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s3541044Emma Dennis

2017 Launch of the AFL Women’s League

Strategic Plan

Word Count:3,297

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Table of Contents

Executive Summary ………………………………………………………………… p 4

Background - Research and Benchmarking ………………………………………………….… p.4-5- Problem / Opportunity Statement ……………….……………………………….p. 5- Situational Analysis ………………………………………………………………… p. 6- SWOT Analysis …………..………………………………………………………… p.6 - Organisational Analysis

Internal

• Performance ……………………………………………………………………….. p. 7

• Niche …………….………………………………………………….……………… p. 7

• Structure …………………………………………………………………….…… p. 7-8

• Internal Impediments …………..………………………………………….……… p. 8

Public Perception

• Visibility …………………………………………………………………………….. p. 8

• Reputation ………………………………………………….……………………… p. 9

External

• Supporters ……………………………………………………………………….… p. 9

• External Impediments …………………………………………………,,………. p. 10

Target Publics ……………………………………………………………….….. p. 10-11

Goals …………………………………………………………………………….….. p. 11

Objectives …………………………………………………………………….….. p. 11-12

Strategies ………………………………………………………………………….. p. 12

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Key Messages ………………………………………………………………… p. 12-13

Strategy Statement ………………………………………………………………… p. 13

Tactics ………………………………………………………………………….. p. 13-14

Critical Path Plan …………………………………………………………………… p. 15

Budget ……………………………………………………………………………… p. 15

Evaluation ………………………………………………………………………….. p. 16

References ……………………………………………………….……………. p. 16-18

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Executive summary

This strategic plan seeks to effectively launch the AFL women’s league in 2017 and is a

report documenting the communications strategies that are needed in order to do so. The

research and benchmarking section provides insight into the situation at hand; where the

AFL stands in dealing with it, who is in charge; who we’ll be leasing with. A more in depth

look into the history of the AFL is documented as well as their performance and reputation,

which are analysed amongst other components in an organisational analysis. Public

perception is assessed in conjunction with the target publics of this campaign; the findings

of which are then taken into account when planning the strategy.

The goals, objectives and tactics are all reflective of the organisations mission and vision

and are appropriate to what is expected of this PR plan. The key messages are

summaries of the organisations wishes and what the campaign is intended to suggest. The

critical path plan and budget are indicators of exactly what is happening and how the plan

will be folded out. It shows the client the basic steps in achieving the overall goals and

each move that it takes to fulfil them. With this, the budget serves as an accurate account

of how much the campaign will cost; down to the smaller details. An evaluation is provided

in order to see what aspects will need to be assessed immediately after implementation

and which tactics will simply need monitoring. It’s very important to accurately evaluate a

campaign a keep records of its effectiveness.

Background

Research and Benchmarking

The Australian Football League are launching a women’s league in 2017. The initial start

date of 2020 was moved significantly forward after women’s AFL made headlines last year.

In 2016, a Round 20 exhibition match between two women’s teams affiliated with the clubs

of Melbourne Demons and Western Bulldogs was broadcast on free-to-air television and

out-rated the Adelaide and Essendon men’s match played the day before. AFL CEO, Gillon

McLachlan, believes there’s an ‘appetite for a national women’s competition’ and has

announced that the proposed 8 teams for the league may expand to 10; insinuating the

talent pool is large. A recently announced executive restructure by the AFL now classes

women’s football under the remit of game development. Simon Lethlean, general manger

Page � of �5 18of game and market development, is working closely with Josh Vanderloo; developer of

the women’s league as appointed by McLachlan.

The league will commence with a 2 month season in February and March, 2017, and be

integrated into the beginning of the 2017 season. Each 25-player team will compete in

seven home-and-away rounds and finals, played as both stand-alone games and NAB

challenge curtain-raisers ad closers. Two designated marquee players and five pre-signed

players will make up the teams; with the remaining players being selected from state-

based drafts. All 18 AFL clubs have been invited to apply for a licence in the 8 team

competition. Although there are no details which have been finalised, the team structure

will most likely be 4 Victorian teams and 1 team each from South Australia, Western

Australia, Queensland and New South Wales.

Female football participation now accounts for 19% of total participants; tripling over the

past 5 years. Women have always been involved in ‘every aspect’ of football, McLachlan

believes, deeming the long awaited decision to launch the league the ‘right thing’ to do and

a ‘revolution’. Lethlean has stated that participation numbers are more important in the

long run than Round 1 attendance and ratings. The long-term vision is to ‘showcase elite

women players’ whom younger women can aspire to. According to the AFL, 2014 saw a

15% growth in the number of women playing Australian rules football, which totalled

195,000. Of this, roughly 27,300 players are aged between 5 and 12 and registered with

Auskick. Regarding the support that the announcement of the league has received,

McLachlan has stated that he’s ‘pleased’ there’s a ‘demand,' and is ‘thrilled’ the growth in

women’s football is as ‘strong as it is’.

Problem/Opportunity Statement

Although women’s football has garnered interest and support through exhibition matches

before AFL games; there remains a lack of awareness and fan engagement in comparison

to the men’s league. Many are unaware that women play at an elite level, therefore the

league launch in 2017 is something that is yet to be widely anticipated. Australian sporting

culture perpetuates male-dominated sports as overarching and favoured therefore the PR

opportunity is to establish greater prominence amongst women’s sports. The aim is to

promote equality amongst the two football divisions and generate a greater awareness and

interest in an AFL women’s league.

Page � of �6 18Situational Analysis

The Australian Football League (AFL) was founded in 1896 and is the highest-level of

professional competition in the sport of Australian Rules Football. Currently, there are 18

men’s football teams that compete in the AFL in a 23 round regular season. Launching a

women’s league in 2017, the AFL seek heightened interest surrounding women’s football

in order to gain support from sponsors and publics. The PR plan aims to garner this

support and enhance interest surrounding the sport which will be done by acquiring

sponsors and actually launching the league.

SWOT Analysis

This SWOT analysis assesses the internal and external factors that will attribute to the

potential success of this campaign. It’s intended to demonstrate an understanding of the

AFL’s strengths and weaknesses, and any opportunities or threats that may enhance or

hinder the campaign.

Strengths Weaknesses

We’d be known as the organisation to promote women’s equality in sport

There may not be enough time or resources put into this as needs be

Promoting equality of genders through sport and showcasing the first women’s elite league football match

Not paying women may hinder the longevity of the league

Supporting feminism A greater focus may be had on the men’s league who still need to play

Already have such a strong female presence in terms of spectators and participants

We act like heroes for implementing the campaign and rub people the wrong way

Creating a platform by which women can compete at the same elite level as men and receive the same recognition and respect for their talent and skill.

We spend too much on the campaign it’s too early to tell whether it’ll pay off

Opportunities Threats

It may increase participation in women’s sport and in particular, Australian Rules Football.

Sponsors may not be interested in supporting the league or they may not project enough funding into it.

Inspiring younger women to play football and could create new AFL fans and strengthen the already thriving community

People may show disinterest in women playing football

Creating a mindset that women can be whatever they want and achieve any goals whether they’re the same or different to those of men

The hype may die out shortly after the season commences or conversely, the build up may take too long and interest fades before 2017

Inspiring a healthy lifestyle for women to exercise The skill displayed isn’t satisfactory to fans

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Organisational Analysis

- Internal

Performance

The AFL prides itself on being the top level of professional competition in Australian Rules

Football. With a long and well-established history, the AFL is deeply embedded in

Australian sporting culture as one of the most popular past times. It is the primary league

shown on television in Australia and has established itself as an integral aspect of

Australian popular culture, inspiring Australian film, music, art, literature and music.

Niche

The AFL has proved itself as the predominant organisation for showcasing an

Australian Rules Football competition. In terms of this particular sport, the AFL

stands apart from other organisations because it’s participants are not exclusive to

one state or territory. It’s a nation-wide league that has teams from all over

Australia, with the exception of Tasmania. In this, it has a wide array of supporters

and players all over the nation.

Structure

The AFL’s vision is to be the leading source of sporting entertainment and culture in

Australia. Their mission is to increase participation amongst all demographics, to

ensure a strong presence of AFL throughout Australia, and to promote equality and

community amongst participants through sport. This allows them to fully support

the PR plan as we are abiding by this vision and our work will reflect their mission.

The planning process and the way by which we go about launching this league will

be dictated by these aforementioned values. Whilst we are not seated at ‘the

management table’ (Smith, Ronald. D, 2009) in the decision making process, our

Page � of �8 18plan is supported by the AFL and we’re allowed some freedom because we’re

respectfully taking into account their wishes and requirements.

The organisational resources that can be used to contribute to the success of this

campaign include already existing personnel, resources and budget above all. As

such as established organisation, we have the help of some very experienced

professionals like Simon Lethlean and Josh Vanderloo, as well as an already

notable social media and traditional media presence. The AFL are happy to put a

significant amount of money into this campaign. Whilst it won’t be close to

matching the $2.5 billion spent on the six year broadcast rights agreement that’ll

kick in after the 2016 season wraps, it will be enough to make our campaign the

most successful we can make it.

Internal Impediments

The internal impediments that have the potential to limit the effectiveness of the PR

program are a lack of continued support from the AFL after the league launches. The hype

and excitement that revolves around promoting the launch may fade after the competition

commences and the men’s league begins their season. There is also risk in the fact that

the women won’t yet be paid to play, unlike the men. Simon Lethlean has stated that

although the AFL would ‘love’ to pay them, it is a circumstance of working out a

commercial business case in order for them to do so. This may hinder internal compliance

and cooperation amongst female workers who believe the women should be paid for their

efforts.

Public Perception

Visibility

The visibility of the AFL cannot be understated. It’s embedded in Australian culture as a

beloved national past time and even internationally it has a thriving reputation. Although

the sport it features isn’t exclusive to Australia, we are the only nation to actively engage in

Australian rules football at a professional level. According to Footy Wire, 2015 saw a total

game attendance at all 206 matches played of 6,886,249. This suggests the prevalence of

AFL in Australian culture and its prominence in the sporting world.

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Reputation The reputation of the AFL is predominantly positive. The AFL is the ‘best-attended’ sporting

league in Australia, and with an average attendance of 33,461 per game during the 2013

season, it had the fourth highest average attendance of any professional sport in the

world. Having been established for over 100 years, the reputation of this league only

continues to thrive with an attendance of 3,064,147 at the 86 matches payed thus far in

2016. Currently, the accumulated memberships of all 18 AFL clubs total 780,081,

compared to 836,136 total members in 2015. As the AFL’s public perception is generally

measured in attendance rates and television ratings, their social media identity isn’t the

first outlet to assess when considering their reputation. However, the verified AFL

Instagram page has 392k followers, the Facebook page 827,703, and the Twitter account

624k, indicating quite the prominence on social media.

External

Supporters

The supporters of the AFL widely include but are not limited to Australian residents. During

the winter season when AFL is generally at its most popular, it is featured everywhere in

the news and is usually inundating social media. Supporters range from players of the

sport to spectators to those somewhat interested. Due to its demand in popularity during

its season it is hard to avoid. AFL games are broadcast on channel 7 primarily, but are

featured on other leading channels as well as being available to watch online. They are

also broadcast on major radio stations such as 3AW, SEN, and Triple M. Any news

regarding AFL is typically always in every major Australian newspaper and in conjunction is

heavily featured on social media. This major presence is suggestive of the amount of

interest and followers of the AFL. With numerous stadiums around Australia being packed

every week of the season for a match and a 2015 grand final attendance of 98,633, the

support of the AFL can’t be numerically assessed but can be acknowledged as constantly

growing. As the AFL owns all broadcast rights, there are no opponents or competitors

worth analysing in this strategic plan.

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External Impediments

The external impediments that have the potential to limit the effectiveness of the PR

program include traditionalist AFL supporters who believe chauvinism is integral in

maintaining a male-dominated sporting culture. Whilst it may seem that these fans would

be dying out, it is possible that the launch of a female-only league may hinder support from

publics who are used to watching the men’s league and the ‘normal’ version of the sport.

Some may believe the games might lack intrigue because they aren’t played at the ‘same

level’ as the men’s league; an opinion which obviously stems from misunderstanding and

no prior knowledge surrounding quality of the women’s league. Another risk lies in the fact

that a large portion of the public may simply treat the women’s league as second-best to

the men’s. The 2016 Demons/Bulldogs women’s match that received more ratings than a

men’s game at the time was actually cut short by 90 seconds. The siren sounded early to

accommodate for the start of a men’s match despite the fact the women’s game was

supposed to be played for four 20 minute quarters. This kind of small gesture could have a

largely negative affect on how people perceive women’s footy compared to men’s and

create a lack of respect for the former.

Target publics

Young Children

Boys and girls who either play Auskick, are simply aware of the AFL, and between the

ages of 5-12 will be targeted. It is their minds this campaign will effect and their perception

of who ‘can’ play football and who is ‘good’ at it. The need to be aware that anyone can

play football and women in particular have an equal right to do so.

Football Fans and Participants

Lovers of the game, spectators and members. They all will be targeted and will soon

become aware of the league and the importance placed on equality and support. It will

most likely be them who’ll make up majority of attendance at the first women’s match so

it’s important for them to be on board and aware of the launch. Without their involvement,

there’ll be little public support, low ratings and attendance.

Page � of �11 18Sponsors

Potential sponsors will be targeted through his campaign. The league will eventually need

funding from a greater source and if the women are ever going to get paid it is crucial that

the campaign effects a company enough to earn their sponsorship. It is also critical that in

over for the league to thrive in the long run that a sponsor is attained quickly.

Goals:

The AFLs launch campaign aims to raise awareness and increase interest and support

regarding the women’s league in order to build brand reputation and relationships,

encouraging ROI. These goals; a ‘framework’ (HON, 2009) for the plan, can be classed as

relating to ‘specific aspect[s]’ of the AFL’s vision and mission (Kendall, 1996).

Reputation Management

- To be the primary league by which community engagement is formed through sport.

Relationship Management

- To inspire young women to participate in Australian Rules Football.

Task Management

- To promote gender equality in Australian sporting culture.

Objectives:

The impact objectives of this campaign which relate to the effect of the PR plan on the

target publics and are smart, measurable, actionable, realistic and timely to ensure their

manageability. They’re the ‘specific outcomes desired’ (J. E. Grunig & Hunt, 1984) from

this plan.

Behavioural

- Attain an average 1.5% follower growth on social media each month commencing from

July 2016.

Behavioural

Page � of �12 18- Increase the number of female Auskick participants by 30% at the end of the 2017 AFL

season.

Informational

- Increase awareness about the women’s league by 45% by the beginning of 2017 AFL

season.

Attitudinal

- Generate positivity and support for the women’s league from AFL supporters by 50% by

the commencement of the first match played in the women’s league in 2017.

Strategies:

- Collaborate with social media influencers to raise awareness and promote the league

via paid Instagram posts.

- Utilise existing accounts on various social media outlets to promote and advertise the

women’s league.

- Create a mobile application for the women’s league, that stands alone from the already

existing AFL app, which will contain team information, rosters etc.

- Enlist notable females in the league to participate in some Auskick sessions and

promote female participation as well as providing information about the launch.

