Canberra United’s Michelle Heyman. The team should be drawing headlines in the coming season. Photo: Michelle Heyman Facebook.
Capital Football has long said it wasn’t in the business of running and managing a semi-professional sporting franchise like Canberra United.
And they were right. Capital Football’s role is to administer and run community soccer from the juniors through to the NPL.
At times, operating Canberra United seemed like an overwhelming burden (which it ultimately was), but Capital Football did it because if they didn’t, the team wouldn’t have survived.
Now, 18 years after Canberra United’s creation, a new era is on the horizon. Private owners, the Australian Sports Group (ASG), are taking control.
ASG has certainly made the right noises, with the development of a training base at McKellar Park among several positives.
One aspect that hasn’t been mentioned is Canberra United’s promotion and marketing. At times in the past couple of years, it has been close to non-existent. Beyond the keen supporters, it was a struggle to know when they were playing and who the players were.
I know for a fact it has been a battle for media in Canberra to secure interviews and general information about the team.
A few years ago, I had a role with Capital Football in managing the relationship with the media, and it was often a struggle to get everybody on board. There was a reluctance to fully open Canberra United and the players up to the media.
One of the main ways to connect with the community is through media profiling of players, creating a bond between the stars and fans.
The CEO of the Australian Sports Group, Theo Fotopoulos, has a background in marketing. It shouldn’t take him long to realise the potential and lift its profile through promotion.
We should have Michelle Heyman on billboards along Northbourne ahead of the A-League Women’s season’s opening home game, with Canberra United playing the Western Sydney Wanderers on 1 November at McKellar.
Plenty of fans are waiting in the wings to watch women’s soccer in Canberra.
High demand for tickets to see the Matildas play Colombia at Canberra Stadium in November shows the enthusiasm. But the love extends beyond the national team.
In April this year, 3290 turned out to watch United play Melbourne Victory at McKellar in an elimination final. That’s proof there are fans.
Admittedly, it felt crowded. Improving the facilities at the ground wouldn’t go astray.
Hopefully, though, with a bit more promotion under the new ownership, crowds of more than 3000 at McKellar will be the norm, not the exception.
Canberra United’s first home game is on 1 November at McKellar. For tickets and viewing details, visit Canberra United.
