RussellEbertHandball
Flick pass expert
Liverpool got 95k at the MCG in 2013 and 53k at Adelaie Oval in 2015. Both games were sell outs. If Liverpool play in Perth in 2020 or 2021, I'd put money on it being a sell out.I am sure that's true for some, but is it true for enough to justify it as a long term strategy? Myself, I wouldn't know Pogba from Adam, but my kids, who both played, certainly do. Not only didn't they go, neither even watched on TV. Youngest son (17), actually watched a few minutes, then went and studied (it's school holidays).
Seeing Pogba in the flesh, going at half pace in a game that doesn't matter might excite the real diehards, but most casual soccer fans I know would much prefer a real match with real consequences on TV.
As for Messi, good chance he doesn't play, and if the millions paid for them to come stipulate he does, then it's probably less than a half. Most people expect that.
We do not see Man U or Real. We see Man U and Real lite.
There are a lot of soccer fans in Perth, and apparently 20k people travelled to be here, and they still got no more than a decent Dockers crowd.
Admittedly, tomorrow's game is the main draw, but I doubt they can do this more than 3 or 4 times before a noticeable drop off. Not without giving it several years between games.
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Euro soccer clubs have been coming to Oz since the 1960's. Does that get categorized as a long term strategy?
The big clubs have a s**t load of fans in Oz and those who will travel from Europe and Asia to watch. They play these games because they know they will sell out. Its why they play their best players like Messi and co play for a half. There is also the the corporate side of things to use their star players with them, Oz corporates and Oz subsidiaries of their main corporates from home base. Also Barcelona have set up academies in Sydney and Brisbane so they get brand recognition for them if they play here. They have set up 30 odd around the world.
Why did Brazil with Neymar and Argentina with Messi come and play at the MCG in front of 95k in June 2017 in a meaningless friendly?? Because there is easy money to be made. Did they play the full game? Flat out for 90 minutes? Not from memory. Only 50k turned up a few days later to watch the Socceroos play Brazil.
Real Madrid played Man City in front of 99k at the MCG and Ronaldo played the first half and scored a goal in Real's 4-1 win. The clubs make a lot more money playing a preseason game in Oz, USA, Canda, Japan, China etc than at home in the middle of summer when people are on holidays. This link for 2019 shows how many Euro teams go to the US every year, as there is money to be made playing several games there for each team
Its the lesser teams who struggle a bit and have to space out when they come to Oz and the stadium operators have to work out what a reasonable fee is to get them to play at their stadium.