SOCCER – AUSTRALIA

Football participation stabilises with more women playing

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 26-Mar-18

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey has found that the number of Australians aged 14+ who play football (of any code) has fallen from 2.2 million in the year to December 2013 to 19.5 million in the year to December 2017. While the number of football participants has fallen by 12.1 per cent overall, Rugby Union has recorded the biggest fall (down 29.4% to 178,000 participants), followed by soccer (down 10% to 1.36 million). Australian Rules is down just 4.3% to 604,000 participants, and Rugby League is down 8.7% to 327,000 participants. Against the trend of the overall decline in participation is the rising number of women participating in all forms of football. Analysis shows there are now 548,000 women participating regularly or occasionally in any of the four leading football codes, up 4.4% since 2013.

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ROY MORGAN LIMITED

Soccer’s turbulent times continue as Postecoglou exits

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Original article by John Stensholt
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 12 : 23-Nov-17

Ange Postecoglou resigned as Socceroos coach on 22 November, with rumours that he would quit having circulated for some weeks. The suggestions as to why he might resign included that he had received jobs offers from overseas, and that he had "fallen out" with Football Federation Australia, which the FFA has denied. His resignation comes just seven months before Australia takes part in the FIFA World Cup. Normally, the FFA board would be selecting his replacement, but FIFA is likely to replace its directors with a "normalisation committee" in the very near future.

CORPORATES
FOOTBALL FEDERATION AUSTRALIA LIMITED, FEDERATION INTERNATIONALE DE FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION, WESTFIELD CORPORATION – ASX WFD, BT INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT LIMITED – ASX BTT, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, CALTEX AUSTRALIA LIMITED – ASX CTX, CAPE LAMBERT RESOURCES LIMITED – ASX CFE, PREMIER FRUITS GROUP PTY LTD

Ten to give A-League ‘maximum exposure’

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Original article by John Stensholt
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 27 : 5-Oct-17

Ten Network hopes its coverage of A-League soccer will be as successful as its broadcasts of the Big Bash League domestic Twenty20 competition in recent years. Ten has committed to providing live coverage of one A-League match each week, beginning on 7 October, while it will also broadcast the A-League finals and grand final. The two-year deal to simulcast Fox Sports’ coverage will be the first the time that A-League matches have been broadcast on a commercial free-to-air network.

CORPORATES
TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, THE A LEAGUE PTY LTD, BIG BASH LEAGUE, FOX SPORTS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, CRICKET AUSTRALIA, CBS CORPORATION, MELBOURNE VICTORY FOOTBALL CLUB PTY LTD, SYDNEY FOOTBALL CLUB

Networks baulk as ABC firms for soccer rights

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Original article by John Stensholt, Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 25 : 20-Apr-17

The ABC is believed to be holding talks with Football Federation Australia regarding free-to-air broadcasting rights for the A-League and Socceroos matches. The current four-year deal with Fox Sports and SBS expires in 2017, and the Seven, Nine and Ten networks are said to have considered submitting bids. However, none of them are believed to have met the deadline for lodging formal bids. Factors such as the need to contribute to Fox Sports’ production costs are said to have been a deterrent.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, FOOTBALL FEDERATION AUSTRALIA LIMITED, FOX SPORTS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, THE A LEAGUE PTY LTD, SOCCEROOS, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, ADANA PARTNERS, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, THE W-LEAGUE, MATILDAS, BIG BASH LEAGUE

A-League TV rights deal closer

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Original article by John Stensholt
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 23 : 24-Nov-16

Football Federation Australia is tipped to gain up to $A80m a year for TV broadcasting rights under the new deal which takes effect in mid-2017. FFA hopes that one of the three commercial free-to-air networks will buy the rights to show some A-League matches, as SBS currently broadcasts one match per week in a deal with Fox Sports. Bids for the broadcasting rights must be submitted by 9 December 2016, and FFA is believed to be keen to secure a deal before Cricket Australia commences its own negotiations with broadcasters.

