Football Industry is A Must!

More than a half of century PSSI, Indonesian football authority, has risen to the horizon. But at recent times Indonesia football has not given a real movement. Even in last 20 years there is no achievement to be proud of. Mismanagement national league, unprofessionalism clubs, lack of players discipline, and also disorder football organization are the main problems that cause Indonesian football cannot be a strong contender in Asia furthermore World tournament. Industrialization football in Indonesia is a must as a way-out of the problems and to help it better.

According to section 2(j) of Industrial Dispute Act 1947, Industry means any systematic activity carried on by co-operation between an employer and his workman for production, supply or distribution of goods or services with a view satisfy human wants or wishes. Then, football is a collective game which played by two teams; consist of 11 players each and try to make goal as many as possible. In short, football industry is such activity that has a motive to make any gain or profit from football and its aspects as a production object.

Football as a mass sport is played by many people in every class, race, and country. In Indonesia football is the most important part in society. It becomes a trend topic in social networks, headline on newspapers and the most-favorite agenda in cafes. Indonesia people is well-known mad at football. Based on Andibactiar Yusuf’s, football commentator and film-maker, statement on Yokohama Football Film Festival 2011 that 80% Indonesian loves football and 20% among of them is die-hard lovers. In addition, on midweek and weekend Indonesia people have never hesitation to exchange their sleeping-time for watching football match in television to support their favorite team or other national team that separated miles away from their home. The reality above draws Indonesia football has the extraordinary fanaticism basis, but none has taken an advantage of it. For this reason, Indonesia football should be an industry to exploit all of potency and bring football for a better era.

The early aspect that inspires industrialization in football is the well organization of national league. England in 1991 started English Premier League as their entrance of football industry. In 20 years later, it becomes the most attractive league in the world with the biggest money circulation inside. New concept in the management of Major League Soccer (MLS) in United States has brought football (US: soccer) as the most progressive sport in increasing followers last 10 years, it also grows to be the most favorite sport that played by children. The new one is begun since 1993 or a year before the United States conducted the ’94 World Cup. Nowadays, MLS has extracted interest many world-class players, such as Juergen Klismann, David Beckham until Thierry Henry.

Good league management will give many impacts for football culture in the country included as the right place to produce great players. It is resulted by the competitive competition and excellent instruments, e.g. schedule, referees, and rules, to back it. Japan, the king of Asia football, launched its professional football league (J-League) in 1992 adopted from Indonesian Galatama. Today, Japan is one of the consistent countries in Asia that participate in the World Cup for 5 times in a row since 1998 and crowns Asian Cup 4 times. The high-quality of J-League also makes Japanese players can be exported to Serie-A Italia, Bundesliga, and Spanish BBVA League.

After having good players from the competition, the country will feel the result of competitive competition when the players unite in the national team. The national team’s performance is a barometer for the league quality. If the league’s players can bring their own country achieve good achievement on the continent or world tournament, as a result without any doubt the competition is the great one. But sometimes the best league is not a guarantee for the best national team. The number-one quality of English Premier League cannot be a guarantee for satisfying performance of England national team in EURO cup and World Cup. Last time England can reach World Cup and UEFA Euro Cup’s semifinal in 1991 and 1996.

For the clubs as the league contestant, more competitive league will give advantage for them to compete in the international club team tournament. Who does not know European Champions League (ECL)? European multi-country clubs league which always gives entertaining matches and has adopted by other confederations. The concept of ECL to unite the champions from the European leagues and compete to be a king of Europe makes the competition always success to magnetize attention from the clubs, the audiences, and of course sponsors. It is not only mirror the strength of the clubs but also show the quality of the league. The most famous league, English Premier League, is the most successful league in the ECL for last 10 years. Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea, and Arsenal alternate to be representation of Queen Elizabeth country in the grand final phase.

Industrialization will give obvious impact for the one stop player production. Regeneration is a need if the clubs or countries want to hold their supremacy. Nevertheless, it is not an easy and cheap method. Barcelona and its young academy, La Masia, is the worth case. The academy which established since 1979 and allocates € 50 million a year has provided evident success for Barcelona and Spanish national team. Besides that, the players are success to gain individual achievement. For instance, Lionel Messi achieves the Ballon d’Or two times consecutive, 2009 and 2010.

Talking about industry in football cannot be separated by the independent of the clubs, in this case the financial condition. Clubs is the major part in the football. Clubs have several components, such as players, people in management, coaching teams and supporters. All of these components provide football clubs suitable to be Business Corporation. Unfortunately, it is not happened in the football clubs in Indonesia. Second division until the Super League’s clubs still depend on local budget from its local government and it makes them familiarity with the financial problem during the competition. Actually industrialization in the football is the right way-out for this problem, but in this country which has millions of fanatic football lovers, it is not an easy way.

