Making Liverpool Big in Asia
4Wednesday, June 10, 2009 by Paul Grech
Whilst Liverpool's tour to Asia this summer has been touted as an attempt to raise the club's profile the reality is that this is an exercise to, as the Americans call it, make a quick buck. Liverpool have already made such trips before, as have other English and European clubs, yet none have had any lasting impact: the only real profit that football clubs have been able to make from Asia has come from the appearance money earned for playing such games.
The issue is one of approach. It is true that there are many football fans in Asian country and it is equally true that Liverpool is a popular club. The problem is that so are Manchester United, Juventus, Barcelona and any one of the big European giants. And it isn't uncommon for people to support three or four clubs at one go.
In other words, there is no affinity for any one club. It is like appreciating a particular actor or actress: you're likely to watch their movies but it doesn't mean that you won't watch anyone else's. And, if that actor suddently starts making bad choices when looking through scripts, then you'll stop watching his movies. Which, translated to football, means that you decide not follow a club when it starts performing badly.
The trick, therefore, is to try and build a relationship with these fans. Which is why the most profitable - in the long term - venture that Liverpool will be making in Asia won't be the team's tour but rather a football centre being set up in India.
Announced earlier this week, the promise is that the 'Abhijit Kadam Football Development Centre' where young footballers will combine their studies with football under the guidance of Liverpool FC coaches will "include, coaching, refereeing, Sports Science, Sports Turf technology and Football Industry Management. Most of the curriculum will be delivered in Pune but students will be offered the chance to complete some of their studies in the UK."
Away from the usual marketing talk, what this project means is that it ensures Liverpool direct involvement in the area. Sure, there is no hiding from the fact that they are in it to make money, but they are giving something in return as well as helping local football. That it is linked with education - a highly valued attribute in many Asian countries - also helps make it an attractive proposal.
On top of everything, however, it also means that all the students who pass through the centre will have a special reason to have a bond with Liverpool FC: they're more likely to become real fans rather than casual ones. Which is what clubs, albeit for their own reasons, are really interested in.
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It is not true to say that Asian fans are casual fair weather fans. You are making a bold statement without any facts to support.
It is true that there are many European giants that attract the fans. But to say that we do not feel affiliated to the club is almost utter nonsense!
We are loyal through and through. In the eastern culture, loyalty is a virtue. I wouldn't dare say about fans of other clubs and countries, but most Singapore fans of LFC and MUFC are definitely as die hard as the Scousers and the Mancs are in the UK.
The rivalry here in the South East is as strong as it is over in the UK. We feel as passionate as the locals are to the clubs we support. I'm not sure about the Devils, but I can speak up for majority of the LFC fans in Singapore. Win, Lose, or Draw, Liverpool will never walk alone! They are already big in Asia with or without the trip down south-east. Once a Red, always a Red. And I don't mean the Devils.
Hi Paul,
I'd speak for South-East Asia (SEA) fans, for I travel frequently around the area for work and leisure.
What is club affiliation/loyalty to you?
Is it wearing the jerseys of the various clubs on the streets?
Is it staying up 3 or 4am (local SEA) or sacrificing Saturday night outs to watch EPL matches to support our favourite EPL clubs?
Is it able to name every single player (well, almost) in the chosen EPL club?
My whole family (that includes my mother and grandma) has been supporting Liverpool since the late 1970s (when we could finally afford a TV). I'm a born and bred Liverpool FC fan and have already snapped out my SGD$188 ticket the first hour it was out. Really, I can easily name you a thousand other instances of pure fervent support in SEA.
I would say your article is such a condecending view of Asian fans, in particular SEA ones. But for the benefit of the doubt, maybe you would like to defend your article?
When I set out writing this article, my aim was to highlight what football clubs had been doing wrong when approaching the Asian market.
The last thing that I wanted to do is to imply that Asian football fans aren't loyal. Of course, that's what I ended up doing and for this, I apologise.
Indeed, there are many fanatical fans who follow clubs through thick and thin.
At the same time, from the (admittedly limited) contact that I've had with Asian fans many come across as being simply attracted to a club. It is like myself with rugby: I enjoy watching a game but I don't really follow any particular team.
The reason for this is that I haven't got any affinity for a particular team and there's no rugby team that I feel is compelling enough for me to do so. Indeed, I'm much more likely to follow the progress of particular players like Johnny Wilkinson or Jonah Lomu.
Football clubs have, in my opinion, done very little to get people to really support them. Of course, many do so nevertheless. Yet, equally there are many who will like one, two, three or more clubs at the same time.
From my
Do you know that the last time LFC visit Thailand, one fan commit suicide because he couldn't buy the ticket? I am from Indonesia and I only watch football if LFC is one of the team playing.
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