CORPORATES
FOOTBALL FEDERATION AUSTRALIA LIMITED, THE A LEAGUE PTY LTD, SOCCEROOS, CRICKET AUSTRALIA, SPECIAL BROADCASTING SERVICE (SBS), FOX SPORTS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE, LAGARDERE SPORTS, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC

Optus defends controversial English Premier League plans

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Original article by Paul Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 22 : 17-May-16

Optus has attracted criticism for restricting access to its English Premier League coverage to its own broadband and mobile customers. However, Optus’s Ben White says the telco aims to differentiate itself from rivals by offering exclusive content to its customers, and he notes that Optus is upgrading its infrastructure to ensure that its EPL coverage is of broadcast quality. Optus will also be the primary Australian broadcaster of the 2018 World Cup in Russia, with SBS to broadcast some matches.

CORPORATES
SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE, SPECIAL BROADCASTING SERVICE (SBS), THE A LEAGUE PTY LTD, SOCCEROOS, NETFLIX INCORPORATED

Optus enters the fray for FFA rights

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 31 : 16-May-16

Optus will establish a 24-hour football channel as it prepares to launch its coverage of the English Premier League. CEO Allan Lew says the telco is also keen to secure rights to A-League and Socceroos matches. The Ten Network is also said to be interested in A-League matches, which are currently broadcast by Fox Sports under a four-year deal worth $A40m a year. Meanwhile, Lew stresses that Optus’s EPL coverage will only be available to its own customers.

CORPORATES
SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE, THE A LEAGUE PTY LTD, SOCCEROOS, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, FOX SPORTS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, FETCHTV PTY LTD, SPECIAL BROADCASTING SERVICE (SBS), WORLD SPORTS GROUP, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, OLIVER AND OHLBAUM, FOOTBALL FEDERATION AUSTRALIA LIMITED, CITY FOOTBALL GROUP, MANCHESTER CITY FOOTBALL CLUB, MELBOURNE CITY FOOTBALL CLUB, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, ARSENAL FOOTBALL CLUB PLC, MANCHESTER UNITED PLC, TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR FOOTBALL CLUB, LIVERPOOL FOOTBALL CLUB PLC, CHELSEA FOOTBALL CLUB, BEIN SPORTS

More Aussies now watching A-League than Premier League on TV

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 23-Mar-16

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey has found that 2.1 million Australians aged 14+ (or 11 per cent of the population) reported watching A-League football on TV either regularly or occasionally in the year to December 2015. This compares with 1.4 million viewers (7.6 per cent of the population) in 2011. The growth in the A-League’s TV audience can be seen across both genders, with increased proportions of men and women tuning in: 16 per cent of men and 6.2 per cent of women watched it in 2015 (up from 11.3 per cent and four per cent respectively in 2011). Over the same period, viewership of the English Premier League remained relatively unchanged, with its audience hovering around the 1.8 million viewer (9.5 per cent) mark since 2011.

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ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, THE A LEAGUE PTY LTD, ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE, FOX SPORTS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, SPECIAL BROADCASTING SERVICE (SBS), SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD

A-League takes shot at TV windfall

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Original article by Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 23 : 8-Feb-16

Fox Sports Australia and SBS paid $A160m for their current four-year broadcasting rights deal with Football Federation Australia. However, FFA is said to be potentially seeking up to $A80m extra from the next broadcasting rights deal, which is also expected to attract interest from the three commercial free-to-air networks.

CORPORATES
FOOTBALL FEDERATION AUSTRALIA LIMITED, FOX SPORTS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, SPECIAL BROADCASTING SERVICE (SBS), SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, OLIVER AND OHLBAUM, ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE, DFL DEUTSCHE FUSSBALL LIGA GMBH, THE A LEAGUE PTY LTD, SOCCEROOS, REAL MADRID FOOTBALL CLUB, MANCHESTER CITY FOOTBALL CLUB, ASSOCIAZIONE SPORTIVA ROMA SPA, AUSTRALIAN OPEN TENNIS, AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE, NATIONAL RUGBY LEAGUE, CRICKET AUSTRALIA, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS

More girls now playing soccer than netball

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 24-Nov-15

The Roy Morgan Young Australians Survey has found that 50 per cent of Australian children aged 6-13 played soccer in the year to June 2015, compared with 47 per cent in the previous 12 months. In contrast, the proportion of children who reported going swimming has fallen from 50 per cent to 48 per cent over the same period. The survey also shows that 39 per cent of Australian girls now play soccer, while just 37 per cent play netball, a sport traditionally associated with girls.

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ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED