It has been a turbulent first few weeks at the helm for new FFA boss Steven Lowy.
Since being thrust into the limelight as FFA chairman three weeks ago, football has been in turmoil, with the leakage of a document containing the profiles of 198 banned football fans and an adjoining article by Rebecca Wilson infuriating fans Australia-wide.
As they say though, ‘what does not kill you makes you stronger’, and the game will come out of this debacle as the major winner.
The purpose of Wilson’s controversial article was to bring the game down, using a tactic which has been frequently used over the years. However, after two weeks of boycotts by active supporter groups all over the country, the FFA’s meeting with fans from all ten A-League clubs proved fruitful, and has united football fans all over the country like never before.
The FFA will now work to implement a more transparent banning process that will give banned fans the chance to view any evidence that the FFA can provide. The FFA have also apologised for not releasing a statement sooner in defence of the code.
In response to this, all active fans will be back in the terraces this weekend to cheer their teams on, with crowds expected to soar after recording an average attendance of just 8117 last weekend, down 35 per cent from this season’s average of 12,483.
Overall, Wilson’s article, which was meant to tarnish our game, helped it grow – a fact that will please football fans nationwide.
The past week has shown how important the fans are to the game, and how without them there is no football.
j binnie
Guest
Lucas - Interesing piece that only time will prove or disprove.Last night's game was a "disprove" for only 9076 people turned out to watch Adelaide v Sydney in excellent weather ,on a beautiful ground .(No heat no potholes). So once again your seasonal average crowd dropped from 12,483,to 12,395 a continuing trend evident from round 1. Now before I get branded in the usual manner by those well meaning fans,I sinmply point out that this continuing fall in "active attendance participation",is a far bigger problem facing the games administrators than anything that has gone before during these last few weeks.and I'm quite sure the problem has ,or should have ,a far higher priority in the Lowy/Gallop psyche than the reversal of the "ruling" that has caused so much unrest. Certainly benefits have apparently accrued from the confrontation, but that does not alter the fact that we now have 108,000 spectators that have apparently "drifted away" from our game after only 45 games (or 9 rounds). Just as another measure we have learned pundits in these columns who claim that because the average home attendances at this point in time (9 rounds) are higher than the averages those same teams attained last year in 27 roundsthen everything is OK but they ignore the fact that the "gains" showing,V ictory (up 600),Sydney (up 60), Adelaide (down 2200), Roar (up 300),WSW (up 600), Jets (up 2300), CCM ( up 300),Melb City (down 3000) Wellington (up 700),Glory (down 1900) are all part of a falling trend and any "gains" are slowly being reduced.and unless that trend is forcibly reversed will have disappeared by season's end. So Lucas,great to read your opinion but just remember ,look at the big picture when forming an opinion. Keep up the good work .Cheers jb