Football people who know me know that I think a bit differently to most.
I like to think outside the square.
The AFL is in the Entertainment Business. Entertainment that is sadly lacking and driving people away from games in search of other inspiring weekend activities.
The game needs visionary entrepreneurs on its Commission and within its Marketing Department.
For 160 years Power Match Winning Forwards made our game THE best Entertanment in Town. Sadly that is a thing of the past or so rare a lot of young people wont “risk” their dollars “hoping” to see it happen.
When the AFL evolved in to a true National Competition in the early 90’s I flew to the USA (with the help of AFL CEO Ross Oakley and Legal Powerbroker Jeff Browne) to see what all the fuss was about regarding NBA Basketballer Michael Jordan. Oakley and Browne had the vision to know that the game was only as good as its Stars and the entertainment they provided. Whilst there I also looked at the NFL and saw that they created a Team of Match Winning Stars called the Quarterback Club. A marketing group (team) of the best Quarterbacks in the game. I knew from that trip that the AFL would be driven by the match winning power forwards that made turnstiles click, massive TV audiences, sponsor product and merchandise sell etc. the superstar forwards who kick goals in AFL create the big headlines and the big entertainment. On the 30 hour flight back to Australia I mapped out how to promote the AFL to the Nation via Player Power. I created a “Team” mainly made up of the Superstar Forwards with Character. That Team would be known as Club 10. That team needed a Michael Jordan rolled in to John McEnroe.
Wayne Carey was that player. He was a bully in the schoolyard when it came to playing AFL. He WAS Friday Night Footy at the MCG. People went to see him turn games single handily. Friday Night football was Wayne Carey. The public saw it. He was the hero and the villain. He was Australia’s Michael Jordan. There was no Wayne Carey at the Collingwood V West Coast Eagles yesterday.
Mid 2009 Andrew Demetriou invited me to his office after noticing me in the corridors of the AFL. What was about to take place wasn’t unusual and is one of the reasons Demetriou had a good grip on the game. Demetriou was good at sounding out the people who had their finger on the pulse. He would ask them what was “really” happening out there both with players and supporters. Most importantly he would ask what I thought about the game. I’m sure Andrew did this with many people. Good CEO’s do. Demetriou was a smart man and knew the power of players having come from the AFL Players Association as CEO The conversation that day went something like this:
- I don’t like the way the game is going. If the natural evolution of the game means we lose the power forward you will lose the fans
- The power forward (or match winners that score) in the every major sport around the world command the attention. They draw the crowds. Think Soccer, NFL, NBA, the list goes on.
- Most superstar power forwards are different cats. It is this “difference” that draws us to them. Think Carey, Ablett Snr, Lockett, Modra, Richardson, Dunstall, Brereton…….think Fevola….think Franklin…think Tex Walker….think Jack Riewoldt this week.
- It is why Nike flourished when they signed John McEnroe the tennis genius with a touch of character albeit craziness about him
- Also the AFL should stop getting every player in the AFL to do 4 compulsory appearances on behalf of the AFL Sponsors (as part of the Players Association Collective Bargaining Agreement). Instead sign the top 10 Players to AFL deals. Given them $100K a year each and use them to promote not only the sponsors but the game. With the greatest of respect football followers want to see the big names promoting the game and sponsors not some Rookies. A million dollars invested in the Top 10 players would pay for itself.
- I then suggested the AFL should get 20m X 10m giant pictures of the top 10 Star Forwards painted on the roof of Etihad Stadium and around the sides of the MCG (so every plane that flies over can see them and every person in a high rise buildings in the city). Why ? Because sport is about hero worship. Aspiration. It’s about heroes and villains. Ok it sounded ludicrous. But I’m a strange cat at times. Ian Collins CEO at Etihad Stadium didn’t think it was that strange and did it on a smaller level at Gate 1 with 3m X 1m Player Banners. But to have impact you need to go “BIG”. Big makes headlines and gets people talking. Everyone who crossed the Bolte Bridge should have been looking at a GIANT picture of Buddy Franklin in 2010.
- Football is just like a good Hollywood Movie. We want someone to save the day. Superstar Forwards kicking multiple goals do.
Not long after that David Matthews from the AFL (now CEO of GWS) called to discuss re-inventing Club 10. Club 10 had helped put Australia’s ailing pay TV business Foxtel on the map in the late 1990’s and drove Telstra Mobile Phone Sales and other major deals. What it really did was put Heroes back at the forefront of people’s minds. It showcased the Superstar Match Winning forwards. Matthew’s idea was to re-create a new Club 10 with the likes of Buddy Franklin etc. He wanted to know my thoughts and whether I would be interested in putting it together for the AFL and managing it. It never happened. Why ? I suspect because the AFL became obsessed with its baby Greater Western Sydney and put most of its resources (including Matthews) in to it. They lost sight of what really made the game great.
Which brings me to Richmond Star Jack Riewoldt. I’m a Riewoldt Fan. Why ? Because he’s Hollywood. At times I love him and at times I get so angry with him because I want to see him take species, kick miraculous goals, say what he likes in the media, catch Trains, be different, be John McEnroe. I for one think it was great he spoke his mind this week. He said Richmond tried to copy Hawthorns game plan (hardly surprising 16 other clubs have)….but we failed. Good now we know why Richmond failed. Now find a game plan that works. Let’s face it more people will be talking about him and Richmond this week than the new Basketball Franchise in Melbourne.
Why because he is everything the game needs. I’ve been in 30 conversations about Riewoldt in the last week. When I heard he’d kicked 11 goals I wanted to know everything about him, I wanted to know about the Tigers, how it happened, what Coach Damian Harwicks response would be. The whole story. We all buy in. We’re not interested in GWS and how bad they are. Unfortunately due to the way the game is coached and ruled we probably wont see Riewoldt kick 11 again this year (maybe even his career). Only last week a lot of people had given up on Richmond and in turn Riewoldt. Bet this week a lot of those same people want a piece of Riewoldt. I do because he is THE story. Stories (about Superstar Forwards like Carey or Coleman) we use to see every week up until the last 3 years.
Sure the game still has Buddy and we all missed Adelaide Star Tex Walker. But let’s face it the game and the coaching has diminished how these Power Forwards change games. The Coleman Medallist will be lucky to kick 60 goals for the year. Now that means 50% less entertainment in Goals kicked in a season compared to 2004 !!!
Memo: Gil McLachlan CEO of the AFL
Please on behalf of AFL Supporters don’t forget one of the key things that made this game great. The match winning power forwards. The heroes that take the big pack match winning mark deep in to time on in the 4th quarter, that kicks the ball bursting 55m goal, that speaks his mind, that has a funny hair cut, that can be a bit crazy at times (and catch the Train home), that are conversation starters, that every kids wants to be, that wear funny colored boots, that do handstands when they kick goals, that take on a backline on their own (and don’t get fined for wrestling). Yarrawonga Footy Club worked it out. They signed Brendan Fevola and Country Fans around the area have streamed back to games. The Collingwood V West Coast Eagles game yesterday screamed for a Gary Ablett Snr for a Richo for the real Travis Cloke.
Sadly it looks like the game has missed the Train on this one !!!! (no pun intended)
Ricky Nixon………can be contacted via: info@rickynixon.com.au
The Worlds Fastest Selling Athletic Footwear ……see what all the fuss is about buy online at http://www.peaksport.com.au
Ricky Nixon 