When the Western Sydney Wanderers arrived on the A-League scene it promised to represent the region’s best values of hard work and honesty, rather than encourage one of the biggest problems in the region, gambling.
Its decision yesterday to partner with a western Sydney bookmaker for three years is the type of decision that goes against everything the club promised it would deliver the region when it held a series of forums at its inception.
So far the Wanderers have been fairly strong in their commitment to support western Sydney companies and institutions, and there’s no doubt it fulfilled part of that agenda yesterday by linking with another western Sydney company.
But it’s the fact that that company makes its money by encouraging more people to gamble which had caused angst among a socially responsible member base and A-League community.
While it’s hard to deny that sport and gambling are now intertwined, and gambling firms help generate some much needed advertising and revenue streams for clubs, sporting associations and the media, the Wanderers have a broader agenda.
This is a club that has done a great job over the past few years of giving the west of Sydney a united focus away from such problems.
Social responsibility and progress for the region has often been at the core of its decision-making, and there’s little doubt that the latest decision, while an obvious revenue raiser, goes against everything the club promised it would represent.
Many of us from the west of Sydney might have attended universities in the city or its outskirts, but it was great to hear the club announce a three-year partnership extension in September last year with the University of Western Sydney.
At the time it proclaimed that the club and university “share a strong philosophy of giving back to the community and creating joint programs that have produced positive change in the lives of many young people in the region”.
Two examples of this are the ‘Read with a Wanderer’ literacy program and the ‘Future for All’ initiative.
While there has been little fan-fare about either initiative, the former aims “to bring together schools, teachers and young people to improve literacy levels across the region”, while the latter aims “to given young students the opportunity to plan out potential careers and dispel certain myths about higher education, in order to change the current imbalance of tertiary education access for underprivileged areas of the community”.
They are notable causes worthy of broader attention.
Apart from featuring such programs in press releases and on its social responsibility pages, the club and others in football ought to be out there mingling more often within the community.
The FFA have recently copped a significant amount of backlash from fans for what’s seen as an over-commercialising agenda and it seems the Wanderers, a creation of the governing body, have been beset by a similar remit.
All well and good for any sports club to want to make a dollar, and the Wanderers are an example of a great success story, but do it with a sense of responsibility to the communities you represent.
Sometimes decisions have to be motivated not by what’s good for the hip pocket but by what’s good for the community, and gambling is clearly not something we want to encourage.
While Australia already has a huge gambling issue, it’s multiplied in the west of Sydney, where poker machines dominate the big gambling houses that tower across Mount Pritchard, Penrith, Lidcombe and Rooty Hill.
The fact that the firm the Wanderers linked up with yesterday is backed by one of the region’s biggest poker machine clubs only adds to the public relations red card.
The gameday experience at Wanderland is something to behold, but now the club tells us this latest partnership will have “a focus on responsible engagement with fans on game day”.
Just what everyone needs at Wanderland when we attend the Sydney Derby on Saturday night. More “gamble responsibly” messages.
Al
Guest
Socialism? To quote yourself: "You may need a dictionary champ."
whiskeymac
Guest
Apologies. Not your post. Others get excited.
marcel
Guest
I grew up in the west and I'm a Mensa member::::seems like Marvelous Melbourne is no longer a place where manners are taught though.
Bob Brown
Roar Guru
"encourage one of the biggest problems in the region, gambling." " the fact that that company makes its money by encouraging more people to gamble which had caused angst among a socially responsible member base and A-League community." Those comments suggest to me he is saying gambling is bad. I don't see why you'd think my post is "hysterical". There are plenty of things wrong with our society, including the behaviour of drunken cricket fans, but I can't stop people going to the cricket, getting drunk, causing trouble and getting arrested. Will banning alcohol and cricket sponsorship and advertising stop that behaviour?
whiskeymac
Guest
Not sure what tony said was stopping others doing it, if "it" is gambling (or even if "it" is to be extended as some want to include debate on a stop to an individual's free choice). Not sure the article says that anywhere. It's a tangent from some hysterical posts. I dont pretend to be all will anderson re advertising but is it not fair to opinion limiting advertising isnt saying you cant eat your bacon sandwich overseas and carry a handgun whilst doing so. Its about limiting its promotion and exposure. It means it wont be/ doesnt link it with a family experience directly. Thats different to saying its bad. It does however limit saying its good or that Its desirable. Is the article not saying gambling, with all its social problems, is something a football club representing a family/local fan base shouldnt legitimise. The only argument for is it is easy cash. Forget bacon sandwiches. Its an irrelevant thread. Well, in my opinion anyway.
