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Despite the name ‘Sydney FC’, and the constant reference to football clubs in general, there are no real football clubs in the A-League.
A club is defined as a voluntary association of people who regularly meet with a common purpose. While the various fan groups could be considered clubs, the footballing entities themselves certainly are not.
They are business ventures owned and managed by different business interests. The players are employees, as are all the coaching and administrative staff.
‘Membership’ to any of the A-League clubs is nothing more than a marketing exercise in pre-selling match tickets. It confers no other rights, and gives no say in how the football organisation is run.
A huge motivator for most people is the desire to feel part of something. The closer their association with that thing, the stronger and more dedicated that support will be, and the more lasting that relationship.
The most frustrating thing for people is to feel powerless in that relationship.
I know it is a radical idea, but if administrators really want to grow the fan-base in this country, then how about giving fans a chance to actually own and be a real part of their clubs.
As an out-of-town Brisbane Roar fan, I see little point in buying a club membership which only gives me tickets to games, when I can buy those tickets at the gate when I actually want them.
If membership represented partial ownership or the ability to have a say in how the club was run and administered, I’d certainly be far more interested.
Real Madrid, one of the top 20 richest sporting organisations in the world, has no owner and is controlled by the fans. 60,000 members elect a president who oversees and guides the direction of the club and team.
It is a model that has been proven to work.
Given that Western Sydney Wanderers has been such a success this season, would it be possible for the fans to get together and take a part in its administration?
The game’s administrators have been big in claiming they have taken the thoughts and wishes of the fans into consideration when creating the club.
How about extending that a step further, and give them a mechanism whereby they actually have some genuine ownership?
Fans are here for the long term.
They are passionate about their clubs and the sport. Despite constant inferences that most fans have trouble tying their own shoelaces, my experience has always been that the majority of fans are intelligent and thoughtful, and certainly have more chance of doing well than some of the business people selected to date.
Individual opinions might vary but generally, as a group, fans know when things are not quite right, and usually long before the administrators admit that there might even be a problem.
Wanderers have a unique opportunity here. I think it is worthwhile looking at seriously.
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