Clubs should pay supporters to be fans

 

Roar Pro

By Irene Tobin , 2 Jul 2010 The Crowd is a Roar Pro

Tagged:

 NRL, Rugby League, South Sydney Rabbitohs, Sydney Roosters

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I was thinking it was high time the clubs paid their fans. How did Souths repay their loyal fans after several marches on Town Hall, and countless money making fan days to get the club back into the NRL? Simple, they sold the club to a Kiwi actor.

Manly also got rid of the people’s club, and sold to a real estate and health mob.

And don’t get me started on the joint venture things.

Yes, given the crap that has been going on the last few years, I think the fans must not only be paid for their loyalty, there must be a contract with a get out clause, the same as Israel Folau.

For example, if the fan gets a better offer in another sport, they can trigger the get out clause for that. If the players misbehave (as defined in the contract) the fan can trigger another get out clause. If the fan decides to leave the club and the game, the fan can hold a news conference to publicly flout the newly adopted rival code.

The fans would be free agents at the expiry of the contract and can go to another NRL team. The NRL club under contract must provide the kit and seating arrangements. Some contracts can be underpinned by third party sponsors wishing to engage a ‘character supporter’ like the Roosters ‘chicken man’; the Saints ‘skull’ dude or perhaps a ‘punching man’ like the late Laurie Nichols.

Some fans can even wear a sponsor livery.

I think the most challenging thing for the clubs will be preventing the contracted fans from switching codes or going to Super League where the money is. After all, why not go to the south of France to accept a fan contract to support the Catalans Dragons?

Or we could jump to rugby and have our uncle Reg hand out our bright pink jerseys.

Oh, and did I mention there’s no salary cap.

That’s right, the fans should be entitled to earn the money they are entitled to. Only the best fans will earn a national jersey. The Kangaroos can travel with the fans to international fixtures (if we can squeeze them on the plane).

Most importantly, fans should be able to retire.

There should be video tributes to retiring fans that need to spend more time with the family (and the players should be forced to watch and shed tears at their departing comrade).

At the end of the grand final, the players should stand perfectly still, in fact, they should be constrained in the middle of the field by thick necked green wearing flat footed security guards and be forced to watch as the fans do the lap of honour around the ground (in the seating areas of course).

We could finish the year of with a ‘player day’, where the players can turn up and get their favorite fan to sign a club related item.

Maybe then, the many arrogant players in the game will finally understand who determines whether the game survives or dies.

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