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This is the question for administrators of Melbourne Victory, whose ongoing problems with the club’s fans continue to plague the A-League powerhouse.
First of all, Colorado Rapids a founding MLS franchise, have an unsavoury history between administrators and supporters that has sent once-record attendances on a massive downward spiral.
It has led them to going from the one-time best supported team in the MLS to now being a bit of a minnow as more forward-thinking franchises like Seattle, Portland and even rivals Salt Lake City take the notoriety as clubs with strong cultures and high attendances.
Of course in today’s MLS, lessons have been learned and today’s Colorado team are reminiscent of those lessons where supporters are not only first, but supporter culture is also celebrated rather than admonished.
But if you go back 12 years to 2002 the ‘rebranded’ Colorado you see today are nowhere to be seen. In 2002 the Rapids, in their sixth year, are having their watermark year with average crowds of 20,000 and a record attendance of 60,000 – sound familiar?
Well, it didn’t last and a lot of that is a direct result of the administrators of the day.
With large crowds came a paranoid mentality about active support, and club administrators began persecuting their active supporters with strong in stadium restrictions that went as far as relocations based on simply complaints from Johnny-come-lately fans.
The then-quite large supporters group didn’t even last the season out with club administrators forcibly moving them from their favoured stadium position and restricting their movements and culture.
After 2002 not only did the supporters groups disappear but so did the record crowds in the ensuing years. In 2005 the Rapids had no active support and their crowds dwindled.
In 2005 three new supporters groups were founded however the persecution continued as the club constantly had its hand in supporters’ business and persecuted supporters for any incident.
Two of the three and one other group founded in 2007 disbanded in 2009, fed up with club intervention.
Not even a championship year in 2010 could help with record low attendances.
Of course since 2010 and the successes of other MLS franchises built around their supporters groups attitudes have changed in not only Colorado, but league-wide.
Now Melbourne Victory, has been infinitely more lucky but at the same time continues to make the same mistakes as the Denver-based MLS club.
Where Colorado went wrong was its frenetic paranoia about how its supporters were received by both other supporters and the local media.
They are now extremely bullish about on the side of their current third generation of active supporters.
Melbourne continues to kowtow to any and all critics of its active supporters and their culture.
Where any incident brings about a bout of hysteria on behalf of the AFL and cricket agenda-driven media, Melbourne and for that matter the FFA continue to behave as if they’re at the mercy of these ultra-conservative tabloid magazines.
So much so that they’re actively and willingly persecuting supporters as a result.
Supporters however are growing ever tired of this attitude being taken by the administrators of our game who seem incredibly oblivious to not only history, but also their very own and most vital benefactors.
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