Source
SINGAPORE - The average attendance in the Great Eastern-Yeo's S-League last year was at an all-time low of around 957 per match.
With the 17th season of the competition set to get underway in a month's time, the biggest priority for new S-League CEO Lim Chin and deputy CEO Johann Gouttefangeas is to woo the fans back to stadiums.
Both men were introduced in their new posts yesterday by Football Association of Singapore (FAS) president Zainudin Nordin.
While former FAS president Prof Ho Peng Kee said in 2005 that he hoped to raise the average to 5,000 fans per match over the next decade, neither Lim nor Gouttefangeas revealed any target for attendance figures, either in the short term or in the long run.
Addressing the issue, Zainudin said such figures will only be available when the S-League Strategic Business Unit's Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are finalised in the coming weeks.
"When we look at setting targets, there are also requirements for us to incentivise with key milestones and objectives. The S-League is about the clubs and they need to also be proactive in this engagement," Zainudin insisted.
"So we will discuss business and marketing strategies together at the club level which is one of the key KPIs which will result in what you're looking for. So when we set the KPI for fan engagement, it will be about how many more fans do we want to bring in for the next quarter and so on, and at the end of the year we'll monitor if we can achieve it."
Zainudin, who will chair the SBU's management committee, added: "If we don't set a number, people may say we are 'chickening' out by not mentioning it. If we set a number and if the numbers don't go up, (they will think) it's not very popular and will not be interested in it."
To help attract fans, changes for the upcoming S-League season - which is likely to kick-off on Feb 9 - were announced, including the inclusion of Malaysia's under-23 side and Brunei's DPMM and the lifting of the salary cap for marquee players.
Tampines Rovers chairman Teo Hock Seng agreed with Zainudin about clubs playing their part to attract fans.
He revealed that the reigning S-League champions were studying the possibility of implementing a season ticket programme for their supporters.
"Tampines has a loyal following. Some have been with us since the S-League started (in 1996) and expanding our base is something we must do," he said.
Balestier Khalsa vice-chairman S Thavaneson felt attendance levels for the upcoming S-League season could also depend on how the LionsXII fare in this season's Malaysia Super League, FA Cup and Malaysia Cup.
"If the LionsXII don't do well, I think fans will turn to the S-League as many still recognise that it is their own league," he said.
Frenchman Gouttefangeas, 35, will try to link top local players in the S-League with clubs abroad, either for training stints, attachments or even playing contracts.
He said yesterday he had already met with several European clubs - including Italian giants Juventus - but after numerous false dawns over the years involving current Singapore stars, the plan was greeted with caution.
Said Thavaneson: "While I hope it works out, I wouldn't place too much hope on it.
"We need to get the S-League right and improve the quality of football to enable us to produce players to build a successful national team. When that happens, everything will fall into place. So we should get our house in order first."
We have move to here!
WE HAVE MOVE TO HERE! CLICK ON THE LINK. :D
No comments:
Post a Comment