The Hyundai A-League has kicked off another exciting season, and this time it comes with an integrated campaign from BMF that hopes to motivate the millions of Australians who play football to get on board, show their colours and pick a Hyundai A-League team.

The underlying message of the spot is that Aussie families need someone to support, because ultimately ‘You’ve Gotta Have a Team’.

A whopping 2.18 million Australians participate in grassroots football, but research shows that more than half of kids aged 15 years and under don’t support a Hyundai A-League team.

So BMF enlisted 10-year-old Yoshi, the hero of the story and the ultimate illustration of the opportunity football has to unlock the untapped army of football fans all over the country. He was picked from hundreds of video entries after BMF and the FFA reached out to their Football Family database.

After playing in a spring football comp last year, Yoshi fell in love with the game. Much to his father’s indifference, he defected from AFL, has immersed himself in football and is now on the hunt for a Hyundai A-League team to call his own.

Over the past few months, all 10 clubs have stepped up their on-field rivalry and gone head-to-head to vie for Yoshi’s support. Yoshi, who shook the hands of Hyundai A-League captains, high fived over 90 hero players, travelled over 15,000 kms and took more than 1600 photos, visited the clubs and gave them each the opportunity to win his support.

BMF and FFA worked with the clubs to tailor ‘once in a lifetime’ experiences for Yoshi that showed off the club’s strengths.

They varied from club to club and included big name stars, such as Caltex Socceroos Coach Ange Postecoglou, Caltex Socceroos leading goal scorer and new Melbourne City FC marquee signing Tim Cahill, celebrity Chef George Calombaris and the voice of Australian football legend and Fox Sports personality Mark Bosnich.

Cam Blackley, BMF executive creative director said, “The strategy was simple, convince kids to add a Hyundai A-League badge to the portfolio of other teams from other codes they follow.

“I think the two things that define this campaign are the authenticity of the little legend we found Yoshi, and the transparent way he drilled every club, giving the players a bit of stick along the way. I’ve no doubt we’ll find a lot of new fans with You’ve Gotta Have a Team this season.”

Rob Squillacioti, head of marketing, digital & fan engagement at FFA, added, “More people play football than any other team sport. There are more players, more teams and more clubs in more suburbs across the land.

“The game is woven into the fabric of our society and the Hyundai A-League represents the ultimate expression of this passion, excitement and belonging that is unique to football.”

The integrated campaign includes TV, Cinema, Outdoor, Radio, Digital, SEO, ten club content films and more than one hundred pieces of video content for social. Hyundai A-League fans can also follow Yoshi’s journey so far and are encouraged to lobby for Yoshi’s support via social media, presenting their case for Yoshi to join their team using the hashtag, #ALeague.

Yoshi is still in the process of selecting a team, and he will fly around the country over the coming weeks to watch all the clubs in action and experience the atmosphere at some of the biggest games of the season.