A-League popularity rises

More Australians are watching the Hyundai A-League, based on the key audience measurements at the half-way point of the current 2012/13 season.

A snap shot of the key metrics reveals:

• Average TV audiences at an all-time high of 82,886, a 26% lift on last season;
• Average attendances at 12,925, a 23% jump on last season;
• Club Memberships at an all-time high of 70,000, a 12% rise on last season;
• Digital audiences on the FFA network at an all-time high peak of 800,000 unique browsers per month, a 46% increase on last season;
• Social media community in FFA channels of 350,000, a 28% expansion on last season.

Football Federation Australia (FFA) Chief Executive David Gallop said the audience growth showed how the Hyundai A-League is now ingrained in Australia's sporting landscape.

Gallop explained "whether it's on TV, online or at our venues, more Australians are engaged with the Hyundai A-League than any time in the competition's eight-year history.

"This growth story is a tribute to the 10 Hyundai A-League clubs, to the players and coaches who produce such entertaining football and especially to the Club Members and fans.

"The unique atmosphere at Hyundai A-League matches created by the passionate and committed fans sets the game apart from all the other codes and the very powerful 'We Are Football' campaign has really captured the mood that the A-League's time has come."

Other major highlights from the first half of the Hyundai 2012/13 season include;

• The highest ever crowd aggregate for a Hyundai A-League regular season round of 93,500 in the opening round;
• The highest ever average TV audience of 164,376 the round 2 match between Sydney FC and Newcastle Jets;
• 20 matches so far this season that have averaged over 100,000 viewers, an all-time high;
• A record crowd for the Melbourne derby of 42,032 in round 1;
• A record Sydney FC regular season home crowd of 35,419 in round 2.

Gallop added "naturally we are delighted with the strong audience growth this season because we are very confident that people who sample the Hyundai A-League will want to come back for more.

"Looking ahead we have exciting developments for next season with the new broadcast arrangements that will see Fox Sports and SBS TV covering matches, which will extend our reach across Australia.

"In the digital space, we'll have live streaming of Hyundai A-League matches for the first time next season and which can only help boost the size of our online audiences. We have a great story to tell and we are developing new channels to deliver outstanding football content."

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