.
The FFA announced that a cumulative total of 1,416,157 fans went through the turnstiles this season to watch games is up on the previous season-high total of 1,393,933.
This aggregate was reached by playing 30 less matches due to the demise of North Queensland Fury.
This season also saw an increase in the number of goals being scored with an average of 2.7 goals per match. The television audiences have also increased by a massive 46% from last season, which seems a huge leap if so many people are also watching games live.
The feeling amongst many is that these figures are being skewed to give the results everyone wants to hear. That football is indeed on the rise in Australia.
It is interesting to note that every year since the A League’s inception, with the exception of 2008/09 we have seen an increase in crowd figures.
Yet the average attendances have in fact gone down the past two years from 12,180 a game in 08/09 to 10,449 in 09/10 to 8,822 in 10/11. The figures for 2010/11 have yet to be announced.
This season it was sad to hear many in the crowd laugh when a figure was announced at NIB Stadium, home of Perth Glory, as regulars in the ground were convinced that there was no way the crowd figure announced was in attendance.
There is no doubt that the return of Harry Kewell and Bret Emerton had a momentary surge on crowd figures, but soon that would have dipped, as their impact became less than the FFA would have hoped. It was always foolish to base your marketing around to big names returning at the end of their careers. There is too much football on television for modern day fans to be conned.
Despite the positive vibe coming out of the FFA we are sadly skeptical as to whether these statistics are in fact reflecting the true story of the Hyundai A league.
Perth Glory for years the best supported club in the country in the NSL, had no trouble selling 35,000 tickets for a semi final in the NSL. Yet this weekend playing their first home final since the start of the Hyundai A League they only managed to pull in 12,600 fans – The Western Force rugby union side had a bigger crowd v the Queensland Reds the night before! This crowd is a disaster for football in Western Australia and for Perth Glory. If they cannot fill the stadium with finals football, why would an owner continue to plough millions of dollars into the club?
Some will say the game wasn’t marketed well. We would agree, but the finger cannot be pointed at the club on this occasion, as the marketing of the Finals is the FFA’s responsibility.
The fact that so few attended and that they could not sell out the stadium tells us that Football is going backwards in Western Australia. That may sound pessimistic and negative, but it is also the very sad truth. Quite simply fans of the game for whatever reason are opting not to support the game at the highest level in Western Australia.
Next week’s game against Wellington Phoenix may in fact witness even less fans attending with the game scheduled for 5.30pm on a Saturday, when all the State Premier League games do not finish until around 5pm. Scheduling that does not help Perth Glory in the slightest.
So why are people no longer attending games? We believe that despite the hype the standard of the Hyundai A league is in fact going backwards. There have been some exceptional displays from Perth Glory this season, as well as Brisbane Roar, but in the main the standard is slipping. Couple that with the demise of the Fury and possibly Gold Coast United – and everyone forgets the NZ Knights – we are heading back to the sad old days of the NSL. Journeyman players doing the rounds of the clubs, sprinkled with some talent before it heads overseas, and clubs coming and going every two or three years. Let us hope we are wrong.
Do you believe that the standard of football has improved?
Ferguson and the Future
Gold Coast coach Miron Bleiberg believes that Perth Glory can be a title contender this season, and there would be few who at this current time would disagree.
He also stated that it is good for the people of Perth that the club is in this position as they always used to be a strong club in the old NSL.
Glory coach Ian Ferguson was upbeat and agreed with Bleiberg about the expectations placed on players and coaches of Perth Glory by fans used to challenging for national titles.
“I want a 2-3 year deal to get Perth Glory into the top six every year.” He said after the 4-0 demolition of Gold Coast United.
There are many fans that do not like Ferguson as coach, but he has delivered and the brand of football being played is without doubt the best witnessed at NIB Stadium since the end of the NSL. That alone should warrant him being given an extension to his contract or at least discussing one. It should not be about personalities.
Sir Alex Ferguson is revered at Old Trafford due to his success, was he the most popular manager with the fans when he started? No, but he has done what he was paid to do and more.
Miron Bleiberg alluded to the age of the Perth Glory squad in his post match comments, and that when you buy experience you also often have players on the homeward stretch of their careers. This will need to be managed carefully. Many players have put in performances that warrant contract extensions, yet to keep moving forward some may have to be let go.
Ian Ferguson has the strength to not let sentiment get in the way of those hard decisions. Then again a new manager will have no relationship with these players so will also be able to make the hard decisions, but will he be able to build on what Ferguson and his team have created a team playing a wonderful style of football, that if they had been more ruthless could have embarrassed Gold Coast far more than the 4-0 result.
