Cut through. That’s what Real Madrid provides, alongside Roma and Manchester City. The opportunity to engage a broader audience and showcase the game in a down period prior to the new A-League season.
My view has always been that visiting teams should play against our own teams, to increase our learning, promote our own brands and test our players and coaches, however when it comes to giant names in the International Champions Cup (ICC), an exception can be made.
This is what I like so much about this year, that both are happening.
The opportunity for Brisbane Roar and Adelaide United to play against Liverpool is phenomenal, from a marketing and sporting perspective.
Being out of season, or having only just started pre-season training is not ideal for the A-League teams, albeit the European giants are in the same situation.
Nevertheless the promotional value for the Australian clubs and visitors alike, not to mention the domestic game in each of these markets and more broadly across other states, is exceptional.
The buzzword this year, more than any other with the imperative for the A-League to grow in lieu of the next broadcast deal, is conversion, conversion, conversion.
Turning the follower of football and casual sports fan into a devotee. And the next two weeks is a prime opportunity.
The link between the A-League and international competitions is a critically important one, but not without its challenges.
Liverpool is the perfect example of a club with overwhelming support in Australia, support that we want to fully convert to the domestic competition, so the idea of being dual supporters, of witnessing and experiencing the atmosphere and emotion of our own competition as well as following loved clubs abroad, is very important.
These games allow Adelaide and Roar to reach a wider audience and to speak directly with all those who come out to see their beloved club from abroad. This conversation can then be turned into a relationship and, finally, patronage.
Each A-League club will have a different strategy as to how it can make this happen, but doing so is a key to the future prosperity of the A-League.
The next stage of the competition will be underpinned by further and improved conversion of current participants in the game, as well as embracing those casual supporters with an affection for international clubs.
When the gates are open at Suncorp Stadium and Adelaide Oval, and when the broadcasts begin on free to air television, the clock is ticking. Each club has two hours, at the ground and on air, to connect with a new audience and welcome them into a relationship.
The ICC is different. It promotes the elite level of the game and allows football to leverage the glow from the superstardom of Cristiano Ronaldo and huge, global brands.
Tens of thousands of football followers are travelling down to Melbourne to see the star players, or beloved clubs that appear so rarely here and the aim should be to have them come away determined to get into the stadia later in the year when the A-League starts.
Hopefully, Sydney FC was able to convert new fans from the Chelsea and Tottenham games and we wish Roar and Adelaide the best for doing likewise now.
Football has so many levels that we can, and do, all support a number of entities.
Typically it starts with a local club, perhaps one we play or played for or that our children do so, then comes our A-League club, the Socceroos and Matildas. Many will have one or two preferred international clubs and, often, affection for another national team borne of heritage or an emotional connection.
This is the beauty of the game. It is a lifestyle, not a weekend pastime.
Our aim must be to ensure the A-League becomes a central part of this suite of passion for everyone that attends or watches the coming blockbuster occasions.
