I have been a Wests Magpies/Wests Tigers supporter, since my father took me to games in 1948\. My only “connection” with soccer was to coach my young sons at different times, after doing a junior player’s coaching course back in 1977.
My younger son and my grandson, who are long-time Tiger supporters, are still soccer players and late last year they were speaking, with much enthusiasm, about the Western Sydney Wanderers. They are foundation members of the club and they asked me to come to a home game early in the season, as they had a spare ticket. What a revelation!
As a result I attended most of their home games, the Grand Final, the Socceroos v Iraq and the Manchester United game. My 13 year-old grandson was a ball-boy at all of these matches.
What happened to attract my interest to this degree?
**MARKETING!**
At this stage, the Wanderers have sold all of their 2013-14 home ground tickets, except for some left on the South Terrace of Parramatta Stadium. **This guarantees crowds of about 18,000 minimum to ALL of their home games**. How have they done this?
**MARKETING!**
_**What did FFA do to start the club?**_
_Following the community forums, FFA launched an online survey to decide on various options for the new club. It covered similar aspects of culture, location, team colour and playing style. A final survey was later launched with a specific focus on the clubs colours and name. Options for team colours were Black and Red, Black and White, and Red, White and Black. Options for the team name were Athletic, Wanderers, Wolves, Strikers and Rangers.
The official club name, logo and colours were formally announced on 25 June 2012\. The name Western Sydney Wanderers was officially released, as was the club logo, the home playing strip, the home ground Parramatta Stadium. The name 'Wanderers' had been an overwhelming favourite among fans and community groups, with it also paying homage to the Wanderers, the first registered association football club in Australia, who played in the area in 1880._
They got prospective members and followers involved right from the start by working through the local Junior Soccer Clubs in Western Sydney.
**MARKETING!**
The thing that is missing from the whole of Rugby League in Australia is good marketing. While we continually look towards ex-footballers for management and key employee positions and fail to look for people with the proven, necessary skills, Rugby League will continue to bumble along.
If you are looking for “proof” that Soccer is growing, Manchester City, one of the biggest, richest Clubs, has shown interst in buying the Western Sydney Wanderers from the FFA and the buy price is estimated to be $15 million!
a winning team is what attracted you ,not marketing ….and that's all it will take for the tigers to get back on track ...