The 2019 Asian Football Confederation Asian Cup Finals - Case Study Example

SPORT MANAGEMENT- SPORT SND MEDIA PLANNING> < THE 2019 ASIAN FOOTBALL CONFEDERATION (AFC) ASIAN CUP FINALS TO BE HOSTED BY THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (UAE) > SECTION 1 – MEDIA PLAN INTRODUCTION The 2019 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup Finals to be hosted by the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The AFC Asian Cup is the second oldest confederation football championship behind South America’s Copa America and the tournament winner automatically goes on to represent Asia in the FIFA Confederations Cup. Australia left the Oceania Football Confederation almost a decade ago to join the AFC and in only their third appearance, the Socceroos’ won the 2015 Asian Cup. The report analyses and assesses comprehensively on the football organizations various issues and the use of social media to advance its operations. In addition, a range of tools and techniques utilized in the football industry will also be analyzed in details. Besides, there are several specific concepts and ideas cornering sport media that this report will analyze comprehensively. These include the media plan, the fact sheet, the media release, the media guide and the media advisory. All these concepts concerning sports media will be critically expounded on with the aid of relevant books. Justification will also be made on each of the concept with the support from relevant and recent scholarly sources. All these are aimed at ensuring that the media planning of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup is successful and outshines the previous related events. A. MEDIA PLAN There are two primary objectives of this media plan. The first goal is to increase the publicity of the football event across the globe. The second objective is to provide better advertising of the products and services in the football organization. Promotion and advertising are vital ingredients for success in the football industry. Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, offer these opportunities. Several media outlets, therefore, have been incorporated into the football and other sports advertising and publishing. MEDIA OPPORTUNITIES MEDIA OUTLETS TIMELINE Media Outlet 1 Media Outlet 2 Media Outlet 3 Media Outlet 4 Advertise The organization can advertise major events such as games and other milestone events Television Newspaper Facebook Twitter Subscription The fans of football can subscribe to watch games online and other events in football organization Facebook Twitter Television Newspaper Email campaign Fans and stakeholders all over the world can receive emails from the organization Website Magazine Television Internet E-Newsletter Customers, well-wishers, fans etc. can receive electronic newsletters on daily, weekly or monthly basis magazine Internet Google plus  Facebook B. JUSTIFICATION OF THE MEDIA PLAN This media plan is appropriate for The AFC Asian Cup because it propels and improves the marketing strategies of the event. Fans and all other stakeholders all over the world can have access to all these media outlets such as television, Facebook, The Internet among others. This is supported by Chadwick, 2010, p.46) who has argued that “Probably the most significant opportunity for football enterprises presented by new media is its ability to develop deeper relationships with the consumers.” This suggests that for any football organization to succeed there must be a strong bond between them and the consumers. The best way to strengthen this bond is to ensure that communication and interaction are enhanced. These outlets like Facebook and Newspaper over the better interaction between the organization and the consumers across the globe. Media opportunities such as advertising and E-Newsletters provides a better marketing strategy to the organization. The management of the AFC Asian Cup reaches the target customers all over the world in the shortest time and most reliable manner possible. SECTION 2 – FACT SHEET 1. FACT SHEET The following fact sheet shows the significant events that have taken place in The AFC Cup since 1996. It displays the date, venue, winner and the number of participating teams in the competition. This will enable better planning concerning the upcoming event to be held in the United Arab Emirates. History is imperative in the sports industry. For instance, from this fact sheet we can deduce a lot of information concerning the AFC Asian Cup competition. Since 1996, United Arab Emirate has hosted the event ones. The last country to host the event was Australia in 2015. It is therefore very necessary to borrow information from the previous event when planning the superseding event. Fact sheets, therefore, are very vital in the capturing and deducing of such information from stored records. For instance, we can quickly analyze the number of expected audience. Moreover, this will be very useful for the AFC Organizing Committee when planning the 2019 competition. Date Venue Final Winner Participating Teams Matches played 21.12.1996 United Arab Emirate SAUDI ARABIA – United Arab Emirates 0:0 AET, 4:2 PSO SAUDI ARABIA 12 26 29.10.2000 Lebanon JAPAN – Saudi Arabia 1:0 JAPAN 12 26 07.08.2004 China PR China PR – JAPAN 1:3 JAPAN 16 32 29.07.2007 Indonesia IRAQ – Saudi Arabia 1:0 IRAQ 16 32 29.01.2011 Qatar JAPAN – Australia 1:0 AET JAPAN 16 32 31.01.2015 Australia AUSTRALIA – Korea Republic 2:1 AUSTRALIA 16 32 2. JUSTIFICATION OF THE FACT SHEET This fact sheet is appropriate