- Create a 15 second television advertisement to be broadcast on Channel 7 that gives a

brief insight into to the launch and the league and will engage potential sponsors.

Key Messages

Just like men, women have an equal right to play professional Australian Rules Football at

an elite level.

• It is important that equality of sexes is portrayed through this campaign.

Australian sporting culture needs to embrace women’s Footy.

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• It’s time that our male-dominated sporting culture developed into one where women were

supported on the sporting field as much as men are.

Girls can grow up to be whatever they set their minds to.

• By giving young women the drive to become whatever they set their minds to and

showing them that girls have the potential to do anything, it’s enriching their confidence

and ability.

Strategy Statement.

The key persuasive strategy of the plan lies in the appeal to feminism and gender equality.

It’s encouraging activism and participation through suggesting women are as capable as

men on the sporting field. Ideally, this plan would increase female participation in

Australian rules football, and this would be achieved through this proactive approach.

Showcasing the sport and showing women and men that the future of our society’s gender

perception lies in conforming to equality now is a way of turning words into action. The

strategy ultimately is inspiring participation and support from women and men everywhere.

Tactics

The tactics have been thought out across ‘all facets of media and delivery’ (Barbara Bates,

2014) to ensure the key publics are all targeted; keeping in mind that social media is a

platform for expression for many of them.

- Naming the league ‘FFL’ which is short for ‘Female Football League’. It’s simple and

suggestive of the kind of the league it is. It’s reminiscent of ‘AFL’ therefore can easily be

identified as being affiliated with it.

- Contact Rebecca Judd (447k Instagram followers), Nadia Bartell (326k), Nat Fyfe (102k)

and Gary Ablett Jnr. (111k) regarding paid promotional Instagram posts about the FFL

launch. These people are all prominent in the world of AFL and Instagram through either

playing Australian rules football, being the most recent Brownlow-medalist, or from

being married to a current or former player. Their accumulated following is vast and

they’d each have slightly different kinds of followers based on the content they already

Page � of �14 18post. Their promotional posts would target a range of demographics from young boys

and girls to young adults and of course older men and women too. They may also

engage potential sponsors as each of these people are withered sponsored themselves

or are paid by other companies to promote products.

- Ask the social media influencers to promote a competition in their posts whereby liking

and following FFL content and AFL social media accounts, they put themselves in the

draw to win exclusive tickets to the FFL launch event.

- Inform the social media influencers of exactly what it is we need them to post; whether it

be a video of them promoting the launch, or a photo. Subsequently find out how much

they charge per post to determine how many posts we’ll need from each (we’re

anticipating around 3-5 over 6 months) and pay them.

- Contact Eleni Glouftsis (first female filed umpire) and several female players from

existing teams (Lauren Pearce from Brisbane Lions, Codie Briggs from GWS, Brianna

Green from West Coast Eagles e.g.) and several Auskick centres across Melbourne’s

Eastern, Western, Northern and South-Eastern suburbs. Arrange for the women to visit

these centres in groups (from whoever is available and can travel to them) between

August 5th and 27th; when the programs are all finishing across Melbourne. Send them

with footballs and get them playing with the kids, then discuss the women’s league and

promote the launch.

- Create the exclusive FFL app. Include current game stats and information about the

launch in 2017 i.e. rosters and teams. Also include player profiles and updates about

them as well as progress on the launch, such as a countdown. Exclusive interviews with

players and first hand information. The aforementioned social media influencers could

also promote this in their paid posts.

- Harness AFL Instagram, Facebook and Twitter accounts to engage followers about the

launch including the Auskick days and the app. Retweet, comment and like any content

related to the FFL to show support. Post countdown photos about the launch and brief

player profiles which followers can read fully on the app. Start using the hashtag #FFL to

create hype and encourage followers to do the same.

- Host a launch event the weekend before the first match. Invite AFL corporate personnel,

women players, current men’s league players and past players, umpires, competition

Page � of �15 18winners and social media influencers. Include food & drinks, music, press, and tickets

for first game (1 per guest to either use themselves or give someone).

