For the past decade the Hyundai A-League (HAL) has enjoyed steady growth in fan numbers. But last year the figures plateaued. We needed to launch the 2016/17 Season in a way that encouraged new fans into the fold.

While a staggering 2.18 million Australians participate in grassroots football, more than half of kids aged 15 years and under don’t support a HAL team.

That unsettling realisation led us to ask:

How could we motivate kids who play football to get on board, show their colours and pick a Hyundai A-League team?

oshi shook the hands of 10x captains, high fived over 90 hero players, travelled over 21,000kms and took more than 1600 photos. He visited the clubs and gave them each the opportunity to win his support.

The campaign launched nationally and included TV, Cinema, Outdoor, Radio, Digital, PR, ten club content films and more than one hundred pieces of video content for social – all with a direct call to clubs, fans, players, sponsors to help Yoshi make his decision.

Yoshi shared reports, stats, fun facts, player profiles and training sessions. Hyundai A-League fans followed Yoshi’s journey on www.a-league.com.au/youve-gotta-have-a-team, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Youtube and generated be-spoke content to amplify the campaign. Teams encouraged fans to lobby for Yoshi’s support presenting their case using the hashtag, #ALeague.