Marquees - Are They Worth The Money?

The 2012-13 season of the A-league has widely been acclaimed as the best season since the the inaugural season in 2005-06. Crowds have soared dramatically, atmosphere within grounds is feverish and most importantly, the game is starting to get relative positive mainstream coverage (shock, horror !). 

I could be diplomatic and say that the administrative capabilities of David Gallop taking over from Ben Buckley was a highly instrumental factor. But let's be serious here.

It was all about the marquees this season. So in answer to the question in the title, yes, a resounding yes but only under certain circumstances however. One just has to look at the dynamic impact of Alessandro Del Piero, Emile Heskey and Shinji Ono this season. 

The impact of ADP is just staggering for Sydney FC. Despite being signed on a two-year contract worth 2 million per season, the matter of fact that he has been excelling despite playing in an under-performing squad has seen SFC see a monetary return. 

• Approx. 500k AUD in SFC merchandise was purchased on the first home match against Newcastle Jets
• Reported that SFC have accrued AUD 5 Million in revenue, selling the past 3 seasons worth of merchandise in 1 season
• Tallying the highest home figures on their away games for every side bar Melbourne Victory, Melbourne Heart and Newcastle Jets.
• SFC are responsible for 42% of the A-league's total viewership
• A lucrative broadcasting deal with RAI in Italy to broadcast all SFC matches - such is the appeal of Del Piero.
• 18.5k average for season crowds in 12/13, an increase of approx 6k.

Heskey definitely drew in those interested in the EPL whilst Ono displayed his technical qualities to gain himself credibility.

But have all marquees been successful in the history of the A-league? Quite frankly, no.

Let's cut to the chase, despite the improved quality of the A-league we will always hold the European leagues in higher regard. Those are the superstars, we only have potential superstars and even then that's not even certain. Hence when the seasoned pro's come over, many will be interested. Dwight Yorke, Juninho and Robbie Fowler are great examples.

But for every Yorke, there is a Mario Jardel. Unfit, overpaid and goal-less. Not exactly the best example of a marquee in a fledgling competition. Even with Juninho, he struggled with injuries that limited his appearances. Romario should have been an excellent marquee, if the a league existed in the 1990s. Signed at 40 purely for the gimmick of getting his '1000th' goal, which possessed none of the aesthetics of his famed goals in his peak.

But why did clubs go back to marquees if there was a risk of producing another Jardel or Romario? Simply put, many of the fans of soccer in Australia can be described as 'eurosnobs'. As in, fanatical about the European leagues and will outlandishly claim some sort of superficial link to their clubs (the best are the Man United fans) but refuse to provide any support to the domestic league, when their attendance would truly be appreciated. Especially in a league where some teams need to hit 15k to break even (the league average for this season is 12.5k, only two clubs averaged OVER 15k.) Unfortunately, if the games wanted to broaden its appeal, it has to cater to as many demographics as possible and the eurosnobs are one of many subgroups.

However, due to the success of this season, many former-eurosnobs that I keep regularly contact with have grown to accept the flaws of the A-league and appreciate its charm, many thanks to the marquees of course.

Despite my personal insistence on developing and nurturing local talent before they (eventually) head off to one of the many European leagues, marquees are vital in attracting higher crowds (hell, us soccer nuts are giving the NRL a chase at times, again if only Johnny Warren was still here to see this...). I've compiled a short list of marquees which I think are worth pursuing:

• Park Ji-Sung - the popularity of the man in both Korea and Korean expatriates is staggering. Sign him up and you will get almost every Korean possible in any of the towns/cities where an A-league team is situated inside the stadium.
• Marcus Tulio Tanaka - This one falls under the Ono category. Obviously not a well-known name, only those interested in Asian soccer. After Keisuke Honda, the stand-out performer in the Japanese team in the 2010 World Cup. Great tackler, composed and a powerful header, a nuisance in set pieces.
• Frank Lampard - Wishful thinking I know, but despite the age of the bloke he is still in pristine form (13 goals this season!). If you though ADP brought people in, expect whatever he club signed with to exceed the levels of pandemonium ADP brought along.

The marquees are here to stay. But the most important thing is that they help the game progress instead of widening their paychecks. And hopefully the eurosnobs stick around for a just a little longer.

- Aaron Wong