This past round saw a worryingly low number of fans through the gates as the boycott of A-League matches was in full swing.
With just over 40,500 fans going through the gates this past weekend, this round of the A-League has been the lowest one in recent memory, with an average of only 8,117 fans per game. It appears this round has sent a clear message to the FFA and it is something they have received loud and clear, with reported meetings taking place in the coming days between fans groups and FFA elite. But yet there is still a question as to whether the FFA are listening to what is being said and done and responding in a suitable manner.
Steven Lowy in his address to the media on Thursday showed just where the FFA is at in regards to the current situation. While Lowy addressed several key issues raised by the fans, he failed to say anything significant or come up with a plan to attack the current situation, instead opting to deliver a buzzword-laden speech that failed to impress a significant portion of fans. But all of this was said and done before the past round of the A-League took place and with the lowest attendance rate in recent memory, it appears the FFA are being pushed into a corner and need to respond in a proper manner sooner rather than later.
Interestingly, there was only one match that achieved more than 10,000 fans through the gate and it was the match in Auckland between Wellington Phoenix and Melbourne Victory, which drew just under 11,000 fans in total. The Phoenix active fan group Yellow Fever have previously stated the importance of this match via social media and urged fans not to boycott the game as the Phoenix have more significant priorities than the fan crisis at hand, with the club currently at risk of losing its license past the completion of this season.
We’ve released a statement explaining why our licence situation means we cant afford to boycott on Sat. Please read. https://t.co/OW8iDuiMUV
— Yellow Fever (@YellowFever_NZ) December 1, 2015
The attendance at the Wellington match showed the FFA the true power of the fans when it comes to making a side live or die. Not many people expected the Phoenix to have the most attended match in a round where both Sydney sides are playing at home but the actions of the active support groups have helped to heap exposure on the club and their campaign to survive plus it helped to heap pressure on the FFA to seek a quick resolution to the situation at hand.
Unfortunately the situation at hand is not necessarily one with a quick and easy solution. Many of the demands fans are seeking simply cannot be implemented successfully in the short-term and require time to become fully effective. But with the walkouts and boycotts, the fans are making themselves heard and it is directly affecting the league as a whole. The longer this situation goes on, the harder the league is making it for itself in the future. Lower crowd attendances could ultimately lead to a reduced TV deal which could stunt the growth of the league and cause it to stall. With football poised to become the largest sport in Australia in the near future, a diminished current interest in the league could be a killing blow to any future interest and growth in the sport in the country.
It all puts the fans in a rather awkward position as to whether they should continue the boycotts. While the fans should be applauded for standing up and sending the FFA a clear message that change needs to be made, they also cannot afford to boycott for much longer without seriously hurting the future of the league itself. It can be linked back to the actions of the Yellow Fever this past weekend, who decided not to boycott the Phoenix match against Melbourne because the game itself was too important in helping to ensure the future of the club. By standing with the other support groups, the Yellow Fever were stating their message loud and clear that what the FFA have been doing is wrong and change needs to be implemented but by attending the matches they are showing that the most important thing they can do as fans is support their side, especially in moments of need such as this one.
Currently it seems that fans and the FFA are playing a deadly game of cat and mouse and this is one situation that can have no winners if it continues for much longer. While fans cannot afford to boycott for much longer as it could permanently damage the league, they also cannot afford to stop before the FFA give into their demands and begin to implement change. But at the same time, the FFA cannot afford to bend now because it would set a precedent that the fans of the league could abuse whenever they have the slightest issue but at the same time they need to resolve the situation as soon as possible in order to protect the league to the best of their ability.
While this standoff continues and more is made about the situation at hand, it now appears that there is one thing that can be taken for certain; whoever folds now will lose for the long run but if no one folds at all, then the league could lose everything.
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