I often feel like Australian sport is in competition with itself. During NRL season people often express shock when I explain that while I love NRL, I also enjoy watching AFL.
It is uncommon to find people passionate about more than one sport and I often find that very little respect is shown between the codes.
Lovers of NRL often don’t understand AFL and think that it takes less skill because it is not as physical, when this is certainly not the case. AFL fans can’t fathom NRL, and try to write it off as a boofhead sport.
Instead of being in constant competition I feel like the different codes can look at each other and use and share ideas to make each competition the strongest that it can be.
With this in mind, last night I attended my first A-League game between the Western Sydney Wanderers and Sydney FC.
If I am completely honest with all of you, my readers, then I will admit that I would have only watched 10 minutes of the game (maximum). Why you ask? The answer is because I was absolutely mesmerised by the crowd.
For those of you that have not been to watch the Western Sydney Wanderers play, I urge you to make an effort to. The most vocal Wanderers fans are called the RBB (Red and Black Bloc) and this group of supporters (last night I estimate they were about 10,000 in number) all sit together, ablaze with red and black (literally, two flares were let off) and chant, sing, clap and roar for the entirety of the game.
As an NRL supporter you must understand why I was absolutely intrigued by this. Throughout the year I have often written about declining crowd numbers and what the NRL can do to fix this.
To have gone to an A-League game last night and seen a crowd of over 40,000, all I could think about was why can’t the NRL do this? Is there something fundamentally different between the two sports or is the A-League doing something better than the NRL.
The story of the Western Sydney Wanderers absolutely intrigues me.
Such fanatical support did not exist in the A-League before the Wanderers. Even the Sydney FC fans looked quiet in comparison last night.
While, chanting and singing may have existed, it did not exist on the same level that the RBB has brought to the A-League and as a result it has led other fans to have to lift their game.
What I find incredible, firstly, is that such fanatical support exists for a team that is only a year old.
I would certainly call myself a fanatical Parramatta supporter. In the dictionary, if you look up ‘Eels supporter’, you might just see my face. However the love for my team certainly developed over time. I certainly did not love my team at the level I do now when I first started supporting them. To see fans with such passion last night truly amazed me.
While the success of the Wanderers in their first year, probably assisted the fan base to raise their game to the levels they are now, there has to be more to it than that.
Perhaps that prior to the birth of the Wanderers, Western Sydney was mobilised in its love of football – all they needed was an outlet and a team to be able to call their own. Football participation levels in the West have been on the increase and I would also suggest that few in the West completely embraced Sydney FC. In this respect, I find it fascinating that it took so long for a team to be born out of Western Sydney.
Seeing the Wanderers fans truly made me a bit jealous last night. I salivated at the possibility of seeing such support exist in the NRL. After having thought about it for a little longer however, I feel like the two sports are fundamentally different and historically have been supported in a different way which means that such fanatical support probably won’t ever exist in the NRL.
You only have to watch an EPL game to see what I mean. The way these fans support their team is completely different to what you see when watching the Super League.
This tends to lead me to the conclusion that there is very little that the NRL can learn from the A-League other than sitting back and watching in awe.
However, while we might not be able to bring such fanaticism to the NRL, as a Parramatta supporter I see tremendous opportunity for the Wanderers and the Eels to work together. We share a geographical location, we share a stadium and in many respects we also share fans. The A-League and the NRL does not need to be in competition with each other.
A useful step one I feel would be offering dual memberships for the Eels and the Wanderers. Last year the Eels expressed that their eventual goal was for 40,000 members – for a goal like this we need to mobilise more people.
I am not a massive fan of the round ball, but were such a membership option offered, I would certainly consider it. I love my sport and I love Parramatta – why not take up the opportunity to do something over the off season? I feel like I’m not the only fan that would feel like this.
As a final thought – congratulations to everyone who attended the game last night and thank you to Wanderers fans for absolutely inspiring me. Your support and dedication to your team is incredible and I hope it only leads to positive steps forward both for the A-League and for football in Australia.
redandblack
Guest
Mary, this is nicely written. I find it a pleasure to read pieces such as this when we've been so inundated with such biased and ignorant articles in the past. Reviewing some of the comments posted above seem to indicate that many still think our mainstream media is entirely factual. The WSW phenomenon is really no surprise to many people. As a foundation member I can tell you the passion for a local team representing the world game was always there. When Sydney fc came around with the creation of the A-League many of us tried to get on board, but there was just no emotional connection. And this is where WSW made that difference. This team represents the people they play for. In return we display our passion. The western Sydney area had been grossly neglected as a sporting market for a very long time. NRL had this market covered nicely but it's biggest flaw was that they tried to turn a working-class-man's game professional. With huge financial interests invested between the NRL/afl and mainstream media outlets, it's no surprise that these sports were rammed down our throats, problems covered up and every miniscule issue occurring in "sokkah" being exaggerated by what I can only describe as xenophobic propaganda. As a past NRL fan I am deeply dissapointed in the efforts the NRL undertook, notably after the super league saga. WSW to some extent simply brought back what the NRL used to have-- the cultural and community links. I strongly beleive ANZ stadium and Channel 9 have played a big part in destroying the roots of the NRL. As for our fanatical display presented by our active support, it simply comes down to great passion. We are not spectators at these games. We are there to support our team and bring them over the line. These players play for us out there, we sing for them and for a club we respect. Simple. Finally, on the dual membership, not going to happen. WSW is a team for western Sydney, first and foremost. Secondly, many WSW fans and members are also NRL fans/members of varying teams. What we should be fighting for though is to get the much needed upgrade to Pirtek stadium.
