When will the "Thanh Vinh cauldron" come back to life?
(Baonghean.vn) - Despite participating in the V-League for 18 years, the role of SLNA fans remains stagnant, even though the team from Nghe An has a Supporters' Club, which has been awarded many outstanding titles by the VFF.
A veteran fan from Nghe An province accurately summarized the club's work in two lines of poetry: "Love is like a dragonfly / It lands when happy, it flies away when sad." Indeed, the link between the club and the clubs is still somewhat spontaneous in terms of management. When SLNA wins, 8,000-10,000 people gather enthusiastically; when they lose, the opposite is true.
Spontaneous
For many years now, despite having a Supporters' Club, there have been no meetings, no operational direction, and membership management has been almost entirely spontaneous. They only operate when they have a budget, mainly organizing outings to support the team; otherwise, they fade into silence.
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| Nghe An fans covered Hang Day Stadium in yellow. Photo: An Thanh |
The revenue sources for professional football clubs, in addition to sponsors, include television rights, commercial activities (advertising, merchandise, jerseys), and ticket sales. Of these, the latter two sources are heavily reliant on fan clubs; for example, at Manchester United, ticket sales account for 20% of their total annual revenue.
After hitting rock bottom in the 2017 V.League season, attendance at Vinh Stadium increased by 58.1% to 40,500 spectators per season (an average of 6,750 per match), but this was still lower than the average attendance of 7,903 per match in the 2018 V.League. It was less than half the attendance at Nam Dinh Stadium and half that of Hang Day Stadium, with some matches attracting only 2,500 spectators, far behind even district-level matches in amateur leagues.
With tickets for stands A1 costing 70,000 VND, A2 and A3 at 60,000 VND, and B, C, and D at only 30,000 VND and 20,000 VND respectively, it's not difficult to estimate that SLNA's ticket sales revenue last year accounted for just over 3% of the season's expenses.
In reality, the V.League's statistics aren't entirely accurate, as many away fans at stadiums like Hang Day, Go Dau, and Hoa Xuan (Da Nang)... belong to SLNA. However, the fact that fans in Nghe An are no longer enthusiastic about football is true and shows no signs of improvement, even with stars like Van Duc, Khac Ngoc, and Xuan Manh. The highest attendance at Vinh Stadium this season was 10,000, far behind the top 5 most-watched matches in the V.League (between 17,000 and 22,000).
Admittedly, Coach Duc Thang is quite concerned about connecting with fans, making an effort to listen to and interact with the "leaders" of the fan clubs. He proactively visited and gave gifts to disabled fan Nguyen Ba Ky, attended the club's galas, and asked SLNA players to stay and thank the fans after matches. However, pre- and post-match activities remain poor, lacking the involvement of an organizer.
When the club lacks a true leader, not only does SLNA struggle to attract fans to the stadium, but its commercial activities also face considerable difficulties. The club cannot sell fake jerseys, and fans are not yet accustomed to spending money on genuine, expensive jerseys. Therefore, everything remains stagnant, and the team continues to rely on sponsors' funds instead of developing its football business.
Restructuring
Besides organizing cheering activities in the stadium, which has become a well-established and highly professional process, another highlight of the SLNA fan club's work is its communication through social media.
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| The "rivers of gold" are an indispensable part of SLNA's matches. Photo: An Thanh |
Besides professional analysis and commentary, almost every move of the SLNA coaching staff and players is published. News about players' girlfriends, new hairstyles, and expensive sports shoes is exploited to the fullest. Quite a few Vietnamese sports news websites have used this source to gather information.
After a decade of North Asian sponsorship, SLNA appears poised to secure a new sponsor before next season. The presence of Quang Tình, Văn Bình, and Hoàng Thịnh training at Vinh Stadium signals a positive restructuring strategy for the team. So, is restructuring the fan base necessary? Who will be responsible for this?