for this event because it shows the records of the AFC Asian Cup. In addition, it displays the venue, the date, teams that reached the finals, the number of participating teams and the winner. This is supported by Hay and Murray, 2014 p.1 who has argued that “football has been called the world’s most essential triviality.” Additionally, Kirk 2004 p.170 argues that “we must not underestimate the extent to which money, media and power are an essential consideration in understanding sport in contemporary Australia.” This is a clear indication that the history of events must be stored well for further use. For instance, the above fact sheet will enable the planners of the 2019 event to be held at the United Arab Emirates to plan effectively and efficiently. They will be in a position to estimate the number of expected audience and thus budget effectively. Fact sheet, therefore, promotes the sports industry in various perspectives. SECTION 3 – MEDIA GUIDE 1. MEDIA GUIDE A cover page This is the cover page of the Asian Cup Finals to be hosted by the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Year: 2019 Venue: United Arab Emirates Stadiums: Newcastle stadium, Melbourne Rectangular stadium, Canberra stadium, Brisbane stadium and Sydney stadium A Table of Contents • Media contacts and quick links • Welcome letters from the Chief Executive and major sponsor and well-wishers • Background to the event • Player/team biographies • A Schedule of Events • Venue information • Competition rules and regulations The section of the media plan chosen for detailed analysis is the schedule of events. The table below shows the schedule of the first games in the group stage held at every Stadium. It summarizes the way the AFC Committee have organized the starting matches of the competition. Each event is allocated a specific venue and at a stipulated time. For instance, the first match of the competition will be Australia vs. Kuwait. The competition will be held on Friday 9th at the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium. The media guide, therefore, guides the fans, officials and all other stakeholders of the competition on the schedule of the games. All other games will be updated appropriately and released for public use by the 2019 AFC Asian Cup committee. Friday 9th Saturday 10th Sunday 11th Monday 12th Tuesday 13th Wednesday 14th Thursday 15th SYDNEY Sydney Stadium UZB VS PRK OMA VS AUS QAT VS IRAN NEWCASTLE Newcastle stadium JPN VS PLE CANBERRA Canberra stadium KOR VS OMA UAE VS QAT KUW VS KOR BHR VS UAE BRISBANE Brisbane stadium KSA VS CHN JOR VS IQR CHN VS UZB MELBOURNE Melbourne Rectangular stadium AUS VS KUW IRN VS BHR PRK VS JOR VS BHR 2. JUSTIFICATION OF THE MEDIA GUIDE This media guide is suitable for this event because it provides one of the best options to market the games of the competition worldwide. This is supported by Hamula, 2006 p.62 who has argued that “media guide will expose you to the planning and buying process necessary to successfully implement the advertising campaign.” Media guide, therefore, is an imperative tool in the advertisements of the organization’s events. The fans of AFC Asian Cup all over the world can access this guide on the Internet or via other media outlets. In that regard, they can attend their favorite matches to cheer and get entertained. In so doing, the organizers of the event will, therefore, receive a lot of audience from all parts of the country and also the world. This will translate to a huge sale of tickets and other products and services provided by the competition. SECTION 4 – MEDIA RELEASE 1. MEDIA RELEASE The following is one of the media release for the AFC Asia Cup 2019 to be held at the United Arab Emirates. It gives details on some of the regulations of the competition. Responsibilities of the AFC Committee To determine and plan the match schedules To supervise and chair all the preparation of the competition To appoint the match officials such as referees and other officials To report disciplinary cases to the AFC Disciplinary committee and make necessary follow-ups To tackle the issues of cancelled and abandoned matches and give reports The participating teams Qualified teams must submit PTA before the competition commences Failure to submit PTA on time results in cancellation of participation Membership All members must observe all the rules of the game including these regulations Comply with the FIFA rules accordingly Abide by the AFC competition refereeing, administrative and disciplinary matters Abide by the principles of Fair Play Winner of the competition Participate in the FIFA confederations cup in 2021 when required Participate in the intercontinental games organized by AFC Match schedules All matches will be played at the venues, time and stadium stipulated by AFC Committee AFC organizing committee have a right to alter the match schedule Technical Regulations All matches to be played in accordance with IFAB and FIFA laws Discrepancy in interpretation is addressed by the English version of the laws Only three substitutes are allowed in a named match list Match duration Each match takes 90 minutes split into 45 minutes first half and 45 minutes second half An interval of 15 minutes rest time will be allowed Extra time Extra time will be given in the knockout stage if no winner is determined within the stipulated 90 minutes It shall consist of 30 minutes split into 15 minutes each Cancellation of matches Unfit pitch for play and Force majeure Weather conditions and Other unavoidable circumstances 2. JUSTIFICATION