Gold Coast United Football Club Marketing Situation

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In Australia, the Football league provides one of the country’s most popular and enduring sports, with over one million individuals attending matches. The state of Queensland provides the third most popular destination for these matches. The sport is so popular that the Football Federation of Australia has entered a bid to host the 2018 Fifa World Cup.

The Gold Coast is considered one of the renowned holiday destinations not only in Australia but the entire world. It is considered to be one of the best places in the world to live and work. Long beautiful stretches of sandy golden beaches, rainforests listed as World Heritages, and many other activities geared towards families make this one of Australia’s best tourist attractions and also one of the country’s fastest-growing communities. It is here that the Gold Coast United Football Club (GCUFC) was given official status and permission for entry into the 2009/10 Hyundai A-League season on the 28^th of August 2008. The organization is currently in the development stage and hopes to compete and win in the Hyundai A-League in the 2009 Season. They have made several efforts to ensure the success of this goal by hiring the winner of the golden boot, the goal of the year in 2008/9 Shane Smeltz and Jason Culina, the captain of the team and one of the most celebrated players in the sport (Gold Coast United Football Club, 2009).

In the hopes of establishing a wide fan base, they have reached out to several demographics such as women, grassroots, families, and business executives. They have also created a website that provides information not only on the club’s many activities but also information regarding current news, assigned players, upcoming corporate events, the site also provides membership for both fans and business interests. The Club has also spared no expense in establishing itself. To play the Gold Coast Untied Hyundai A-League home matches a state-of-the-art skilled park situated in Robina has been created. Robina is the Gold Coasts’ premier leisure destination and home to a budding suburban community. The Stadium has been designed by HOK Sport and constructed by Watpac for 160 million dollars. It was completed in February 2008 and currently boasts a seating capacity of 27,000 (Gold Coast United Football Club, 2009).

With the current advertising procedures of the club not going beyond the online website information, it provides an opportunity to utilize different methods with which the Club is increasing its targeted market. Digital advertising will be one the most essential methods used in reaching our audience which will include females.

The Internal analysis of an organization such as this one not only examines the strengths but also the inherent weaknesses present within its structure. The analysis not only gives an idea of the organization’s core competencies but also provides reasons for why it cannot allocate its resources to take advantage of identified opportunities. To achieve its goals the Gold Coast United Football Club is making use of its core competencies to create value-based strengths which can differentiate them from its rivals. There are of course uncertainties and difficulties the club will face in gaining the acceptance of the public and their sponsors when establishing their framework.

With the ever-increasing popularity of football and having conducted three successful seasons of the Hyundai A-League Football League, Football Federation Australia expressed the desire to expand its league beyond the eight starting clubs. It was then that the individuals responsible for the key framework of the League, Former Queensland Roar Coach and media authority Miron Bleiberg, along with Gold Coast Football Federation Chairman Peter Gray and accountant Norman Chan with the help of the resources provided by Professor Clive F. Palmer helped to created the Gold Coast United Football Club (Gold Coast United Football Club, 2009). Professor Palmer is also the current chairman and owner of the club with Clive Mensink and Geoff Smith currently the club’s directors (Gold Coast United Football Club, 2009).

It is here that the Gold Coast United Football Club hopes to usurp its local competitors not only off the field but also find great success on the field as they did recently in a victory over Adelaide United at Hindmarsh Stadium. The club has also expressed a mission goal at its inception to win the 2009 Hyundai A-League Season. With the ever-increasing popularity of the sport and the potential of the club itself, the Gold Coast United Football Club hopes to gain as large a fan and support base as its competitors.

The Gold Coast United Football Club provides the first A-league football club of its kind on the west coast. The club’s team boasts a mixture of seasoned and prospective players which makes them a force to be reckoned with both on the national and the international stage. Additionally, the club offers its distinct international flavor which serves to differentiate themselves from their competitors. Additionally, the club also boasts knowledgeable coaches who have been instrumental in the creation of the Australian Football League. With the help of its sponsors, the creation of a new stadium and an area that serves as one of Australia’s well-sought tourist attractions. The Gold Coast United Football Club is a force to be reckoned with.

The creation of the club as well as the burgeoning popularity of football in Australia offer the club an opportunity to make a fresh start in a relatively untapped market. The current advertising strategy also gives the club the advantage to create a dedicated female fan base and audience for their games. This would give them a distinct advantage over their competitors. The eventual expansion of football in Australia may also lead to the formation of a league of which this club would be a part. Additionally, as mentioned before the prospect of Australia hosting the Fifa 2018 world football championship offers the club an opportunity to further increase its recognition and fan base.

