exhibit A: http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/news?slug=afp-fblasiaeurope&prov=afp&type=lgns but you see and hear this all the time - as if asia is all one big market and koreans really care what happens in thailand or vice versa. why does this impression exist? is this comparable to anywhere else - at any time, did anyone ever think that if we sign this nigerian player it'll boost shirt sales in tunisia?
Well, at least for me, a dumb ignorant Korean living abroad, Europe is just another one big market. England, Poland, Greece all the same. Bunch of white people walking around.
well I thought Korean and Japanese players have a good fan base among East Asian countries.... guess I was wrong then! BUT you have to admit that there has been transfers from Asia solely based on the number of jerseys these players can sell.... and that's why Europeans usually just buy "TOP" African soccer players as there is no financial motivation for second them to buy second tire African players!
I agree that the Asian market isn't very unified, however each individual Asian country is very big, population wise, and is passionate about soccer. I should preface this by saying I'm talking about East Asia only here...Seeing the pictures from PSV playing in Korea, it seems that Korean fans really got behind them because of the Korean players (and maybe also because of Hiddink). In China, you only find the bigtime European teams gear, but Everton and Man City both have Chinese players and now many stores will carry both these teams stuff, which they wouldn't otherwise carry. Its a way to get their name out there and get into the market. East Asia doesn't have to be united to make it profitable for a team to buy an Asian player. I do think for the most part Asian fans are grudgingly happy to see Asians from other countries in Europe, especially when they end up on the same team. I think the myth of the "Asian" market only exists in the US where Asian Americans are willing to support any Asian whose making it...
I agree with this. China, Japan and Korea are all big markets and conquering just one is a financial boon, especially for smaller clubs with limited markets (i.e. PSV, Man City). That said, clubs have made the mistake of thinking just any Japanese player will lead to increased merchandise sales. The thing is, Nakata, Nakamura and Ono were all stars before they left Japan. Suzuki and Toda were not. And no one buys a shirt worn by a benchwarmer. If a player isn't contributing on the field, he's not contribute to your bottom line. I do think (hope) clubs are getting wiser.
When I lived in Thailand I knew many people that were fans of EPL sides. While many might be considered bandwagon, as the years progress their allegience to the clubs will undoubtedly grow. What these clubs are doing by touring Asia is planting the seeds for the future.
It is very sad to see how in some places in Asia the local game is totally ignored while the fans drool over teams that play thousands of miles away. It shows a serious malaise when the fans of the visiting European teams outnumber those of the local team.
But how can you blame them? These people are passionate about soccer and enjoy good, high quality, fast paced soccer. I have a number of friends in China and the US that are extremely dedicated to European teams while at the same time ignoring the CSL and MLS, respectively. Its not good for the domestic leagues in these countries, but it does put pressure on the leagues to improve or give the fans a reason to watch. Most of these fans won't ignore their domestic game if you give them an exciting product, but the current games can, at times, be overwhelmingly boring...
Disagree. The reason they don't support local sides is because of corruption and incompetent administrators. When you put forward a garbage product people are not going to buy it. By garbage product I don't mean the quality of play on the field, but more the organization side of the leagues. For example in Thailand if they started a true national league and marketed it properly they would easily average 10,000 - 15,000 a game, which pretty much rivals the attendance numbers of the "B" leagues in Europe. Same here in Nepal. The biggest matches draw crowds of 15 - 20K, but the league is so poorly managed that all the other games get no more than 500 - 1,000 spectators. How the hell do you expect to get a decent crowd when you are playing league matches on a tuesday afternoon at 1PM ?????
there is no myth of the asian market, but there is certianly some "myth" of the middle east market LOL. Just look at their countries(iran,iraq,israel, palestine)..., I never seen Manu, Milan, Real Madrid travel and play there.
lol we should have an Asian curreny just like the Europeans did with the Euro. except what would it be called? asia?