The A-Leagues, the highest-level professional soccer in Australia and New Zealand and which sits at the top of Australian soccer’s league system, unveiled a new identity unifying its men’s, women’s and youth leagues through a campaign called ‘We Are All The A-Leagues’.
The unifying rebranding project recasts the men’s and women’s elite competitions as joint partners at the top of the game and seeks to use football’s status as Australia’s most inclusive sport to grow the game for everyone.
The campaign launched through a PR push and an online-led campaign based around the idea and campaign copy: “It’s Just Football”: Men’s And Women’s Football United Under Joint ‘A-Leagues’ Brand”
The rebrand creative spanned the league’s own platforms and it was further amplified by the clubs themselves through content which outlines the unified platform and which urges viewers to ‘be inspired to play your own way’ linked to the hashtag #WeAreALeagues.
As part of the rebrand, the A-Leagues move to unified social media channels for the men’s and women’s game across Facebook, Instagram and TikTok and these will be followed in the coming months by the re-launch of a fresh A-Leagues website.
The rebrand rolled out ahead of the new A-Leagues 2021-22 season which will kick off on 19 November for A-League Men and 3 December for A-League Women and promoted the new season start dates.
The aim of the initiative is to create a powerful unified brand and body, leveraging the combined power of the men’s, women’s and juniors game and to create a single destination for fans of professional football in Australia in order to significantly increase the profile, reach and popularity of all forms of football by bringing all football together and fans closer to the game.
“It’s not men’s football, or women’s football, it’s just football,” explained A-Leagues Managing Director Danny Townsend. “We’re committed to growing the game in Australia – for everyone. That means delivering a world-class experience on and off the pitch and inspiring the nextgeneration of A-Leagues superstars to fulfil their highest potential. This is just the beginning of our ambitious, long-term vision for the growth of football in Australia.”
A-Leagues Chief Commercial Officer Ant Hearne added: “We know our fans live and breathe football so we want to create the best possible experience in the stadium, at home, on the move, through gaming or fashion or food – however fans want to connect with football, we will deliver.”
Comment:
The new unified brand reveal the latest in a wave of fresh announcements and initiatives since the A-Leagues first took over the running of the professional game in December 2020. These other changes and moves range from the expansion of the women’s league by three teams, the launch of a new Club Championship to bring the men’s and women’s leagues closer together and a Collective Bargaining Agreement to drive up standards and bring genuine equity to the game.
The men’s A-League was first established in 2004 by the Football Federation Australia (FFA) as a successor to the National Soccer League (NSL), competition commenced in August 2005.
The league is currently contested by 12 teams – 11 in Australia and one in New Zealand – and the season runs from October/November to May.
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