Clubs can be independent from the local budget (APBD) if they can use whole their own strength as the exchange financial sources to enrich their cash. Firstly, the clubs can collect money from the sponsorship. Manchester United has used their shirt power and their “noisy” brother, Manchester City, takes a benefit from their stadium’s name to attract many companies. There is symbiosis mutualism in this example, ones are need money to cost their operational needs, and the companies need the clubs’ influence to introduce and market their brand and products around the world. This way is not impossible to be adopted in Indonesia. No one cannot deny the influence of Persija Jakarta for Jakarta Greater people and Persib Bandung for West Java society, so it is an opportunity for the management to sell the clubs potency and big name as magnet for taking sponsors as many as they can to cost their necessity, plus to come out from the shadow of local budget.

Secondly, the one of promising cash sources is gate receipts. For the supporters watching their favorite team in stadium is their way to show their loyalty, and also they believe the atmosphere inside the stadium is really different than they watch the match in front of the television. This aspect has become the background for European clubs to exploit their fans’ potency. They begin to improve their stadium pleasure, such as the view-distance from the seats to the pitch. Afterward, they give the supporters several facilities during the match day by releasing season tickets and premium seats. The first is for the middle-low class fans. The fans which have this type of ticket will have assurance to get seat on club’s home matches all season long. Borussia Dortmund, 2010/2011 Germany Bundesliga winner, launches their season ticket start from €176, 5 to €847 per seat. Although, it seems so expensive but it fulfilled 51.200 of 80.700 Signal Iduna Park capacity last season. Similarly, Arsenal in 2010/2011 season succeeded to sell more than half of 60.000 Emirates Stadium for the season ticket holders. Even though the tickets’ price is £1.825 but there are 40.000 ticket holders candidate on waiting list. And the later is premium seats or corporate box. It is a limited one and available only 5% of total stadium capacity. The cost of it is two times than the season tickets, so it is especially for high class people and also prepares five-star facility, e.g. foods and beverages in match that served by international chef. Beside these two types, the clubs organize the regular tickets that can be bought on the stadium before the kick-off. If looking the advantage of gate receipt, it absolutely can be a definite money-source for the clubs. But, this method is unsuitable for all Indonesian League contestants because there are only three A-class stadiums based on the AFC verification result in February-October 2011; they are Gelora Bung Karno Stadium (Jakarta), Gelora Jakabaring Stadium (Palembang), and Mandala Stadium (Jayapura).

Thirdly, there is income from the broadcasting rights. The rapid improvement of media, especially television, in modern era gives significant impact for football in entering industry period. Football matches are the must-watching television program on the weekend in the most region of the earth. Subsequently, it always obtains high rating in Europe, Asia, and the Southern America. Since early 90’s broadcast corporations along by football authorities and clubs execute cooperation to concern about the broadcasting rights. It results the laws that controls the charge of the football broadcasting rights. World Cup, European Cup and European Champions League are the most expensive football tournament by the charge of its rights up to $50 million per campaign and the price consistently rises year by year. However, the charge does not reduce the tournaments’ trademark. Huge ratings and commercial sponsors make television channels undoubtedly compete to get football program license. For the clubs, it is the precious source for their financial. Lacks of gate receipt in Italian Serie-A teams make the broadcasting rights becomes their major revenue. AC Milan and Juventus achieve €141,1 million and €132,5 million or it is similar with 60 % and 65 % of their total income in a season.

Last but not least the other promising cash supply is the merchandise. The one of reasons why Real Madrid spend thousand millions of Euro to pull together football megastars is for receiving money from the sale of players’ jersey. The merchandise contributed €150,8 million in Real Madrid’s 2010/2011 revenue. It is not only the players’ jersey but there are also mugs, shawls, key rings, caps and other accessories. The clubs sell their original merchandise on their official merchandise store that opens inside in the area of clubs’ stadium. In Indonesia, merchandise has not explored well. Actually, the great supporter’s fanaticism will be an advantage for the clubs in launching the merchandise business, but many clubs do not have the official store to sell the things that related to the clubs, consequently the illegal merchandise sellers grow swiftly in front of the stadium when the match is conducted. It is happened in all over Indonesia stadiums. On the contrary, when the clubs have not aware yet about the effectiveness of merchandise to gain money, some supporter groups have opened store to sell club’s items. This initiative makes the supporters have enough funds to travel around the archipelago to support their favorite club, and sometime they can help club’s financial trouble from their merchandise-sale income. Aremania, Viking Bandung, The Jakmania and Bonek Surabaya is the evident examples in this case; they have given extra contribution for the clubs more than just yells.

