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How to stop the Eurosnob

Josh Brillante. (AAP Image/David Moir)
Roar Pro
24th November, 2017
33

I recently read the comment section of a social media post regarding the A-League finally being shown on a mainstream free-to-air network. In that comment section I read a discussion between two sets of opinions, one simply stated this:

“I don’t like the A-League. I find the quality appalling. I watch plenty of European football though.”

It does not take a genius to guess what the next few comments were. Some shouted abuse using the anonymous nature of their keyboard, determined to defend the A-League against this comment. Of course in one comment the derogatory term ‘Eurosnob’ – used to describe someone who likes football but does not support our local teams – came up a fair amount in the hordes of the abuse. This comment supported quite a large amount of ‘likes’ as well.

It simply baffles my mind as to why we believe that this is acceptable. Considering this post was about encouraging people to watch the A-League, something like this simply discourages anyone from viewing it. It reinforces the negative stereotype of an A-League fan, yet we clearly know that this is not true.

This person, this Eurosnob, will likely never watch the A-League again, in part because of the community’s reaction to their opinion. Fortunately a large majority of us on the internet do not behave in this manner, and this was reflected in some of the comments I read as well.

Outsiders attack our league for lacking the quality of the big European leagues. As much as it pains me to admit, this is true – we do not have the quality of player nor the ludicrous amounts of money that Europe has.

But our league has one key factor that can counter this: we have the potential to establish a local connection to the clubs of the league.

(AAP Image/David Moir)

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Unless people who follow European leagues are originally from that country or had family from there, they hardly have any real connection to that club. They weren’t there when the club was established 100 years ago, they weren’t there when the club played their first game and they weren’t there when they won their first trophy.

By creating these clubs we offer the opportunity for Eurosnob to be part of the future and to grow our game to the point where it is competitive globally or at least in Asia. The nature of the English Premier League today with all of its money makes us forget why these clubs were established in the first place, and that was to play football.

Manchester United, for example, was founded in 1878 as Newton Heath Football Club and made up of workers from the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway. Hardly any of them would have imagined the growth of Manchester United over the next 139 years. A few railway workers would clearly have lacked the skill and quality of other players, yet people still showed up to watch these games.

It took time for United to grow to its size today, but the local support for the club was always solid. The key to converting the Eurosnob to watch the A-League is to encourage this local connection so that the club can grow.

To a limited extent evidence of this can already be seen through the creation of the Western Sydney Wanders. When it was being created in 2012 multiple FFA supporter forums were held in significant areas of the Western Sydney region, such as Campbelltown and Penrith, where members of the community, likely already followers of European leagues, were able to discuss key aspects of what their club would be like when it was established, including playing style and proposed names and colours as well as club values.

(AAP Image/David Moir)

This all encourages a stronger connection to the local club. Supporters truly feel as if this is their team” They helped create it and they feel a vested interest in the club’s success. We can already see the success of a community-first approach through the Wanderers, who won the Asian Champions League in 2014.

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If the FFA are still searching for an expansion model I would strongly reflect on Western Sydney. Find an area of the country where there is a strong football presence – in other words, where people follow European leagues – and engage the community in the decision-making process.

We can already see the consequences of disconnect between the fans and the club. Clive Palmer’s decision to permanently close grandstands at Robina Stadium during the forgettable years of Gold Coast United demonstrated that no-one benefits when there is a disconnect between the fans and clubs. The fans do not get a football club and the owner no longer sees a profit.

More recent examples include 2015’s boycott protest against the FFA’s lack of support for supporter groups. Members of clubs are not willing to support a club if they do not feel that the club and sport support them.

(Image: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

A fan ownership model would help to ensure that clubs have no choice but to support their supporters. For example, Barcelona’s ownership model makes it impossible to purchase shares in the club other than a membership. Certain members can become socios, which gives them votes in the organisation of the club.

If we were to implement this model for the A-League and give members more power in their clubs, the local connection to the club would be strengthened. This would encourage those without an A-League club but passionate about football to become a member and shape the Australian football landscape.

Doing this will increase the quality of our league, make us far more competitive in Asia and hopefully recruit some Eurosnobs in the process. Our league will have the quality and be entertaining enough so that those who enjoy football really have no excuse not to follow it.

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At the end of the day the reason we watch football is for the entertainment, but we also want to be a part of a larger group and engage with our community. So instead of berating the next person you see as a Eurosnob, suggest the A-League to them and show them that they can shape the future of Australian sport in their image.

Because what was happening in Europe in the 1880s with Manchester United and Barcelona is going to happen here. It may take a few decades, but it is a certainty that our league will evolve and change for the better.

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