This past week saw many active support groups stage walkouts or hold protests against the FFA in what was the culmination of a big week for the A-League.
To anyone looking into this from the outside, it may be difficult to understand just what has been happening this past week. It appears that many fans have lost their patience with the FFA and their actions over the last few years, with the publishing of a list of 198 people who are banned from football matches and Alan Jones comparing the situation at A-League games to “terrorism in Paris” appearing to be the final straw for many fans.
While many fans attempted to do their own part and dispel any stereotypes prevalent in mainstream media, the biggest responses came from the active support groups who have been targeted the most. The North Terrace and the RBB penned a joint statement asking the FFA to help protect the fans that make the league exist by condemning the articles as well as finding how the list was leaked to the media. Arguably the biggest demand the groups made was to get the FFA to implement an independent and transparent appeals process, something A-League chief Damien De Bohun has contradicted himself over in the past, firstly by stating there was an appeals process, then by denying its existence all together.
However it does appear that the FFA has listened to this demand by the fans and as of Sunday the FFA is now looking at implementing an appeals process, but many would argue that this is a move that appears to be a little too late to save the support of the fans. This was made into a fantastic case study just this past weekend, as both the North Terrace and the RBB walked out of matches at the 30-minute mark after holding up banners against the current situation. Sydney FC and Central Coast fans also showed their support with banners while the active support group for Melbourne City simply boycotted their match against Perth.
Interestingly, the only side that came out in the media and stated there would not be any walkouts in their next match was the Wellington Phoenix, as they have deemed their game against Melbourne Victory at QBE Stadium in Albany too important in the context of their own ‘Save The Nix’ campaign to have fans walk out. While the Phoenix fans are still going to protest against the actions of the FFA, their main priority has to be the ensuring of the survival of the club. But this all still raises a question as to where the fans stand against the FFA elite and whether they have lost the very thing that makes the sport exist.
Mark Bosnich and Lucy Zelic have both hinted at this, suggesting that the fans have now turned against De Bohun and Gallop and without the fans there is no A-League at all. This was also a sentiment echoed by the fans themselves, with one of the more powerful banners this past week simply stating “No Fans = No Football” and this banner is extremely accurate. The fans make the league viable and give the league its soul. Without supporters like the North Terrace and the RBB the passion that makes the league unique would be lost. Once the fans are lost, it is only a matter of time before everything else crumbles. This is already appearing to be the case, as crowd attendances have stalled with only a handful of clubs making an improvement to attendance this season plus television ratings have hit a wall and are continuing to hurt the value of the next TV deal.
This naturally brings us back to the walkouts that took place this last weekend. The FFA can no longer ignore the calls of the fans lest they risk losing the very thing that makes the A-League exist. The two sides are in a toxic relationship at the moment and unless something changes quickly, we could be seeing the beginning of the end of the A-League. The supporters who led the walkouts should be applauded for standing up for what they believe in and what they are passionate about, as it shows the FFA just how much they care about the situation at hand and by doing a physical protest rather than one over social media, they are giving ammunition to the other fans to heap more pressure on the FFA to do something.
There needs to be a line in the sand drawn by the FFA and action must be taken sooner rather than later. The longer the FFA takes to react in a suitable manner, the more fans will be lost to the game permanently. And while the FFA has attempted to fix some of these issues raised in a rather lacklustre manner, the situation at hand is something that can no longer be shrugged off by anyone. Fans such as Julian Cumbo have lost their jobs as a result of this issue and the A-League is continuing to have its named dragged through the mud by people like Jones. With the walkouts this past weekend, the fans have made it clear to not only the media but also the FFA; We will not stand for this anymore. No fans equals no football.
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