Bob Brown
Roar Guru
What about alchohol sposorship, fast cars and overseas travel. Surely they are activities damaging society as well. I don't like smokers , drinkers and gambling myself, but do I have the right to stop other people from doing it. The sponsorship does have some implications and it is very disappointing, but at the end of the day its a business decision. With a waiting list to get memberships, I can't see it causing too much damage to the club financially.
Vic
Guest
It is way past time to shut down the ABC for good and transfer all their funding to SBS. I'm livid that my tax dollars are used to finance this vile and rascist anti-football media organisation which represents the very worst of WASP Australia!!
Kaks
Roar Guru
Everyones different, I would prefer national glory over club glory and I hope we dont go down England's path because if we did, then we would never have national glory haha
whiskeymac
Guest
You mean ethical investments? Not a new concept.
Post_hoc
Guest
I will just say this, I once listened to an interview with a former heroin addict who turned his life around etc and he had a number of poignant comments but one that stuck with me was when he said part of him beating his addiction was changing his environment, he stopped hanging out with certain friends, going to certain places as these were triggers or influences. He went on to say he felt sorry for alcoholics and gambling addicts because you can't walk anywhere without seeing those things advertised or a pub opening onto a footpath. He said they must find it hard to shift the mind set.
MatthewSkellett
Guest
Agree 100% RF - the prospect of quick money blinds a helluva lot of people to the long term effects :-(
CG2430
Guest
I just feel a stronger bond with the club team I support - possible because I can watch them play just about every week. Furthermore, if by some miracle the Central Coast Mariners win the A-League again, we don't have to share that joy with the supporters of the clubs we don't like - it's more edgy. Respectfully disagree - just thought I'd explain why.
AGO74
Guest
Tough but ultimately I'm ok with it because if we stop gambling companies due to social problems caused in a small number of people, do we then prevent clothing companies who make expensive clothes from cheap labour sweatshops sponsoring clubs? Or airlines (Etihad/Emirates) run by states with very dubious immigrant employment laws? oil companies such as BP or Exxon who committed huge environmental crimes - can they sponsor teams? And that's before you even start thinking about the elephant in the room of Aussie society - alcohol abuse and all its flow on problems... Seriously, where do you stop?
AGO74
Guest
Yeah I lost some respect for barca when they changed front of shirt sponsor from the honourable unicef to Qatar state sponsorship. It is quite a quantum shift in supporting a charity that assists (amongst other things) in prevention of exploitation of children to them receive bucket loads of coin from a state guilty of modern day slave labour. Mind you, you could say similar things about other clubs around the world who are sponsored by airlines like Etihad and Emirates who are owned by states with "questionable" employment laws.... maybe the gambling sponsorship doesn't seem so bad when you think of it that way.
Fadida
Guest
Agree
mattq
Roar Rookie
the FFA now allow alcohol sponsoring after the Federal Govt. campaign was withdrawn.
mattq
Roar Rookie
that was only because they signed up to the Federal Governments campaign offering financial compensation for sporting bodies who blackballed alcohol sponsorship. this money has dried up so it is now allowed. there is no such campaign against gambling.
marron
Roar Guru
Gotta nuke something. I don't see a problem with an opinion piece on the responsibility of a community organisation and their sponsorships. Got a bit of discussion going which is the intention of the site.
marron
Roar Guru
Those who are against "nanny state" will come down on the side of big business and assume that any argument about gambling is about a nanny state... FWIW I'm against a "nanny state" on many levels. Including this one. It's got nothing to do with the state. It's a business of a particular type with a particular community around it making a decision - and they have the right to and no-one's saying they don't. However, some people in that community - including the author - think that it's not a good decision given the brand/ideals/whatever you want to call it that they were founded on or purport to uphold - representing the people of western Sydney and helping in the community. It's not about state intervention.
Graham Hibbard
Guest
And there is header and footer betting advertising in this article - that is benefiting The Roar's income.... a bit rich to critisise Western Sydney Wanderers for doing the same. Note another betting agent. Oh, have they put commercial pressure on you to write this article against a competitor?