There’s been an overload of vitriol and fervent discussion about the FFA and the wider football culture in the past fortnight.
Since Rebecca Wilson’s controversial article which mentioned the names of fans who had received bans throughout the A-League, the image of football in this country has taken a significant hit.
However, as a newly-christened football ‘lout’ as Mrs Wilson would call me, I wanted to shed some light on the experience I’ve had with the world game.
Growing up in Queensland – a rugby stronghold – and the son of a passionate Carlton mother and father, football has barely made a dent in my sporting DNA. For years it was a sport in my periphery, only truly making an impact with the rise of the Socceroos in 2005 and 2006.
I never had a negative view of football, it was just a non-issue for a young man raised in the sunshine state.
MORE: David Gallop: Fans “use your energy in a positive way”
MORE: From within, the ugly truth behind A-League active support policing
MORE: ‘No Fans = No Football’ – Why the walkouts were important
Fast forward to May this year and I’d made the move south just as Melbourne Victory became A-League champions by defeating Sydney FC 3-0 in relatively easy fashion. Many of my friends and colleagues attended the final and spruiked the magic of football in its live setting.
By the time the current season came around, I was bubbling with excitement at the mere thought of attending a Victory home game. My first proper experience of the ‘Vuck’ came in the best way possible – derby day versus City.
The build-up to the match was like nothing I’d seen in the AFL or NRL, not even an international sporting event like a test match could equal the anticipation and palpable tension in the air.
Thanks to the enticing tales told by many Victory fans, I’d been convinced to join them in the Northern Terrace. Pre-game, I took part in the march towards Etihad Stadium and right then and there, I was hooked.
The Vuck had taken over my body like some kind of football poltergeist. An unbelievable sense of belonging and camaraderie was so apparent amongst the hundreds of supporters who made their way along Spencer Street and up the stairs at Southern Cross station.
As we entered the ground and found our spot (not seats, you’d have to be a corpse to want to sit down during an A-League game), I was thrust into a melting pot of football passion. This wasn’t a collection of hooligans or dangerous thugs.
No one was threatening me, or using the game as a vehicle for political or religious rhetoric (thanks Sam Newman). It was simply a brotherhood, a level of enthusiasm for the team that the other codes would kill for.
For 90 minutes, I bore witness to sporting nirvana, I felt like I was truly home. You could be the most apathetic sports fan in the world and still be swept up in the experience, it’s contagious.
Since that derby day, I’ve attended every Victory home game bar one and am even making the trip the Western Sydney next weekend. An interstate trip is something I never would have even considered for a Carlton game, yet only mere months into my football fandom, I’m willing to spend my hard-earned to chase that feeling again and again.
The FFA and the A-League, and more specifically David Gallop and Damien De Bohun, need to take the recent protests incredibly seriously. We can’t afford to let the fans’ voices and rights fall by the way side.
If things keep going the way they are currently, there will be a steady reduction in new enthusiasts like myself. Removing the atmosphere from the A-League will send a dagger through the heart of this wonderful sport in Australia. Take it from a guy who’s a recent convert: football is built on the foundation of fan support.
Without a foundation, you’ve got nothing.
What are your thoughts? Let us know by dropping a comment below via our Facebook comment box. Make sure you follow us on Twitter @Outside90 and like us on Facebook