Currently, the most popular sport in Australia is cricket. Though the popularity of football is increasing, it does not enjoy the status that other sports have in Australia. Additionally, even though the organization has had a strong start and great prospects. The recognition of its brand name is still weak. In addition to this, the Club must compete for a fan base with its competitors such as the Gold Coast Titans and other established football teams such as the Queensland Roars. These competitors have been established longer than the Gold Coast United Football Club and thus fans identify more easily with them. Other weaknesses include a lack of corporate sponsors and experience on the part of its core staff. The lack of both can be translated to limited budget concerns for the organization due to an unreliable cash flow and a relatively weak internet advertising campaign. Other drawbacks to the club include the expensive membership charges and the limited sponsorship benefits that they offer.

The main threats to the club come in the form of the Brisbane team Roar which has been established in 2005 and the National Rugby League. The National Rugby League has been established far longer than the Australian Football League and provides a credible threat in terms of fans who are still dedicated to it. The other eight clubs in the League also pose a drawback for the Club for the reasons given above. Finally, the recent global recession is another major cause that can act as a threat to the club’s finances in terms of sponsors and financial stability.

The external analysis of every corporation and brand is an important factor in both its day-to-day operations and its prospects. For this reason, every organization including the Gold Coast Football Club assigns its great importance. When we discuss the external analysis of an organization such as the Gold Coast United Football Club it is usually composed of certain aspects such as its legal, social, political, technological, and economic factors. These factors as well as their importance are further expanded below.

The sport of football and the GCUFC operates in a legal environment that is mandated by several policies and procedures. These policies and procedures are put in place by the Football Association of Australia. The GCUFC is required to comply with these local policies as well as maintain international standards for their sport. The implementation of its strategies and policies ensures the legality of this football club not only in Australia but all around the world.

To expand and diversify, the Gold Coast United Football Club aspires to integrate all cultures and societies into its environmental and employment structure. It offers employment opportunities to individuals who apply to the Club. The Club also conducts different forms of workshops and training sessions to integrate themselves better into their community and to ensure that their social and cultural responsibilities are met.

As mentioned before the Gold Coast United Football Club has spared no expense in putting into effect measure which makes it the most modern and technologically oriented club possible. They have incorporated all aspects of this technology into their organizational structure to ensure that their players, corporate members, and fan base can all reap its benefits.

With its success at Hindmarsh Stadium and its continuing progress into the Hyundai A-League, the club will continue to make a name for itself and increase its brand recognition in all the states of Australia. The increase in brand recognition, as well as their fan base, will no doubt lead to more lucrative sponsorship opportunities. Currently, the club has signed a two-year deal with portable refrigeration manufacturer WAECO (Goal.com, 2009).

The targeting and identification of potential and profitable customers are essential to the long-term viability of any corporation. The use of various distribution channels specifically directed towards the targeted demographic allows organizations to establish themselves and achieve their objectives.

To accomplish this, the Gold Coast United Football Club has created a website to increase awareness of the club and its activities in the world of Australian football. Though the current Gold Coast United Football Club online advertising campaign has proven itself to be effective, it must expand its advertising campaign and increase the name recognition of the Gold Coast United Football Club brand. To put these improvements into place, a strategy has been being devised which will focus on enhancing the current website, creating a keyword search, placement of effective advertising, and incorporated campaign which is geared towards the implementation of ground-breaking ideas and creating a personal outlook for the Club while targeting demographics within defined parameters.

The objectives of the club are directed towards advertising to a prime target audience of females aged 18-30 and a secondary audience of females aged 30-50. The goal is to ensure that the targeted primary and secondary audience will attend their matches, with the secondary audience also attending corporate functions. This strategy aspires to target the primary audience with promotional deals; these deals in turn will establish the Gold Coast United Football Club as a popular event to attend for these women. The expanded campaign is created with a specific aim to gain a loyal female fan base for the 2010 series. The endeavor will be further supplemented by attracting traffic and creating awareness on the all-female GCUFC website. The advertising campaign is directed towards attaining a 0.5 to 1% click-through rate for the female website.

The current Gold Coast Website is not very interactive or relatable in terms of showing its personality to prospective members. However, the website does offer a comfortable environment with ease of access and an opportunity to sign on as a member. There are also links within the website that offer memberships and information for prospective corporate members and news links providing information regarding the team and club activities.

