FFA: Grassroots plan.....we'll help you.

FFA have talked and talked about the grassroots plan.

You know "clubs must engage with the grassroots community."

Baloney innit!

The FFA lead football in Australia and like the AFL, albeit at a much lower resourced level, they must take the initiative and drive the plan across the nation to engage the sidelines of Australian parents and kids to engage with football at the professional level.

Who else is there?

If we are serious about grassroots saving the game, and we're told it seems that it is our only hope, I'd like to see the five and ten year plan to turn the kid who joins up for Pee Wees at 6 into a football fan, potentially A-League attending by 12.

What steps are being strategically taken to get this kid and his/her parents over the line?

You've probably got 6 seasons before he/she heads off to League, AFL or rock-climbing or whatever, and he or she doesn't enjoy the game, know anything about the A-League how are they going to be a future fan?

This requires interaction with the kid and their parents. Could be a free ball, free tickets, free coaching, free jumping castles at special days in the season, not all in one season of course; etc etc and there are a host of ideas.

And of course you start in A-League towns, a no-brainer surely.

Aussie parents will support anything that gives their kid a good experience, something they are proud to be part of which their kid enjoys and of course they get something from.

We have the opportunity to interact with our market, they come to our local club every Saturday but do we maximise this interaction?

At the moment grassroots in general is pay your money at a voluntary run club for 16 weeks of football.

Not very exciting is it?

FFA need to lead the way on this, the marketing geniuses need to be employed to actually connect the local game to the professional game.

Let's hear the strategy Ben, the plan. And we the football army of volunteers and fans (not necessarily A-League fans yet) can't wait to assist.

We've tried the top down approach.

Get the Socceroos to the World Cup Finals, plonk a professional team in the A-League and it'll all be sweet.

Wasn't was it? Now it's time to do some grunt Double FA.

You're work is just beginning. Have you the nous or the passion because we know you don't have the money!

And of course you wouldn't dream of doing the same stuff for the W-League would you?