Renowned football marketers like Tom Nickel and Claude McGwire knows the answer, because they’re the ones fueling the fire that burns in the heart of these passionate fans. They know that the most memorable experience for a fan is built on the drama played out on the surface of a turf. But the key actors are the players, the coaches and the football clubs.
Nickel and McGwire, like most successful promoters learned from the likes of Tex Rickard and Christy Walsh – the architects “Golden Age” of sports in the 1920s. They recognized the need to accentuate the struggles of hero and villain or mind against muscles in sport – with a simple strategy called – STAR POWER!
In some respects, things have not changed much in the last 86years, the drama of sport still require the star power. When you listen to fans and broadcasters discuss the game of football, you’ll discover that their talks are basically centered on the football stars. This is what attract the over 80, 000 fans you see in one stadium, cheering and booing. And football marketers usually apply the four elements of Star Power when promoting any game.
The Four Elements Of Star Power
1. Player’s Skills:
Player’s skills, crafts and “moves” have always been a central attraction to the football consumers. Kids model the actions more established players – a local school hero or a professional star. Even movie makers and journalists extended the audience for the special skills of some elite players.
Television multiplied the image and the modeling of such star players as David Beckham and his special skills of crossing the ball and set pieces. Ronaldiho’s leg-over and “deft passes” that made him the bride of world football. And today, Lionel Messi’s diminutive runs and goal scoring prowess has continued to draw fans to the Barcelona and Argentina games.
2. Coaches Techniques
Fan follows some coaches anywhere they go. Such coaches that are gifted in crafting unique winning technique for any club they manage. Coaches like Marcelo Lippi and Capello are well known for crafting unique playing pattern that allowed their players to play only the vital part of the field. Luis Van Gaal is renowned as an apostle of the free flowing football technique.
Jose Mourinho coaching invention and innovations has been phenomenal and it has stood him out among other coaches. He invented the “4-4-2 Diamond” playing pattern while managing Chelsea FC. Today, thousands of fans attend Real Madrid games just for the sake of Mourinho.
3. Team Play
A club’s playing style attracts a lot of fans for them. Star teams like Manchester united ha such a distinct team play that Sir Alex Ferguson crafted for them. Perhaps, Manchester United is the most supported football club in the world.
Although, FC Barcelona has a more endearing team play which many fans now refer to a “Champaign Football.” FC Barcelona team attracts an average of 30, 000 spectators per week.
4. Record Breaker:
A player or coach or a team’s record is also what football promoters use to attract fans. To catch fans attention to their next game, marketers exposes some exceptional records such as what happened in the past games between Real Madrid VS Barcelona; then, the records of some individual players and coaches in both teams.
Sometimes, they get such star players and coaches to make instigating statements against the opponent club, to create a hype that will attract large fans to the game.