The Gold Coast website offers several membership opportunities for individuals who wish to join and support this club. The memberships are divided into three categories each of which decides the seating placements for each member at GCUFC games. Other benefits include free transport to every home game as well as membership benefits provided through club sponsors. Other membership advantages are reserved for corporate members who are invited to GCUFC functions with the hopes of gaining sponsors for the club.

Social Networking websites such as Facebook have also been targeted with a stronger emphasis on fan interaction. The presence of such as place allows fans of the team to meet and interact in a neutral setting and also allows the club to post news items regarding matches and various activities being planned by the club.

In formulating business strategies for any organization, approaches taken by competitors must be taken into account. While this may not be essential in fragmented commodity industries, in competitive organizations such as the football league competitor analysis is an essential part of strategic planning.

The main contenders of the Gold Coast United Football League include the National/ Australian Rugby League, the Gold Coast Titans, Gold Coast Blaze Basketball, and the Brisbane Roar Football Team.

The National Rugby League is a league of professional rugby clubs with 15 of them being in Australia and one in New Zealand. It has the distinction of being the most attended rugby competition in the world. The league is so popular it has dedicated national and international television and internet coverage of all its matches. It currently sports a loyal and dedicated fan base (Centenary Of Rugby League, 2009). Membership offers several benefits such as entry into the NRL fantasy league and frequent competitions with cash prizes.

The Gold Coast Titans are the second top-level rugby club based in Gold Coast, Queensland. Their home stadium is also situated in Robina and is known as a skilled park with a capacity of 27,000. Though they started in 2007, they have a loyal following and a history of success in the Australian Rugby League (Australian Rugby League, 2008). The titans currently boast several community programs including the Titans Community Foundation. It also provides benefits for its corporate sponsors such as corporate memberships, suites, and boxes.

The Gold Coast Blaze is a basketball team based in the Gold Coast and is one of three teams from Queensland. They had their inaugural season in 2007/8 but lost all of their five matches. Though Basketball is not as popular as football, it is directed towards a family demographic making it a credible threat (Gold Coast Blaze, 2009). Gold Coast Blaze offers a variety of memberships tailored to both their limited and corporate members. Corporate members receive several benefits such as premium seating and additional catering and social benefits. The Gold Coast Blaze team is also active within its community as it visits schools, shopping centers, and basketball clubs.

The Brisbane Roar football team is a team that was established in 2005 in Brisbane and boasts an experienced team that has played the Hyundai A-League since 2005 with some success (Brisbane Roar, 2009). Their home games are played at the Suncorp Stadium which was one of the venues of the 1993 Fifa World Youth Championship. The stadium is also the premier hosting site of the rugby league with the 2003 Rugby World Cup and 2008 Rugby League World Cup games being played there (Brisbane Roar, 2009). Membership to the Brisbane Roar Football Club affords individuals seats to their home games, as well as the transport to those games. They also provide an FFA football family membership, as well as invitations to Brisbane Roar member’s events throughout the year. Foundation membership is also provided by the club which affords individuals access to limited membership options, as well as other benefits afforded to foundation members. Corporate sponsorship provides logo and advertising inclusion in their marketing materials for corporate sponsors, as well as promotional appearances by players.

The use of new ideas, a relationship and personality-building campaign, and targeted advertising are the key methods that will lead the Gold Coast United Football Club in gaining a significant loyal fan base. They aim to increase their club memberships through their website and to generate stable income revenue is an achievable goal given their current prospects. Their goals and their implementations will achieve their desired audience and increase the participation level of the Gold Coast United Football Club while playing football as an engaging and social experience for all Australians.

References

Australian Rugby League. (2008). Australian Rugby League Annual Report 2007.
Brisbane Roar. (2009). History.
Brisbane Roar. (2009). Stadium Info.
Centenary Of Rugby League. (2009). About the Centenary.
Goal.com. (2009). Gold Coast United Announce Major Sponsorship Deal. Web.
Gold Coast Blaze. (2009). Club History.
Gold Coast United Football Club. (2009). Stadium Info.
Gold Coast United Football Club. (2009). Board and Managment.
Gold Coast United Football Club. (2009). Gold Coast United Corporate Hospitality Packages 09/10.
Gold Coast United Football Club. (2009). History.

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Gold Coast United Football Club Marketing Situation

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