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“You’ve got to have a team,” the marketing campaign says. Get behind your local club! But what if that does not apply to you?
All of us want expansion, and there are those in Canberra, Tasmania and of course the South Melbournians who eagerly await news in the face of overwhelming odds. But there is a group of fans who go largely unrecognised.
They are fans who do not have a local club, who have no home crowd. These fans are the people who have moved interstate and as a result have no club to support. I am one of these fans and this is my story.
I moved to Melbourne approximately three years ago from Adelaide and at the start I was determined to remain a passionate Reds supporter. Yet over time I believe I have only attended two games where Adelaide played in contrast to the many Victory home games I was invited by friends to go to.
Naturally, over time, my support for Adelaide has diminished. But I can’t bring myself to support Melbourne City or Melbourne Victory for numerous reasons.
Despite City consisting of former Adelaide players in Bruce Kamau, Eugene Galekovic, Marcel Carrusca, Osama Malik, Iacopo La Rocca and more, my own personal morals prevent me becoming a ‘traitor’ like the former Reds. It’s petty, I know, but a complaint nevertheless. In addition, my own stubborn views prevent me from supporting a rival club like Victory, despite knowing full well that my allegiance to Adelaide is dwindling due to a lack of personal attendance.
What I love most about the A-League is the fans, the crowds and the atmosphere at home games. I miss the cheers, the chanting and the obligatory jeers against the opposition – particularly when you have the support of the entire home crowd.
I feel like an outsider when attending games at Melbourne; peering into a culture that could have been with somewhat wishful thinking.
At work, I regularly get asked who I support. What follows is me responding that I support Adelaide, then they ask the standard why and how, and then they finish with “Time to jump ship to the Victory/City.” I do want to support another club; I miss the home crowds and feelings of belonging but I don’t seem to fit with the current Melbourne teams.
I personally do not care if it’s South Melbourne or Southeast Melbourne that join the A-League next year. Just give us more football, and more fans – a sentiment I believe many of us can get behind.
Naturally, this is all meaningless without some statistics to back my arguments up. Granted we are talking about a segmented population of interstate travelers that is further segmented into football fans. But bear with me until the end.
When considering expansion, it is important to know where the people are heading, and the reports suggest that it is Melbourne.
Melbourne is the second most populated city in Australia, with 4.5 million people. In comparison, Adelaide, Perth, Hobart and Canberra all have populations under two million, albeit Perth is close with 1.9 million. Brisbane was third highest with 2.3 million and Sydney the most populated with 4.8 million, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
Given these results it would make sense to establish a new side in Sydney in an attempt to create a second Wanderers effect. However, I raise this counterpoint: Melbourne is growing at a much faster rate than Sydney.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported in 2015 that “Victoria pulls far more migrants from the rest of Australia than any other states, gaining 9340 new arrivals.” New South Wales on the other hand had a net emigration of 5570.
In addition the ABS also revealed that Melbourne grew more than 107,000 people in 2015-16, taking the title of Australia’s fastest growing city.
I also find it somewhat comforting that as many as 2,100 South Australians fled for the border as well, giving some relevance to my earlier anecdote.
Football is a business, set up where the money is, and set up where the people are. While Melbourne is AFL-centric, I feel the Football Federation Australia (FFA) are in a very advantageous position here.
Considering the migration of people and the desire for the FFA to expand the A-League, I propose that they capitalise on this upward trend in Melbourne. I know myself and a few others who would instantly support any new Melbourne side over their original team.
Doing so would provide the FFA with a means to differentiate from other clubs across the codes. A new team would bring huge marketing opportunities and perhaps with the right investment could have a Western Sydney effect in Melbourne.
Yes, AFL is huge, and trying to expand more in Melbourne could be risky. But with an upward trend of interstate travels from cities where AFL isn’t the most popular, for example Brisbane, Sydney and to a lesser extent Adelaide (and following the Crows performance I am extremely reluctant to announce that I’m a Crows supporter in Melbourne), the FFA have the chance to capitalise on those sports fanatics by giving them a new team that allows them to feel at home.
I am not suggesting a team for migrants. While I would particularly enjoy it, creating a team as such would result in it enjoying a considerably smaller supporter base, and would presumably generate less income than another expanded team. There is also the dangerous return to the National Soccer League (NSL) days – something no fan wants.
What I do want the FFA to consider when deciding on the next A-League side is these people. If everyone has got to have a team, then so do the interstaters.
However, I understand that this would be an extreme minority perspective, and once again this is just my own experience. I call out to readers of The Roar: are you in a similar position? If you have swapped teams, why and what was the transition like?
As always, this perspective comes from a place of passion. I want to experience the home games as I did three years ago. But I just can’t see that happening with the current Melbourne sides.
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