Ok football, here it is. We need to talk about flares. We need to get it out in the open where the issue can be talked about openly and honestly.
Except cross-code baiting, nothing seems to illicit more passion on the Roar than the issue of fans lighting flares.
You are either for it or against it, and anyone seeking to find a compromise seems to get shouted down. The lighting of a flare (even if it is just one) usually gets top billing on prime time sports news, overshadowing the quality on the pitch.
This leads to a chorus of complaints that the ‘soccer knockers’ are out to demonise football and make it seem foreign or a game only for outsiders.
This basic story gets repeated over and over again.
I personally do not like flares at a football match. The first and most obvious reason is that they are unsafe and highly dangerous.
It will not take long before someone is badly burnt or injured if they keep being lit.
Much more important though is the message it sends. I love the game of football, but whenever I see a flare, my mind just thinks of one word ‘trouble’.
Families in Australia who want to engage in football and take their kids along to a game see flares and instantly think something bad will happen. It is not part of the Australian sporting culture and although we import a lot of our cultural ideas from abroad, we shouldn’t accept this one.
I know a lot of bloggers will cringe at my mention of families, or the attempt to make football ‘family friendly’.
I remember one person came up with the intelligent response that football should be appealing to young men (not families) as they will more likely spend their money on attending a match and merchandise.
It however misses the equally valid comeback point that the game is trying to build generational support into its clubs, so that going to see the Wanderers, Mariners or Glory is no more different or strange than attending a Collingwood or Rabbitohs game.
Getting children to attend a game is vital in this process as they will literally ‘grow up’ with their clubs. Having a safe environment for them to watch a game is paramount.
A lot of supporters of flares also use the ‘active fan’ response. That football culture requires fans to be active and sing and wave flags and light flares.
But doesn’t it take away from the action on the pitch? And isn’t that why we are actually there…to watch a game of football? I never want what’s happening in the stands to take away from what’s happening on the ground.
To me the use of flares is a lighting rod for those people who love nothing better than to have a dig at football. Genuine fans need to stand up to idiots and make them see they are hurting the image and game we all love and want to see succeed.
Flares. We don’t need them.
Are you the ultimate team manager? Pick your own superstar team and go head to head with other football fans for glory and cash prizes on Draftstars. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.
The past 18-24 months have been an enjoyable ride for Arsenal and their fan-base after almost a decade of turbulence. Mikel Arteta has been…
Manchester City have chalked up another big win in their hunt for an unprecedented fourth straight Premier League title, with Phil Foden continuing his…
Here is the way the Roar expert panel sees all the action unfolding across the final weekend of play prior to the semi-finals.
Despite the short nature of his tenure as a professional manager, Arne Slot has established himself as arguably the most impressive manager outside of…
Everton won the Merseyside derby 2-0, with Toffees supporters taunting Liverpool after the game at their home ground Goodison Park.
Jarrad Branthwaite and Dominic Calvert-Lewin have blasted a hole in Liverpool's Premier League title challenge as Everton powered their way to a priceless derby…
