A-League Season Preview

A new start brings new optimism as Football Australia have found out over the last few days. James Willoughby reports the Hyundai A-League continues to gain momentum.

If you had asked 20 people, what the A-League was two weeks ago there would have been maybe one or two people who knew what you were talking about.

The others would have said “A-League, What’s that?”

Take my school for instance. Just a regular school with regular people. Two weeks ago and no-one knew about the A-League.

Then when the Melbourne Victory had their first home game, on the Monday morning after to my amazement a couple of people were talking about the match - a pre-season friendly against Perth Glory.

The Victory won 1-0 thanks to an Archie Thompson goal, a delicate lob over the goalkeepers head.

A few others listened and thought this sounds alright, and nothing more of it.

Then came a hip new advertising campaign to get people interested in the A-League.

It’s a commercial featuring paint-splattered A-League players performing soccer tricks, whilst in the background music of New Zealand hip-hop artist Scribe is blaring away.

The ad includes Queensland captain Chad Gibson, Newcastle Jet Nick Carle and Adelaide United’s Ross Aloisi showing off their sublime skills in rhythm to Scribe’s words: “How many dudes you know roll like this?, Not many, if any.”

When I first saw it I was easily mistaken as I thought it was a Nike advertisement, but then couldn’t recognize any big name football players.

But the catchy slogan and logo at the end – A-League, “It’s football, but not as you know it” made me blink twice.

After months of no promotion it was here!

An advertisement for the A-League.

The next day half the people in the room knew what the A-League was.

And probably the main difference came in our daily football match at lunch.

After a friend of mine was wheeling away in celebration after lobbing the keeper’ he was screaming the words “He’s done an Archie Thompson, what a goal!”

Usually we would have heard “He’s done a Thierry Henry” or Didier Drogba, Ronaldinho or Zidane.

But we heard Archie Thompson.

The A-League’s coming.

And you know it.

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