mushi
Guest
Really? I think the A league goes forward the fastest in the medium term by feeding on the code war and becoming AFL and NRL fan's people's "second" sport and then building from there. As an outsider they've really already got the it's called football crowd on side right. The aim isn't to win the contest at the urinal about who's sport is better but just to get a critical mass that appreciate it some regard. This seeming insistence from the fan base that we need to believe the round ball game delivered unto man by god and there is no other football worth watching is a bit of a hurdle, instead of encouraging people to get involved it forces them to defend what they already love
daniel p
Guest
Exactly SVB I will stick to the sports I enjoy and the fact that people overseas don't play it doesn't affect me in any way
Towser
Guest
Chris Yes came in at the tail end of that. Was a junior Teddy boy for a while though & the tighter I got my jeans the more it impressed my mates. Then again,the squeaky voice nowadays, is that just age?
incredible..
Guest
I was totally unaware there were that many Germans living in Australia.
chris
Guest
Towser you forgot about the 1950's Teddy Boy's. I like going to watch sport for the game it's self and not for the crowd banging drum's/standing/clapping/chanting as if I wanted to par take in something like that i would of joined a choir.
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
@Nomad The opening match at the 2013 RL World Cup involved Australia playing the host nation, England Australia vs England LIVE on 7 Network Viewers = 159,000 Australia's opening match at the 2010 FIFA WC Australia vs Germany LIVE on SBS Viewers = 1.2 million Imagine if we had AUS v ENG in a World Cup Football match in Brasil ... OzTAM's People Meters may actually meltdown!
Towser
Guest
Normally I stick to the Football tab,but saw this headline & thought it was about the Wanderers,It is but from a Rugby League angle. However I do have something to add to this debate & that is that somehow the atmosphere at a Football match is because its historically part of football culture. It is but for only a small part of its history & I am speaking for England only let me add. Growing up in the North of England in a football town,was also to grow up alongside Rugby League both in close proximity to RL towns & on TV, televised every Saturday on the BBC in broad Yorkshire by Eddie Waring. Now up to the sixties Football & Rugby League had one thing in common in relation to crowd,eliminate the field of play & you couldn't tell the crowds at each game apart. Both were inherently conservative compared to the football chanting & singing,colourful banners we see today & something that is beyond my comprehension ,the Poznan. Yer pay yer brass to see the game. As far as football goes ,IMO it changed in the sixties along with the Beatles & the Pop revolution. The Cloth cap in Northern England by my generation was replaced by Mods rockers,Hippies,working class kids took up guitar lessons, I believe this liberalisation of working class values transferred also into football crowds. Cant speak for RL in the North of England ,may have happened there also. If not. well I dont have enough knowledge of the game & its supporters to comment. as I was in Australia after the sixties. As for the Wanderer's phenomena,no phenomena for me,no rocket science as a long time follower of football in Australia. Western Sydney has always had a strong underlying & knowledgeable support for football,note number of clubs, players. However that support has always been at its strongest for overseas football & it needed the right catalyst to transfer Overseas to domestic support along with all the bells & whistles that go with it. Wanderers have provided that catalyst. Believe me if they hadn't,we would still be talking about a Parramatta Power Scenario in the A-League instead of the NSL.
Brett Osmond
Roar Rookie
It's not neccessarily that soccer is so clean and rugby league is the scourge of the earth it's just that alot more reputation damage in soccer/football is done by the teams supporters, granted flares and shit are not on, and should not be allowed. In contrast NRL fans are more timid and tame however the players themselves are damaging to the codes reputaion. I hear alot of people say praise them for what they do on the field and don't pay attention to what they do off the field but they are one in the same, you cant have one and not the other. I agree the Brett Stewart scandal was over a decade ago but it still hangs with him because it was "alleged" he did it. In comparison you dont see scandals like that in A-League or EPL, as far as the match fixing you can't taint the globe or every match based on two separate incidents. The fact is I'm an avid Jets and Knights supporter, I love both codes, for their differences, because thats what makes them unique. It's not about pitting one code aginst the otrher its about understanding the different rules and loving or hating it for the game that it is.