Clubs which have been able enrich their cash from their own effort to sell whole clubs’ potency will absolutely have strong financial basis. It is really vital for the clubs to pay the players’ salary and to compete on the hunting of players in the transfer market. These two impacts are very important for the clubs to reach achievement in the competition. For instance, after Roman Abramovich and Sheikh Mansour took Chelsea and Manchester City ownership, and changed the clubs from the middle financial-class teams into the multi-million pounds clubs. Nowadays, everyone keep their eyes for these rich clubs’ performance and transfer activity. Besides those two impacts, the strong financial basis can as well help the clubs to develop their football academy as their right place to product the good players in the future. The hard competition results clubs have to keep their players regeneration in order to remain the competitiveness. Although, a serious-organized academy needs much money to get satisfying result, it does not only assist the clubs to prepare the players but in the next years it also helps the clubs to reduce the transfer fund because they have good-quality players from their young players development academy.

Countries that have adopted the industry on their football environment will increasingly raise the football fever for their people. Football industry itself is like industry in other fields, e.g. music and film. People who love music will have their favorite band, then come to their band’s concert and collect the band’s album. As well, film lovers always go to cinema to watch their favorite actor or actress playing a role on the screen. All of these are also happened on football. Football addicts have their favorite team, moreover for their favorite one they undoubtedly sacrifice times and money to watch the team’s match, followed by club merchandise is their mush-have things. Thus, industry will give many benefits and impacts for the football environment.

The elevating of football fever absolutely will bring impact for every part of society. Football will enter and persuade the politic, culture, technology, or maybe religion side. In Italy, football player is one of favorite professions for teenagers.  Watching football match on Sunday afternoon is as important as going to the church on Sunday morning. Football for Italian is a life. The fanaticism of football is the background for Silvio Berlusconi, AC Milan’s owner and former Italian President, created a politic party in 1994. The party brought the spirit of football; it is showed by its name Forza Italia (Forward Italy) and the party strategy succeeded to deliver him as the President for three periods. In England—known as the origin of modern football—shows football is not only a simple game on the pitch. English considers it as a main part on social life. Every English team has own background of their establishment. London city, England capital, has 5 teams only on the top league level, and each club expresses the different culture than other ones. Two big cities of England, Manchester and Liverpool, each of them have two teams which are separated by two colors; red and blue. The two teams of these cities illustrate different social class there; one is the bourgeois and pro-government club, another one is middle-low class and citizen club. This diversity and competition makes English football is considered as the central of modern football.

For the developing countries that have many problems in operation the country like unstable economics and politics condition, football is their pride. Two giant countries, Brazil and Argentina, have many achievements in football and also some players have become the best players of the universe, even though the country have many problems to be solved. Football has united the people and forgets about the country’s real condition. The Brazilians and Argentineans are well-known crazy on football. The people will stop their activity while the national team is playing on the international tournament. Indeed, their life is only for football. The power of football constructs Brazilians’ mindset that they are more care about the performance of their national team on World Cup than the performance of their economics rate. Then, Argentineans believe Diego Armando Maradona as their God, although he is a controversial figure but his famous and influence cannot be competed by any Argentineans’ figure, included other footballers, film stars, musicians and politicians.

Industry changes football more than just a sport. In recent years, football has influenced people life on entertainment and lifestyle. It can be happened because industry exploits the players’ potency outside their skill in football. Top footballers become an entertainer. Their face is on the advertisement of certain products and some talk shows invite them as a guest star.  Their trademark is high-quality skill and good-looking face. In this modern era, football players do not only play the ball on the pitch but they also play their influence in front of the camera as a model to market the product. David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo are two footballers whose ability to be more than just an ordinary players. They have been model for some products, start from hair until toes product. They can gain revenue up to $50 Million a year, and 60% of it comes outside football. They wear Giorgio Armani clothes, they change their hair-style period times, and they drive Ferrari. The influence of football players can keep growing and it spreads for many people across the world. It makes football player to be one of promising professions because even though they enter retired period they can keep earning money from the other profession inside football environment, for example coach, match commentator, and club official.

To conclude, industry can give many advantages for whole football instruments in Indonesia; authority, clubs, coach, players, and supporters. The first thing that should do is to repair the league format. PSSI should meet all Indonesian clubs and formulate a really brand-new league concept that gives a win solution for them, so there is no dualism competition anymore. The second is to help clubs to find way to be independent. Independency of clubs can be happened when the clubs is able to earn money from their own potential, e.g. sponsorship, gate receipts, broadcasting rights, and merchandise. If two aspects can work well, it will take benefit for Indonesia football environment and the society too. Even though, it is not an easy and short-time way but undoubtedly the industrialization is the right way-out to bring Indonesian football to its golden age; leaving any failures and problems, changing it with achievement by achievement in the international stage thus Indonesian football known globally.