Background

Football is the most played grassroots code in Australia, but the least watched at professional level. Whilst nearly 6 million Australians are fans of or watch the beautiful game in some capacity, only a quarter of that figure follow the A-Leagues. Since 2014, A-Leagues attendance and viewership have declined year-on-year, not helped by poor broadcast quality, consistent comparison to elite European football, and the lack of a distinct identity in the Australian sporting landscape. Advertising efforts had failed, employing similar tropes, imagery and messaging in the same mediums where more established and well-known sporting competitors operate. By sticking to category conventions, A-Leagues was getting lost in the noise. Our task was to find a way to overcome these barriers and move the game forward so that Australian professional football was no longer seen as uninspiring and unequal in the eyes of fans and the next generation.

Describe the creative idea (40% of vote)

We identified that football and youth culture are uniquely entwined – in music, fashion, gaming, and beyond – in a way few other sports are. By leveraging this connection and creating a brand that feels like part of culture, we’d seize a headstart on attracting Australia’s next generation; future football-lovers who’d power the game for years to come. Our brand idea is inspired by the idea of football x culture; a brand that could be equally at home off the pitch as on it. This idea comes to life through our logo, formed from the ball and crossbar. The crossbar also acts as a slash ‘\’ – a collaborative symbol signifying our ability to partner and collaborate with culture in all kinds of ways, like musicians, lifestyle brands and beyond. It became the foundational motif to activate our system, giving it the flex to come alive in football and culture.

Describe the execution (40% of vote)

Fundamental to the brand execution was our decision to change the league to reflect a more gender-equal approach to sport. We removed W-league (the women’s comp) and united the men and women’s competitions under one banner – the A-leagues – to create a unified masterbrand. Formed from the ball and crossbar, the logo inspires our system, with the crossbar symbolising the brand’s ability to collaborate across all cultural spheres. It's the basis for our dynamic patterns and custom typeface, which was developed in partnership with a type foundry, while our colour palette is based on all 13 club colours. Built to flex across culture and lifestyle – from in-stadium signage, broadcast graphics to social media and on merch – the brand can be truly relevant for the next generation. Inspired by players, clubs and fans, the new identity reflects the values of the next generation – open, energised and excited

List the results (20% of vote)

The launch of the rebrand received over 200 pieces of media coverage for a combined 82m in earned media reach in addition to 4.5m people reached across player and paid social channels. The rebrand saw massive increases in engagement across our fan base with a 10.6% engagement rate (vs. 2.3% average) and over 80% positive or neutral sentiment. In addition to reach and reception on the day, the rebrand was also a key output in demonstrating the fresh intent and focus of the new ownership group, and provided a launchpad for articulating their vision to potential investors. In December, mere months after the rebrand, the A-Leagues announced that they had agreed to sell a 33% stake in the competition in exchange for the largest cash injection in Australian sport of $140m (AUD) from a private equity partner, bringing the market value of the league to $425m.