Titus
Guest
People who get insanely invested in their club create better atmospheres than those that get their opinions spoon fed to them by Today Tonight and The Daily Telegraph. That's just the way it is. I've never encountered these violent people you speak of at games and have never felt threatened, I'm not saying that there has never been isolated incidents or that the potential doesn't exist but it's basically ignorance and xenophobia that keeps people like Dylan away. In my experience it is the absence of the red-necks and the absence of people who enjoy sport for the violence and aggression that make football crowds much more chilled and embracing.
Muzz
Guest
I love and watch NRL and the A league. The atmosphere at the soccer is 100 times better as goals are hard to come by which leaves plenty of time for singing.Chants often start in a NRL game but break down as something exciting always happens. Parra and the Wanderers should merge and build a super stadium that holds 40k.Parra should be called the Western Sydney Eels and both clubs would dominate the western sydney sporting landscape.
dibo
Guest
I ton't think that's right. Our rugby fans don't sing, jump, dance or make displays like J-League fans do.
cowelly
Guest
I am a Rugby League supporter first and foremost. The way I see it, it's the greatest sport in the world. That being said, the responses to this article should only be positive. Soccer (football, whatever)'s growth in Australia has been incredible. It's remarkable to see a sport grow here and get people off their arse and to watch or play a game. I agreed with the comments about dual memberships - clubs should be working together to get people to watch more sport. Especially considering NRL/AFL aren't even played at the same time as A-League. I would love to see Australians support all codes of sport and become members of a few different sports. We've lost touch with why we watch sport - it's a reason to compete with our nextdoor neighbour and be proud of our local team! Who cares if it's a different code? Australian kids need to watch and participate in more sports, not become more fanatical and ignorant about one sport.
Dan
Guest
I'd be interested to see a member breakdown AK, but from my personal experience most of their fans I've come into contact with are young males... barely ever come across anyone much older than 30 or many women. Not so with SFC. You cant protest all you like that you've sat next to families etc - and I'm sure they're there somewhere - but my experience has not yielded many such examples, so I feel it fair to generalise.
AK
Guest
Dan: load of crap about the Wanderers fans. We sit next to the RBB as my kids love the RBB and all around me I see families with kids and grand parent in tow. If you did a member analysis you will find a very even breakdown between families, single females and males. Of course the RBB has the more singles as young children will find it hard in the active areas. Last year my kids, Mrs and I used to sit with the active area besides the RBB and had a great time but this year is difficult as it so full but we love sitting in the Black & Membership beside the RBB and chanting and singing our heads off. Have never experienced and rudeness or stupid behaviour. So please do not generalise.
Dylan
Roar Pro
Sounds good. Havent been to Roxy in years but ill grab a few mates and head out there for look. Hopefully i enjoy it and find a new sport outlook for the summer
SVB
Guest
Dylan I will go straight from work to the next game which is this Friday night against Adelaide. Therefore I will head straight to the game and won't be stopping off anywhere pre game as I work in the city. I also have a membership, therefore I have a reserved seat next to one of my mates. I am not in the RBB asi I am in my 30's. I feel too old lol. But I do support what they do and I know 95% of them are good people. You will get the odd clown, but that is everywhere. My recommendation is to give the Roxy club a visit this Friday pre game (if you have time). Go in there and see what it is like. If you don't like it then leave. But I think once you get to know the people and start bonding with them I believe you will change your mind. A lot of it is about fun and community. Just find some peopel who you think are decent guys and asociate wit them. Maybe also participate on the march and see what it is like. Maybe we can meet some other time at the game, but this Friday I will be rushing to get to the game. Cheers.
micka
Guest
Amen ctar... I love AR but have a soft spot for most if not all the other codes.... There is something about this site that drags the d**k measuring contest out in all of us. Even Fussball - probably the most one eyed unit on here- even mentions about how he goes to heaps of AFL and VFL games (usually as evidence of how crap AR is) and proclaims that he hates the code. You couldn't possibly go to that many games unless you were genuinely interested surely....
Dylan
Roar Pro
SBV perhaps I could tag along with you and your mates next time you hit up a game and you can show me the real passion that you excel in and help me spark my interest
Dan
Guest
I don't have blond hair and blue eyes and wasn't actually born in this country (I've also never associated blond hair and blue eyes as Australian, as I'm Swedish...). I'm just saying that in terms of football support culture, the Wanderers do appear to be doing something much more European than what I know of sydney football (all codes) culture, and that that is probably a by-product of a lot of their supporters being young, male and of ethnic origins where that form of support is common (and that includes celts and Anglos - they're from a culture where fanatical support of the EPL is famous and they're just as ethnic as those from the Mediterranean). I'm sure there are plenty of regular joe supporters amongst the RBB, but from what I've seen the SFC is the more diverse lot in terms of age and gender.