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In light of the past week, where A-League club the Western Sydney Wanderers’ active supporter group the Red and Black Bloc have been subjected to draconian proposed crowd restrictions by police, it is time to look at how antisocial behaviour is approached across the codes.
The proposed restrictions include absurd rules such as ‘no clapping above the head’, ‘no swearing’ and ‘no standing shoulder to shoulder/jumping in the terrace’.
Are fans allowed to breathe at Pirtek Stadium anymore? They are restrictions that ultimately are trying to destroy the unique atmosphere created by one of the most boisterous terraces in the league. This is further highlighted by the warning that ‘play could be delayed’ if some of these ‘guidelines’ are not adhered to.
Watching the AFL preliminary final between Fremantle and Hawthorn at Domain Stadium last night made a few things even more apparent to me. There are extreme displays of antisocial behaviour at other sports codes, the approach however is inconsistent.
Never once have I seen a woman physically assaulted at an A-League game before. Can you imagine if this was seen in the crowd at a Western Sydney Wanderers game?
I’m not a Wanderers fan for the record, however have attended a game at Pirtek Stadium in the past. The police presence I witnessed at that game was not only overkill, but would likely be doubled (if that’s even possible) if such an occurrence took place at Pirtek.
A common theme at Western Sydney and Melbourne Victory games is the presence of riot police lining the bays all around the stadium, not just the active supporter groups. Last night the fans near the fence displayed behaviour that was totally unacceptable in what is prided by authorities so often as the ‘family friendly code’.
A fan feigning to hit an opposition player trying to slow down near the fence was disgusting. This man would’ve been kicked out in a split second an A-League fixture.
Another fan leaned over the fence to excessively scream at Luke Breust who had landed awkwardly on the fence. Again, if it happened in the A-League, it would be front page news.
Although it has never been permitted to swear at sports games, the proposal to clamp down on Western Sydney Wanderers fans displaying this behaviour leads me to wholeheartedly expect authorities to take such a measure with any sports club, of any code, whose fans are displaying the same actions.
I’ve seen the actions of the mentioned fans from last night dismissed as creating an amazing atmosphere. Threatening to hit a player and getting in opposition players’ faces when they’re near the fence is now apparently atmosphere.
Another one of the new rules is a prohibition on marching through Parramatta towards Pirtek Stadium. Well I expect now that next time Fremantle fans congregate pre-game at a pub that they will by no means be allowed by police to walk to the ground in a large group.
If the authorities are serious about creating this ideal, family-friendly utopia at sports games, they will try and clamp down on grub fans of other football codes just as firmly.
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