Critical Path Plan

Gantt Chart FFL Launch.

Budget

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Evaluation

Despite the launch having yet to have happened, there are several measures to be taken

in assessing the campaigns effectiveness when it does. Some of these can be evaluated

immediately ‘upon implementation’ (Ball, 1983) as they attribute to determining the

campaign’s success. The number of attendants and viewers for the first game will need to

be recorded, as well as the amount of app downloads, and the reach of the commercial.

The AFL will need to assess their love and talk rating on their social media accounts and

whether they acquired significantly more likes, followers or comments since the campaign.

Similarly, the social media influencers’ posts will need to be analysed to see whether any

followers cross over, an idea of their reach, how many likes they received and their overall

job as promotional posts. Auskick will need to provide a list of registered participants by

the end of next year's season and compare this with the 2016 list.

References:

Scholarly

Grunig, J. E., & Hunt, T, 1984, ‘Managing Public Relations’, New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston

Kendall, R, 1996, ‘Public relations campaigns startegies: Planning for implementation’, New York: HarperCollins

Anonymous, 2014, ‘20 Years of PR Tactics. (cover story)', Public Relations Tactics, vol. 21, no. 7, pp. 12-17.

Anonymous, 2014, 'On the Case with..', Public Relations Tactics, vol. 21, no. 7, pp. 19.

Smith, Ronald D. 2009, Strategic Planning for Public Relations, Third Edition, e-book, accessed 30 May 2016, <http://RMIT.eblib.com.au/patron/FullRecord.aspx?p=425584>.

Hon, L. C, 1998, ‘Demonstrating Effectiveness in Public Relations: Goals, Objectives, and Evaluation’, Journal of Public Relations Research, vol. 10, no. 2, pp. 103-135.

Page � of �17 18Ball, I. P, 1983, ’Multiperspectival guidelines in setting public relations objectives’, Public Relations Review, vol. 9, no. 3, pp. 50.

Websites

Convict Creations . 2008. Australia's Battle of the Codes - Statistics . [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.convictcreations.com/football/battlestats.html. [Accessed 20 May 2016].

AFL Tables. 2007. Attendances 2015. [ONLINE] Available at: http://afltables.com/afl/crowds/2015.html. [Accessed 1 May 2016].

Footywire AFL Statistics . 2016. 2016 AFL Attendance . [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.footywire.com/afl/footy/attendances?year=2016&t=A&h=A&s=T. [Accessed 21 April 2016].

AFL Online. 2016. Current AFL membership numbers for 2016. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.aflonline.com.au/afl-news/current-afl-membership-numbers-for-2016/. [Accessed 25 May 2016].

Fox Footy. 2016. Women’s AFL: Eight team competition announced for 2017, 10 exhibition matches for 2016. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/womens-afl-eight-team-competition-announced-for-2017-10-exhibition-matches-for-2016/news-story/d4b0a5099210d0ee9e202fc4d7d33d25. [Accessed 17 May 2016].

AFL. 2016. Women to kick-off 2017 with two-month season. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.afl.com.au/news/2016-03-21/national-womens-league-for-2017-unveiled. [Accessed 28 May 2016].

AFL. 2015. AFL signs new six-year, $2.5 billion broadcast rights deal. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.afl.com.au/news/2015-08-18/afl-on-the-verge-of-signing-new-tv-deal. [Accessed 29 May 2016].

Newspaper Articles

Gorr, L, Goswell, G, 2016. ‘AFL promises 2017 women's competition as eager starters call for more details’, ABC News, 18 February 2016.

Page � of �18 18

Lane, S, 2015. ‘AFL to launch women's league in 2017 in push to put female football on professional basis’ . The Age, 15 August 2015.

Shalala, A, 2015. ‘Here's how we can set up a women's AFL league’. ABC News, 19 August 2015.