OF THE MEDIA RELEASE This media release is appropriate to this event because it provides the guidelines and regulations that will be applied all through the football competition. This is supported by Nicholson at al., 2015 .p176 who argue that “To undertake successful media planning and promotion a sports organization must have a well-developed knowledge of the media industry, media outlets, and individual media personnel.” This is a clear indication that media releases play a very vital role in such events. The media industry, therefore, is one of the pillars of the football sector. In addition, the use of media release increases the communication and interaction between the organizers of the event, the fans, and all other stakeholders. The participating teams can also go through the rules hence being more conversant. The press release above thus ensures that all the stakeholders and primarily the participating teams can quickly access them. SECTION 5 – MEDIA ADVISORY 1. MEDIA ADVISORY Media Advisory: 2019 AFC Asian Cup held at the United Arab Emirates 2019 Preliminary Joint Qualification Round 1 Official Draw The draw for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 Preliminary Joint Qualification Round one will be held at Simpsons of Potts Point Hotel, Sydney, on August 20, 2016, at 1500 hours. Several team representatives and officials will be in attendance. The most notable of these individuals include the Australian football coach, Malaysian coach, Qatar assistant coach, United Arab Emirate coach and several other honorable guests. We invite all the officials such as editors, news reporters and journalists from all the media houses to attend the ceremony. In addition, all are advised to register at the reception desk at the Simpsons of Potts Point Hotel Desk from 1300 hours onwards. For questions, inquiries or comments, please contact us on afcasiacup2019@the-afc.com MEDIA SCHEDULE (Thursday 20th, 2016) All the scheduled events will take place at the Simpsons of Potts Point Hotel, Sydney 1300 hours- Media Center starts the registration of the media representatives 1400 hours- The official draw commences 1500 hours- Mixed Zone with the team representatives 2. MEDIA ADVISORY JUSTIFICATION This media advisory is suitable for this event because it provides vital information about the upcoming ceremony. It gives the necessary details about the most anticipated round one draw for the AFC Asian Cup. This is reinforced by Stofer at al., 2010 p.100 who has argued that “A media kit is a collection of information to introduce an organization, campaign, merger, or other newsworthy events. In addition to press releases, a media kit includes any of several communication vehicles for potential use by the media: a media alert or advisory, fact sheets”. The media report, therefore, plays a vital role in the dissemination of information from the organization to the fans, well-wishers, partners, officials and other prominent stakeholders. All the stakeholders whom this information concerns can, therefore, respond accordingly. For instance, the coaches from all the participating teams are expected to arrive at the Simpsons of Potts Point Hotel on time. Also, the Media representatives are also informed to register at the Media Desk as from 1300 hours, to attend the ceremony. CONCLUSION Media all over the world play a vital role in sports. The organization cannot successful thrive alone without the aid of media opportunities and technologies. There is need therefore for the sport managements to consider make good use of all these tools and techniques. Media opportunities such as the use of E-Newsletters, Subscription and social media should be maximized. It will lead to the increased publicity and advertising options for the sports organizations. Additionally, these media opportunities and outlets are faster and reliable in communications. For instance, the fans of AFC Asian Cup can use social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter to view the events of their favorite Sports clubs. In return, this increases the efficiency and service delivery rates of the organization. Finally, all football organizations must thrive to make maximum utilization of social media and related communication technologies. This will substantially boost their daily operations in the competitive market of sports. References Steers, S. 2013. The Tomkins Times. Retrieved October 21, 2015, from http://tomkinstimes.com/2013/06/the-changing-face-of-football-media/ Chadwick, S. 2010. Managing football an international perspective (4th ed.). Amsterdam: Elsevier/Butterworth-Heinemann. Hay, R., & Murray, B. 2014. A History of Football in Australia a game of two halves. Richmond, Victoria, Hardie Grant Books. http://public.eblib.com/choice/publicfullrecord.aspx?p=1685712. Kirk, D. 2004. Senior physical education: an integrated approach. Champaign, Ill, Human Kinetics. Hamula, S. R. 2006. Media guide. Upper Saddle River, N.J., Pearson/Prentice Hall. Nicholson, M., Kerr, A., & Sherwood, M. 2015. Sport and the media: Managing the nexus (pp. 1-316). Oxford: Routledge. Media advisory: 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia and AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 Preliminary Joint Qualification Round 2 Official Draw. 2015. Retrieved October 21, 2015, from http://www.aipsmedia.com/index.php?page=news&cod=16151&tp=n#.ViedVdJ97IU Stofer, K. T., Schaffer, J., & Rosenthal, B. A. 2010. Sports journalism: an introduction to reporting and writing. Lanham, Md, Rowman & Littlefield. Read More