Lack of stakeholder engagement sees Australian football score own goal

As the 2022 FIFA World Cup passes into the history books, one of the tournament’s surprise packages has already seen the positive reputation from a shock round of 16 appearance astoundingly squandered in less than two weeks.

Australia’s Socceroos reached the round of 16 for just the second time in history before losing to eventual champions Argentina, drawing overwhelming praise for its performance as an underdog.

Wild celebrations across the nation in the early hours of the morning reignited love for the game in a country where it sits behind cricket, Australian rules football, rugby league, and rugby union on the sporting totem pole.

 

Own goal

However, this passion was almost immediately thrown out the window after the Australian Professional Leagues (APL), which runs the nation’s top-flight A-League, announced the next three Grand Finals were to be exclusively held in Sydney.

Previously, the sport’s showpiece domestic event had been held at the site of the team sitting at the top of the ladder, but with just three of the league’s 12 teams based in Sydney, controversy immediately broke out with fans enraged at the decision.

Fans argued the attempt to turn Sydney into Australian football’s version of Wembley would result in high costs and long travel times while also losing the main perk of home advantage which came with finishing atop the ladder.

For example, if the Grand Final was between Perth Glory and New Zealand’s Wellington Phoenix – two clubs who are more than 3,200 miles apart – it would cost fans hundreds of dollars to fly for multiple hours to attend the match.

 

No consultation

Club executives and leading support groups across the league immediately voiced criticism, with some teams stating they were not even consulted before the contract was signed.

Boycotts, executive resignations, and walkouts of league games were quickly announced, as the move represented the ‘final straw’ for many hardcore supporters following a decade of ignorance directed towards the fans.

An emergency meeting was held within 48 hours of the initial press release being issued, only for the APL to double down on the decision, putting out a statement – with the club chairs named in agreement (before being removed after further backlash from clubs) – which further infuriated fans.

Western United, one of the sides in the A-League, were forced to reiterate its position against the move and blamed the APL for not involving all clubs at the start of the discussions.

Meanwhile, Brisbane Roar claimed the clubs were told at the emergency meeting that pulling out of the deal would see government investment in the sport disappear and further worsen the already perilous financial situation the league finds itself in.

Players, including World Cup hero Craig Goodwin, had to defend their appearance in an announcement video about the moving of the Grand Finals, stating they were unaware of the footage’s use and quoted out of context.

 

On-field fallout

The PR disaster engulfing the league came to a boil at the first round of fixtures after the announcement, as the majority of clubs staged successful walkouts and boycotts.

But the real damage was done in the Melbourne derby, where instead of walking out after 20 minutes like the rest of the league, Victory’s active support instead invaded the pitch and assaulted the referee and opposing keeper.

In one swift action, all pressure applied by the fans on the managing board had been washed away – with the national media quick to vilify the sport’s fans as nothing but hooligans.

The entire week has set the game in Australia back decades, which is heart-breaking after it followed the highest point of goodwill around the sport the nation had ever seen.

 

Where was the stakeholder engagement?

It is clear a significant amount of the damage inflicted on the league’s reputation could have been averted by engaging those who contribute to the competition.

While the league’s actions can make sense in a wider vacuum – the money from the deal is key to ensuring the long-term sustainability of the league – this information was withheld from fans and clubs until after the ink on the contracts were dry.

As a result, there is a key lesson to take away from the situation and that is stakeholder engagement and consultation is one of the most vital parts of any major business decision.

Strong engagement and transparency with all partners will not only make everyone more invested in shared goals, but it will also make those tough decisions more palatable and mitigate any impact on your reputation.

A lack of engagement has meant the grand lights of Qatar, where Australia punched well above their weight, have already faded into the background, with the sport now set to enter another dark age as the league fights to stay alive.